Letter to the Editor: Support for Driftless Area Visitor Center

To the Editor:
A very important advancement for the Lansing area, for Allamakee County, for the tri-state Driftless Area, and for a large portion of northeast Iowa took place on Thursday, October 8.  On this “red letter day” a special session of the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors was attended by some 50 local citizens. Thankfully, the stage is now set for development of a beautiful new Driftless Area Education and Visitor’s Center near Lansing unlike any other facility within a hundred or more miles. This destination facility will inform and inspire residents and visitors of all ages about this wonderful area, and about our long cultural history related to the precious natural resources that are our common heritage.
Members of the Allamakee County Conservation Board and Director Jim Janett have been working diligently on the Driftless Area Education and Visitor’s Center for well over a decade and they deserve our full collective support. The very highly regarded Split Rock Studio, that has created exhibits and displays for many of the most visited national parks and other unique natural areas around our nation, will do the same excellent work for the new center.
Allamakee County currently receives more income per capita from tourism than any other county in Iowa, and the new facility will ensure that this will continue to be critical to our county’s economy. More requests from “outside travelers” are received at the state level for information about the Driftless Area Scenic Byway in Allamakee County than any of the numerous other state byways. The new center is bound to increase economic activity for local businesses of various types, as well as enhance tax revenue within our county.
Large grants have provided initial funding from outside sources for the Driftless Area Education and Visitor’s Center. Now, a many-tiered fundraising effort is just beginning that will bring this facility across the finish line.  My wife and I are looking forward to donating funds and providing other forms of support. I hope readers will be ready to “step up to the plate” when opportunities to support this far-sighted initiative come your way.
Among the individuals at the October 8th meeting who advocated for development of the new ceinter with strong conviction and eloquence were:  Lansing Mayor Mike Brennan, Joe Papp, John Verdon, Bruce Palmborg and Raleigh Buckmaster. These individuals and many others are owed a great deal of thanks for their efforts in advancing our county. If readers have any questions about the wisdom behind this new initiative they would do well to converse with these community leaders, County Conservation Board members or County Supervisors.

Ric Zarwell
Lansing