First Edition
By Harry Graves - Director, Johnson County Conservation Board

Welcome to the first edition of the Conservation Connection, a quarterly communication of the Johnson County Conservation Board (JCCB). Through this publication we hope to keep you better informed on conservation and environmental topics in our county, state and nation. Each issue will provide a schedule of upcoming events and feature articles on timely topics and areas of concern. Our goal is to keep you informed and entertained with thought-provoking articles. But above all, we will endeavor to serve you because that is part of our mission as your County Conservation Department and agency of county government.

Thomas Macbride, pioneer conservationist and botany professor, first conceptualized the county park system in 1895 when he described his idea for a system of county and rural parks before his colleagues of the Iowa Academy of Sciences. However, the first popular interest in creating county conservation boards did not surface until the early 1940s.

The effort was strongly supported by sportsmen’s groups, private individuals and legislators. The first legislative effort to establish a count conservation law was introduced in the Iowa Legislature in 1943. Much of that early support was based on the observation that Iowa was lacking in adequate public lands for outdoor recreation and that the State Conservation Commissions would be unable to fulfill the demands in the years ahead.

It was not until 1955 that the Iowa General Assembly passed into law Chapter 111A (renumbered 350 in 1993) which became known as the "County Conservation Board Law." One of the most interesting features of the law is that no county conservation board could be created until the proposal was placed on a ballot at a general election and favorably acted upon by the voters in the county. In 1989, the law was changed to require each county to have a conservation board.

The citizens of Johnson County approved the measure to organize their county’s conservation board in the general election of 1964. Since that time, the JCCB has acquired 9 areas comprising of 1,420 acres of land for public use throughout the county. F.W.Kent Park, near Tiffin, is the base of operations for the board. This 1,030-acre area has become one of the finest parks in the state.

The board is composed of five county residents who serve, without compensation, for staggered five-year terms. The Conservation Board’s program is supported by property taxes, funds from the Resource Enhancement and Protection Fund (REAP), various grants and donations. Conservation boards can and must address such diverse matters as parks, preserves, museums, recreation, wildlife management, and land preservation and conservation education.

Johnson County is now the fifth largest county in the state and the second fastest growing. The JCCB is committed to providing the diverse, cosmopolitan and fast-growing population with a balanced program of conservation, education and recreation. In future issues we will discuss our commitment to these three fields. The County Conservation Department is a public agency here to serve you. Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome. Call us at 319-645-2315, e-mail us at conservation@co.johnson.ia.us or stop by the Operations Center at F.W. KentPark. Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.