The Cold Season is Here: Iowa State Parks Open for Winter Recreation

Iowa's state parks are open all winter, providing opportunities for snow shoeing, cross country skiing, wildlife viewing, ice fishing and to witness spectacular winter scenery.

"We don't hibernate completely," said Kevin Szcodronski, chief of state parks for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "We have a lot of unique opportunities during the winter months and our parks are open all winter long."

A solitary camping experience is available in state park cabins at Lake Wapello, Backbone, Pine Lake, Lake of Three Fires, Wilson Island, Black Hawk, Springbrook and Waubonsie. For a more rustic feel, there are camping cabins and the DNR's only heated shower building at Honey Creek State Park. Click this link to see the cabins, their amenities and to make a reservation.

Honey Creek Resort State Park offers cottages with more amenities, a hotel, an indoor water park, a restaurant and organized activities. Information on the resort is available online. 

Many state parks offer fishing, from northeast Iowa's trout streams to lakes across the state. Iowa trout streams hold fish through the winter and since the streams consist of spring fed, 50 degree water, they rarely freeze. Trout streams are in some of the most scenic areas in the state and offer a near solitary experience during the winter.

Ice conditions are favorable over most of the state and many lakes in Iowa state parks will offer excellent fishing this winter. Lake Anita, Viking Lake, Lake Macbride, Green Valley, Lake Rathbun, Clear Lake, Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, Big Creek, Lake Ahquabi, Red Haw and more are already producing excellent fishing for panfish and walleyes.

The trail systems in state parks are popular venues during the winter for hiking, snow shoeing and cross country skiing. Some state parks have trails that accommodate snowmobiling. For a listing of state parks, go to the Iowa DNR's website  then click on the state parks link in the column on the left. Select the park from the interactive map at the bottom of the page to see if snowmobiles are allowed on the trails.

 

Restoring Wetlands in Iowa Symposium

April Symposium Will Focus on Creating and Restoring Wetlands in Iowa

A two-day symposium exploring the importance of wetland restoration and management will be held April 2-3 in Des Moines.
One of the goals of the symposium is to explore options, both financially and socially, to restore wetland benefits for all parties concerned including agriculture and urban development. For instance, strategic use of state and federal conservation programs can assist landowners in maximizing unproductive land.
Wetlands are areas where water is at, near, or above the land surface long enough to be capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophytic vegetation and which has soils indicative of wet conditions. Iowa wetlands are diverse resources that include marshes, bogs, floodplain woodlands, wet meadows, low prairies and fens.

Iowa has one of the most altered landscapes in the world. Prior to settlement, an estimated four million to six million acres of Iowa were in wetlands. It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of Iowa's wetlands have been lost with only California and Ohio having lost more, according to The Iowa Wetlands and Riparian Areas Conservation Plan.

Wetlands have long been recognized for their value to wildlife, but it has only been in recent years that we've begun to understand the importance of wetlands in improving water quality for larger lakes and streams as well as reducing impacts from flooding. The restoration of wetlands provides not only environmental benefits in terms of improving water quality, but also economic benefits. In addition to hunting and fishing opportunities, wetlands are a haven for many non-game species.

Wildlife watching, particularly bird watching, is the fastest growing outdoor-related activity in the United States. Quality wildlife watching opportunities can be a boon to local economies that have wetland complexes designed to attract wildlife and, in turn, the people attracted to watching wildlife.

In recent years, the Iowa DNR has been actively working on restoring some of Iowa's largest wetland complexes. A video highlighting the DNR's efforts to restore existing wetlands, "Reviving Iowa's Shallow Lakes," can be found at:

http://www.iowadnr.gov/video/index.html

Registration: Wetlands: Reinvesting in Iowa's Natural Capital, April 2-3, 2009,*.pdf