Northeast Iowa — Laura Elfers joins Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) as the new Education & Interpretation Manager. Elfers will develop and implement education and interpretation strategies for the Heritage Area. Programs under her direction include the SSNHA Education Scholarship Fund, which provides funding for bus and intern grants within the Heritage Area. She will also serve as liaison to designated Partner Sites, farms and agricultural businesses, as part of developing educational programming focused on telling the present day agricultural story.
Elfers is a graduate of Iowa State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Ecology with an emphasis with Interpretation. Before coming to Silos & Smokestacks, she worked with the Floyd County Conservation Board in Rockford, Iowa, for thirteen years, as their Naturalist and most recently Deputy Director. During her work with the Conservation Board, Elfers implemented numerous educational and interpretive programs at the Fossil & Prairie Center. It is here where she first worked with SSNHA as a Partner Site. Elfers was raised on a century farm, active in 4-H and FFA, and is still involved with the family farm.
“Laura is an extraordinary addition to the Silos & Smokestacks staff,” said Don Short, SSNHA President. “She brings passion for the story of agriculture to the position.”
SSNHA is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. The Heritage Area covers 37 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. Interstate 80 borders it on the south and Interstate 35 borders it on the west. Through a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA interprets farm life, agribusiness, and rural communities—past and present.
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