DENVER, IA– (April 27, 2016) – National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization, is pleased to recognize that The Lora B. Hesse Trust has successfully created a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through its program to sustain and enhance wildlife. NWF celebrates the efforts of The Lora B. Hesse Trust to create a natural space that improves habitat for birds, butterflies, frogs and other wildlife by providing essential elements needed by all wildlife – natural food sources, clean water, cover and places to raise young. Certification also makes your Certified Wildlife Habitat® part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, a national effort to restore critical habitat for pollinators. “We are so excited to have another passionate wildlife gardener join us and create a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Over the last 40 years, nearly 200,000 wildlife gardeners have joined NWF’s Garden for Wildlife movement and helped restore wildlife habitat right in their own yards and neighborhoods,” said David Mizejewski, naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. “Whether you garden in a suburban yard, an apartment balcony, a 60-acre farm, or anything in-between, everyone can create a home for local wildlife. Turning your space into a Certified Wildlife Habitat is fun, easy and makes a big difference for neighborhood wildlife," he added.
"My goal since the inception of the Lora B. Hesse Trust has been to establish future uses of this extraordinarily-beautiful land along lines that will promote sustainability of use," said the Trustee, Duane L. Hesse. "There have been multiple suggestions that I carve up this unspoiled property as has happened to adjacent parcels and develop million-dollar homes," he noted, "But that is not my objective for this land." The property is located in the heart of The Big Woods in the Cedar River Valley, and still has hundreds of shagbark hickory trees in an historic oak-hickory forest. It is one of those extremely-rare areas in Iowa where there are remnants not just of native prairie land, but of historic woodland that extends back eons. In fact, the Trustee has been planting White Oak and Bur Oak seedlings in recent years to mirror the composition of the original oak/hickory forest. In addition to these efforts to return the woodland and prairie areas to their original states, the ownership has also worked diligently to plant other native species of wildflowers and trees. With nearly 200,000 locations and growing, NWF's Certified Wildlife Habitats and Community Wildlife Habitats recognize individuals, schools, groups and whole communities committed to providing habitat for wildlife, including pollinators. Each of the nearly 200,000 certified locations provides food, water, cover and placed to raise young. This makes yards, schools, businesses, places of worship, campuses, parks, farms and other community-based landscapes into wildlife sanctuaries. For more information on gardening for wildlife and details on how an entire community can become certified, visit www.nwf.org/habitat or call 800-822-9919. For more National Wildlife Federation news, visit,: www.nwf.org/news.
The National Wildlife Federation was created in 1936 by famed Des Moines Register cartoonist, J.N. "Ding" Darling, who understood there was power in unity. In 1936, his bold vision for a nationwide constituency of conservation supporters brought together Americans from all corners of the country. Today, the National Wildlife Federation is a nationwide federation with 52 state and territory affiliates and six million members and supporters. National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization, inspiring Americans to make their properties more amenable to the wild creatures that share our lands with us.
