Photo: Johnson County Conservation
(Johnson County, IA) -- Johnson County Conservation is buying 83-acres of land, known locally as the Two Horse Farm. The wooded property in northern Johnson County is near Coralville Lake and includes an 1890s-era farmhouse and gardens. The house will be used for office space for Conservation educators and staff. A newer addition will be available for retreats and short-term rental.
The property was acquired thru a donation and purchase agreement thru the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and Erin and Brian Melloy, the former property owners.
The property, at 2257 Sugar Bottom Road NE, near Solon, includes 64-acres of forest, 15.5 acres of reconstructed prairie and a 3.5 acre farmstead.
Johnson County Conservation says they've identified more than 300 species of plants including more than a dozen rare and notable species. The view from the land’s high point offers a view of the Iowa River valley and Coralville Lake.
The project also includes an additional 7 acres of prairie that the Melloy family has gifted to the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. This donation to the Iowa Tribe is historic in terms of providing a piece of land through which the Ioway people can reconnect, both physically and spiritually, to their ancestral homeland. Currently, the Iowa Tribe has no land holdings in the state of Iowa. The partnership with the Ioway people will provide outstanding educational opportunities for park visitors to relate to the earth and to Native American cultural values.
Johnson County Conservation says the property may become fully accessible to the public within one or two years.