Conservation easement with Mississippi Valley Conservancy will preserve 110 acres
LA CROSSE, Wis., April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Dairyland Power Cooperative has granted a conservation easement to Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC) to permanently preserve 110 acres of Mississippi River bluffland near Alma, Wis., in Buffalo County. Dairyland owns the land, which borders the Great River Road (Hwy. 35) and includes rare oak savanna habitat, as well as mature hardwood forests and dry bluff prairie areas.
The land has significant ecological, natural, wildlife habitat and scenic value, and consists mainly of steep river bluffs with rocky outcroppings, native dry prairie and old growth mixed hardwood forest.
“Working with MVC to conserve this beautiful and ecologically very important area has been so rewarding for Dairyland, as preserving the land will benefit all Mississippi River Valley community members. It’s satisfying to know that this land will be protected and enjoyed for perpetuity, without threat of development,” said John Thiel, Dairyland Senior Environmental Biologist.
As part of this agreement, Dairyland is also donating stewardship monies of over $12,000 to help support MVC’s future restoration work on the site. Dairyland will work together with MVC staff to help restore natural areas within the acreage as part of the long-term care plan for the property.
“This is a wonderful collaboration between industry and environment, which is resulting in the preservation of a unique and spectacular natural area,” said Tim Jacobson, MVC Executive Director.
With headquarters in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides wholesale electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 19 municipal utilities. A Touchstone Energy Cooperative, Dairyland’s service area encompasses 62 counties in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois). Dairyland’s generation resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, landfill gas and animal waste. For more information, please visit www.dairynet.com.
Mississippi Valley Conservancy is a non-profit land trust in La Crosse that has permanently conserved over 7,000 acres of blufflands, prairies, wetlands and streams in the Coulee Region. MVC works with landowners and communities in seven counties along the Mississippi River, including Buffalo, Trempealeau, La Crosse, Monroe, Vernon, Crawford and Grant County. For more information, please visit http://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: Dairyland Power Cooperative
CONTACT: Katie Thomson, +1-608-787-1323, or John Thiel, +1-608-787-1353,
both of Dairyland Power Cooperative; or James Falvey of Mississippi Valley
Conservancy, +1-608-784-3606
Web Site: http://www.dairynet.com/
http://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/
