The Iowa nuke plant that never was: see what’s there now

Neal Smith’s Nuclear Site to Prairie Transformation

Iowa once planned to build nuclear towers in Jasper County. During the 1970s energy crisis, Iowa Power bought 3,600 acres of farmland for a power plant.

Then the economy shifted. By the late 1980s, the nuclear dream died, but Congressman Neal Smith saw a chance.

He got a tip from his friend on the Iowa Power board and moved fast. In 1990, Smith pushed a $6 million bill through Congress to buy the land.

What could have been cooling towers is now home to bison and elk roaming 6,000 acres of restored prairie. The Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge shows what Iowa looked like before plows changed everything.

Gas Shortages Made Iowa Power Buy Farmland

During the 1970s oil crisis, Iowa Power and Light Company bought 3,600 acres of farmland in Jasper County for a new nuclear power plant.

The company picked this spot along Walnut Creek because they needed plenty of water to cool their planned reactors.

Local farmers sold their land as the power company built up enough space for what they hoped would be a major energy facility.

Nuclear Dreams Failed When Costs Skyrocketed

By the late 1980s, Iowa Power dropped their nuclear plans as money problems grew. Nuclear plant building costs across the country shot up after new safety rules came out.

The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 turned public opinion against nuclear power. The company created Redlands Corporation to manage the 3,600 acres they no longer needed.

A Congressman Wanted to Bring Back the Prairie

Neal Smith served as Iowa’s 4th district congressman since 1959 and spent years looking for the right place to create a natural area in central Iowa.

He worried about the loss of tallgrass prairie, which once covered 85% of Iowa but had nearly vanished.

By the 1980s, less than 0.1% of Iowa’s original prairie remained. Smith grew up in rural Iowa, which sparked his love for the land.

A Phone Call Changed Everything

Smith got lucky in the late 1980s when a friend on the Iowa Power board called about the abandoned nuclear site.

His friend told him the company didn’t know what to do with all that land.

Smith saw a chance to turn the property into the prairie preserve he wanted. He quickly met with Iowa Power executives to see if the federal government could buy the land.

The Government Bought the First Big Chunk in 1991

The first major land deal happened in April 1991 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bought most of the 3,600 acres from Redlands Corporation.

The government named it Walnut Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

Local conservation groups held parties to celebrate protecting this huge piece of land. The purchase started America’s largest tallgrass prairie rebuilding project.

Turning Cornfields Back Into Prairie Wasn’t Easy

When the government took over the land, they mostly found corn and soybean fields instead of native plants.

Soil tests showed farm chemicals had changed the ground. Refuge managers first focused on stopping soil erosion and cleaning up the creek water.

Staff and volunteers spent many hours collecting seeds from tiny prairie patches found in old cemeteries and along railroads.

Big Animals Returned to Roam the Growing Grassland

The refuge brought back bison in 1996 to help manage the new prairie plants. Elk also returned around the same time after being gone from Iowa for more than a century.

These large animals helped keep the prairie healthy by grazing some plants and trampling others. Their hooves and eating habits created natural patterns that helped wildflowers and grasses grow.

Visitors came to see these animals that once roamed Iowa freely.

They Named It After the Man Who Saved It

The wildlife refuge got a new name in 1998 when officials changed it to Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

This honored Smith’s 36 years in Congress and his work to save the land.

Even after leaving office in 1995, Smith kept visiting the refuge to check on progress and push for more funding.

At the naming ceremony, Smith told the crowd that creating this prairie refuge meant more to him than any other bill during his career.

The Prairie Kept Growing Beyond the Nuclear Site

By the early 2000s, the refuge grew to about 6,000 acres as more land got added to the original nuclear plant site.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation helped buy neighboring farms to make the protected area bigger.

Staff learned better ways to restore prairie as research showed what worked best. They started using controlled fires to mimic the natural burns that prairies need to stay healthy.

As the land healed, hundreds of plant and animal species moved back in.

A Living Museum Replaced Cooling Towers

The Prairie Learning Center opened its doors to teach people about the tallgrass ecosystem that almost disappeared from Iowa.

Scientists use the refuge as a testing ground for different ways to bring back native plants and animals.

Researchers study everything from soil health to butterfly populations in this outdoor laboratory. The refuge now shows visitors what 85% of Iowa looked like before settlers arrived with their plows.

More than 200,000 people visit each year to see prairie that stands where nuclear cooling towers might have been.

Visiting Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa

You can visit Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge at 9981 Pacific St in Prairie City for free to see America’s largest tallgrass prairie reconstruction project.

The Visitor Center is temporarily closed from storm damage, but you can download the “Neal Smith NWR App” for a self-guided audio tour.

Five walking trails are available, including the half-mile Overlook Trail with bison and elk views. The auto tour runs sunrise to sunset year-round.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• When Cahokia ruled ancient Mississippi, Iowa farmers supplied their most sacred treasure
• The secret Norwegian capital of America is hiding in Iowa’s hills
• The only man to die on Lewis and Clark’s journey – and the towboat that kept his story alive