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Have you ever seen Iowa’s biggest native mammal, the bison? They can be hard to find even though they’re so big. If you visit one of Iowa’s bison herds this year, play this “I Spy” game with your friends and family to spot some of the ways bison keep prairies healthy. If you’re playing along at home, don’t worry! You can still spot parts of Iowa’s native prairies and imagine how a bison would help a prairie grow in your yard. Have you ever seen Iowa’s biggest native mammal, the bison? They can be ... hard to find even though they’re so big. This is because they nearly went extinct in the early 1900s. Some scientists and historians say there were less than 1,000 bison left in the whole country! Luckily, nearly 50,000 bison live in conservation herds today. These herds live in federal parks, state parks and on tribal land. Even more bison live on private ranches. You can visit some of Iowa’s bison! Iowa has a few parks where you can see bison, including The Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge in Jasper County ... , Jester Park in Polk County and Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve in Plymouth County. The Meskwaki Nation, Iowa’s only federally recognized Indian tribe, also has a bison herd. Over the years, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has helped the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge add hundreds of acres to their refuge so it can be restored to prairie and give the bison more room to roam. A long time ago, Iowa had a lot of prairies. Prairies are an important ecosystem full of grasses and forbs (a scientific term for wildflowers). Bison are really good for prairies. They’re a “keystone species” for prairies, which means they help create the prairie and keep the ecosystem balanced. This spring, bison are helping prairies grow and flourish. Plus, some of the bison are having babies! If you visit one
among other projects. Learn more about the graphic design internship. Conservation grants internship The primary task of the conservation grants intern is to write grant proposals to fund land protection. They may also write posts for the INHF blog, visit INHF properties, and provide other general program support. In addition to these duties, we encourage this intern to create a personal project they can share with staff at the end of their internship. Learn more about the conservation grants internship ... . learn more and apply Land stewardship internships Help restore Iowa's natural beauty while learning about land restoration, ecology and wildlife. Each summer, INHF employs the help of nearly 20 land stewardship interns between five different regions across the state. Land stewardship interns assist with hands-on restoration efforts on prairies, woodlands, oak savannas and other natural areas owned or protected by INHF. Interns have the opportunity to visit some of Iowa's most beautiful places, meet ... professional work experience. Interns write news releases and grant applications, as well as design our yearly member wall calendar and restore prairies and natural landscapes. While at INHF, interns build their portfolios, gain valuable knowledge about Iowa’s natural environment, learn about the operations of a successful nonprofit and are welcomed as part of the team. Supporting INHF interns A heartfelt thank you to the generous individuals, foundations and grants who make INHF internships possible: DNR
addition, the National Park Service now protects 2,526 acres of habitat at Effigy Mounds. Eleven miles of trails weave in and around the forests, tall grass prairies, wetlands and rivers that cover the area. Park rangers are on hand to give guided hikes. Planning a Visit Recreational activities include hiking trails, guided tours, and American Indian presentations. Effigy Mounds hosts a variety of events throughout the year, some of which occur annually. For information on events like HawkWatch, the winter
Iowa Prairie Heritage Week is an annual, week-long celebration of Iowa’s prairie past, present and future. This year, events all across the state will be held Sept. 13-19. IPHW provides Iowans and visitors the chance to experience the prairie in its September beauty. Events—like prairie walks, seed harvests and educational tours—are scheduled at prairies in all of Iowa’s regions; participants are also encouraged to organize events of their own, introducing friends and family to diverse prairies ... , small and large. For a full schedule of events, visit the Iowa Prairie Network calendar online. Some notable events: Sunday, Sept. 13 Prairie Walk: Celebrating Iowa Prairie Heritage Week UNI Tallgrass Prairie Center, Cedar Falls, 1 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. The UNI Tallgrass Prairie Center invites you to appreciate the beauty of native plants with a leisurely walk along the trail of a UNI prairie planting. Walks will be led by Tallgrass Prairie Center founder and advocate Daryl Smith and Laura Jackson ... at Briar Cliff University. Participants are asked to bring their favorite passage of prairie literature or a piece of original writing with a prairie focus. Thursday, Sept. 17 Prairie Words: Sharing Writings Related to Prairies Ada Hayden Heritage Park, North of Ames, 5:30-7:30 p.m. In celebration of Iowa Prairie Heritage Week, participants are asked to bring their favorite passage of prairie literature and/or a piece of original writing with a prairie focus (poems, short essays or stories, lyrics
Folded into the far reaches of Northeast Iowa, Heritage Valley lingers in the minds of those who visit. The property is as magnificent as it is vast, as wild as it is richly diverse. Oak-hickory woodlands cloak secluded hills and bluffs. Bony towers of limestone protrude from vibrant goat prairies on sun-soaked slopes. Three miles of the Upper Iowa River determinedly twists through its 1,182 acres. When Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation purchased Heritage Valley in 2007, we didn't anticipate how large of
