An Iowa family farm provides crucial wildlife habitat and public access     By Larry Stone   One family’s love of birds, cattle, and conservation has led to partnerships that protect more than 1,000 acres of prime fish and wildlife habitat for public use in the blufflands of northeast Iowa. In 1971, Phil Specht and three brothers bought 1,004 acres in the watershed of Bloody Run Creek, a trout stream that joins the Mississippi River. The land was “as good as it gets” for the wildlife ...

My father has been a lifelong hunter, fisherman, and general outdoorsman. One of my favorite parts about him, though, is that he has just never been very good at hunting or fishing, at least in the traditional sense. His limited success has paradoxically inspired in me a deep love for hunting and fishing.   On his annual waterfowl excursion to the Lake Huron waters near our home, my father struggles to wingshoot; he jokes his shotgun must have a defective curved barrel. Fishing seems like a ...