Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: Mitchell County additions

Mitchell County recently acquired two key conservation properties that will expand the Wapsipinicon River Greenbelt and a nearby recreation trail. Together, the new land helps create a 452-acre complex and public hunting area within a landscape dominated by hard-working row crops and pasture.

The smaller 23-acre site, located northwest of McIntire, connects the Wapsi River and Pinicon Alders Wildlife Management areas. It includes grassland, riparian bottomland, and a small spring-fed stream along the east edge of the property that flows into the Wapsipinicon River. The site also includes a fen, an uncommon type of wetland with unique soils and plants.

The other property, 37 acres southwest of McIntire, is now known as the Huffman Wildlife Area. It significantly expands the Wapsi-Great Western Recreation Trail corridor, adding to parkland along the trail and providing improved trail access and parking.

County Conservation Board Director Milt Owen’s vision for the future of these properties is guided by the past. Historical survey notes from 1854 describe this area as a place of transition, with prairie stretching to the west, heavy timber to the south and along the river, and bur oak savanna between.

“I’m looking forward to watching the prairie restoration as it unfolds,” said Owen. “It is exciting to have a chance to recreate something resembling what the settlers encountered here. Some of the old bur oaks scattered along the ridges could have been growing even then.”

With these additions, the county has achieved two-and-a-half miles of protected greenbelt along the river, allowing the land to be returned to native vegetation that will hold soil and slow and filter runoff.

In addition to water quality and recreation benefits, several rare and endangered species of plants and animals have been identified on or near the properties. In this stretch of the Wapsi can be found the federally threatened American Brook Lamprey (Lampetra appendix). The area is also a haven for a number of bird species, which has already earned a designation as an Important Bird Area by the Iowa Audubon Society.

“The properties add up to not quite 60 acres, but their conservation value is multiplied by their diverse habitat types and critical locations that link high priority conservation areas,” said Heather Jobst, Land projects director with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

INHF provided assistance to help the county purchase the land in 2009. Recently, INHF transferred the land to the County Conservation Board. Support for the project also came from the Mitchell County Pioneer Chapter of Pheasants Forever, the State Pheasants Forever chapter, the Mitchell County Land Acquisition Trust Fund, the county’s REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) fund, and the Iowa Ornithologists Union. The project earned competitive grants through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Habitat Stamp and the North American Waterfowl Conservation Act.

The former owners of the larger property, Brian and Christine Huffman, are strong conservationists who worked with INHF and the county to make it possible to preserve their property for public use.

“I always meant to leave the land to my children,” said Brian. “I still feel like I did that. Now it will always be there for anybody to enjoy, including my children and myself.”

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

Mitchell County expands nature complex with two additions