Almost a decade ago, wildlife experts observed a major “habitat gap” between the Missouri River and the Loess Hills in rural Woodbury County. They knew something had to be done.

A recent addition to the Iowa DNR’s Table Marsh Wildlife Management Area helps fill that gap by restoring habitat for pheasants, deer, waterfowl and countless other species in the area.

The Iowa DNR purchased 40 acres from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) in September. This key tract adjoins Table Marsh, located two miles east of Hornick on Iowa Highway 141.

Table Marsh, a former INHF project that now encompasses 370 acres, is part of a larger wetland restoration effort in Woodbury County. It is located about six miles southeast of the Owego Wetland Complex, which comprises 1,330 acres and is managed by the Woodbury County Conservation Board.

“Prior to these projects, there was absolutely no habitat,” said Ed Weiner, wildlife biologist with the Iowa DNR. “That habitat is really valuable, and it’s very much utilized by pheasants and deer.”

The Iowa DNR will continue to manage Table Marsh and its new addition. The land is open to the public for recreation, including hunting and bird watching.

Iowa DNR officials plan to restore the wetlands by hiring a local contractor who will move dirt to create new areas of shallow water. Later, native grasses will be planted and maintained on the property. Weiner said he expects the majority of these restoration efforts to occur next summer.

Like many public areas, protecting and restoring this site required many months, partners and funding sources. INHF purchased the property from a private owner in January 2006. The land had already been enrolled in the federal Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).

This voluntary program offers landowners the opportunity to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their property by placing a conservation easement on the ground. With such an easement, a landowner may retain many ownership rights while voluntarily giving up others — such as development, farming or mining — that could damage the site’s conservation values.

Usually, land enrolled in the program contains wet, heavy soils that are difficult to drain and farm. WRP is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which is partnering with the Iowa DNR in the restoration of the Table Marsh addition.

Neil Stockfleth, the former district conservationist for the NRCS in Woodbury County, said wetland restoration efforts in the area began with the WRP.

“There really wasn’t a lot of habitat out there on the bottom,” Stockfleth remembered. “The Wetland Reserve Program is what really allowed all of this to come together. It allowed these restoration efforts to take place.”

Rare amphibians and birds have been spotted in the recently restored wetlands of Woodbury County.

“It’s these restored wetlands that are allowing these critters to be out there,” Stockfleth said.

The Iowa DNR used funding from a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant to purchase the land. The NAWCA funding used in this particular project was attained through the national Ducks Unlimited organization, which submitted the grant application.

“This is an excellent example of how multiple organizations can partner to protect Iowa’s wetlands and wildlife,” said Bruce Mountain, land projects director for INHF.

Past INHF projects in Woodbury County include the Owego Wetland Complex, the Stone State Park Addition, the Luton Wildlife Management Area and the original 330 acres of Table Marsh.

INHF is a nonprofit, conservation group that works with private landowners and other partners to protect Iowa’s land, water and wildlife. Since its founding in 1979, INHF has helped protect more than 95,000 acres of Iowa’s wild places.

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