conserfdtionist Volume 36, Number 5 May 1977

RnRrr Sparks, Ed11or Robt>rt Ru nRr \1onoRJnR Ed1 tor

Kr nnNh Forma ne k A·\' Coord1notor Juhu~ Satre Contnbutm~: Ed1tor

J ~rn ll'ona rd , Photo.l(ropher

CONTENTS

2

PREVENT ING GUN ACCIDENT S IN THE HOME

3 STONE PARK,

AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM

5 STATE PARK CAMPING, 1977

8 T H E MISSISS IP PI RIVER:

A DYING RESO URCE'?

10 NORTHWEST IOWA'S

WOOD DUCK MAN

11

WARDEN'S DIARY

1 2 T H E OTTER CREEK

WI LDLIFE UNIT

14 CLASSROOM CORNER

Front Co \er: 1977 IO\'\a Trout Stamp Destgn b) john 8dld, 5023 N Pine , Da"enrort. lA 52806 .

COMMISSIONERS

Thoma~ 8.1tr~ C.hotrmon 8 1'111'' ue. John Lmk Burlm~l on. Carolvn T Lumb.t rd D1·' \1o lncs. Herb~rt T Rrrd. 1\'Jnll'r"· r )nhn C Thompson F'orl'sl CJI} Joh n Broph\ . LonstnR ~l.u~om P1kt> I\ h1ltnR

DIRECTOR

f'rrd A Pr1e" ert WJih.l m C Brabham Oeput} Om•< tor

DIVISION CHIEFS

Ha r rv M lf ,1frl'on FJS h and Come, S t«nl<·v C Kuhn . DIVISIOn of Adm JJJJStro llon. Gerry F' Srhnrpl R t·'fHir< ,. n nd Pro~ rom f'lonntn~:. Jnhn \-1 S tokes Lonch ond I\ ntl'rs

SECTION S UPERINTENDENTS

Tom Allm~:ht, Fn~w• PrtnR JM \\ Bnh Pori<', Rnlwrl B.urall I\ tldltfr (amPs \ Ia\ ht\\ F'JSht·rii'S Ro\ Dn\\ nlnl(, 1\ ot•·f' Rnb~r I f',Jgrrl.lnd, I and AcqUJ'IIJOn t ... trr F'l~mtnR Grunts ln-r\1d. GPne Hf'rlt>l, Stolt Fort''"'' K<·nn<•lh 1-o.,J knr, l.o" fnforn·mt>nl. CM\ I Co~rsr t•ns Lu •·nM· Lo~rn 0.1\" lnforrnotu>n f, £durot1on. GPnP GP"\Inl(r r AccounltnJ:, Do\11· Ado1ms, Count} Conwnuttnn Brmrds . . . Publt'ht·d nwnthh bv tht• lo"o Cons<·n·otrun ComnHS\ JC>n. Stotc· 0(/JC ,. fltuld •n..: :wo 4th Strc·c•t [),., \1oJnt''· lowcJ :;0'1!'1 \1ldo•ss ull 11'1111 (suhscnpttons. <hun~·· of urldrt•s. Form 157'4 rnonuscr•rts moll Jtcmsl tu th• ulutvr· uddrt••s S b-crtpll >11 pru" or< your a• S:> 011 r"o '•·ors ur <;J Ofl (o If, ears or $5 00 S ro d los. pos'OJ:t po1d or llr' \tornt·s ""'o ord ,,rh• r I" 1r r'

2

Preventing Gun Accidents the Hotne • tn

by Bob Mullen STATE CONSERVATION OFFICER p

I F F IREA RM were proper!> and safely ~tored m the home, the occurrence of home firearm accident !>

co uld be drastically reduced . Firearm accidents in the home are the result of a lack of common sense, or a lack of thoughtful precautions.

A hunter returnmg home from a long day m the field, places hts gun and ammunttton tn a corner and thinks, "I'll take care of 11 later" Such an mctdent creates a potenttal acctdent. If we thtn k a bout it, there arc no accidents with guns; o nly carelessness, 1gnorance, and a lack of common sense. Fvery member of a househo ld needs to be familiar w1th gun safety tn the home. And stnct enforcement of these practices must be followed by all

HO\\ fi rearms are stored m the home presents dtfferent problem~ m d1fferent settmgs. The arrangement that ex1!>ts for a person hvtng alone may not work for a home where chtldren ltve. Vaned opinions extst on keeptng firearms tn the home. Some people feel all the famtly members should be mstructed m firearm usage. and that no one should handle a firearm without the parent's permiSSIOn.

Others feel that all guns should be locked up and out of s1ght, "secret" from other famtly members . I have encountered parents t hat tell me they keep a ll their guns loaded in the house. that their chtldren knO\\ they are loaded. and that they are not to touch them Such a practice IS fooltsh Children are attracted to guns and no account ha~ been taken for the children's fnends that arc often m the home It only takes one mctdent to ftnd out the hard \\ ay that loaded guns should not be 1n a home.

T here is no one method of dealing with firearm storage that is better than other methods But there arc '>orne general gUidelines \\hich ~hould be practtced Common sen e demand~ that all guns be kept out of the reach of chtldren. and 1m mature and 1rrespons1blc adults. I have seen 5 >ear-olds that shO\\ more re~pect toward:. firearms than some 50 >ear-old adults

R ines, shotguns , and handguns should at all times be tn a rack. cabtnct. or closet that ts locked. These firearms ~hould also be unloaded. Ammun1t1on ~hould be kept tn a separate place. a\\a) fro m the guns.

