A piece of land that once served as a childhood playground for one local family is now being turned into a place for the entire community to enjoy.
Massop Legacy Park was officially dedicated Thursday afternoon in Lakeside, following the donation of 3.53 acres of land by John and Marlene Massop to Buena Vista County.
The property sits just south of the Storm Lake Outlet Dam, near Bel Air Access, where Owl Lake Creek flows out of Storm Lake. The dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting brought together the Massop family, county officials and community members to celebrate the newest addition to the county’s conservation system.
For the Massop family, the donation represents a way to honor their parents while preserving a property that holds decades of family memories.
Doug Massop says his parents farmed the land for years, and the idea of eventually turning it into a public park was something he and his late father, John, discussed 10 to 15 years ago.
He says the family always saw the property’s location along the creek and near the lake outlet as an opportunity to create something special for the community.
But Massop says the land also has plenty of personal history.
Massop says he continued pursuing the idea over the last four or five years, reaching out to city, county and state officials, along with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He credited Buena Vista County Conservation Director Greg Johnson with helping bring the necessary people together and move the donation forward.
Johnson says the property is particularly valuable because it adds another public natural area close to a population center. He says the county’s immediate focus will be improving the existing habitat rather than pursuing major recreational development.
The property includes wooded areas, grassland and Owl Lake Creek, offering several different habitat types. Johnson says the county wants to promote native prairie vegetation, address invasive plants and protect water quality along the creek.
The county has already installed nesting boxes built by local Boy Scouts, along with other donated habitat features. Plans also include opening up the fence line and establishing walking paths through portions of the property.
Johnson says those initial improvements can largely be handled with existing staff and resources. However, the county does not currently have dedicated funding or finalized plans for larger development projects.
Massop hopes the property can eventually become part of a broader recreational vision for the area, including a potential bike trail around Storm Lake.
The agreement with the family also provides for the possibility of a bridge across the creek and additional paths if a nearby housing development ever moves forward.
Johnson says the donation is ultimately about protecting the land and making its natural resources available to the public for generations.
Buena Vista County Conservation manages 17 areas encompassing more than 1,200 acres of parks, wildlife refuges, historic sites and natural areas. Massop Legacy Park is the latest addition to that system.
