Fairfield’s Nady Prairie Park opens to public

FAIRFIELD — The land was important to Robert M. Nady. He didn’t want it developed. He wanted people to enjoy it.

Saturday that wish came true with the grand opening of Fairfield’s Nady Prairie Park.

“Seeing people enjoy something that was important to him made it very special,” said Alex Gogerty describing the scene Saturday morning.

The 48-acre park, which connects in three places to the Fairfield Loop Trail, contains tall-grass prairie with ponds and lakeside trails. The park is named after Gogerty’s grandfather, Robert M. Nady, who donated the land to the city of Fairfield in 2011. Gogerty, who lives in Carroll, even had a hand in that donation.

Fairfield resident Ron Blair approached Nady in 1999 about getting an easement on his land between North B Street and Pleasant Lake so the Fairfield Loop Trail could go through it. Gogerty explained that the Nady family immigrated to the area from France, and had owned the land since the 1850s. Robert’s paternal grandfather, Francois Xavier Nady, was the first person to import Percheron draft horses to Southeast Iowa.

Robert was insistent that the land never be developed. He wanted to donate the land to the city of Fairfield eventually, but after it had been in the family a bit longer. Gogerty convinced him that it would be more meaningful and more appreciated if he donated the land during his lifetime. Blair connected Nady to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to create a permanent conservation easement on the land. In 2011, the land was donated to the city of Fairfield. Robert died two years later at age 88.

Gogerty said he and nine other members of the Nady family traveled from out of town to attend Saturday’s ceremony. One of those was Robert’s sister Carrie Jane Talbot, from Osceola. Gogerty said he had no idea how much work was involved in restoring the land to prairie until he heard the speakers describe it that morning.

“This required a lot of collaboration between a lot of people,” Gogerty said. “I commented that it’s good to have such involved projects to keep Ron busy, and thank goodness for him, because you need somebody to be a driver who keeps things going.”

Blair said he felt a sense of “fulfillment” Saturday morning, see people use the prairie park for the first time.

“Bob Nady was exceedingly generous and magnanimous,” Blair said. “He deserved something in return for his gift that was equally as grand.”

Saturday’s ceremony included comments from Mayor Connie Boyer, who thanked the Nady family for “this beautiful gift that will be a beautiful legacy for generations to come.” Shawn Morrissey, Jefferson County Conservation director and a member of the Nady Land Committee, thanked Blair for being the chief organizer of the project. He also spoke about the history of prairies in Iowa, how the state was once 80 percent prairie and how that percentage has shrunk to one-tenth of 1 percent.

“Butterflies and honeybees are declining because the flowers they need are gone,” Morrissey said. “Putting in a 40-acre chunk will help them. This is more than just a park. It will help our wildlife and ecology.”

Jefferson County Naturalist Brittney Tiller was one of the key people who developed the eight educational signs in the park that provide details on prairie birds, monarch butterflies, invasive species and more. Tiller spoke at the event, and said she will incorporate the new park into her educational programs.

The signs themselves were created by Paul Siemsen, who made four of them, and a company called Pulse Design, which made the other four.

A plaque bearing Robert Nady’s name and image sits at the entrance to the park. Blair gave the text and photograph to Kent Whitney of Whitney Monument Works in Fairfield. Whitney donated his time designing the plaque and attaching it to a boulder.

“Kent does this all the time. He’s a very generous guy,” Blair said.

Other members of the Nady Land Committee who had a hand in creating the park are Kari Bedi, Pam Craff, Calvin Todd, Kevin Anderson, Lee Scheppmann and Mark Smith.