(Collltnttecl on PaKe 15)

STONE PARK-an outdoor classroom by Carolyn Benne

/OII t 1 ( O'v.\ I R I t l/10 \1\ I f \f I ) , /9 77

SI XT H GRADL <.)1 L DE"\T and thctr teacher" come to Stone Park eJch \prtng to

tnvesttgate. to explore. to ..,ec Cla~~c~

cltmb out of the bu .... e.., Jnd \\-alk upon the land The} move of thctr O\\ n mo\ mg. touch the earth breath the atr feelthetr bodte~ altvc Acttvttte~ are de~tgned to capture the chtldltkc excttement of dt~covery. to open the '>en'>e\ to all the stghts. l>Ound~. l>mclb and texture~ of nature.

Class walks arc ;e~tful' I he] have pi7a77, ~parklc, vttalttj, and relt~h The] are destgncd to create J breathlc~~ ~en~e of awarenc..,c,, excttcmcnt and wonder In one daj, ~tudenh become famtltar \vtth a vanet} of habttat~ I he} encounter dtfferent plant\ and antmal.., conttnu-

ous change a-. the} trek from the '>tream, through the wood~. to the pond and upland, to the prame ndge~ .

From the .,ound.., of .,tudent'> at the l>tream.leaderl> have learned not to e\.pect tedtous conceptualt7atton. but leapmg awarenes~. a~ the} dt~cover ~natb.

crawdads. and leeche~ under log.., and leaves tn the water Ob~enatton~ are ~harcd of the

bloodroot. dutchmen·~ brccche'>. solomons seal, fal~c ~olomonl> ~cal.

columbtne. Jack-tn-thc-pulplt, phlox, carrton flower. vtolct, pot'>On Ivy. etc. whtch adorn the woodland slopel> and ravtnes tn great number~

Students \tew the world ofltttle thtng'> Some of nature·., mo.,t exqutstte handtwork ·~on a mtntature '>Calc Hand len~ studte~ of mo~s. bud~. lea\e~. and flowers reveal unc\.pectcd beaut} and complexity

The fore~t floor t~ an accumulation of leaves. petals. frutt~ . .,eed.,, bud '>Calc'>. twagl>. ltmbl>. \\hole tree trunk'>. leather~ fur. ammal carca~~e~. Ieee., Tht'> debrt'>.., ground up. chewed, dt~.,ohed and eaten b} mtlltons of ttn\ plant'> and antmab called decomposers 1 hc.,e ba-.tc substances are returned to the ~otl and atr and agatn become avatlablc to green plants for food maktng Student~ scoop up a handful of the fore~t floor feel tts weight and temperature ... mell tt slow!} and deeply unttl tt becomes famtliar to them. At first they sec ltttle ltfc tn tt. perhaps only an earthworm or a few black ants; as they look cloo,cr the} begtn to see ~maller creature~. mttes and ttn} sptders. There are mtlltom. upon mtlltons of ltvmg smgle-celled plant~ and ammals tn a handful of nch sot!

The pond t~ a ~}mphon) ohounds It\ a pnme area for btrd stud) Red-headed woodpeckers. a ktngfi~her. onoles. rose­breasted grosbeaks and cardtnals are often seen, even occas1onal \\OOd duck'>

The pond contatns a fantal>ttc collection of ltfe. Chtldren. at ftrst glance are delighted wtth wh1rltgtg beetlel>, snails, fish and frogs in the water. Upon closer examination. they discover that the water contains a myriad of smaller organisms. worms. tiny crustaceans. such as cyclops or daphnia, insect lanae and perhaps even a tadpole or two. Using hand lenses and mtcroscopes, students learn. through thetr own obsenat10m. about the tremendous vanet} of ltnng things in the pond

Children look for tracks and traces of unseen ammals. and l>ense thctr presence Who lives tn the park'7 What arc the ammals that lea\e footpnnts tn the mud and tracks on the dust) tratf..'> What has gnawed the bark or cltpped the twtg'' Classroom vtsttors learn to "read -.tgm" They watch for tracks, dropptngl>. gnawings, scratchmgs, rubbtngs. nests. burrows . . . Wherever an an1mal goes. 1t

3

•

leaves beh10d tt a detailed reco rd of 1ts visit. Ernest Thompson Seton has said, "The trail m iu. entirety was begun at the birthplace of the creature and ends only at 1ts death "

At the old quarry s1te. e\ldence~ of an anc1ent shallow sea are dll.CO\ered . Sedimentary layers of ~hale and limestone cropp1ngs contam fosl.ils of ancient marine an1mal hfe oyster-like shells. fish scales. sha rks' teeth {kno\\ n to have flounshed 10 the ocean at that t1me) and occasiOnally the remams of fish skeletons . Thll. \ast mland ocean occurred m what geolog1stl. call the "Cretaceous Period," a ume when dinosaurs were still upon the earth and human bemgs had not yet appeared.

Small prame grassland~ are m1xed w1th area~ of forest on Stone Park ndges. Students delight to sp1ttle bugl. and :yucca plants. Qu1et t1mes there enhance the non-verbal skills of watching, waiting, and listemng.

