Clinton County Conservation Foundation

By Walt Wickham, Executive Director &

Mark Roberts, EE Coordinator

The Clinton County Conservation Board has a well-kept secret that I am now going to let out of the bag. One cold and dark night during the winter of 1997, Clinton County Conservation Board members held a meeting with the ambitious intention of creating a new organization. This organization would have a very specific purpose. The purpose of the organization would be for the most part, self-serving. It was during this ostensibly clandestine meeting that the Clinton County Conservation Foundation was born. O.K. I'll admit that I'm intentionally being overly dramatic but I wanted to make a point. None of this was actually done in secret. It's all on public record. However, contrary to our best intentions, many people are still not aware of the existence of the Clinton County Conservation Foundation, its mission or goals.

The Foundation was created to operated as a private non-profit entity, separate from the Board. Simply put, the Foundation was formed with the purpose of supporting and promoting the mission and activities of the Clinton County Conservation Board. The Foundation is actually very similar to an Izaak Walton or Pheasants Forever Chapter in that the Foundation's purpose is to improve the general state of conservation. The main difference is that the Clinton County Conservation Foundation may only use its funds to benefit the activities of the Clinton County Conservation Board. This ensures that monies raised or donated will benefit the residents of this county.

The general purpose of the Foundation is to accept donations and gifts and conduct fund raising activities. Gifts made to the Foundation are only limited by the imagination and intention of the donor. Donors can earmarked funds for specific projects or allow the Foundation to determine how a donation could best be utilized. If you follow the Conservation Board's activities through the local newspapers, you probably know that we have been working on preliminary plans for an Eco-Tourism Center at Rock Creek Park. While we aren't quite ready to divulge the details yet, the Foundation will no doubt play a big role in fund raising for this very large undertaking. I expect to make an announcement on this project in the upcoming summer edition of Prairie Whispers.

The Foundation's Board of Directors is made up of the five current Conservation Board Members. Members of the general public may also become members of the Foundation's Board. The CCCB's Executive Director, Environmental Education Coordinator and Roadside Biologist are non-voting members.

Obviously, there is a very strong bond between the two entities, both with their own strengths and weaknesses. Since its inception, the CCCB and the CCCF have complimented each other with the end result being a stronger conservation effort put forth to the benefit of the environment and the people of Clinton County.

Fund-raisers: The Foundation can hold events to raise money for specific projects like land acquisition or habitat enhancements. This will help expand the Conservation Board's capabilities to provide the public with open spaces.

Donations: The Foundation is better equipped to handle donations to Conservation Board activities because of its status as a private, non-profit agency. People occasionally send donations for the Environmental Education Program, the newsletter or for a specific park. When a donation is made to the Board, the money goes into the Conservation Board's reserve account. The Conservation Board then must ask the County Board of Supervisors for a budget amendment to get spending authority into its budget so the Conservation Board can spend it on the intended purpose. The Foundation can simply purchase materials or equipment and give them to the Board without all the red-tape.

Bequests: If people wish to leave money, equipment or land in a will for conservation purposes, the Foundation would be the best suited organization for this purpose. The Foundation will work with the families to make sure that the deceased person's wishes are met.

Added Services: The Foundation has already made an impact with helping improve the level of service the Conservation Board can provide. A soft drink machine at Eden Valley Nature Center has been installed to provide hikers, picnickers and campers with refreshments. Additionally, the Foundation operates a soda machine at the Conservation Board Headquarters and a machine serves disc golfers at Folletts Park.

The Foundation also has sold T-shirts at some of the CCCB's programs, providing a neat souvenir for the participants. All profits from any Foundation endeavor are immediately available to the CCCB for park improvements and services to the public.

Grants: Many grants are available to only non-profit organizations and not to government agencies. The Foundation will be able to apply for these grants, opening doors to new sources of dollars for conservation, other than tax dollars or user fees.

Cooperative Efforts with other non-profits: The Foundation will have more freedom to work with other non-profit conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, the Audubon Society, Waterfowl USA, Sierra Club, Friends of the Wapsi Center, etc., to come up with innovative fund raising projects benefiting all.

This is your opportunity to help: The cat is now out of the bag. If you or someone you know would like to make a donation to the Foundation to help us in our efforts to provide wild areas and programs of conservation, recreation and education or would like more information write: The Clinton County Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 68, Grand Mound, Iowa 52751 or call 563-847-7202 or email conservation@clintoncountyiowa.com. Your donation would be greatly appreciated.