Brenton Slough opens to the public
Posted on June 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM by Joe Jayjack
Brenton Slough officially opened to the public on Saturday, June 6, with a public open house and ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Polk County Conservation.
The 1,113-acre wildlife area was purchased by Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in 2023 from the Brenton Family, who had owned and stewarded the property for more than a century as a wildlife haven, recreation spot and working farm.
The fundraising effort to permanently protect the land involved dozens of partner organizations, numerous public funding sources and more than 700 households that donated to the $8 million project.
Polk County Conservation intends to lead preservation, restoration and access efforts thoughtfully as they continue to get to know the property, keeping protection of the land and ecosystem as the first priority in an area facing growing development pressure.
PCC has already partnered with Iowa universities to conduct ecological research of the land’s unique plant and animal communities, and their land stewardship will focus on native habitat restoration, including oak savanna, prairie and wetland ecosystems. They plan to set a system of soft-surface nature trails throughout Brenton Slough, and will eventually build a multi-use recreation trail that connects Grimes to Granger.
This was one of the largest projects — in terms of size and money — in INHF’s 47-year history. It would not have been possible without the funding partners, major donors and hundreds of individuals and families that donated to make this protection possible.
There is currently a small, temporary parking area on the west edge of the property with plans to build a larger entrance and parking area in the coming months.
The park is currently open 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and parking information and park maps can be found here. Learn more about the project here.
Major Funders
- Polk County Iowa: American Rescue Plan Act Funds
- Polk County Conservation Water and Land Legacy Bond
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: North American Wetlands Conservation Act
- Great Outdoors Foundation: Conservation Acceleration Fund
- Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant Program
- USDA Forest Service: Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources: Resource Enhancement and Protection
- City of Grimes
- Jim and LeVonne Rippentrop Fund, Conservation Strike Fund, and Dr. Anthony Beyer Land Protection Fund at Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
Major Donors
- Kenneth Rutledge Brenton and Family
- The Ruan Foundation
- Michael and JoAnn Callison
- Robert and Patricia Jester
- C. Robert and Babette Brenton Foundation
- Renee and Steve Schaaf
- Jim and Pat Dinsmore
- Anonymous
- John Carl
- In memory of Richard Luthin
- Junius C. Brenton
- Peter Brown and Lisa Holderness Brown
- John Fisher and Jann Freed
- Anonymous
- Greg and Teri Grupp
- Charlotte and Fred Hubbell
- Merle and Marsha Hall
- David and Heather Helland
- Daniel J. and Ann L. Krumm Charitable Trust
- In memory of Nancy Stoll Slife
- In memory of Evelyn Varley
- Michael and Diane Versackas
- Paul and Theresa Weeks
Thank you to these donors and the more than 700 individuals who contributed!
