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In the May/June 2008 issue of The Iowan Community
There are some things that Louisa County lacks. In this rural southeastern corner of Iowa, you won’t find a stoplight, a Wal-Mart, a McDonald’s, a traffic jam, or a coffeehouse that sells organic lattes for $4 a cup. For any dearth of modern amenities, however, Louisa County does offer compensation — soaring bald eagles, blooming wildflowers, spectacular sunsets, mysterious prehistoric mounds, the lonesome call of wild geese flying overhead, great blue herons standing guard in secluded forest pools, and something indefinable that has to do with the fact that people here seem to have more time to visit with their neighbors than in most places in this country. “We have people who came here from rural Mexico and from inner-city New York, and others who have lived here for six generations,” says Mallory Smith, executive director of the Tri-Rivers Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit group that works to provide funds for the protection and enhancement of the natural resources in the Louisa County area. “All of them could live somewhere else, but they choose to stay here because they appreciate the quality of life we have.” At a time when many parts of rural America are struggling to define themselves, the region proudly calls itself “Naturally Louisa County.” The slogan was coined three years ago when committed residents in regional communities got together to promote the attractions of the county. It didn’t take them long to figure out that Louisa County’s unique identity was in large part shaped by the area’s wildlife, wetlands, forests, rivers, and grasslands, as well as its human inhabitants who treasure those assets.… READ MORE IN THIS ISSUE OF THE IOWAN subscribe now
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