Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, September 20, 2007

Conservancy secures 756 acres in Buffalo County

By JANELLE MCDONALD | Lee Newspapers

The La Crosse-based Mississippi Valley Conservancy has added 756 acres in Buffalo County to land protected from further development.

The Al and Carol Kube tract near Cochrane, Wis., is the largest land deal in the conservancy’s 10-year history.

The Kubes have owned the land for 17 years and lived on it for seven. The conservation easement allows them to retain ownership and even sell the land in the future, but no further development can be done.

“Both of us have had a lifelong interest in the great outdoors, and we’ve wanted to be able to give something back and hopefully things will remain in a natural setting,” Al Kube said.

Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, the Kubes were able to install erosion controls and create a wetland habitat around Waumandee Creek.

“After having completed a lot of projects and seeing the benefits to wildlife and the natural community, we felt it would be important to pass it along,” Al Kube said.

The agreement is the conservancy’s first in Buffalo County.

“It really helps us take a giant step … in preserving beautiful, natural lands up there,” said George Howe, conservation director for the non-profit group.

The conservancy was founded by La Crosse area residents concerned about the speed of local devolvement.

“They wanted to see a balance between new development and the conservation of land,” Howe said.

The organization works on voluntary conservation projects in seven Wisconsin counties along the Mississippi River.

Janelle McDonald is a reporter for the Winona (Minn.) Daily News.