Large natural wetland
open to public

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

Thanks to efforts by many public and private partners, another 30 acres of open water plus the associated uplands are now open for public recreation.

The 101-acre site is an addition to the Yager Slough Wildlife Management Area, part of the larger Dugout Creek Wetland Complex. It's located on Highway M34 about five miles west of Lake West Okoboji and two miles south of Highway 9.

In 2002 The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) purchased about half of this "prairie pothole" and its adjacent uplands from a private owner. INHF purchased the other half from a neighboring owner in 2003, protecting the entire pothole. Prairie potholes are natural wetlands formed when glaciers receded from the area more than 10,000 years ago.

INHF bought the land at the private sellers' convenience and held it until public agencies could raise the needed funds for transfer. Purchase dollars for each parcel came from funds raised through hunting fees. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) bought one parcel in March with a North American Waterfowl Conservation Act grant awarded to Ducks Unlimited from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS recently purchased the other parcel with Prairie Pothole Joint Venture funding. IDNR is managing the entire complex for public hunting and other uses.

The site offers roughly 30 acres of open water. According to Neil Heiser, IDNR's northwest regional wildlife supervisor, "This was one of the largest remaining privately-owned natural wetlands in northwest Iowa. The associated uplands are great for waterfowl nesting and for maintaining wildlife diversity in general."

Under private ownership, this property had been natural wetland with some pasture and crops. "The areas around potholes are always difficult to farm," notes Bruce Mountain, INHF's Land Projects Director. "The owner sold the best cropland to a local farmer and then sold the best natural areas to us."

In addition to its wildlife benefits, "this prairie pothole will establish a better quality watershed for the rest of the Yager Slough Wildlife Management Area," Mountain adds.

Past INHF projects in Dickinson County include the Cayler Prairie addition, Spring Run additions, the Dickinson County Spine Trail and many others. To find out more about this or other INHF projects, visit their website at www.inhf.org or call 800-475-1846.

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