Saturday, in a 14 degree wind chill, Ryan Jaehrling, graduate student in political science, stood outside handing out water during the “Trek the Trails” run for the Story County Conservation Board.

The Story County Conservation Board is celebrating 50 years of helping the community and students learn about wildlife. “Trek the Trails” and many other programs are being held this year to honor the board’s many years of service.

Story County was the first conservation board in the state to offer an educational program. Jaehrling, who grew up in Story County, remembers the educational programs from childhood field trips.

“I have always been interested in conservation,” Jaehrling said.

He plans to continue volunteering as long as he lives in Ames.

Jim Colbert, professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology-Liberal Arts and Sciences, has worked with the board for 11 years on the Skunk River Navy project. In that time, more than 1,000 students have gone through the project and volunteered to clean out the conservation’s part of the Skunk River — the Greenbelt.

“They have been absolutely essential to work with,” Colbert said. “Without the Board’s support, Skunk River Navy never would have happened.”

Colbert and the students in the Skunk River Navy are not the only people at Iowa State who have worked with the board. Many courses at Iowa State utilize the conservation’s land for class.

“Not only has it been important to the Skunk River Navy, but it has been important to the biology program in general,” Colbert said.

Through this love of education, the Conservation Board has worked with organizations on Iowa State’s campus for many years. Two fraternities on campus, Theta Chi and Phi Gamma Delta, have been involved in volunteering for the board.

“We have worked with them for several years,” said David Green, graduate in business administration and member of Phi Gamma Delta. “They were always well organized and the events ran very smoothly.”

In this relationship with student organizations, the board maintains its passion for practical education. Many ecology and research management students have done research projects on the conservation’s land.

“Story County has a lot of natural resources. It’s a good mix of what you might encounter within most conservation organizations,” said Amber Tiarks, program support coordinator for the Story County Conservation Board.

The board owns roughly 3,000 acres of land in the Story County area. In the current economy, the board needs as much volunteer support as it can get. Volunteer applications can be found on the Story County Conservation Board’s Web site.

“A lot of the volunteers are looking for a future in an environmental type career,” Tiarks said. “We provide experience in the outdoors for all students, especially those in the field of conservation.”

In the past 50 years, the Story County Conservation Board has dedicated several hours and many hands to projects like McFarland Park, 56461 180th St. After his death, Dr. McFarland’s family donated the land that he had been going to build his retirement home on. This was among the board’s first major projects.

The board began planning the restoration of the soon-to-be McFarland Park in the late 1960s.

“The original board members were visionary people,” said Story County Conservation Board Director Steve Lekwa.

Lekwa began his work with the conservation board as a park ranger. Throughout the years, he has kept the conservation board a part of his life.

“We want to do the best we can to preserve what we have in the past 50 years,” Lekwa said.

Lekwa said the original board was full of “very dedicated outdoorsmen,” ranging from bankers to mailmen. This common thread was what drove the first board members to strive to conserve the natural resources of Story County.

Although the board has undergone many changes over the years, the members plan to continue their work restoring and conserving land. There are many hopes for years to come and many projects currently in the works.

One major project that the board is work on is linking the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail to the American Discovery trail. This trail extends 6,800 miles, from California to Maryland. The trail will provide people nationwide a chance to observe natural wildlife.

Aside from the current projects, the board also wants to continue its work with students.

“We want to continue to provide the educational aspect for the University,” Tiarks said.

Student activity has been a valuable resource to the board and students. The board hopes that in the next 50 years, volunteering with be just as successful as it is today.

The board has been living as the their mission statement says, by “educating citizens to be wise caretakers of our natural environment.”