Upland / Downstream
Posted on August 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM by Abby Hade Terpstra
Tucked alongside a bend of Spring Branch Creek in Delaware County, the Manchester Fish Hatchery annually hatches over 600,000 rainbow and brook trout and has been in operation since the 1890s. You can visit during daylight hours to walk among the raceways where young trout are being raised to supply the Decorah and Big Spring hatcheries.
The water that washes over the trout eggs, bathes the young fry, and flows through the gills of the fish at the Manchester Hatchery is sourced from coldwater springs hear Spring Branch Creek, a tributary of the Maquoketa River and feeder stream of Lake Delhi.
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation entered into an agreement with the Bennett family to purchase 202 acres of land cradling the Manchester Fish Hatchery to the north, east and south. This property contains three quarters of a mile of Spring Branch Creek as well as mature upland woods and open grasslands.
“I couldn’t have picked a more important place to protect in terms of the hatchery, the enhancement opportunities, the impact of preserving the land around the trout stream,” said Dan Kirby, IDNR Fisheries Biologist based out of the Manchester Fish Hatchery. “This an exciting opportunity.”
The surrounding acres are an enticing mix of mature oak/hickory woodlands, savanna and grassland. Protecting them adds significant habitat protection to wildlife corridors that stretch from Bailey’s Ford to Shearer Wildlife Area.
“It’s great for species like turkey, deer, northern long-eared bats, red-headed woodpeckers, and other songbirds,” said Greg Schmitt, INHF’s Eastern Iowa Community Engagement Coordinator. 
Protecting the land not only safeguards space for the many plants and animals already inhabiting the area; it also contributes to the health of the stream. Two of the three spring sources that pass through the hatchery are surrounded by this property.
Spring Branch Creek is an Outstanding Iowa Water; a designation indicating cleanliness that few waters in Iowa can boast about. “Clear, good water is extremely important for trout to thrive,” said Kirby.
Currently, a section of stream on the Spring Branch Creek property has been open to the public for fishing through an informal agreement. Permanent protection of the area will solidify this public access in a place with a long history of angler enjoyment.
“It’s a great Brown Trout fishery, known for good catch rates and trophy fish,” said Kirby. “With protection the fishing will improve, no doubt. It will get better and it’s already good.”
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation officially kicked off a fundraising campaign in April with a goal of private donations totaling $250,000. While the project itself carries a price tag of $1.5 million, INHF anticipates conservation funding sources to cover the balance.
“Private fundraising dollars are essential in meeting grant matching requirements and for stretching limited conservation funding,” said Heather Jobst, Senior Land Protection Facilitator for INHF. “Both are important.”
"It takes cooperation and patience from a willing landowner to protect property for conservation," Jobst said. "INHF recognizes that creative and visionary thinking is making this project possible."
Learn more and support the project
See videos, photos and learn more about the Spring Branch Creek project here.
Donate or pledge to the project today
Contact Greg Schmitt at gschmitt@inhf.org with questions.
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