4

Field tnps are taken ram or shme! A rainy day is perfect for a walk 1n the woods ... woods never seem so fresh and alive a~ m wet weather All the lichens and mosse~ come all\ e wtth green and ~1h er fre~hne~s Stone Park IS a protected natural commumt) E\ery twig, e\ery plant, every stone IS protected by state law for present and future generations. Students and teacher~ "tread lightly" In regard to lunch bags and other litter. ~chools have estabh~hed the policy that everythmg brought mto the park is taken out of the park.

Dale Brumm, state park ranger, ha~ been a supporter of the program since its beginn1ng, providing classes With descnpt1ve literature on Iowa mammals. tracks. b1rds, \\lid flowers, trees Approximately, II ,250 s1xth grader~ have partiCipated 10 th1s annual all-day field expenence 1n tone Park since 1t began in 1967. Thisyear45teachersfrom S1oux City and area l.chools brought

approx1mately J, 125 student~ to Stone Park. Some clasl.es were accompamed by volunteer and professional assistants: parents, bulid10g aides. pnnc1pals, and or college students. Each class spent an hour wtth th1s author learmng about the local ammals turtles. salamanders. snakes, mtnnows and crawdads.

As part of th1s program, teacher~ and volunteers part1c1pate in a pre-field trip workshop arranged by Elementary Health, Sc1ence and Em1ronmental Educatton for Area Educatton Agency 12. Em 1ronmental mate nab. 1deas and activities are shared and explored. Related books, guides and materials are available for loan to interested teachers, from the A. E A. 12. T he Stone Park field tnp is a bas1c umt in the SIXth grade curnculum for many schools 1n Woodbury County . 0

M1ss Benne IS a Consultant tn Elementary Health, Sc1ence and Cnl'lronmencal Educallon. A rea Educa11on Agenc1 12. Sioux C111. /011. a

Left , top: Intense ob enatio n'> reHal cra"dads in the water. Center: Hand lens stud ies dhclo '>e unex pected detail and beauty. BeiO\\ : tudents learn to "read signs" as the) look for tracks and traces of un\ecn animals.

/011 ~ CO\SfRI 41/0\JST \lA) /97?

State Park Camping 1977 by Sonny Satre

' b , l ,

TH [ ~OR '\ 1"\G AROMA of fraed egg'> and bacon filter­Ing aero~~ Iowa state park campground'> 1~ a .. ure '>lgn the camp1ng -.cason has once agatn returned <,tate park

campgrounds are a favorate weekend retreat for many over 400.000 camper'> stay o-vermght each year

Bes1des enJO}Ing nature\ umque hand1work \\tldflowen •. woodland'>, \tream!'>, glac1al formed lakes. wtldltfe and scentc overlooks there are a number of man-made c!-.sentlals and attractions that dra\.\ people to the campgrounds Among these tncludc modern camptng necess1t1e~ such a.., electncal hook-ups, sho\\cr factl1tte">, flush to1lets and other santtar} factlttle'>, dnnk1ng \\ater and sewage dump '>tatlon-. for tratlers Recreational attractions tnclude h1ktng and bndle tra1b. man­made lake-.. beach factl1t1es. p1cmc table-. and '>hcltcr .... boat ramp-., canoe and boat rentab. f1shmg opportunities and food and batt concession'>

1 here are 34 '>tate parl...s that are clas..,1f1ed a.., modern campground.., Modern areas are those \\h1ch tnclude ..,hO\\er and nu ... h toilet fac1ltttes The rate for camptng 1n modern areas 1s $1 00 a night per c.amptng untt If there are more than SIX people tn a camping unit. an add1ttonal 25c I'> charged for each ex tra per-,on .

From among the state's 50 parks where campmg IS permitted. 18 offer non-modern campsites. Two parks offer modern and non-modern campmg facilitieS (Backbone and Lake Macbnde) The overmght fee for these areas 1s $2 50 a night per campmg umt. Electncal hook-ups are a\a!lable in 37 state parks for which there is an additional $1 00 fee per night. All camping Sites are available on a fir'\t-come , f1rst-served basis. No reservatiOns are accepted.

6

*Quotas have been fmahzed for campers th1s year m most state parks (see accompanymg state camping facht1es gUide). Quota systems are also be1ng planned for the rema1n1ng state parks in the ncar future Some of these quotas are subJeCt to change \\lth the planned development ofadd1t10nal sanitary un1ts in certain park\ All public campgrounds will be requ1red to meet these regulations 10 the commg years When the ass1gned campmg sites are filled. no add1t10nal campers ..,.. ill be perm1tted 10 the park unt !It here 1s a vacancy Pnor to th1s ne\\ ly adopted system. campers were allowed to park the1r campers almost any\\ here 10 the camp1ng area to a "bumper to bumper" capac1ty. Park officials recogni7ed the problem and agreed th1s d1dn't offer a quality campmg expenence Bes1des offenng a more pleasant campmg out mg. thts new system wtll help prevent overuse of cxtsttng faciltttes.

