A bill introduced by Grassley and Harkin provides $275,000 for completion of a year-long study bythe Secretary of the Interior. It directs a review of options for the protection and interpretation ofthe area's natural, cultural and historical resources. Grassley said the study they have proposedwould include an analysis of the suitability and feasibility of designating the Loess Hills a part ofthe National Park System, a National Heritage Area, Heritage Corridor, or another designation asmay be appropriate. The Interior Department is required to consult with local and state officials,landowners who would be affected, as well as interested public and private organizations in Iowa.
The Loess Hills study was one item approved this morning by the Senate Energy and NaturalResources Committee. Last month, Grassley, Harkin, Shirley Frederikson of Golden Hills Research,Conservation and Development in Oakland, Iowa, and Maurice Welte of the Loess Hills Alliancein Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, all personally sought support for the measure from the Subcommittee onNational Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation.
The bill now must be considered by the full Senate. A similar measure is pending in the U.S. Houseof Representatives.
Grassley said he is advocating a federal study because of the initiative shown by the grassroots-basedLoess Hills Alliance and the Iowa legislature. "The Interior Department can help consider the manymodels and alternatives that exist for preserving the Loess Hills, especially those that are driven bylocal and state leadership. The Hills are a unique geographic area that deserves recognition."
The Loess Hills have natural distinctions which are found in only one other place in the world,China. Soil deposited by wind over many centuries formed the Loess Hills, which support severalspecies of rare native prairie grass. The Hills are spread across 600,000 acres in Fremont, Harrison,Mills, Monona, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury counties in Iowa.