When you stay this long in one place you get attached to it. It's more than just money. Disappearing Each Year. While the Henrys are committed to seeing their forest preserved, other Big Woods remnants are not faring so well. With less than a quarter of the remaining Big Woods forests protected in parks or preserves, hundreds of acres have been disappearing each year, converted to subdivisions, golf courses, roads, and other developments as the Twin Cities and surrounding communities spread outward.
Efforts are underway to encourage protection of forests in the Big Woods region.
In the past few years, several cities and townships in the region have initiated plans to protect forests and other natural lands within their boundaries. Hannah Dunevitz, a regional plant ecologist with the DNR, has been helping citizens and local governments preserve natural areas in east-central Minnesota. In Rice County a committee of citizens, developers, and local government officials has been drafting recommendations for protection of farmland and forest remnants near Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park. These recommendations include use of alternative zoning ordinances and other innovative land-protection tools. They might eventually serve as a model for forest and farmland protection throughout the region.