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The Giesler-Penquite Foundation has partnered with Jasper Conservation Connection, a friends Group for Jasper County Conservation, to fully fund a $700,000 Geisler-Penquite Land Stewardship Lab as the 2nd phase of its Environmental Education Center project. The Geisler-Penquite Foundation gift will create an Outdoor Recreation Center and Prairie Production Lab that includes a greenhouse, prairie production and seed cleaning area, classroom, indoor archery range, public restrooms, and a public use area for canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, cross-country skis, and snowshoes.
“It is so exciting to be a part of this important community project,” Dan Skokan, president of the Geisler-Penquite Foundation Board said. “It perfectly embodies the Geisler and Penquite families’ hopes and dreams for Jasper County.”
Established in 2009, the Geisler-Penquite Foundation’s roots trace back to 1969 when the Geisler Penquite Charitable Corporation was created with $7,000 investment by the Jasper County farm family of John E. and Gertrude Setzer Geisler and their children, Cecil Geisler Penquite and her husband Loren, and Harold Geisler and his wife Mavis. Since then, distribution of the family’s farm holdings and investments have resulted in grants totaling nearly $9 million to Central College and 16 Jasper County non-profit organizations whose missions align closely with the family’s deeply held values of hard work, diligence, a love for learning and strong adherence to Christian principles.
Jasper County Conservation staff and volunteers share a commitment to the Geisler and Penquite family values and believe teaching about our local natural surroundings, and seeing others develop that same love of land is the greatest complement to our organization and our conservation mission. “The vision for the Geisler-Penquite Land Stewardship Lab is to create a place for people of all ages to learn about and enjoy nature and agriculture in Jasper County. It will be a great asset in our efforts to recognize the natural history of the area and to teach ways to be sustainable in the future,” Keri Van Zante, Jasper County Conservation Director, said. “The generosity and support of the Geisler-Penquite Foundation is overwhelming, and we feel so very special to be a part of the Geisler and Penquite family legacy.”
The Geisler-Penquite Foundation and Jasper Conservation Connection challenge conservation supporters to match this generosity to help make the third and final phase of this project, an open-air classroom valued at $500,000, a reality. Those interested in becoming involved with this exciting project can contact Keri Van Zante, Jasper County Conservation Director, at 641-792-9780, or by email at kvanzante@jasperia.org.