More wetlands mean more wildlife

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This article first appeared in INHF's Winter 2008 magazine.

“Thorpe Park was a previous INHF project, and we’re thrilled to help expand this unique natural area.”

- Bruce Mountain, INHF land projects director

Still growing! A unique wetland that links Winnebago and Hancock counties is gaining acres and wildlife species.

INHF worked with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to acquire this important 160-acre parcel. Located near Forest City, the land joins a complex that includes Thorpe Park, Eight Mile Pits Wildlife Management Area, Lake Edwards, the Thorpe Recreation Area and the Russ Wildlife Area.

“It’s a very nice addition to the wetland complex we have around Thorpe Park and Lake Edwards,” said Greg Hanson, wildlife biologist with the Iowa DNR. A flock of federally endangered Whooping Cranes stopped at the wetlands last fall. “We hope they will come back sometime soon,” Hanson said.
With restoration plans beginning this winter, it’s likely all sorts of critters will find refuge here. Iowa DNR staff will plant native prairie grasses and forbs and restore several wetland basins — providing perfect habitat for grassland birds, waterfowl, muskrats, amphibians and reptiles. The land will be open for public use by March 1.

INHF bought the land from a private landowner in 2004 and enrolled it in the Wetland Reserve Program. The Iowa DNR repurchased the property with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA).

“Thorpe Park was a previous INHF project, and we’re thrilled to help expand this unique natural area,” said Bruce Mountain, INHF land projects director.

See related news release

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