Listed below is your Iowa State Park Camping Gwde wtth extstmg factltttes and recreational opportumtles available

*In accordance with State Department of Health standards. a quota srstem is being implemented 1n state park campground' thu 1 ear The srandard.1 allo~~ for a ma\tmum of e1ght camping tmlfl per samtarr mstallatton (unnal or commode) m each area. Thu figure\ out to he 32 persom per samran msrallation

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STATE PARK CAMPING GUIDE

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319-392-4601

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'19-293-3502

51.5-961-7101

712-71\2-3564

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515-673-6975

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712-523-2700

515-722-3371

515-432-2730

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515-4 7 3-2556

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F OR CENTU RI ES the Father of Waters nowcd undis­turbed from the heart of North Amcnca to the Gulf of Mex1co. Constant!) meandenng and e\er cuttmg ne~

channels 1t carved tts basm, creating multltudmous vanet} m habitat and mches where life nounshed A ted1ousl) slo~ but never endmg process. Never endmg? Well, not unul white men came upon the scene

Its dlsCO\er) by Marquette and Joliet m 1673 marked the begmnmg of dem1se for the mer Th1s unbelievable resource, overwhelmmg at f1rst, was a challenge to be conquered a new found h1ghway and home for man ettlemcnts sprang up at the mouths of tnbutary streams and mmes were gouged m her bluffs l 1mber was cut from the watershed and noated on her own waters to downstream destmations. Bountiful game was raped by market hunters and shipped to distant parts of the country.

These thmgs the M isSISSippi could tolerate, but man's never ending st ruggle to 1mprove m the name of progress has finall) struck a resoundmg blov. Clt1e~ gre~. 1ndustnes developed and pollution came spe~mg forth like vomit Modern abatement programs have helped arrest th1s problem, but V\lth development, the all-m1ght} dollar commands a need to ever-Improve nav1gat1on.

At first it was a s1mple matter of removmg snags to make wa> for vessels with a 4-foot draft Then came d1kes to divert the river's flow to a central channel and mcrease 1t's depth to 6 feet. Finall) came construction of the locks and dams for the creat1on of a 9-foot channel.

At first the dams were a boon. Water levels were stabilized and by impounding water, they mcreased surface area and created more diversity m habitat. Fish mg was part 1cu larly good-and still

Photos tJy the Author

An aerial 'iew of the rich backwaters sho wing evidence o f a m eandering channel in years past.

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d d II

1s- near the tail-waters of these dams But \\-hat IS happenmg to our grand old nver? For centunes tt ""as free to meander and cut new channels as the old ones closed through attntton to become sloughs and then marshes There \Vas a natural balance

t\o"" the central no"" of the nver 1s a hea\11} u!.ed nav1gauon channel We can't afford to let It become shallo"" or meander and cut ne\\- passages to reJUVtnate the backwaters In the name of nver transportation and the econom) of ourcountr). the channel must be mamtatned Th1s means stream no"" through the backwaters must be restrtcted and diverted to the nav1gauon channel and !.hoaltng areas are dredged repeatedl} o more meandenng.

M ea nwhile. eutrophication and natural !.Uccess1on compounded by dredge spo1l depostttion contmues to convert backwaters to shallow marshes wh1ch eventuall} become dr) land. T o compou nd the problem, the dams are actmg as s1lt trap.., causmg our nch backwater lakes and sloughs to ftll at an accelerated pace The natural balance has been destroyed

The future IS even more d1smal Econom} demands larger vessels and there IS talk of a twelve-foot channel ~here \\-Ill It

stop? S1xteen-feet? E1ghteen-feet? One da) there \\-Ill be no MISSISSIPPI R iver- Just a dttch You

say you don't beheve 1t? ~ell, JUSt turn around Look to the \\e'>t You seen? Yes. 1t's the \1 1ssoun "Dttch" 0

\\ a~le material gu\hing from an o utfall lin e o f a d istant chemical plant. L nder"ater dbch arge'> a re usuall) o ut of 'iight -and out of mind.

!'lear Lansing, Big Lake - pict ured in the upper center­i ~ fillin g rapidl) and is destined to become a \ ha llo" ma r<> h.

lltm lo ng "ill it be before the M ississippi become'> a di tch like the J\ti.,.,ouri?

\\ ingda m'>, though U'> Uil ll ) \ ubmerged. dh ert the river's current to the na' igation chann el and pre' ent meandering.

A combination o f po llut ant<. exuding from a m etropolitan area.

Hea') 0 11 accumulat ion <; fro m a freight )ard

accident.

fOliA (0\\fi<IA/10'11\1 \/1) , /~77

Sewage ~lirn e accumulate'> o n a '>Ir ing 20 miles d ownstream fr om it '> \ource. Se,, age '>lime is a bacteria which thrh e!> on nutrient'> introduced b) !>C" age pla nt'> and grain proceo;sing com panies.

T •

Dredge spoil deposits such a~ this could eventually seal off the backwaters.

S poil depo~its ha\C destro) cd thou'>ands of acres of prime duck mar<;h .

9

•

T O MO T PEOPLE. northv,e~t Jov.a e\Okes thought\ of nat or gentl} rolhng farmland~. ,·a~t

fields of corn and SO} bean~. and expanstve vtsta~ broken onl} here or there by a farmstead v.tndbreak But to one restdent of thts great agncultural "factory", th1s otherwise little recogn11ed corner of the sta te IS a parad1se for wood ducks.

You may raise your eyebrows at the sugge~llon but J oel Boeytnk, an E:nghsh teacher from the httle tov..n of Alton, 1s setttng out to make thts unusual dream come true And so far, he has succeeded very well

I t all tarted back 1n 1972 v.hen the Alton Jaycees decided to do someth1ng for the town\ burgeoning wood duck populatiOn. Ducks from the nearby Floyd R1ver were nesting tn the city's trees 10 woodleS nymg over Alton look1ng for places to nest, the Cit) trees must appear as a good st7ed ptece of t1mber l ocal c1t1zens d1dn't mtnd the nesttng ducks. but problems arose \vhen chtld ren began bnnging home young duekltng~ . 1 he hens. after pushtng the1r offspring out of their nesttng holes and wa tching them bounce harmlessly to the ground, could not get the young safely to water before they were snatched up. Boeytnk and the Jaycees thought that 1f the b1rds could be encouraged to nest outs1de of to\o,.n, the "ducknapp1ng" problem \vould subside. A proJect v.as intttated to construct \vooden ne~ttng boxes and erect them on trees or posts along the l-loyd R1ver.

