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Mississippi Blufflands Alliance Magnificent hills, bluffs and stone outcroppings line the largest river in the United States for some 200 miles of its length from the junction with the St. Croix River near St. Paul, Minnesota, down through the Quad cities of Iowa and Illinois. As early as 1924, the federal government recognized the unique natural values of the Upper Mississippi River and established the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge, an area now visited by more than three million tourists yearly. But, this region is the nation’s fourth fastest-growing area in terms of rural land consumed by development, according to a recent University of Wisconsin report. A number of public and private groups recognized both the natural resource importance of the region and the development risks to the lands adjoining the river. However, it was not until the mid-1990s that an organized effort was made to pool the talents and abilities of these groups to protect land bordering the Mississippi. 'We knew that a river can't be truly protected without protecting the adjoining lands, but we also knew that one state or one organization couldn’t do it alone," acknowledged Mark Ackelson, President of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and a founder of the Blufflands Alliance, at a multi-state workshop in 1993. From that beginning, there has evolved a working alliance of six organizations in four states, each initiating and carrying out individual projects, while sharing goals, procedures and visions. Current members of the Blufflands Alliance are the Natural Land Institute and the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation in Illinois; the Wisconsin Farmland Trust and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy in Wisconsin; the Minnesota Land Trust; and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. These groups meet to report progress, share and discuss new initiatives and resources, learn from experts and otherwise further the spirit of cooperation throughout the blufflands region. Critical to accomplishing the Blufflands Alliance mission is the ongoing funding from the McKnight Foundation based in Minneapolis. In 1998, the McKnight Foundation provided a three-year million-dollar grant, split among alliance members. The grant called for approximately 3:1 matching by the member groups, a stiff challenge that assured solid funding for the many projects anticipated. With good project successes by each of the members, the foundation this year renewed its commitment for another two years. In December, 1999, the McKnight Foundation made another one million dollars available through the Land and Water Acquisition Fund to help fund land preservation projects. The McKnight monies have been directed primarily to implementing the various organizational, educational and field-work efforts of the alliance members. Funding for land acquisition or for conservation easements has, and continues to come, from private donors as well as from some governmental sources. These efforts are carried out by each of the alliance members as specific projects arise. NLI is immensely proud of the contributions made by its members and friends over the years and looks forward to working with these supporters as new preservation projects are identified and structured.Mississippi Blufflands Alliance Members: Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation www.inhf.org Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation www.jdcf.org Minnesota Land Trust www.mnland.org Mississippi Valley Conservancy www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org Natural Land Institute www.naturalland.org West Wisconsin Land Trust www.wwlt.org |