This article was written and placed online in October 2005.
The recent addition of the 588-acre Karr Property to the Boone Forks Wildlife Management Area brings a multitude of recreational opportunities to local residents and visitors.
The property is between the Boone Forks Wildlife Management Area and the Hamilton County Conservation Board’s Bell’s Hill Park. The Iowa National Heritage Foundation (INHF) successfully purchased the property in 2004 and has now transferred it to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It is now open for public use.
“This new addition will help ensure the tranquil setting that attracts so many outdoor enthusiasts to the surrounding area,” said Scott Peterson wildlife biologist for the Iowa DNR. “It will further protect the naturally rich and scenic habitat that many locals and visitors come to experience when hunting or canoeing along the Boone River.”
The area offers a wide range of activities for area residents and visitors, including hunting, fishing, canoeing, birding and more.
The land features many scenic wooded bluffs, grassy uplands and some cropland. The addition will help protect the wooded bluffs, which stabilize the riverbank, protect water quality and provide a continuous wildlife corridor.
A significant portion of the new parcel is part of a designated “Protected Waters Area” (PWA). The PWA program aims to maintain existing natural and scenic qualities of selected lakes, rivers and marshes and their adjacent land.
This segment of the Boone River is one of five PWAs designated by the Iowa DNR. The area includes 25 miles of river—from its confluence with Brewer’s Creek south of Webster City to the confluence with the Des Moines River—and 6,338 acres of land.
“This area contains one of the most scenic, free-flowing rivers in Iowa and has some of the largest expanses of woodlands and diversity of game, non-game and rare species,” said Bruce Mountain. “We’re glad we could help protect it for public use.”
For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.