Mississippi Valley Conservancy protected 40 acres of rare habitat in a purchase completed on December 16, 2021. The land, owned by Jim and Milli Lindell near the town of Glen Haven, had been in their family since 1943. The site includes natural springs, a variety of trees, and talus slopes.
“We knew the property was incomplete,” said Abbie Church, Conservation Director for Mississippi Valley Conservancy. “We had an area of functioning algific talus slope, complete with the federally threatened northern monkshood, state threatened cherrystone drop snail, and other rare species. On a hot July day, you can feel cold air coming out of the vents in the hillside. But what we were missing was the air intake supporting the entire system – typically a sinkhole or series of sinkholes.”
Funding for the acquisition was provided by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, the Paul E. Stry Foundation, and donations from Conservancy members and supporters.
Read more this article by WXOW.
Featured image by Joshua Mayer, 2011.
