KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports30-acre Iowa prairie established as preserve
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Associated Press - July 30, 2009 5:44 AM ET
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Chet Culver has established a 30-acre nature preserve in western Iowa intended to protect the environmental legacy of the area.
The Greene County land is owned by Carroll Perkins and his family but will be permanently protected regardless of who owns it in the future.
The family has worked for 30 years to clear the area, called Perkins Prairie, of invasive species.
The preserve is southwest of Jefferson. It hosts more than 75 species of plants and 24 butterfly species.
According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, almost none of the original prairie in the state still exists.
Perkins says the restoration efforts will offer future generations the chance to see what Iowa originally looked like.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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