JOHNSON COUNTY — Brad Freidhof has been named the new Executive Director of Johnson County Conservation, stepping into the role following the passing of longtime director Larry Gullett. Gullett, who led the department for 11 years, died in September
after a battle with cancer.

“I hate moving up or being promoted in those circum- stances,” Freidhof said of Gullett’s passing. “But it was the cards we were dealt.”

Freidhof began his career with Johnson County Conservation as a naturalist in 2002, serving in that role until 2014 before becoming the department’s conservation program manager, where he oversaw education programs and managed grants for trail development
and special projects.

Growing up on a farm in northeast Iowa, Freidhof said his passion for the out- doors started in childhood.

“For me, entertainment was the streams and the pastures and the trees,”

Freidhof said of his upbringing. “The large glass glacial erratics that were out in our pasture — those were our playground.”

Though he initially planned to pursue a career in education, Freidhof realized his love for nature would leave him feeling cooped up in a classroom all day. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science from Wartburg College in 1996, he recalled friends and family asking if he intended to move to a state known for its vast wilderness and dramatic landscapes.

Freidhof, however, chose to stay in Iowa.

“I love Iowa, and I believe that we can have both conservation of the natural resources and agricultural production,” Freidhof said.

Emphasizing the physical and mental health benefits of spending time outdoors, Freidhof said a top priority throughout his career has been ensuring nature is accessible to all.

“Humans are meant to have their fingers in the soil,” Freidhof said. “Disconnecting ourselves from the land is not healthy. So we need to get people back out there, whether it’s gardening, planting trees, hunting, fishing, or going on hikes.”

In 2008, Freidhof was part of securing a $20 million bond for Johnson County Conservation which, over the next 16 years, funded the acquisition of 1,167 acres of public land, the construction of 9.2 miles of trails, and 15 conservation projects while leveraging an additional $17.1 million through grants, donations, and other revenues.

In 2024, Johnson County voters approved a second conservation bond — this time for $30 million — with nearly 80 percent support.

“We are the diamond in the rough,” Freidhof said. “The bond is one of the positive things [happening with government] when we have people in Des Moines taking away personal rights of a lot of the residents.”

Since it is funded through county property taxes, Freidhof said the recently passed bond has not yet been affected by federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration, but the future remains uncertain.

“Some of the grants that we currently have for the Clear Creek Trail extension to Kent Park are federal dollars that passed through the Iowa Department of Transportation and then to us,” Freidhof said. “We are expecting those dollars to come in to help us construct that trail corridor, but we obviously we don’t know.”

In the current moment of political uncertainty, Freidhof said the value of the outdoors has never been more apparent.

“Some days, I just need to go, ‘I’m done with politics. I’m going to go out and talk to trees because trees don’t talk back,’” Freidhof said. “So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to continue to protect those environments that we all need — protect the soil which sustains us, protect that water which is so important to us all — and go from there.”

In addition to trail expansions, Johnson County Conservation undertakes various projects to enhance public engagement with nature. These include organizing annual events like the Great Iowa River Race, where participants paddle a 9.5-mile stretch of the Iowa River, and hosting annual volunteer prairie seed harvest events to support habitat restoration efforts.

Johnson County Conservation also offers frequent educational workshops at its Conservation Education Center in F.W. Kent Park, with hands-on programs on wildlife, land stewardship, and outdoor skills.

“I have, in my opinion, the best education staff in the state of Iowa, right here in Johnson County,” Freidhof said. “[They] provide diverse experiences to our public. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody. From birth to death, we are going to try to provide experiences to get people outdoors and connected to the landscape.”

Freidhof’s inclusivity extends beyond age, with Johnson County Conservation hosting an LGBTQ+ hike on Feb. 22 amid growing crackdowns on government-funded diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

“You can throw a DEI label on it, but in my view the Earth is the Earth, and people are people,” Freidhof said.

Beyond serving Johnson County’s current residents, Freidhof said his vision as director also prioritizes future generations. He referenced a plaque currently in development to honor Gullett’s life, which will be inscribed with a message about how the benefits people enjoy today stem from the foresight and efforts of those before them.

“That’s what conservation is all about,” Freidhof said. “Many of the things that my grandfather, the people before that [did] — we’re benefiting from those today. And I look at what we’re leaving for the future.”