The project started out wtth ten J aycees buildtng and putting up a daten boxes in 1972, but no data was kept to find how successful it was. Add1t1onal nest boxes were constructed by other interested tndl\ 1duals in tov. n. and tn 1973 the f1rst two knov.n brood'> v..ere ra1sed from the 16 boxes a\atlable A small start, but to Boeytnk and the J aycees, the project was bound for success.

Since that time, Joel has become more or less the ch1ef project coordinator and nest butlder, head of nest box matntenance, record keeper. and overall dm tng force for the nest box program Whtle he carnes out most of the v..ork h1mself, the Jaycees have contmued to cover much of the cost

Boey1nk\ records offer firm e\ 1dence of the proJect's benefits. For each m:st box erected, a se parate page of mformat1on ,., kept tn a loo'>e-leaf notebook and data for each nc~t. 1nclud1ng matntenance performed and succcs~ rate~ ''til be entered for ten year~

10

owa·s

by Douglas Harr WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT BIOLOGIST

Space is even provided for a photograph of each nest mstalled tn place on tree or post In addttton. a yearly summary sheet ts kept. totaling the data from tndl\tdual nest records. Thts page chrontcles such 1tems as number of nests. nest relocations and repatrs, date~ of ftrst duck ~tghtmg~ and nest attempts, nest success. use of boxes by other wtldltfe. and comments or recommendations.

1 he records reveal that in 1974, 22 ne~b were avatlable, ten hem nested and 50 young were ratsed In 1975. 26 hens succe~sfully ratsed 20 broods (about 200 young) m the 33 avatlable boxes And in 1976. 256 ducklings \\ere produced by 32 hens from 46 nest boxes a\atlable. One of the real keys to maktng th1s proJect such a success has certatnly been 111 the keepmg of accurate records to document 1ncreases in the local duck population. rh1s data can eastly tell whether or not the efforts ha.,e been worthv.h1le

Joel followed ad\tCe from the /o11a Consen·auon CommJ.SHon tn the proJect's tnitiat1on and got addtttonal hmts from readmg about stmtla r efforts 1n eastern Iowa and Mtnne~ota. Hts conscientious maintenance of the nesting boxes assured that each spring. returning woodies would not turn their backs in dtsgust on unkempt livtng quarters. But such conscienttous at tentton requires cons1derable work Early 111 the proJect. Boeymk dtspensed with haulmg around unwteld) ladders and took to cltmbmg trees to erect and mamtam the boxes. l'\ ov .. he scales tree~ v..tth the dextent) of a ten-year old. Each nest 1s checked several t1mes a year, so tree cltmbing has almost become a way of ltfe w1th h1m. This famtl1artty with h1s ducks has also made J oel perhaps the most kno\vledgeable wood duck expert tn the regton

Peektng mto nest bo\.es often prondes some surpnses. Joel has found squ1rrels. starltngs, miCe, nickers. 0\\ b. and bees mhab1ttng what 1s supposed lO be reserved for wood ducb 1:-ven the wood1es themse lves are somettmes surpnsi ng. Hen wood ducks occasiOnally use "dump" nests; that 1s. several hens will lay eggs 1n one nest \VIth no 1ntentton of 1ncubatmg. One box \vao., d1scovered to contatn more than 30 eggs, \\ tth one lone egg sttttng on the nest's roof It appeared as 1f the last hen found found thmgs JUSt too crowded ms1de, so ftnl'>hed the JOb of lay1ng her eggs upsta1rs Instead

ProJects like the one be1ng contmued by J oel Boeyink and the Alton Jaycees arc helpful for 1ncreasmg the supply of these colorful waterfov .. l 1n the pratrte farmlands of Iowa What\ more, these proJects can greatly enhance relauons

/011 ~ (0\\IRI A/10\/\T 1(1) ,,_--

bel' ~po

aro app \\ 1JI tree aim ha~

h1st

s the ~ee

IO

bet\\een farmers, tO\\ nspeople. and sportsmen Th1s has certaiOI} pro\en true around Alton, where all landov .. ners approached by Boeymk have been \Cry wJlhng to let h1m erect ne~ung boxe~ m trees along the1r nverfront property And almost everyone 1nvolved m the program has learned much about the natural h1story of wood duch.

-- - -- -

So 1f you happen to be dnvmg along the Floyd Rtver near Alton someday and see a grown man hangtng precanously 10 a cottonwood tree. wave you've JUSt passed Joel Boeymk, northwest Iowa's own "Wood Duck Man", and a good fnend of wtldltfe 0

/Oil A ( 0\\f Rl11 T/0'1/H I/ 1 l , JY 77

F ROM I HI

by Rex Emerson LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPERVISOR

It had been a most enJoyable day at Shtmek State Forest m the southea~tern pan of tl-te ~tate The turke) ~cason had brought 125 hunters to that area to try thetr sktll on Iowa\ b1g game btrd . Ju'>t before noon when the ~hootmg hours \\OUld end for the da}. \Orne of the hunters began '>topp10g at the check station Two hunter\ each had a mce tom turkey They vo,.ere ver) proud, and nghtfully should ha\e been The other hunters were more than a little emtous and listened Intently as the '>Uccessful hunters told and retold the thnll of their hunt. The rest of the hunters thought maybe tomorrow might be thetr day.

