Governor Branstad honors Twin Cities family for their donation of 5 acres of Winneshiek County blufland

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and other officials recognized 25 landowners, families and organizations on Thursday for their gifts of conservation land, land value and conservation easements.  Included in those honored were a Twin Cities couple,  Jim and Donna Weigle of Golden Valley, who donated a key 5-acre wooded bluff overlooking the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek County to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

Jim's parents purchased Weigle Woods to protect it.  They donated one of the first conservation easements in the Chimney Rock area in 1989. The latest donation expands the protection of this scenic bluff and entrusts it to INHF.

The 25 gifts recognized on Thursday had a total value of more than $6 million and protected 2,800 acres in 21 counties in Iowa.