Protected water area gets more protection

---

This article appeared in the Fall 2005 edition of INHF's magazine.

by Cheri Grauer

Scott Peterson Iowa DNR

You can practically step across the Boone River at its origins in Hancock County. From there it gently meanders south through the heart of corn and bean country. Just downstream from Webster City, in Hamilton County, the river is transformed.

Here the Boone turns lithe and supple as it winds its way through a deeply incised valley, the hillsides of which soon become crowded with maple, oak, serviceberry and cherry.

On a good day from the river, you might spot an Osprey or Cooper’s Hawk soaring overhead or a River Otter basking on the bank. In the woodlands—on a very good day—you might encounter the seldom-seen Least Flycatcher or a colony of Eastern Mound-Building Ants, a threatened species.

The area’s ecological richness and scenic quality would have been reason enough for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to consider the Iowa DNR’s request to purchase and temporarily hold the 588-acre site until they could secure funding. Add the region’s terrific mix of recreational opportunities—excellent canoeing, fishing, birding and more—and the case was even more compelling.

Heather Jobst, INHF

INHF purchased 588 acres along the Boone River in Hamilton County. Much of the parcel is within a designated "Protected Waters Area." Now owned by the Iowa DNR, the site contains senic wooded bluffs that stabilize the riverbank, protect water quality and provide a continuous wildlife cooridor.

The newly protected parcel features scenic wooded bluffs, grassy uplands and some cropland. Immediate management needs include eradicating garlic mustard from the otherwise high quality woodland and removing brush and trees from portions of the property enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program.Moreover, this segment of the Boone River has been designated as one of the property enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program.

Moreover, this segment of the Boone River has been designated as one of Iowa’s Protected Water Areas (PWA). This state program aims to maintain existing natural and scenic qualities of selected lakes, rivers and marshes and their adjacent lands through an array of voluntary agreements between landowners and IDNR.

 The Boone River PWA 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.

According to the IDNR wildlife biologist Scott Peterson, the addition of this high priority parcel to the Boone Forks Wildlife Management Area—and to the larger Boone River PWA—wouldn’t have been possible without INHF’s ability to step in quickly and purchase it at auction.

For more information on the Boone River project click here.

Cheri Grauer is INHF's Community Project Coordinator and Gift Planner.

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.