If you have ever hunted wtld turkeys you know you don't JUst blunder around out in the woods and walk up on a turkey The average run-of-the-mtll Iowa deer hunter wouldn't make aver} good turkey hunter The good turkey hunter wtll wear camouflaged clothtng and smear some black stuff on hts face He gets htdden tn

the underbrush and squawks on a turke) call hopmg an old gobbler wtll come wtthtn gun range Most of the hens are settmg on a nest some place out tn the forest. When the tom turkey hears the hunter worktng the turkey call he ts supposed to go to where he hears the call. It doesn't always work! With the undergrowth getting more leaves on tt all the time it is harder to see the turkey tf he does respond to the call. There are a lot of turkeys in Shimek Forest, but most of the hunters will not be successful in getting one, especially the f1rst year they try. That old turkey is smart. He will walk in toward the caller and will usually take his own sweet ttme dotng tl. Somettmes he will circle around and come 10 behtnd the hunter. The slightest movement by the hunter wtll send the turkey offltke a shot. As btg as he ts, he can fly nght up through the treetops ltke a quat!

After havtng lunch at that ntce little cafe on the banks of the Des Moines Rtver m Farmington, I went back out to the forest. The matn reason was to make sure there was no turkey hunttng gomg on after noon. It was tnteresttng to stop in the camping areas and talk to some of the

turkey hunters One man told about a ntce btg turkey that he sa\\ commg across a small cleanng toward htm The hunter's attenuon was momentartl) drawn a\\a} from the turke) b) a fox that had JUSt pounced on a mouse onl) a few feet awa> When he looked back, the turkey was gone. He dectded that tf he dtdn't get a turke). hts expenence wtth nature made the trip worthwhtle One hunter told about stttlng m the brush when a turkey came up behmd htm. He sa1d, "There ts no wa} you can /Urn around from a stlling position and get a shot off at one of those birds in the brush." fhen with a broad smile he said, " Isn 't this turkel' hunting JUSt the greatest sport in the world?"

And then I ran across a hunter whose lack of success is always the fault of someone other than h1mself. You knO\\ the type. You find one occastonall) tn every sport . I ltstened to htm a\\htle telltng about "If the Commrwon would do thts ... and if the other hunters would do that .. and if thts and if that . "

I finally told htm, "If a frog had wmgs he wouldn't bump hts Iurie behtnd e1•err time he JUmped," and went on my wa) .

Shimek Forest is a btg beauuful, wonderful place. As I walked out through the woods, I thought how nice it is that the people of Iowa have a place like this to enjoy nature. There is good hunting. Several turkey hunters told me: they saw some deer. The ponds provide some good bass fishing and there is free primitive camping. Quite a few people go there during the year, but so far it is unspoiled. Once m awhile you find someone who is too lazy to walk and takes off through the woods on a trail bike. When we catch one of them, he gets two chotces. He can either push the btke back to where he came from, or carry it Then he can go to court . He gets no chotec about that. Vehicles are restncted to the roads and parking areas.

When you walk through the woods, enjoy it, but leave it so the next person w.:t think he is the first one to have ever walked that way.

11

by Robert Kurtt WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT BIOLOGIST

Larr f Pool Boo l<ur •t

ree

T HE OTTER CREEK WILDLIFE U"\IT 1s comprised of five count1cs m east-central Iowa All but one of these counues are located tn the eastern livestock reg1on. Grund}

County IS . the northern-most county and IS situated m the cash gram region of Iowa For the most part , Grundy County and the northern half of Marshall and Tama Counties are very intensively farmed areas with Oat to very gently rolling topography. The southern portion of the unit, including Iowa and Poweshiek Counties, cons1sts mostly of rolling land with some steep areas along the Iowa Rl\ er.

Generally, the northern half of the un1t1S a cash gram area w1th corn and so~ beans the mam crops. The southern half is di\ 1ded between cash gram areas and hvestock farmmg

Some Important stands of timber ex 1st along the Iowa R1ver m Marshall, Tama and Iowa Counties. Although most umber areas in the Unit are pastured at the present t1me, there are some real fine timber areas that are under timber management plans. Included in this are approximately l 0,000 acres of Amana Society timber in northeast Iowa County. Main timber species under management are walnut, white and red oak, hackberry, s1lver maple, and cottonwood

All m Creek ~ Mmhc mmha m Tama lo11a m the publ

Game rabb1t, l Pheasan m the sc hmued 11

brush} a through1

areas ex areas 0,

enttre ur hke11he numerot and do11 and fan 1

and lien Uplan1

deer, phe btrds tn Populattl of agricu

r t

h d

All maJOr lakes and mar~he~ m the unn are man-made Otter Creek Marsh near Chelsea m Tama Count} and Hendnck~on Marsh on the Marshall-Stor} Count} line are the onl> l\\0 maJor marsh area~ m the unit. Union Grove Lake and Otter Creek Lake m Tama County, D1amond Lake 1n Powe~h1ek Count), and Lake Iowa in Iowa County are all man-made 1mpoundment'1 open to the public.

Game spec1es m the Unit 10clude pheasant, quat!, waterfov,.J, rabbit, sqUirrel, raccoon, fox, coyote, deer and \\Oodchuck Pheasants are found throughout the Unit, but are mo!>t abundant 10 the southern half where better cover IS available. Quail are lim1ted for the most part to the southern part of the un1t, mostly 10 brushy areas 10 Iowa and Powesh1ek Counties. Rabb1b are found throughout the area where good brush} cover and grass} ne ... tmg areas ex1st SqUirrels (most!} fox squ1rrels) abound m t1mbcr areas over the enure unu Raccoon are also d1stnbuted over the ent1re Unit, and are found m about all t) pes of hab1tat F- ox are hkew1se common over the area, and coyote appear to be mo!>t numerous 10 !>OUthern unit counties. Waterfowl are d1stnbuted up and down the Iowa River and maJor tributaries, and dunng ~pnng and fall migration are especially numerous at Otter Creek Mar~h and Hendrickson Marsh.

Upland game hunting in the unll 1s pnmanl> centered around ::leer, pheasants and rabb1ts. Pheasant hunters generall} fmd more b1rds m the southern port1on of the un!l . although good local populations ex1st m some northern Unit areas. The combmat10n of agncultural fields and brush} draws 1n southern unit area~ I'> very mv1t1ng to nngnecks. By companson, intensive agncult ure 10

the northern part of the unit has severely limited pheasant nestmg ::over and winter cover.

Rabbits provide good hunting in the southern part of the unit, ~specially after snow is on the ground. In northern areas rabbits ue concentrated around farm buildings where they find adequate nesting and Winter cover.

Deer hunt111g is increasing 111 populant)' each year and for the most part, good hunting can be found 111 and around good umber )lands along the Iowa R1ver 10 Marshall, Tama and Iowa Counties

Quat! populations are marg1nal1n the unu, and hunters find the most birds in Iowa and Powesh1ek Counties. Brushy draws and odd areas interspersed with crop fields provide the quality habitat that quail prefer.

Squirrel hunters have no trouble finding enough of their quarry, espectally 111 the extenstve stands of umber along the Iowa R1ver

IOUA CO\\JRIA /10\f.\T ~IAY,/'177

\\aterfowl hunung 1s also grO\\Ing 1n populartt} 111 th1s area. and good hunting can be found along the Iowa Rl\er and It~ tnbutane!'., and al.,o along other stream!> and ponds m the un1t. Most natural upland ponds and marshes have been drained, but a good number of backwater ponds and !>Iough!> still exist along the Iowa R1ver 111 I a rna and Iowa Countte!> An 111creasing number of farm pond 'I 111 the '>OUthern part of the unit arc be111g used b) both ne!>t111g and m1grator} waterfO\\ I, and wIll probabl) become e\en more Important m the commg )ear~

Fox hunung has been a long-t1me fa\ onte of man) hunters 111 the area, and nov .. coyote hunt111g I!> 111crca!>111g 111 Importance a~ these large predators graduall} move 11110 the umt. Coyotes are apparently more abundant 111 southern unit counties at this time.

Rat! and snipe huntmg is not widespread in the unit , but rna} mcrease a!> hunters real11e the sporting qua lit) of these mtgratory game btrds 1 hese -.pec1es are found throughout the unit in the fall of the year, and can be hunted 111 bottomland sloughs as well as upland pa'>tures and fields \\here there 1s plenuful moi ture. 0

13

Photo~ b; LeRa, Moon

by Robert Rye ADMINISTRATOR, CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER

In toda}'s world \\C hear about the man} problems of our envtronment pollutton. ~hortages, and mt~u~e of our natural re~ources . We of the O\er-30 generatton are tr}tng to start the pendulum swmgtng toward the wtse use of the~e re~ources-both renewable and non-renewable.

We, the leader~. offtc1al1., scout leaders, club members. and educators, m u1.t t r} to develop a group of cttl7ens whtch will carry thts ball for ) ear1. to come One ''a} to be sure of the contmued wtse use of natural re~ources ts to educate Publtc awareness through meeungs, Ia\\ s. and cla~ses 1~ one me am of educatiOn. We at the Conser\'atlon f:ducatton Center are conttnuall) addmg to the resources a\atlable for cla~~e~ .

Most recent ts the addttton of our outdoor cla~sroom Many can learn wtth and from our efforts. The Consenatton EducatiOn Center per~onnel \.\Orktng together With the other consenation­tnterested groups have developed tratls. pond~. terraces, native grass and wtldhfe planttng~ and an arboretum.

The 1at10nal Guard from Atlanttc provtded tratb for the Center and rece1ved trammg for thetr ~cout platoon The Soil Consen at ton Sen tee. Wtldlife and ParJ..s . ectton ... of the Iowa Consenatton Commtsston helped to butld three ponds and a terrace. The tate Foreo,tr) ect10n and Green Thumb employees ha\e planted trees m the arboretum and abo \\tndbreaks. food plots and tra\el lanes for ammals.

Above: T eachers explore nalive gra~\e'i. Below: A nother t ree is planted for the Center's arborelum.

Thn an op a\a·lal ex piau outdo1 )tuden

A st Cente' and a SlrLCil

Hav are M trem I there b that 1f and al

D1d bach mer

Bt1o11 nt~r t!

