The area that is now known as Story County was originally home to the Native American tribes of Ioway and Meskwaki. In 1848, the first Euro-American Settlers arrived just north of Huxley.  The land found in Iowa was vast lands of tall grass prairie. Today, less than 0.1 percent of the original tall grass prairie remains in Iowa, making Iowa one of the most developed states in the country due to the extreme transformation of the natural landscape.

Conservations in Iowa

The Iowa State Board of Conservation was originally established in 1917. This was a whole statewide board. Then, in 1935, the Board was renamed to the Conservation Commission. This was only the beginning of the Commission in 1942, there was legislation that was forming to put the hands of the board into each county. While pursuing this new law, officials borrowed ideas from the Wisconsin County Park Law and the Illinois Forest Preserve District Law. This inevitably passed in 1955 when the 56th General Assembly passed the County Conservation Law. However, establishing the boards had to be approved by the voters of each county. In the law, the purpose of the County Conservation Boards is extremely broad. This allows for each county to personalize programs that tailor to the needs of the citizens who reside in their county. There are five board members who are appointed by the county board of supervisors. Their terms are five years, each is are staggered term. Meaning that a position opens each year. Some of the responsibilities of the board are to own and/or manage the parks and land within their jurisdiction, and hire and fix the compensation of a director. The current director of Story County Conservation is Mike Cox. The current Story County Conservation Board is Craig Meyers of Nevada, who is the Chair, Christine Laumer of Ames, who is the Vice Chair, Erica Place of Huxley, who is the Secretary, Dr. James Pease of Ames, and Dr. Judy Levings of Ames.

Story County Conservation Timeline