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The possible development of a new hog facility immediately adjacent to Whiterock Conservancy has raised serious concerns among Conservancy board, staff, visitors, and neighbors. Since May, when they first became aware of the potential threat, they have been asserting that this is the wrong neighborhood in which to establish any new animal feeding confinements. 

Early last January, the Garst Family of Coon Rapids announced the donation of a 5,000-acre land gift, worth approximately $7 million, to the nonprofit Whiterock Conservancy. This huge new nature preserve and research center, located along eight miles of the Middle Raccoon River in West-Central Iowa, aims to protect the area's natural resources, promote sustainable agriculture practices, and offer low-impact public recreation.

October 11, the Coon Rapids-Whiterock area was officially designated by Governor Tom Vilsack as an Iowa “Great Place.” (link here to press release or Great Place offer) Just three communities were chosen out of 143 aspirants from around the state. 

The Coon Rapids’ submission centered the on the area’s potential to become a premier rural tourism destination. “Within five years, the opening of Whiterock Conservancy, fabulous trail connections, and dozens of creative things to do will have made diverse, accessible Coon Rapids the ecotourism hub of Western Iowa.”

Underpinning the Coon Rapids-Whiterock Great Places offer is the philosophy of “eco-tourism,” which holds that if people can find ways to make a living off of their natural resources and traditions, they will have the motivation and ability to protect and preserve their unique environmental and cultural assets. 

The Coon Rapids-Whiterock vision includes dozens of area “rural tourism entrepreneurs” with businesses such as a blacksmith tour, commercial and alternative farm tours, archery courts, horse back riding, field dog trials, and sales of quality locally-produced items including smoked chicken, antibiotic-free pork, honey and candles, organic strawberries, stained glass, rag rugs, quilts, and hand-hewn log benches. A central thrust will be to teach visitors about Iowa agriculture and traditional rural culture. 

However, the apparent intentions of neighboring land investors seeking to attract a hog confinement project immediately adjacent to Whiterock appear to be threatening the area’s rural tourism prospects. Concern has arisen because of the purchase of over 200 acres of land by entities and persons linked to the hog industry, coupled with the difficulties encountered by Whiterock and the Garst Family in their repeated attempts to dialogue with them. 

That potential threat is very real, because rural residents, businesses, and parks faced with unwanted confinements have few avenues of recourse. The Iowa legislature has specifically prohibited counties from zoning anything about animal feeding confinements. The Legislature does not grant the DNR and the Environmental Protection Commission authority to deny permits on other than technical/legal grounds. No level of government is permitted the weighing of competing interests. Nor is there any regulation of odor. This leaves Iowa Department of Natural Resource separation distances –or expensive nuisance lawsuits as the only means of protection. 

DNR separation distances, however, are quite small. Homes and businesses in unincorporated areas get less than a quarter mile protection (1,250 feet) from smaller confinements (with 1,250 to 2,500 head of hogs), and just a third of a mile protection (1,875 feet) from larger confinements with up to 7,500 head of hogs. The problem is that the smell, flies, and noise can affect neighbors living much farther away than these minimum distances. 

The situation for park users is even worse. Public parks get 1,875 foot protection, but this distance is not measured from their parking lots, trails, or borders, but only from congregational spots such as shelter houses. Private parks such as Whiterock, even when open to free public recreational use, get no protection at all. 

"Current DNR separation distances are clearly insufficient to protect parks, homes, and businesses from airborne odors and toxins. Another problem is the potential for manure runoff or leaks," says Rachel Garst, Whiterock Outreach Coordinator. "Most importantly in our case, a hog confinement in this neighborhood would go completely against the entire character of the neighborhood and its great rural tourism potential." 

Liz Garst reports, “Rex Hoppes of the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers, an industry group that encourages Iowa confinement operators to be good neighbors, visited us, saw the potential site, and told me they agree that the Whiterock area is not the appropriate place for new confinement developments. Unfortunately, their ability to control individual operators is limited. This is why new legislation is needed.” 

Rural tourism “Ecozone” 
The site of concern lies directly between Whiterock Conservancy and McCord’s Pond, a DNR managed wetland and public hunting area. There are over 40 homes and businesses within a two-mile radius, including neighbors starting their own rural tourism businesses that will draw clients from the large numbers of people coming into the area to visit Whiterock. In July, over 400 people signed a petition against any possible confinement at the site in question. 

To the south, the potential site drains into a recently stocked Whiterock fishing pond as well as the Remer creek along whose banks botanist Dr. Thomas Rosburg has identified numerous rare wetland prairie plants. The parcel is also immediately adjacent to one of Whiterock’s most scenic views and about half a mile east of a farm house, also slated for donation to Whiterock, currently rented out by Garst Farm Resorts for family reunions and corporate retreats. 

Just a quarter mile to the south lives Earl Lee Phelps, who was born in his house, keeps free-range pigs, and is starting a business to give paid tours of his historic blacksmith shop. Right down the road is a classic one-room school house being renovated by Els Teunnison of Des Moines. A mile and half west is Gloria Brouse, who has a flower
shop, vineyard, and puts on Victorian Garden tea parties in her garden. 

In April, John and Jennifer Stringer, unaware that the land just up the hill had been purchased by persons with pork industry ties, put their life savings into the classic old McCord farmhouse, with a spring-fed brook crossing its front yard, located just across the road from the McCord Pond wildlife area. The Stringers are currently starting a performance horse business. 

Close by live Tommy and Cindy Moore, who keep goldfish in the artesian well bubbling up from their picturesque farm property, and enjoy watching migrating waterfowl coming into McCord’s Pond, which is also a popular destination for public hunting and birdwatchers. 

The unique woodland homes of Mary and Rachel Garst are just 0.7 mile to the south. The Mary Garst home, designed by an architect to blend with its natural setting, is already slated for future donation to the Conservancy, and one day will make a beautiful retreat center. 

“There is something wrong with this picture,” says Mark Ackelson, President of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and Whiterock board member. “Recreation is vital to economic development in Iowa, but large environmental projects such as Whiterock, and the gifts and investments vital to create such destination areas, currently have little protection. There have been similar situations in Elkhorn, Okoboji, and Clear Lake. The legislature has not given the DNR and its Environmental Protection Commission the tools they need to adequately protect natural resources and rural destination areas in Iowa.” 

“Pork production is important to Iowa because it adds value to our corn,” says Liz Garst. “It is unfortunate that some private developers have no sense of proportion or neighborliness, not to mention concern for the environment, when choosing where to site their future facilities. This is why stricter legislation is needed.” 

“What is most ironic is that the Coon Rapids-Whiterock area was just named one of three Iowa ‘Great Places’ by Governor Vilsack,” continues Liz Garst, “We are currently starting negotiations with state agencies that will be investing significant resources into developing this area’s strong rural tourism potential. However, at the present time these same agencies have no way of protecting their public investments from the indiscriminate siting of animal feeding confinements. All rural tourism projects in Iowa are just as vulnerable as we are. The legislature needs to act now.”

© 2005, Whiterock Conservancy