Public invited to help dedicate large addition to Fairview areaThis article was released June 2010.
The public is invited to help celebrate the Fairview Wildlife Area's new addition: a diverse site that increases the existing public area's size by 400 percent. The dedication will be held on Wednesday, July 7, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The event will begin with a short program followed by a walking tour to preview the area, weather permitting. In case of storms, a rain date has been set for the next day, Thursday, July 8, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Attendees should plan to dress for rough and steep outdoor conditions. Speakers at the event will include representatives of the Sioux County Conservation Board and other partners involved in the project. The county has been working several years to complete this significant acquisition, which adds more than 430 acres of primarily oak savanna near the Fairview Wildlife Area, about 13 miles west of Rock Valley. The new addition brings the original 95-acre recreation area to more than 500 acres. The land officially opens for public use July 15. To get to the location for the July 7 dedication at the property: From Rock Valley, travel west and then north on Hwy 18 about 9 miles to A54B. Go west on A54B about 4 miles to Beech Ave. Take Beech Ave. north 1-½ miles on Beech and the property will be on the east side of the road. (Park along the road.)“With this addition so close to the Fairview Willdife Area, as well as the Big Sioux River Greenbelt and Inspiration Hills, we’re creating a wildlife and recreation complex,” said Rob Klocke, Sioux County Conservation Board Director. In an agricultural part of the state with little public land, the addition expands opportunities for activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking and nature study. The addition also benefits water quality in the nearby Big Sioux River and protects a wildlife corridor known for its importance to game and nongame species, including migratory waterfowl and songbirds. “These additions are our first projects in Sioux County,” said Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Land Projects Director Heather Jobst. INHF is a private nonprofit conservation organization that works with private landowners and other partners to protect Iowa’s land, water and wildlife. INHF stepped in to help the county acquire the properties in the landowners’ desired timeframe and hold the land while the county secured funding. “We really appreciated the opportunity to work with Sioux County to protect this gem in northwest Iowa,” continued Jobst. “The oak savanna community here is notable because of its size and its intact condition with a mix of native woodland and prairie plant species.” Public funding for the project came from a Wildlife Habitat Stamp grant through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, a Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) CCB grant and Sioux County. Private help came from the Sioux County Sportsmen’s Club, Sioux Prairie Pheasants Forever and the National Wild Turkey Foundation. INHF also contributed proceeds of a bequest from the estate of a Lyon County couple, Mildred and Elmer Hawkins. “This dedication celebrates an impressive achievement as the Sioux County Conservation Board marks our 50th anniversary this year,” said Klocke. “I want to thank the landowners and the conservation partners who helped with the Fairview addition. We look forward to future projects.” For more information about the Fairview Wildlife Area or other Sioux County parks, visit http://www.siouxcountyparks.com/ or contact the SCCB at 712-552-1047 or soococon@siouxcounty.org.
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2010
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation |
