Our Year in Review

We did a lot in 2024, from protecting sensitive areas and restoring habitat for vulnerable wildlife, to sharing ways people can make a difference for the environment and connecting the public to the outdoors. As we look back over the year and all that we did as a land trust, our feelings are bittersweet. While we’re proud of the  progress we made with support from our community, we also acknowledge the struggles we faced.

Along with the growth and accomplishments over the year, we also suffered a terrible loss, as so many others did, with the death of our dear friend and colleague Ashlee Hopkins. The success we had in 2024 would not have been possible without her and we can’t reflect on all the good of the last 12 months without recognizing the grief we still feel without her. As you read through our list of highlights from the year, please think of Ashlee and all the time and effort she put into making our world better for all of us. 

We have more hikes, events and conservation projects planned for 2025 and we hope you’ll be there to join us for it all.

1. Welcomed a new staff member 

Amanda Stallman joined our staff this fall as Education Coordinator after serving a year in our AmeriCorps program. Amanda is expanding on her previous role by increasing Bur Oak’s community outreach through conservation education programming. Some of the partners she has built connections with include the Iowa City Community School District, Iowa City Public Library, United Action for Youth, Girl Scout troops and other schools and groups in Johnson County. Amanda will be with us through August 2025, so follow along to hear more from her and all the good work she is doing!

2. Brought people together for the outdoors

We hosted 5 free events for the public this year to bring people together in and for nature. Starting with Prairie Preview in March where nearly 250 nature enthusiasts met up with old friends, made new connections and learned about what environmental groups are up to across the state. Thank you to the Iowa City Senior Center and our sponsors Iowa Native Plant Society and Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund for helping to make the evening a success.

Belgum Groove brought music to the prairie of Belgum Grove in June. Concert-goers took a guided tour of the preserve before sitting down for musical guests Marc Janssen and Bella Moss and enjoying food from Da Flava Unit. Thanks to Hills Bank and ImOn Communications for their sponsorships! Also in June, we saw the sand prairie alive with yellow flowers for the aptly named Blooming Cactus Weekend at Corriell Nature Preserve. Sand prairies are rare in Iowa so showing them off was truly special.

Our two family days were a lot of fun. We stomped around the creek this summer and learned about healthy waterways during Crayfish Crawl at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve and did a night hike at Corriell this fall to learn about bats, birds and bugs that rely on darkness for survival during Flight Night. Thanks to ACT for sponsoring these events!

3. Took to the trails

This year, we led 5 free guided tours on some of our most interesting trails to show how conservation makes a positive impact on plant and animal life. We helped hikers start the new year outdoors at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve for our First Day Hike around the north prairie and returned in the late summer for a tour sharing the management happening for pollinators at the preserve. Jim Kessler led a tour of Kessler Prairie, the Bur Oak preserve he has spent nearly three decades restoring, near Grinnell over the summer and staff showed folks the ephemeral wildflowers at Big Grove Preserve in the spring and the blooming prickly pear cactus at Corriell Nature Preserve in the summer. Thank you to our sponsors who made programs like these possible: B&H Builders, Davisson Millwork, Diamond V, Grout Electric, Hills Bank, Martin Construction, New Pioneer Food Co-op, Stuff Etc., Taproot Nature Experience and UNFI.

4. Protected more land

Bur Oak’s newest protected area is Schoenmaker Woods, 9.5 acres located near Riverside. Thanks to the Schoenmaker and Schoenmarklin familes, this acreage serves as a retreat for wildlife among the cultivated fields that surround it. Schoenmaker Woods is also a mitigation bank in line with Johnson County’s Sensitive Areas ordinance.

5. Made international connections

This fall, we hosted a cultural exchange fellow from southeast Asia to promote understanding of conservation work in Iowa and abroad.

Irhamna “Irna” Putri joined us in September as a professional fellow of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. YSEALI aims to “strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia” with fellows placed in professionally relevant organizations in one of four categories including Sustainability and the Environment.

Irna traveled from Java, Indonesia, where she has worked as a veterinarian and conservation manager. She is currently serving as secretary of the executive board at Wildlife Rescue Center Jogja, a rescue and rehabilitation center for animals injured or impacted by captivity and the illegal animal trade. Irna’s fellowship project focused on implementing a youth wildlife conservation training in her community to attract young people to conservation and inspire conservationists early in their careers. Irna spent about a month with us working alongside staff and AmeriCorps members, helping volunteers at Raptor Advocacy Rehabilitation and Education (RARE) and attending community events to collect evidence and ideas to add to her project. She also traveled to Rhode Island to attend the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally conference. 

”As an Indonesian fellow, my time with Bur Oak Land Trust was transformative,” Irna said, “I not only gained insights into the nonprofit management and conservation strategies but also witnessed the power of community-driven initiatives to protect biodiversity. This experience has deepened my commitment to collaborative efforts in environmental stewardship and inspired me to implement innovative approaches back home.”

It was a privilege to learn from Irna about her life and the critical work she and her team is doing in Indonesia. We plan to follow her progress and hope to host her again in a future visit to Iowa!

6. Gathered around the table

Golden Hour, our annual dinner and online auction fundraiser, generated more than $11,000 for our conservation mission. This fundraiser was Ashlee’s signature event and this year’s event was the best one yet. We wish she could have seen it.

Thank you to the Webster, our presenting sponsor Dr. Suzanne Stock, Orthodontist, and our other wonderful sponsors: GreenState Credit Union, Grout Electric, MidWestOne and OPN Architects. Thank you also the Okoboji Wines and University Distributors for donating all the wine.

7. Welcomed new members to the board

Bur Oak Land Trust Board of Directors brought on 4 members this summer to fill open positions. New members are Christine Fachman, Dennis LaMantia, James Peters and John Van Rybroek, who has served on the board in the past. We look forward to their continued service and appreciate their work on the board!

8. Collaborated with community partners

We were fortunate to work with other community organizations this year to provide more experiences and opportunities for the public to connect. The Bike Library hosted a bikepacking event at Belgum Grove and the Prairie States Mushroom Club led a guided mushroom foray and Iowa Master Naturalists hosted a program about carnivorous beetles at Corriell Nature Preserve.

Our AmeriCorps crew served alongside staff from Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and The Nature Conservancy in Iowa to complete restoration projects, and our AmeriCorps host sites at Iowa Project AWARE and Johnson County Conservation gave members conservation training and experience to take on to future careers. Troutleaf Native Plants spread the word about the impact of planting native plants and sold pawpaws to benefit Bur Oak programs.

Thank you these partners for the work you do and for coming together with us to introduce our conservation work to new individuals.

9. Made strides in national service

The Bur Oak Land Trust AmeriCorps program got a lot done in 2024. The 17 members that served throughout the year improved habitat by treating or pulling invasive plants, burning prairies, cutting down problem trees, teaching kids about the environment and planting native plants. All together, members improved 483 acres of land. In September, the Bur Oak AmeriCorps program partnered with AmeriCorps NCCC North Central Region for a restoration project at Big Sand Mound, a preserve home to sand prairie in Muscatine County, in honor of 30 years of AmeriCorps. Our current crew will continue to serve through August 2025, before we welcome new members next fall.

10. Led community science

A way to learn more about a habitat and the creatures that live in it is to do a survey. Through a few bioblitz events this year, participants got to identify different plants at Big Grove Preserve and Corriell Nature Preserve and record their findings on community science databases. These records can contribute to some real research that results in protections or positive change for the environment.