Red Rock eagle refuge is
proposed to honor Gladys Black

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A popular bird area near Red Rock Reservoir, once frequented by Iowa's own "bird lady," may soon be protected for future generations.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) is raising funds to purchase and protect the 38-acre Marion County woodland. Bald Eagles often roost on the property, which is currently owned by Eleanor Coster of New Sharon. The land lies directly across from Horn's Ferry Bridge, a popular viewing platform, on the bank of the Des Moines River just below Red Rock dam. After INHF has acquired the property, it plans to transfer the land to a state or county conservation agency to be managed for non-game bird habitat.

Coster chose to sell the land at an affordable price to INHF to establish an eagle refuge in honor of Gladys Black, who was known as the "bird lady of Iowa." Black used the area for 25 years to educate children and adults about birds and their habitat needs, particularly the "jungle birds" that winter in Central and South America but are found in Marion County during the warmer months. Over the years until her death in 1998, Black worked nearly every day to observe birds and compiled a checklist of 305 species of birds sighted in this area. Black was recognized as one of the nation's leading ornithologists, and her columns on Iowa birds for The Des Moines Register from 1969 to 1987 were widely read and later published in her book Iowa Birdlife.

Coster's parents, Paul and Mary Felsing, were lifelong friends of Black. For years, the Felsings and Black banded birds in this area with sixth-grade students from across Marion County.

"I have had a long-standing dream of preserving this tract of land in its natural state," Coster said. "The addition of eagles to this area fueled that desire. I am very grateful to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and all the people who have embraced that dream and expanded on it in ways I couldn't have imagined. Knowing Gladys Black and her love and appreciation for this area with its great variety of birds, it seemed most appropriate to honor her by naming this tract for her."

Through acquiring this land, INHF hopes to revive attention for Black's long-term work of promoting birds, habitat and environmental education in the region. In addition, the Foundation would like the project to draw attention to the need for habitat protection in Iowa. The block of woodland on Coster's property provides critical habitat and a resting place for wildlife, particularly eagles and neotropical migratory birds.

"We can be very thankful for the Foundation's work and Mrs. Coster's forward-thinking vision," said Dan DeCook of Pella, one of the local volunteers assisting with the project. "This purchase is a positive step forward for Iowa in reversing decades of habitat decline and a testament to all who are passionate about preserving a home for America's national symbol."

INHF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works to protect and preserve Iowa's land, water and wildlife. The Foundation is raising $65,000 to cover the acquisition of the land, legal and appraisal costs, initial management costs, and signage and dedication in Black's honor. Donations received beyond that amount will be used to establish a local scholarship in Black's name.

A combination of competitive public grants and private donations will be needed to complete this project, and the first two donations have been pledged. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program pledged $5,000 that was bequeathed to the agency by Leonard Larson of Calhoun County for the permanent protection of a prime wildlife habitat site. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation pledged $2,000.

If more private donations are given or pledged soon, it will be easier to compete for state or federal grants to cover the majority of the cost. Mark Ackelson, president of INHF, said, "We expect that many wildlife organizations will want to participate with gifts to this project, because it represents such a key woodland in honor of an Iowan who won many of our hearts."

Contributions for the Gladys Black project may be sent to INHF, 505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 444, Des Moines, IA 50309. For more information, contact Cheri Grauer at (515) 288-1846.

Several informative web pages about Gladys Black--including biographical information, one of her articles on eagles, and a public school mini-grant program in her honor--are available online.

For more information, contact Cathy Engstrom, INHF's Director of Communications.