Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt 
 

INHF is protecting land adjacent to the Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt, a wild area in the heart of Iowa just northeast of the Des Moines metro. Restoration of this area to native vegetation and wetlands will boost efforts to improve the water quality and hydrology of the Skunk River and its riparian wetlands.

Recreation and wildlife benefits 

Expansion of Chichaqua Bottoms in Polk and Jasper counties will enhance public recreational opportunities in densely populated central Iowa. The area is popular with birders, campers, hunters and anglers, and includes trails for hiking and cycling, with several miles of groomed trails for winter cross-country skiing. 

This Bottoms provides an important complex of habitat that includes woodlands, streams and wetlands, sedge meadows and sandy upland hill prairies. A wide variety of species are found here, from rare mammals like the Plains pocket mouse to reptiles like Blanding's turtles. Bird species that visit or nest here include waterfowl, wading birds and neotropical migrants. Sandhill cranes, have recently started to nest again in the area.  

Project partners include Polk County Conservation, the Jasper County Conservation Board and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.