Spouse:
Bernice (RIPPERGER) HUERTERSource: County Conservation News, Warren County Conservation Board, Fall 1985
Friends of Conservation
"I like working at the parks because the people I work with are so friendlyand good to work with. There are so many different things to do. Sometimes there is a challenge as to how to get a job done. We put our ideas together, though, and use the best and easiest way to do the job. I enjoy mowing the grass and keeping the parks clean. In this way, people can come out, enjoy the fresh air, relax and have a good time!" --FabIam HUERTER
This isssue of "Friends of Conservation" features Fabian HUERTER, a seven-year staff member of the Warren County Conservation Board.
Fifty years ago, before the telephone became a household necessity and "MacDonald's" a household word, Fabian HUERTER came to Warren county.
In 1935, he journeyed north from Seneca, Kansas to pick corn. His family's farm had no crop that year. Like other mid-western farms, it was left empty-handed from low farm prices and depression-era droughts. "My first season here," said Fabian, recalling his introduction to southern Iowa, "I got five cents a bushel. I could pick 80 bushels a day by hand."
Two years later, Fabian moved permanently to Warren County. He married Bernice RIPPERGER and began to work a farm full-time. During the first few years, he turned over rich Iowa soil with a horse-drawn plow. He would return from the fields after a full day, using a kerosene lantern instead of electricity to dispel darkness. As at other rural homes, electricity did not reach the Huerter's until the 1940s.
Fabian's retirement from farming, several decades later, was a lucky break for the WCCB. At that time, he joined our staff. "I wanted to keep busy," he said.
Hired with funds from the State Green Thumb program, Fabian has and is still keeping very busy. He has also proven himself as an invaluable employee. "There is nothing Fabian won't do," confirmed David YOUNGBLUT, WCCB Operations Supervisor, "or can't do. He's dependable and a geniunely good hearted person."
Fabian has helped put in trails and camping areas. He helped construct the 120 foot suspension bridge at Zo-Ell Annett Woods. He has also planted trees and designed a brick walkway at Hickory Hills. Fabian has watched the WCCB parks grow from 240 acres to over 850 acres. He has contributed greatly to the aesthetic development of these acres.
Fabian would like to see the Board continue to "develop areas for wildlife." He would also like to see the Board develop more camping areas. "With the state charging fees next year," he explained, "our county parks will probably see more use."
Fabian has some favorite places in the county, among them Otter Creek Park. "It's quiet there because it's away from the highway." Otter Creek is an 80-acre county park ten miles south of Indianola.
If you see Fabian walking among the oak and hickory trees at Otter Creek, or helping the conservation staff beautify it and other county parks, realize that you are in good company, for he is a true friend of conservation.