A group of 120-plus members of JDCF and the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin gathered recently for a naming ceremony of our 316-acre preserve (loosely known as Portage) on Ferry Landing Road just south of downtown Galena, IL. A new sign now stands at the entrance to the property that reads Mąą Pįį Preserve/1885 Hess House to honor the Indigenous first-stewards of the land; the Hess Family who owned the property for three generations; and the tradition of agriculture, particularly corn, that the good earth of this region has been providing to our local communities for thousands of years. Mąą Pįį translates to ‘Good Earth’ in the Ho-Chunk language.

“We chose to have the naming ceremony during the fall harvest, which we see happening all around us this time of year,” said Steve Barg, JDCF Executive Director. “The annual ritual of harvesting crops, hunting, and fishing in preparation for winter goes back to the time the ancestors of the modern-day Ho-Chunk, and other native peoples, lived in this region. We owe thanks to the good earth of the southern Driftless region for providing the fertile soil, flowing rivers, dense forests, and deep valleys from which generations of people have gathered food. It is something we all have in common.”

JDCF received the donation of this preserve from Nancy Winter through the Hamill Family Foundation in 2011. The property was purchased from the estate of the late Georgine Hess, the last member of the Hess family to live there, to protect the significant Indigenous history layered into the land. In 2024, JDCF celebrated the dedication of the preserve as a Center for Science and Culture – a hub for education and outreach curriculum in partnership with our tribal partners, local schools, and community members. Within the preserve sits the historic 1885 Hess House, which has been updated and re-purposed to create a space that can host programs year-round. “Mąą Pįį Preserve is a place that welcomes all people to gather, learn, and participate – where conservation science and Indigenous cultural and ecological knowledge come together through land, food, and community,” said Hillary Holt, JDCF Director of Education and Outreach.

Although the preserve is not open to the public on a daily basis (unlike JDCF’s seven other nature reserves) it will be open to the community for special programs and events throughout the year. The first of which will be an open house featuring the historic Hess house on November 8, 2025. Details on this to come. Cover photo (c) Henry Matthiessen III/Stoned Art Studio.