NEWSLETTER
Hey, How is the Cabin Doing?
Kurt Baker, Director
There’s hardly a day that goes by where someone doesn’t ask staff members...hey how’s the cabin doing? Incredibly, the first 12 months of it’s availability has screamed by. As a result, we can now begin to assess its use data in hopes of providing better opportunities and experiences for users.
During the first 365 days, the cabin was rented for 132 nights or 36% of the available days. With a $60 per night rental rate, this generated $7920 in revenue. As expected, weekend rentals were the most popular with 58% of the total rental nights occurring on either Friday or Saturday night. Demand for weekend rentals have been extremely high as portions of nearly every weekend are rented. Due to this demand, many potential users had to be denied.
In contrast, weekday rentals have been relatively slow. Only 21% of the rentals occurred on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays. This certainly provides opportunities for users that may be retired or whose work schedule allows them time off during the regular work week. In response to this low use period (M,T,W), rental fees will be reduced by 17% to $50/night. This is a great value when comparing overnight accommodations in the Ottumwa area. The board has always advocated providing a quality experience at a reasonable cost and in light of current difficult economic times, we hope this will assist people in affording their outdoor escape.
The intent of building a log cabin was to provide a high quality modern facility that emulated the old log cabin look and feel where individuals and families could rent and experience nature at a reasonable cost. To date, there has been very little formal marketing with the primary marketing tool being word of mouth. As time passes, this will remain our best advertising tool. Consequently, we anticipate the demand will only increase as people know and learn more about the uniqueness of this local resource.
Winter Programs!!
Lincoln Utt, Natural Resource Manager
As I write this we (the field staff here at the WCCB) are finishing up our short three day fall burn season. We were able to complete a few controlled burns in our oak woodlands here at PRNA. Continuing our battle against invasive species and managing for more diversity in our woodlands and savannas. Now that the wind and snow flurries are forecasted it appears we are finished with controlled burns until spring.
With the flurries comes another holiday season and a new year of programs for our sportsman, landowners and outdoor enthusiasts.
In January we have a morning of ice fishing at our PRNA ponds with coffee, hot chocolate and donuts provided by the WCCB...assuming we have enough ice!
As of this time we don’t have any programs scheduled for Febrauary. If we don’t have enough ice in January for our ice fishing program we may look at moving it to February.
March looks to be another busy month starting with a Patch, Burn, Grazing program for both cattleman and sportsman. This program will feature an innovative method of rotational grazing using fire and cattle to manage pastures and grasslands. In conjuction with this program WCCB staff will present a short powerpoint on how to safely conduct prescribed burns.
Finishing off March will be a morning of trees and woodland information presented by our ISU Extension forester and WCCB staff. The morning will include a sawmill demonstration and short talks covering \winter tree care and pruning and timber stand improvement techniqes for those who are interested in managing their woodlands for wildlife and timber harvest.
Completing our winter/spring program list in April the WCCB will host a program on Pond Management. Giving you the knowledge and information you need to keep your ponds healthy and clean.
I hope everyone can make it out to Pioneer Ridge and attend at least one of our programs during the first part of 2009.
Happy hunting and happy holidays.
Meet the Staff
Lynne Jay, AGHC Interim Administrator
My name is Lynne Jay.
I am currently working at the American Gothic House Center in Eldon. I am filling in for Jessi Strom, who is currently out on maternity leave.
I am married and have two sons and three grandchildren.
I worked for the Wapello County Treasurer for approximately 19 years before leaving to change my career path.
We moved from Ottumwa to rural Batavia four years ago to a place the old timers refer to as “Turkey Scratch.”
I enjoy being outdoors and all it has to offer. When I get the opportunity to enjoy one of “Life’s Simple Pleasures,” you will see me smile.
Trash Talkin'
Annette Wittrock, Naturalist
I recently attended a workshop where I was lucky enough to participate in an all day session about trash, recycling and waste reduction. I was there to learn how to incorporate trash, reduction, recycling and more into the classroom using various methods.
I also came out of this session with an interesting facts sheet about trash,and I would like to share some of these with you.
