City Escape

By Camilla Price on August 2, 2024 in Blog

When Iowans think of Des Moines, they may picture colorful city buses, popular restaurants or towering buildings. INHF and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are working to broaden that image, creating new opportunities for Iowans to protect and enjoy the outdoors within a short drive from downtown Des Moines.

Recently, two more natural gems have been opened to the public 40 minutes south of the metro. Like many of INHF’s projects, the Kirke Woods Wildlife Management Area and Rolling Hills Wildlife Management Area began with the landowners’ desire to see their land preserved.

INHF partnered with these conservation-minded individuals to permanently protect the land’s natural value and transition their properties into public ownership, where they will continue to educate and engage Iowans for years to come.

A river runs through it

The Kirke Woods Wildlife Management Area in northeast Madison County hosts adventurous Iowans eager to hike, hunt and “get lost” in the 684-acre woodland, just two miles west of I-35. Three miles of the North River flow through the property, which features mature oaks and hickories, riparian woodland and a 30-acre wetland.

As an avid sportsperson, Iowa business leader Gary Kirke had hunted and fished across the globe. When he saw the large, unbroken tract of nature, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to protect the landscape back home. Gary bought the property with the intent to preserve it over 15 years ago.

“I’d just hate to see it all get developed. It’s such a beautiful piece of forestry,” he said. “I’m glad that the state’s taking it over and making it available to the public.”

Over several years, INHF worked with Gary and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to permanently protect the property as a state wildlife management area. Today, Kirke Woods WMA is open for outdoor recreation and hunting as one of central Iowa’s newest public lands.

DNR officials say the recreation opportunities offered by Kirke Woods are already making it a popular destination.

The property gives visitors a feeling of seclusion, providing an “intense” nature experience, said Brian Hickman, Iowa DNR’s southwest wildlife district supervisor. “It’s a place that I hope Iowans eventually, at least once, get an opportunity to explore, because it’s really unique.”

Preserving the forest within the riparian corridor will provide lasting water quality benefits, including reduced soil erosion and better water infiltration in the floodplain. A variety of wildlife also call the property home, including deer, turkeys, reptiles, amphibians and migratory birds.

Without Gary’s foresight, the property would likely have been developed. Instead, the public wildlife area will serve Iowans, wildlife and plants for decades to come.

A wider view

Also in Madison County, Rolling Hills Wildlife Management Area is aptly named. The property showcases open grassland and remnant prairie with steep ravines, pockets of oak savanna and wetlands and a stream running through the middle of the landscape.

The seeds for protecting this land were planted when Teamwork Ranch, a family-owned business focused on conservation agriculture, chose to take a hard look at the the property they’d managed for nearly 25 years. There were signs that this tract of land wasn’t ideally suited to farming or ranching. The family felt there was a better, more conservation-forward way to steward the land and wanted to give back by opening it to the public.

“We looked at it as an opportunity to turn it into something that could be enjoyed and experienced by the local community,” said Sharon Krause, one of the owners of Teamwork Ranch.

Sharon had previously served as an adviser to INHF and knew the organization would be a good fit for the project based on its history of helping partners create wildlife areas for the public to enjoy. She and her family approached INHF about transitioning the property to the Iowa DNR for permanent protection.

The property will be managed as open grassland for Iowans to experience and learn about the native prairie ecosystem. Visitors can hike, hunt, birdwatch and observe native plants just a short drive from Des Moines. In an area of high development, Rolling Hills WMA also provides important habitat for imperiled grassland birds and other wildlife.

Sharon grew up exploring Iowa’s county parks and bike trails and called sustainability a “lifelong passion.” She views her family’s partnership with INHF and Iowa DNR as part of a bigger picture.

By preserving the land as a functioning ecosystem, local residents reap the benefits of improved water quality, more recreation opportunities and healthier communities, she said.

Leaving a legacy

Thanks to the landowners’ desires to see their properties preserved in perpetuity, Rolling Hills and Kirke Woods will provide Iowans with new access to nature, especially for the more than 700,000 people who call the Des Moines metro home.

And by sharing their protection stories, these landowners could inspire the next.

“Many landowners that love their land are unaware what options are available to them,” said INHF Senior Land Protection Facilitator Heather Jobst. “A simple ‘what if?’ conversation with a partner like INHF can open doors for protection.”

Sharon recalled walking the Rolling Hills property with staff from INHF and the Iowa DNR, watching as they discovered the many native species that could thrive on protected land. “It told us that we did the right thing,” she said.