August 2024 Department Update
As the warmth of August settles in, we are thrilled to bring you a lineup of activities and events that promise adventure, learning, and fun. Get ready to mark your calendars and join us for some fantastic experiences this month!Marcus Nack, Environmental Education Manager
Upcoming Activities and Events
On Tuesday, August 6th, at 5:30 PM, we’re hosting a Shooting Safety and Basics event at Big Hollow. This event is all about ensuring that participants understand the importance of safe firearm handling. With experienced instructors providing one-on-one guidance, you'll have the chance to practice with BB guns, .22cal rifles, and 20-gauge shotguns—all provided for you. We’re grateful to the Aldo Leopold Pheasants Forever Chapter for donating their time and ammunition for this program. To secure your spot, call 319-753-5808.
Just a week later, on Wednesday, August 14th, we have another fantastic event lined up. This time, it's a chance for you to Test Your Accuracy. Whether you're a seasoned shooter or a complete beginner, this friendly competition will be a blast. All targets, ammunition, and firearms will be provided by the Aldo Leopold Pheasants Forever Chapter, so there's no need to bring your own. It's a perfect opportunity to challenge yourself and maybe even impress your friends with your marksmanship!
But the excitement doesn't stop there. On Thursday, August 15th, from 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM, we invite you to join us for a magical evening at Flint Creek with our Night Creek Stomping program. Picture yourself exploring the creek bed under the starry night sky, surrounded by the soothing sounds of nature. Equipped with water shoes and headlamps, we'll guide you through this nocturnal adventure. As you wade through the cool waters, you'll encounter a world teeming with life—frogs croaking, fireflies dancing, and other nocturnal creatures making their presence known. This event is free and suitable for all ages, making it a perfect family outing or a unique experience for nature enthusiasts. For more details, call Starr’s Cave Nature Center at 319-753-5808.
August 19th we will begin fall program sign up for school groups, scout groups, and any group of people looking for some fall curriculum. Our unique programming has some classics to choose from, or we can create classes that fit the standards and objectives that classes request. We will be sending out our program guide this month, and our google sign up doc. Please call 319-753-5808 with any questions regarding program sign up. All sign up requests are done through our google doc, and we will not accept requests before August 19th.
August is packed with opportunities to learn new skills, connect with nature, and create lasting memories. We can't wait to see you at our events!
Big Hollow Projects nearing completion
Big Hollow now offers 18 new campsites thanks to community donations and a federal grant that allowed us to do many improvements to the park this year. Of those 18 sites, five of them are arranged in a circle for groups of RV's to camp together. There are also three "buddy sites" which allow two RV's to park with their awnings facing each other. The rest are single sites. All of the new, electric-only sites are built in existing forest and offer a remote, wilderness feel while being close to all the park's major amenities. Most of the new sites are reservable online at MyCountyParks.com.
In addition to new RV sites, the project also added accessible walkways at the beach as well as the fishing jetty and kayak launch below the main RV campground. The paving at these areas greatly improves the accessibility of the park and it's main activities. These improvements were all done as part of the Big Hollow Master Plan and were paid for completely with grants and donations from the community.
As of this writing, department staff are putting the finishing touches on some of these projects. We will host a ribbon cutting soon to celebrate the completion of these major park improvements.
Improvements coming to Starr's Cave Park & Preserve
If you've been to Starr's Cave lately (the actual cave), you might have noticed a couple signs are missing. Our crews recently took the outdated signage down to be replaced with a new sign. Using a Iowa DNR Wildlife Diversity Grant, we have purchased a new sign for above the cave and our crews will be installing it soon.
Just outside the cave, there is also a new bench which was donated by the Drish family in honor of the late Randy Drish. In addition to the new bench, their contribution will also fund some additional programs and improvements to the park.
What you don't see yet is even more exciting. We have received a grant from Delta Dental to install a new outdoor water fountain. But this won't be your run-of-the-mill fountain. It will include a bottle filler and a dog watering feature!
In addition to that, we received a grant from the local Murray Foundation to put in new ADA-accessible sidewalks from the nature center to the parking area, and to the trail and shelter house. This is a continuation of our dedication to making our parks and facilities more accessible to more people.
This work will complement the interior work we've done at the nature center this past year with the move of our administration office to the building. And we may add even more improvements before construction of the fountain and sidewalks start. But we hope to have all the work done before next summer.
Flood waters recede, leave lots of mud
After a prolonged flood, the Mississippi River is back in its banks and boaters are taking to the river en masse. If you're one of those boaters, you may have noticed there's a fair bit of mud on the boat ramps at Sullivan Slough, Tama, and Hawkeye Dolbee boat ramps. For some reason, this flood left more debris and silt on our ramps than usual. Our crews, with help from the secondary roads department, have scraped off the parking areas and in the coming weeks, contractors will haul fresh rock to the sites. This new rock will be paid for by FEMA funding that we're still carrying from last year's flood. So stand by, the ramps will look as good as new very soon.
There's lots going on at Des Moines County Conservation. We hope to see you out in the parks soon!
published Monday, August 5, 2024