We in Iowa have one of the best recycling and composting rates in the nation at 35% (1.2 million tons/year). That’s good, but Americans have gone from generating 2.7 pounds of waste per person per day in 1960 to 4.5 pounds per person per day in 2005. The amount of trash that has gone to the landfills in Iowa has increased by 640,000 tons (30%) since 1993. This basically means our consumption rate has increased so both the recycling and landfilling rates are also going to increase.
One big culprit in our landfills is diapers, which make up about 2.4% of Iowa’s municipal solid waste.
In 2005, Americans recycled 45% of aluminum beverage containers leaving 55% non recycled and landfilled. If for no other reason, we should recycle these for the five cents we get back when we do.
The biggest culprit is paper, which makes up the largest single component of Iowa’s municipal solid waste...about 33% or more than 701,300 tons. We know we can do better though. In 2005 “....88.9% of newspapers generated [were] recovered for recycling.” If you can’t/won’t take your paper to the recycler, try to make your own recycled paper with your kids at home. They make great cards for family and friends.
Just think of what we could do if we really thought about it. If we reduce the amount of materials we use and recycle what we can, we not only help the environment but we save the companies money too. If the companies save money, that cost savings could later be passed on to us at the stores.
Then we move on to our fossil fuels and our carbon footprint. One ton of natural resources are extracted per American per day. The United States makes up about 5% of the world population, but we emit 25% of the world’s total Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions.
If all the world lived as we do in the US, we would need six earths to sustain us all.
So what are some things we can do to help out? 30-40% of the global greenhouse gasses come from our food. So consider buying locally and eat seasonally. This way your food does not have to travel such long distances. Consider buying food in containers that are recycled, have less packaging waste or can be recycled. Also look at those products that are made from recycled materials.
Use your heating and cooling systems wisely. When you’re not there or when you are sleeping, the temperature can be turned up or down. Use your windows to your advantage to help in heating your house in the winter.
Some electronic devices, such as your phone charger, use electricity even when your phone is not hooked up to it. You might save a little money by unplugging your charger between phone charges.
There is more that could be said, but I just wanted to share what I have learned and give you the chance to think on it as I have.
X-Mas Birdcount
Each year, more than fifty thousand people participate in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). They spend a day or part of a day identifying, counting and recording the birds they see in their area. This information is then sent into Audubon and compiled into a database with over 100 straight years of information on birds of early winter. This information helps “monitor the status and distribution of bird populations across the Western Hemisphere,” according to the Audubon web page.
The CBC runs from December 14 to January 5 each year. It began in the year 1900 when ornithologist, Frank Chapman proposed a “Christmas Bird Census.” This was due to conservationists concerns about a tradition called the Christmas “Side Hunt.” This was a competition between teams of people. They would go out with guns, and whomever brought back the “biggest pile” of animals, won. Conservationists thought this might be adding to the decline in bird populations. So began the Christmas Bird Count on December 25, 1990. Twenty-seven birders lead twenty-seven bird counts that day. They tallied ninety species combined.
This year we will be hosting a bird count in December. More information can be found in the events section on pages 4 and 5.
It does not matter if you are an experienced birder or not. All eyes are needed to get an accurate count and cover a larger portion of our area. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Thank You
The blustery wind moves snow across the seemingly dormant forest and prairie at Pioneer Ridge Nature Area. If you look closely, you will find a couple projects recently completed by two local Eagle Scouts.
First you will see the skeleton of an information kiosk standing near the nature center. Just look for the new wood with the green tin roof. Eagle Scout, Zach Huebner, has been working on building this kiosk for use as an information center for the future arboretum.
Walk a little further into our future primitive camp site area, and you may find the project done by Eagle Scout, Josh Lowe. As you enter the area, you will notice two steel pipe tie posts for securing horses during camping stays. Josh also constructed three new primative camp sites. Each has a fire pit with paver brick border, sitting bench made of oak logs from the site and a picnic table on a lime chip pad. You may have to clear some snow (as I did) to see the brickwork around the fire pit, and the lime chip pads, but the benches will be ready to sit on.
Thank you to these and all Eagle Scouts who have graced Pioneer Ridge Nature Area with various works throughout the years and to everyone who has donated their time, money or talents to WCCB this year.
Our mission:
“To create awareness
of our natural
environment by
providing quality
outdoor experiences.”
June 1995
"Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me." Anne Morrow Lindbergh
"Every mile is two in winter." George Herbert