DNR to manage
1200 acres near Red Rock

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This article was written and posted on INHF's website in July 2003. 

Key parcels of floodplain land near Lake Red Rock in Warren County are now restored for wildlife and open to the public.

The 1200 acres of South River floodplain were previously owned by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) and are now being managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

"Adding these parcels helps fill in a mosaic of public land at Red Rock," said Bruce Mountain, INHF Land Projects Director. "It does a phenomenal job of making this area a more complete complex for wildlife and recreation."

The land is part of 29,000 acres near Lake Red Rock that have been under flowage easements since Red Rock dam was constructed in 1969. INHF purchased most of the land from Larry Hunt, and the rest was purchased from his sons Randy and Ronnie Hunt, in 1999.

According to Larry Hunt, his land flooded more frequently than what landowners were told to expect under the flowage easements acquired by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Hunt was told the lake would only flood once every 20 to 25 years. Instead, his land was flooded on average about once every five years and at one point flooded three years in a row.

Too much silt in the reservoir has reduced its capacity, which is one reason the water is forced into the flood easement areas more frequently than expected.

The Hunts enrolled the land in the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP). WRP is a federal farm program administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that restores wetlands on often-flooded cropland. Currently, there are 4,498 acres of land in Warren County covered by WRP or Emergency Watershed Protection easements.

After enrolling in the WRP program, the Hunts exchanged their land for other farmland in a tax-deferred like-kind exchange with INHF. By partnering with the NRCS and the Foundation, the Hunts were able to get out of an unprofitable farming situation and replace it with an economically viable operation.

"Because the land we had in the Lake Red Rock easement area was flooding more than it was supposed to, it wasn't practical for us to hold onto it," said Larry Hunt. "Our family was lucky to be able to sell our land-we were glad to get rid of it."

Under INHF's care, the property has undergone prairie reconstruction and wetland restoration. This makes it more attractive for migratory waterfowl and upland game, significantly enhances the property's potential for hunting, and decreases erosion and siltation.

Now that DNR is managing the land, it will be maintained as a wildlife and public recreation area.

Other INHF projects in Warren County include Rolling Thunder Prairie Preserve, Zo-El Woods, Annette Farm Wildlife Area, Great Western Trail, Grant Nature Trail and Summerset Trail.


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

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