Looking for a conservation internship this summer? Apply to be on our 2015 summer Statewide and Blufflands land stewardship crew! Statewide Land Stewardship (crew of 8+): Applications for the summer 2015 internship program are due Sunday, January 25, 2015. Land Stewardship interns work very hard to maintain and restore native landscapes. Last year, interns helped INHF to manage more than 20 sites throughout the state. These interns conduct needed land management and restoration on prairies ... management. Pay is $9.75/hour. To learn more about this internship visit our website page on the Statewide Land stewardship internship. For questions on the Statewide land stewardship program contact Tyler at tsamuels@inhf.org. Blufflands land stewardship (crew of 3+): Application deadline for the summer 2015 internship program is February 13, 2015. Blufflands Land Stewardship interns work hard to maintain and restore native landscapes in extreme northeast Iowa. Interns will conduct needed ... land management and restoration on remnant and reconstructed prairies, woodlands, oak savannas and other natural areas owned or protected by INHF. Interns will use a variety of hand tools and chainsaws to help accomplish restoration goals. Students selected for INHF's Blufflands internship will learn from and work closely with landowners and working professionals in the field. Educational opportunities beyond the daily work experiences will be provided, including participation in the Iowa Prairie Conference, which will expose interns to several conservationists and organizations in a concentrated setting. For questions on the Blufflands land stewardship program contact Brian Fankhauser at bfankhauser@inhf.org.
visitors, improve access and public safety, and improve water quality for two streams that run in and near the park. Project partners are the Friends of the Mines of Spain, the City of Dubuque and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Plan a visit The E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center, a Mississippi River Scenic Byway Interpretive Center, provides a gateway into visitor’s exploration of the site The center received a major update in 2010, with the addition of 7,400 square feet to the existing 6300 square ... feet. The addition includes new exhibits and information about the history and features of the park. The Mines of Spain Park includes 21 miles of hiking trails and five miles of ski trails. Various paths lead to rock outcroppings, Indian Mounds, 250-year-old bur oak trees, aspens and birch, lead mine pits and the remnants of an 1859 farm area – all while winding through a 15-acre wetland, creeks, forest, prairies, and meadows. The trails offer great opportunities for wildlife viewing, photography and hiking ... and skiing. The park is an undeveloped area offering over 300 acres of restored prairie, upland and lowland forests all in rough terrain. For more information visit the Mines of Spain website. Location EB Lyons Interpretive Center 8991 Bellevue Heights Dubuque, IA 52003-9214 Tourism Info Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce (563)-557-9200 Site Partners The Friends of the Mines of Spain is a non-profit group organized to inform and educate the public about nature, conservation, greenbelt concept, natural history, archeology and current events related to the Mines of Spain and its locale. The club assists the park with educational programs, coordinates volunteers efforts, and locates funding and materials for projects. (563)-556-0620
able to set back large areas of these invasive species, allowing native species to thrive. If you haven’t had a chance to experience this beautiful place, make a visit this spring to observe the woodland flowers that accompany the majestic oak trees. Native prairie seed harvesting continues to be one of our volunteers’ favorite activities. This year offered more opportunities to venture into Iowa’s prairies and experience the peacefulness of seed collection. Volunteers traveled to Allamakee, Polk
to the land, water and wildlife that call Snyder home – and all those that visit – are immeasurable. “With INHF owned-and-managed lands located across the state, volunteers are an absolutely essential part of our land stewardship team,” said INHF Volunteer Coordinator Melanie Louis. “We would not be able to accomplish our conservation goals without them, and Snyder is no exception." INHF volunteer contributions are especially evident in Synder Heritage Farm's prairies, oak savannas and woodlands. Seed
special about Turin Prairie? It’s vast. Photos simply can’t capture it. There’s way more land than you can see from any spot and more than you can explore in a day. By adding 467 acres to the already expansive Turin Preserve and Wildlife Management Area, there are now more than 1,000 rolling acres of protected prairie, woods and hills. This creates only the fourth public site in Iowa where you can visit an expanse of Loess Hills of this scale. It’s rare. Prairie once covered most of Iowa. Today, most ... remaining native prairies are quite small. In the Loess Hills, many prairies are narrow — following the knife-edge tops of ridges. But at the Turin Prairie addition, more than 200 acres of native prairie spread across the hills and valleys in every direction. It’ s a green expanse ablaze with wildflowers that intermingle with bur oaks—as good as you will find in this region. Crop fields are being returned to prairie over time, re-uniting the wholeness of this place. It’s silent. Just minutes off
