WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |Protecting the natural beauty of Southwestern Wisconsin
Member Center:
LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW)- Some of the scenic beauty of our area is due to the efforts by the Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a regional land trust.
The private, non-profit organization began in 1997.
Since that time, it has been able to permanently protect 11,000 acres in Southwestern Wisconsin.
The group does this by working with landowners to help them keep their land in private ownership while permanently conserving it so that future generations can enjoy it.
The majority of Mississippi Valley Conservancy, or MVC's, land is in these easements, however, the group can also take ownership of land.
Jacobson says one of the most accessible pieces of protected land is the La Crosse Blufflands.
The group also has a number of properties off of County Highway FA at the top of the Grandad Bluff.
The organization is supported through annual membership dues and grants.
The MVC has more than a thousand members.
Its headquarters is in La Crosse.
For more information go to www.MissippiValleyConservancy.org
The man at the helm of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy is Tim Jacobson.
After 14 years of practicing law, Tim Jacobson wanted to go back to his roots.
Jacobson says, "I grew up in little, small towns out in the country and really grew up loving nature. I got a collection, all sorts of books, field guides, everything from rocks and plants and butterflies to birds. So, I spent a lot of time really enjoying nature."
When the executive director of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy stepped down, Jacobson jumped at the chance to take over the leadership role.
As part of this opportunity, Jacobson coordinates communication between biologists and landowners and works in the field.
His law degree has come in handy too.
Tim is directly involved in land transactions and land protection efforts.
Jacobson says, "It's really helpful having a legal background because almost everything we do is involving real estate documents, legal agreements."
Jacobson is passionate about preserving the scenic beauty of southwestern Wisconsin.
Jacobson says, "In Wisconsin 30 thousand acres of farmland is developed every single year, and more than two million acres of land is developed across the country every year and that can't go on forever."
Moving forward, Tim Jacobson says MVC's mission will shift to acquiring land to restoring land they already have."
Although Jacobson may have received more pay as a lawyer, he says his preservation efforts are a bigger reward.
Before becoming the executive director, Jacobson had been a volunteer for eight years and had also been on staff.
