NEWSLETTER
Expanding Recreation Opportunities
Kurt Baker, Director
The opening sentence in Connie Mutel’s new book The Emerald Horizon, The History of Nature in Iowa, says it all to those of us needing outdoor experiences...“I have always felt that to live most fully, people need to be in contact with the land.” Today’s reality is that fewer and fewer people are making this connection, which beckons the question, can we live life to the fullest without exposure to the natural world and with reduced exposure, what are the social and psychological impacts on society?
The Wapello County Conservation Board is made up of individuals who believe in providing quality natural areas for all residents to enjoy and experience nature first hand. When new areas are acquired, it becomes a time to celebrate! Within the past two months, two additional properties will be managed by Wapello County Conservation for the benefit of both the areas citizens and the resources that make up these areas. Both were purchased by the Iowa Department of Transportation as mitigation to habitat loss as a result of building Highways 63 and the 34 by-pass.
The first area is located just south of Hwy 63 (immediately south of Bowling RV Sales) on the west side of Sycamore Road. This 40 acre parcel is very diverse with an approximately 6 acre pond, restored native prairie uplands and a tree planting along Little Cedar Creek that runs through the southwest corner of the property.
The second area is located on the far eastern portion of the county just northwest of Batavia. This nearly 40 acre area is located about a mile north of Hwy 34 on the south side of 85th Street (a level B mud road). This area consists of a six to seven acre shallow water wetland with the remaining uplands consisting of restored native prairie.
Due to the newness of these areas, we still have not officially named them nor have we scheduled tours of the areas to introduce them to you and your family. However, we will soon announce field trips to these wonderful additions to the citizens of Wapello County.
Land Management Series
Lincoln Utt, Natural Resource Manager/Interpreter
Our April land management program at Pioneer Ridge Nature Center (PRNC), promises to be one you are not going to want to miss if you are interested in the Oak Savanna.
Our April program at PRNC, will deal with another popular land management issue in Wapello county and southern Iowa. Oak Savanna/ Oak woodland management is becoming a hot topic as we try to manage our wooded areas for long-term sustainability. Helping out with this program will be Greg Pattison with the Iowa Fish and Wildlife Service. Greg is based out of Lamoni, Iowa, and works with landowners throughout south-central Iowa who are interested in oak savanna restoration and management. Joining Greg will be a member of the Southern Iowa Oak Savanna Alliance (SIOSA). This is a new organization leading the charge to restore oak savannas, one of Iowa’s most rare plant communities. Topics will include how oak savanna management can benefit southern Iowa’s multiple land uses including wildlife habitat, better quality pasture, and improved runoff infiltration.
Here at WCCB, we have both Oak Savanna
and Bobwhite Quail land management issues
close on our radar. Staff annually works
on converting our open grassland areas to
DIVERSE prairie benefiting bobwhite quail
and numerous ground nesting birds. Staff
also began an oak savanna restoration project
at Pioneer Ridge this fall with help from
the FWS. By actively working on restoring
and managing our woodlands and prairies
together, we hope to
bring back our once
sustainable, functioning
upland ecosystem
of native prairie and
open oak savannas /
woodlands that once
covered southern
Iowa.
Please see events page for program date and time.
If you have any questions about this program, contact Lincoln at 641-682-1802.
Spring Ephemerals
Spring is on its way. With warmer temperatures and thawing ground, comes the blooming of early spring wildflowers, also known as spring ephemerals. There is one spring ephemeral that has always intrigued me...Bloodroot.
Bloodroot can be found throughout the state in shaded and moist woodland areas, often on banks. It has one broad leaf at the base and one white flower with 8-12 petals and a bright yellow center.
Bloodroot gets its name for the red sap found in the roots and stem. This sap was used as a medicinal herb by Indian medicine men to treat many ailments. Young men of one tribe would put the root sap on their palm and try to shake hands with the woman they wanted to marry. It was through that after five or six days she would be “charmed” and willing to marry him. Bloodroot sap was also used as a dye for wood, clothing, skin, and more.
This plant can be toxic, and use for personal medicinal purposes should be avoided.
Volunteers Make Non-Profits Prosper
Jessica Strom, AGHC Administrator
V aluable is the work you do.
O utstanding is how you always come
through.
L oyal, sincere and full of good cheer,
U ntiring in your efforts throughout the year.
N otable are the contributions you make.
T rustworthy in every project you take.
E ager to reach your every goal.
E ffective in the way you fulfill your role.
R eady with a smile like a shining star,
S pecial and wonderful --that’s what you are.
--Unknown
What an appropriate time
to talk about volunteering
as National Volunteer Week
approaches this April 27 through
May 3.
Volunteers are among our greatest assets when operating a non-profit organization. Volunteers allow us to go beyond our limits: they bring in new ideas, new energy, and helping hands. Indeed, with the limited budgets of most non-profits, the organizations cannot prosper without access to this sometimes hidden gem -- the volunteer.