•

Through man) pcr,on.,· effort\. the Educauon Center no\\ ha!) an opportunit) to add to lb man) "hand-on" expenence' a\allable to con-.enauon-mterc~ted group!) I ''ould hke to explam a fe\\ of the ... c <:)orne ol them rna~ be U!)ed m ~our ... chool outdoor cta ...... room. or rna) '>tlmulatc adaptation' to lc~!)OO'> the student!) are pre.,cnt 1\ \\ orkmg on

A ~hock1ng example came tom~ attentiOn'' nh a group at the Center la!)t -.ummcr I a ... ked them to 1dent1f) a p1ct ure of a terrace and a drop mlet One or t\\O out of ,;~t\ could identlf) the ... e structure!)

Have your '>tudent... \\alk an area and determme the ... tope-. the) are walkmg. Can the) tell "' h1ch wa) the water will flo\\'1 Ha\e them look clo!->cl) at what ,., under the1r feet. Will the matcnal there hold the ... oil'' Will It '>IO\\ the water'1 We are well a\\arc now that 1f the water mo\c' ,(ower we m1ght ha\e more mo1.,ture no\\ and also les~ '>Oil \\Ould , .. a.,h or be blov.n a\\a)

D1d )OU e\er '>top to thmk about v.h) mer' go O\Cr the1r banks? Do ) ou thmk that the '>Oil m the bottom ol the pond' and nver bottom' rna) ha\c an cflect on th1.,., \\ hat about the -.peed

Belo\\ : I uture \\IOdbrcak ha\ been planted. Botto m: ucce'>'>ion area near center.

tha t the water gets to the pond~ and rivers? W hat about the speed that the water move' down the river?

These a rc ~orne of the qucst1on~ that groups tr) to answer using the EducatiOn Center. 1b stream~. terraces. ponds. and grass-land areas.

The p1ctures of native gra,,e,, !)uccess1on areas. arboretum. food plot!) and wmd brcab bncfl) suggest some of the man) nev. program!~ wh1ch arc available to group!) nov. u .. mg the Conservation Education Center

Many of these can be .,tud1ed by teachers U!)mg the Center dunng D rake Umver'>lt) \ !)ummer cia!~ .... June 13 through 22nd. 1977 Th1s cia's 1'1 a\allable for graduate cred1t and'"" prO\Ide needed help m U'>mg the outdoors mart. language. math. '>OCial and b1olog1cal '>Cicncc clm,.,cs Help 1s available lor both elementary and .. econdary teacher'>. More mformat1on on the class and fundmg as!IIStance may be obtained by wnung Roherr Rve. Jr., AdmllnHrawr, Comervation Education Cemer, Rowe I, Box 44, Gwhne Center, Iowa 50115.

1011 11 CO\ .\1 R ~ I flO\/.\ r 1/·1 I , 1977

fhc lo\\a Con.,enatlon Commi!)Sion and the '>taff of the Iowa Comer\'atwntH mourn the to.,, of Wayne L onnmg who was ch1ef photographer for the Information and Education section for O\er e1ght vear' IVtr Lonnmg suffered a fatal heart attack on Apn16 wh1le m the field on assignment He\\.!'> 47

While Lonnmg concentrated maml) on cme­matography the last few years. h1., mtere'>tmg photographs were featured man> t1me' m the /oll'a Comervatwmst. He first Jomed the CommisSion m 1964 and served as Supenntendent of the l 1ccnse Secuon. He became chief photographer in 1969. We who enJoyed h1s fnendship and the many who enJoved h1., work will m15s h1m deeply

- The l:.d11on

PREVENTING GUN ACCIDENTS IN THE HOME (( ommued {rom Page 2)

and locked awa} Man~ times 1t IS be~t that the firearm' and ammunitiOn not be \l~lble ''hlle !)tored When the) arc out of '>lght. the} do not 10\lle a \\OUld-be burglar Home'> v. here f1rearms arc ca-.ll> -.een are ver} appeahng to burglar-.. a'> guns are a dc!.lred 1tem to most burglars

The onl) rea!.on for havmg a loaded gun 1n a home 1~ lor protection agamst cnmmal mtruder!., but there arc t\\0 different v1ewpomt!. on th1s subject wh1ch should be exammed. Some people believe that no gun should be kept loaded m the home. If a loaded gun IS needed. the gun and ammumt1on !.hould be taken from !>torage and brought together. But people who have an emergency where a loaded gun is needed may not alway., have t1me to unlock the gun and a m munition and get the gun loaded. No matter how a person feels about this. he mu!o.t not create a !>ltuauon that 1m1tes a potential accident settmg.

Many parents feel that mstruction and warnmgl> to ch1ldren arc 'uffic1ent. but a gun out of s1ght and proper!) stored docs not po~e the hatard of a more read d) available gun It " better to be O\erl) .. arc m home gun storage. and to properly combme the proper '>torage and '"'truct10n of firearm safet} E'en though )OU rna) '>tore _>our guns and ammumtlon ~afel). your children m1ght obta1n a gun and ammumt10n else\\ here Education" one of the be'>t pre\entauves Parents should teach the lundament.., ol gun !.afet) to children at an earl> age. and contmue the lc.,..,on as the) grow older It 1s :..till Important to teach f1reum ..,afet) to children 1f you do not have gum and ammumt10n m \OUr home L veryone come!. mto contact with a firearm sometime m the1r hfe. and dati people knew how to properly handle a gun. many acc1dcnt:.. could be prevented .

15

'

S tone Park by Je rry Leon ard