Iowa’s public land treasurers

Like thousands of Iowans our family ramped up visits to Iowa’s public lands when the coronavirus epidemic restricted distant travel and indoor recreation.

We hiked Effigy Mound’s bluffs, camped in Yellow River State Forest, discovered wildflowers at Wildcat Den State Park and walked Linn County’s Wanatee Park trails. Although we’d been to all these places before we’d never seen as many people enjoying outdoor Iowa as in the past two years.

In 1803 the government sent France a check to buy all of today’s Iowa and much more. Sadly Native Americans, who had lived on the land for thousands of years, were cut out of the deal. Privatizing land was U.S. government policy, and before the income tax was established, land sales generated significant government income.

Settlers poured into Iowa from eastern states and Europe lured by inexpensive government land featuring rich soil and gentle topography. Within one human life span Iowa became almost entirely privatized. By 1900 about 2.2 million people lived in our new state. New towns, roads, schools, farms, churches and businesses covered nearly every square inch of land.

In 1900 an Iowan not owning land or knowing a friendly private landowner had nowhere to go to camp, hike, fish, hunt, boat, or simply stroll in the woods. State and county parks, reservoirs, and even Effigy Mounds National Monument didn’t exist.

Fortunately attitudes changed. A state park bill was passed in 1917 and legislation establishing county conservation boards followed about 40 years later. So did legislation helping preserve private land from development.

Essentially all of Iowa’s parks, wildlife areas, and national monuments were created from private land after generous landowners gifted their property or sold it for conservation, often at a bargain price. Iowa’s citizens, private groups, and government agencies chipped in to buy land that created today’public lands and waters open to anyone.

Productive workers move to places that offer a pleasant lifestyle. That often means places for fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, birding and boating. Public lands help lure people to Iowa and make life more pleasant for existing residents.

It is ludicrous that the Iowa Senate is considering legislation that penalizes landowners wishing to sell or gift land for conservation and outdoor recreation at a time when we are trying to attract new residents.

Rich Patterson lives in Cedar Rapids.