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Mann Wetlands project funded

PHOTOS BY GARRY BRANDENBURG — A new land acquisition dedicated to conservation, wildlife and education will be coming next year. The project will be known as the Mann Wetlands. It is a 216-acre site located south of Albion, south and east of Highway 330 and east of Timmons Grove (north). This potential project has been underway for several years, and it was recently approved by the Iowa DNR for full funding under the county conservation portion of the program called REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection). This is a very competitive application process between counties to receive funding. It is held once per year. In this cycle, the Marshall County Conservation Board’s application scored the highest among 12 applications, and this successful application brings with it a grant in the amount of $916,891.

The Mann Wetlands has long been a feature of the landscape located just south of Albion and adjacent to Highway 330. One of the major features of this land has always been a small wetland complex complete with tall cattail vegetation, periodic muskrat domes, open water and lots and lots of waterfowl, shorebirds, aquatic critters of all kinds, and even several resident Sandhill Cranes.

Each spring and fall, this wetland is a valuable habitat for wildlife, whether migratory or residents, year round. Numerous times this wetland complex has hosted all kinds of migrating waterfowl, birds of prey, pelicans and others. People stopped to watch these unique episodes of nature.

Lawrence Mann, one of the sons of the late Clarence E. Mann, a longtime Albion resident, was instrumental in convincing family members to dedicate the land as a legacy in memorial to their father. The Conservation Board was approached with this idea, and that led to its interim purchase by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation several years ago.

That commitment of faith in this project allowed time for the Conservation Board staff to evaluate, inventory, and prepare a well written and data driven application to seek funding from the REAP program. That effort was successful.

A survey of this project land was conducted to inventory the plants and animals that utilize the land. The result was documentation of those species that need wetlands and wet soil environments. What was also found included at least 49 species rated as having a Greatest Concern status label applied.

This label is not just a random assignment. It is carefully evaluated to place into context how sensitive those species are to Iowa’s environments. Decades of wildlife research and monitoring by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has resulted in the Wildlife Diversity Plan.

This plan tabulates special ecological needs of many species and portrays any trends within Iowa that help or hinder these life forms success or failure. Knowing what works and what does not work helps wildlife and conservation agencies to develop management goals to assist any species in their quest to thrive.

Water conditions at the Mann Wetland complex come from snow melt or rains, and they vary every year. Some years are very dry, as in 2021 and 2022. The same can be said for 1977 and 1988 and all the other years in between.

However, Mother Nature has her own way of making up for drought years with times of normal ground water table conditions, and a wide variety of high water events that may cause minor to major flooding. This parcel of land is well known to become completely covered by flood waters if conditions of spring snow melt, river ice jams, or just the result of those years when rainfall is excessive at any time of the year.

When that happens in the Iowa River watershed of 1,482 square miles upstream from Timmons Grove, Highway 330 is well noted for being closed by the Iowa DOT due to flood waters over the highway. Detours are inevitable when major floods happen.

However, in the long run, floods are temporary. Droughts are also temporary, and between those wet and dry times a “normal” is much more frequent.

Mankind has had to learn to adapt to the natural cycles of too much water and too little water. These facts will become part of the conservation stories told to audiences and school science classes for many years into the future.

It is interesting to see the list of species found during the survey of the Mann Wetlands. Included are American Bittern, American Kestrel, American Tree Sparrow, American Widgeon, American Woodcock, Baltimore Oriole, Bank Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Blue-winged Teal, Bobolink, Brown Thrasher, Canvasback, Chimney Swift, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Screech Owl, Eastern Wood Pewee, Grasshopper Sparrow, Harris Sparrow, Lesser Scaup, Lesser Yellowlegs, Northern Bobwhite Quail, Northern Flicker, Northern Pintail, Prothonotary Warbler, Redhead, Red-headed Woodpecker, Ring-necked Duck, Sedge Wren, Trumpeter Swan, Wilson’s Snipe, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Ring-necked Pheasant and Wild Turkey, and of course, one must not forget those tall lanky Sandhill Cranes.

Add to this bird list some additional critters who are on the Species of Greatest Conservation Need list. They include Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Henslow’s Sparrow, Black Tern, and Bald Eagle.

Reptiles and amphibians have a varied composition also. Of the findings were Leopard Frog, Blanchard’s Cricket Frog, American Toad, Snapping Turtle, Eastern Gray Tree Frog and Northern Water Snake, and there are other critters like the Northern Crayfish and the Calico (Paper Shell) crayfish. Mammals are many with deer, Muskrats, Coyotes, Foxes, Muskrats, Mink, Badger, small rodents and even a flying mammal, the Little Brown Bat.

Other historical notes for this area have documented no less than ten known prehistoric and historic archeological sites as documented by the Office of the State Archaeological I-Sites. When the Conservation Board and staff members studied the overall big picture that the Mann Wetlands offers, it was clear that this parcel of land is part of a growing complex of public lands along the Iowa River corridor.

Also, they considered how this land will increase the public’s ability to interact with nature. Recreational activities such as hunting, bird watching, photography, fishing, and trail use as future segments of the River Edge Trail become developed. The existing Timmons Grove forest lands directly west of this project add to the diversity of habitats used by wildlife and the public.

In Iowa every year, statewide visits by over 24 million folks who go to county conservation board lands have an estimated economic impact of $608 million as they undertake outdoor recreation to go camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or just relaxing in outdoor settings. Those folks make expenditures for travel, food, lodging, supplies, special clothing, camping gear, tackle, licenses, hunting equipment and assorted needs.

All that economic activity adds up to help support outdoor recreation related jobs to the tune of $2.7 billion in wages and salaries in over 83,000 jobs according to a report titled Economic Value of Outdoor Recreation Activities in Iowa (EVORAI).

When a project such as the Mann Wetlands can be added to the mix of public lands in Marshall County, currently at 2,644 acres, one finds that the Mann Wetlands will add 11 percent to the acreage open to public hunting. Currently, 1,871 acres have public hunting as a primary function of why they exist.

Public hunting lands have an estimated economic impact equaling $400 per acre, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey dated 2016. So this value to the economy just from hunting is conservative, and no doubt would increase if brought up to date to 2022.

As plans are made this winter by the Marshall County Conservation staff for appropriate developments to the Mann Wetlands area, they will determine long term conservation habitat improvements to the forest area, to its wetlands and expansion potential, and to how environmental education tasks can be enhanced to benefit the public’s understanding of the value of wetlands. It is a good thing to see the Mann Wetlands project unfold and get ready for opening to the public in the fall of 2023.

Sources of funding for the Mann Wetlands are the REAP grant for the largest segment. Locally, the Pheasants Forever (PF) Chapter of Marshall and Tama Counties were very helpful.

Additional PF chapters in central Iowa are also assisting. The National Wild Turkey Federation is on board as are the Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce & Tourism plus the Friends of Marshall County Conservation. Additional support from numerous smaller donations and memorial gifts were used on this project.

——

Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology.

Contact him at:

P.O. Box 96

Albion, IA 50005

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