The Marshall County Conservation Board (MCCB) performs the management duties for this area. The land was acquired in two parcels, the first a 155-acre mitigation site via the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the second was a 330-acre adjacent property from a private owner. Together, these parcels total 485 acres, or about three-fourths of a section of land. The boundaries are irregular due to the northwest/southeast trending Iowa River on the west and other private lands to the north or east. Still, this unique area hosts an abundance of natural offerings.

Land acquisitions were made possible by many factors, including vital technical assistance and financial support from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. They purchased the 330-acre portion initially. This allowed time for the MCCB to secure habitat grants and conduct other fundraising projects. The land opened to the public in September of 2008.

Prior to this site becoming public, it was privately owned and well-managed since 1951. Upland soils were understood to be too fragile and susceptible to erosion if conventional crops were to be grown. The soil has a lot of wind-blown sandy components due to a long geological past. With fragile soils, grass for grazing was an excellent choice. And it was those long term grasslands that offered habitats ready made for dickcissel, meadowlark, bobolink, pheasant, wild turkey and more. Bald Eagles nest in and along the river, and the red-shouldered hawk has been documented to nest in the bottomland forests. Great blue heron rookeries are established from time to time in these forested sites.

The upland oak forest, which makes up about 25 percent of the total forest habitat, is one of the best examples of this habitat type to be found in Marshall County. It is, for the most part, a healthy forest. However, during our recent straight line wind storm a year ago, Mother Nature did pick a time to rearrange some of the trees on this ridge top. The animals have adjusted and adapted, but people may have a tougher time hiking this segment.

This bluff line has a lot of sandy soil components. Why? Because a long time ago, when the last glacial system was in its retreat mode, beginning about 14,000 years ago, large expanses of water sorted sands and fine silty material were easily picked up by intense winds blowing off the glacial edges. Even though the glacier’s eastern edge was along the Story/Marshall County border, those fierce winds picked up any soil particles and moved them east and southeast in big dust-like storms. At the bluff line near what we now call the Sand Road, winds hit the bluff and were forced up and over.

In doing so, wind speed dropped, and soil particles in aerial suspension dropped out. Over many centuries of time, this process of wind deposits added height to the bluff. The bluff functioned the same as a modern day snow fence does, break wind speed and therefore allow snow to fall off on the downwind side.

The sandy soils of this bluff and ridgetop also function similar to a big sponge. It soaks up water, holds water, and allows some of that water to percolate deeper and finally express itself in springs at the bluff base. Water flows all year long. A man-made pond at the base of the bluff can be seen even today. Its water comes from slow flowing spring sources from the bluff.

Within the bottomland forests, old Iowa River channels that are centuries old still exist, but they’re mostly dry now. There are many of them, each overlapping each other to trace historic times when the Iowa River meandered in a wiggly back and forth route. However, this portion of the Iowa River was subject to the old Mary Ann Dredging work in 1921, a century ago, when that floating barge–with its steam shovel on board–dug a straight channel toward the Iowa Soldiers Home.

Old river courses were cut off from active water flows except during flood times. I have been hiking in these bottomlands when a flooding Iowa River was backfilling those old river channels. I knew where the higher ground was– a good thing to allow me to pick a pathway out that would not get me trapped. My observations were a right time, right place situation to witness river flooding at its peak time.

The Iowa River Wildlife Management Area has all the elements of a fantastic natural setting of open grasslands, prairie, and forests. Entirely natural cycles of nature take place here. To learn more about this area, pick up a brochure from the MCCB office located at the Grimes Farm and Conservation Center. Study the map, and then proceed with due diligence to explore and learn what this area offers. While at the Center, you can find other informational brochures for other areas. Currently, there are 29 sites encompassing nearly 2,300 acres in small, medium and large land tracts. Enjoy.

TREE LEAF COLORS will be peaking in central Iowa this week. An intense transformation of our deciduous trees will seem to set the forest on fire with colors. I would highly encourage anyone to take advantage of good weather–our “Indian Summer” conditions– while they last, to explore hiking trails at places like Grammer Grove Wildlife Area, the Forest Reserve, Arney Bend Wildlife Area, Stanley Mill Mitigation Area, Timmons Grove, Three Bridges, Sand Lake, Green Castle and others. Mother Nature offers these color displays free of charge. Take advantage of any clear morning just after sunrise to see how sunlight filtering through those colorful leaves makes for an intense light show. Make sure to have a camera at the ready.

DEER ALERT TIME for motorists is always a good thing. However, now it is mid-October, and from now through mid November, deer activity will peak as buck deer roam day and night in search of doe deer. Be mindful that deer can appear anywhere. If this happens on a roadway you are driving on, be careful. My best advice is to drive slower, watch for deer, and be prepared to slow as much as possible in a straight line before the inevitable contact between a deer and your vehicle. Salvageable deer carcasses can be secured by first obtaining a salvage permit from Tyson Brown, State Conservation Officer. Call him at 641-751-5246.