The Worle Creek corridor rural community includes families who have acted as caretakers of the land and the environment for generations.  The City of Ames, Iowa has voted to designate the area as Urban Growth in their proposed Ames Urban Fringe Plan, the highest priority for urban development.  We live along Worle Creek, in Washington Township in Story County, a beautiful, timbered area with creeks and its own ecosystem.  The area is, by definition, a rural community because Iowa State University, which owns over 4000 acres of research and teaching farms, surrounds us.  If urban development were to occur here, it would destroy two creeks, the surrounding timber, and the ecosystem, all for a limited number of acres of land with no potential for future growth.  The cost of losing a beautiful natural area and destroying the environment, for very little gain, is just too high.  

Environmental impact studies have been done on our area and multiple experts in their field, including our local chapter of The Audubon Society, have supported us in our endeavor to preserve this area and protect it from urban development.  Much of this area has been designated as Environmentally Sensitive.  We have rare plants and protected birds and wildlife here.

Urban development in this area would drastically change our homes and rural lifestyle to paved roads, city traffic, and being surrounded by hundreds of houses.  It would cause the destruction of our environment and wreak havoc on the ecosystem.  Rural development protects both the environment and the ecosystem here.  We agree with the Washington Township Trustees and ask the Story County Supervisors and the City of Ames to remove ALL properties in Southwest Ames from the Urban Growth designation in the City of Ames’ proposed Ames Urban Fringe Plan.  Keep the area in Ag and Farm Service, which is where it belongs, or have no fringe plan at all.  As stewards of this land, it deserves our respect and protection.