There are lots of ways to volunteer at Pioneer Ridge Nature Center and the American Gothic House Center. There are special projects that we schedule in advance and there are ongoing needs to assist with operations and education.
Following are a few examples of special projects:
- Preparing the Greenhouse
- Tree Planting
- Butterfly Garden Planting
- Trail Days
- Prairie Seed Production
- Christmas Bird Count
- Big Events such as Gothic Days, Halloween Hikes and Egg Hunts
- Summer Camps
Examples of on-going needs include the following:
- Operating the American Gothic House Center on Weekends
- Data Entry
- Bulk Mail Preparation
- Assist with Education Programs
If you would be interested
in learning more about how
you can get involved at the
American Gothic House
Center, call me at 641-652-
3352.
There will be additional opportunities to hone your skills before the summer begins with a lecture about “How Grant Wood Came to Paint American Gothic” on April 24 at 6:00 pm and one about “How to Take the American Gothic Photo” on May 22 at 6:00 pm.
So tell us.
- What are your hidden talents?
- Do you see a need that we have not met?
- Do you have time and energy to help us meet that need?
Let us know and we will work towards those goals together!
“The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.” ~Johnetta B. Cole~
Bird Engineers and How You Can Help
Annette Wittrock, Naturalist
I have always been interested in how birds build their nests. Each bird is like a little, feathered engineer choosing a unique list of materials for nest building as well as determining the correct size, shape and distance from the ground in the correct habitat. Not unlike humans choosing a house in the perfect neighborhood.
Take, for example, the Baltimore Oriole. They build one of the most interesting nests I have seen. Using materials such as long strips of vine bark, human hair, string, yarn and other materials. I have even seen them with plastic grocery bag pieces in them. The nest is a pouch attached to and hung from two forked twigs in a tree about 20+ feet off the ground. The nest actually hangs from the branch instead of sitting on top of it. The materials are weaved together in a pouch around 6 inches long, and they line the bottom with hair, down from plants, and fine grasses. The nest seems fragile, but it is able to hold the eggs and the adult and eventually the young. In the summer, this nest is difficult to find without the oriole present, but this time of year it is a little easier.
The bluebird nest is difficult to find unless you have a bluebird box out for them. Bluebirds are cavity nesters, meaning they nest in hollow trees, fence posts, and any other hollows they can find. As old trees are cut, and wooden fence posts are replaced with longer lasting metal posts, the bluebirds lose ideal nesting areas. This makes nest boxes vital to the survival of this bird. Bluebirds use many grasses in their nests. They make a cup-shaped nest to hold their little, blue eggs and keep them warm until hatching.
We often find the nests of killdeer around Pioneer Ridge Nature Area. The killdeer is a ground-nesting bird, and we often find their nests in the parking areas and gravel drives. They add a little nesting material to an indention in the rocks where they lay approximately four well camouflaged eggs.
After all that information, you may be wondering how you can help make nest building easier for your feathered neighbors this spring. All you need is an old onion bag or the like stuffed with fur from your pet, scrap pieces of yarn, or even some of your own hair. Hang this outside, and watch as birds take advantage of this easy to find material. You may even be lucky enough to see your materials in the nests as you explore the area this spring.
Another way you can help local bluebirds is by building nesting boxes for your property.
Happy birding!
Arbor Day at Pioneer Ridge
Paul Totten, Conservation Technician
On April 25, Iowans will again celebrate Arbor Day, an annual event that began in Nebraska 136 years ago in recognition of the value of trees to our cosystems and to our well-being as a society. Since then, literally millions of trees have been planted publicly and privately by people of all ages.
At Pioneer Ridge Nature Area, the Wapello County Conservation Board is now planning the establishment of an arboretum (an educational tree planting). Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for informative exploration of plant communities native to Iowa.
Plant communities are just different plants related by the type of environment they “prefer.” A woodland community, for example, would favor plants that can either successfully compete for sunlight or are shade tolerant. A savanna community would involve native grasses and forbs (flowers) with scattered, fire-tolerant trees.
The PRNA arboretum will involve several plant communities and include existing trees and ones to be planted. It will be located in the areas surrounding the Pioneer Ridge Nature Center.
Plantings will be accessible by trails and will provide information about the plant species highlighted. Volunteer assistance will be elicited as this project evolves and is implemented.
For information on our Arbor Day activities, see the events schedule.
Morning Circuit by Priscilla Coffman
I watch out my kitchen window.
In a flash of black and rust
highlighted against ice-frosted snow
the vixen approaches from the west.
She skirts the sleeping hosta garden.
I sneak to the living room window.
The fox prances in yesterday’s tracks
across the shimmering face of the dam,
but today she doesn’t turn south
to her den in the white oak timber.
I crouch beside my bedroom window.
She crosses the hay field on the deer trail
with ears forward and tail straight out.
At the crest she glances back at me
but chooses the blue Iowa-cold dawn.
Thank you, Priscilla, for this addition to our spring newsletter. This is the second poem submitted by Priscilla.