Osborne

Oracle Fall 2017 Clayton County Conservation Vol. 40 No.2

Leaving a Legacy by Jenna K. Pollock, Director

Today is a very important day! Yesterday, today, and

every day forward there is one primary task we’re each

working on. It happens often without intention. Today,

we’re leaving a legacy.

When Spring arrives, I begin to feel like a hamster

with each limb operating on a different running-wheel and

my head thudding down the rungs of a ladder. Fall brings a

certain amount of sanity back to my work life…usually. A

few experiences within the last month brought some clarity

and rejuvenation to my mind, and I want to share those les-

sons with you.

At the National Annual Meeting of the Mississippi

River Parkway Commission (hosted in Clayton County,

Iowa), Author VJ Smith reminded attendees of the

BIGGEST word in the English language. Care. C-A-R-E.

Mr. Smith goes on to share his experience of discovering

this lesson and cautioning his audience to go about their

daily lives with great care. “It’s not about going the extra

mile (that’s a long way). It’s about taking the extra step.”

Act with intention so that it becomes an unintentional re-

sponse. We’re all building a legacy, each and every day.

Whether it’s

greeting your

neighbor while

taking the

recycling to the

curb or saying

thank you while

handing back a

handful of

change– how

we act day in

and day out is

how we’ll be remembered. That’s our legacy at work.

Current Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey also

addressed the group. His message on Iowa’s agrarian roots

and pertinent future connected with me. My family farm

received the Heritage Farm Award this year. The ground

my father operates as a fifth-generation farmer has been in

my family for 150 years. Mr. Northey shared that every

year as those awards are handed out at the Iowa State Fair

it touches him most that honorees tend to place the

certificate in the hands of the youngest contingent of the

family. Each family willing the next generation to care for

the land as their ancestors did before them. It’s a way of

bridging the past

to the future. The

struggles and sac-

rifices of the past

have left

lessons for the

next generation to

respect; a legacy

to abide by and

reciprocate

success.

A recent

trip to Colorado

brought me to

Mesa Verde Na-

tional Park and Black Canyon of the

Gunnison. At Mesa Verde, I toured and photographed the

cliff and mesa dwellings of the Ancient Puebloans from

1200 AD.

Continued on Page 2... Twilight on the Pollock farm, a Heritage Farm with a legacy of over 150 years.

Cliff Dwelling as Mesa Verde National Park, a legacy spanning nearly 1000 years of Native history.

2

At Black Canyon of the Gunnison, while ogling the 2500

feet change in elevation, I was most inspired by the 6 miles

tunneled through Rocky Mountain schist and gneiss to

bring water from the Black River to the Uncompahgre

Valley for farming.

Both national landmarks an engineering wonder for

their era standing the test of time, and a legacy left by

groups of people that lived during very different times than

we face today. As our way of life has become more

simplified through advancements in technology, why does

it appear we’ve become worse at leaving a legacy?

Call it a quarter-life crisis, but I’m beginning to ask

the question “What will I be known for?” It seems easy to

kick the can down the road. The mentality of “it can wait”

isn’t true of any of us. We’re leaving a legacy each and

every day.

Some legacies

more

memorable

than others,

and every

legacy more

important than

the individual

struggling through the lesson of life. I challenge you, as

you embark on another day, act not for yourself, but for

those learning around you. Remember that your decisions

impact the future, not the life you’re living. And above all,

act with care- it’s the biggest word in the English language.

Last Open Weekend at Motor Mill: Oct. 14-15

Tours from 12-5 P.M.

Leaving a Legacy (continued from page 1)

Workers pause for a photo before completing the Gunnison Tunnel, a project that has outlived them all.

New Developments at the Osborne Nature Center

2017 has been a busy year for the Clayton County Conser-

vation Board! Several projects on the horizon

offer the promise of new experiences at an old favorite.

These projects include a renovation of the

Osborne Pond, located just North of the Osborne Nature

Center on Highway 13. The pond’s original construction in

1973 sought to provide an opportunity for anglers of all

ages and skill levels, in addition to a learning environment

for Osborne’s many field trip groups.

The pond’s conditions have deteriorated, due to

sedimentation and aquatic vegetation encroachment, lead-

ing to poor fish habitat. The solution includes

renovation and dredging of the pond in the fall of 2018, in

order to reestablish the depth necessary to support quality

fishing. This project will see improvements in the water-

shed above the pond. The gully above the pond rehabilitat-

ed, grubbing out volunteer trees and reseeding with native

grasses to slow the deposition of sediment.

This project times up neatly with another. The

CCCB looks to install an 18-hole disc golf course on the

property north of the Volga river. An initial 9-holes could

be in by the end of 2017, utilizing existing trails through

the prairies and timbers just south of the Pond.

The “back nine” would follow the renovation of the gully

area. The course, designed with the assistance of veteran

course designer Lee Cronkhite, promises to be both chal-

lenging and beautiful, providing a fun, free activity for

Clayton County Citizens.

Last but not least, the CCCB was awarded a

$17,000 grant from the Upper Mississippi Gaming Corpo-

ration, which will go towards renovation of the

Osborne Nature Center Exhibits.

Highlights from the proposal include

ambitious new exhibits, including an augmented reality

sandbox, and the materials for the construction of a faux-

cave to highlight Clayton County’s unique geologic

features and topography. Combined with updates to

existing interpretive features, this renovation promises to

be an exciting update to the Osborne experience.

With all of this on the horizon, there’s no doubt

2018 will be just as busy as 2017. The goal, as always, is to

provide the best place possible for locals, and visitors from

around the world to come and learn more about the

incredible natural resources and cultural history Clayton

County has to offer.

Leave a Legacy; a gift to the CCFF will grow for generations

Give at www.DBQfoundation.org/clayton-county-foundation-future

3

Snowfest

Saturday, February 12th, 10-3

Osborne Park, Elkader, IA

Shake off the cabin fever and stretch your legs with

naturalists from Clayton and Fayette counties. Attendees

will have the chance to learn to use snowshoes and cross

country skis at this clinic. Reservations required.

Snowshoes come free; skiing will cost all of $1.

Bluebird House Building Workshop

Saturday, March 3rd, 9:00 AM

Osborne Park, Elkader, IA

Bluebirds have long been a welcome sign of Spring in

Iowa. As timber became crop lands, their population

declined dramatically. But when one tree cavity closes, a

nest box opens! Be a part of one of conservation’s great

success stories with this CCCB staple program. $5 covers

the cost of the workshop, and gets you a nest box to take

home.

Motor Motor 5K trail run

Saturday, March 17th, 9:00 AM

Motor Mill Historic Site, Elkader, IA

Test your mettle and enjoy the scenery with this trail race

on the rugged bluffs surrounding the Motor Mill Historic

Site.

————————————————————————————————————

For more information on any of these programs, call 563-245-1516, visit www.claytoncountyconservation.org or LIKE us on Facebook. The Osborne Center is located 5 miles south of Elkader, Iowa on Hwy 13.

Heritage Days

Saturday & Sunday, October 14th-15th, 10:00-4:00

Osborne Park, Elkader, IA

Go back in time to the small community of Osborne to

glimpse the pioneer era. Enjoy exhibits, demonstrations,

pioneer church service, food and much more. This year’s

festival also features performances by the Purdy River

Band, and an old-time Cricket demonstration—the sport,

not the insect!

Better Know A Property: Becker East

Wednesday, November 1st, 5:00 PM

Becker East Property (near Millville, IA)

Saunter amongst the skeletal trees and autumnal gloaming

over the Turkey River Valley, where we will discuss the

phenology of plants, animals, and native peoples of Iowa

during the fall.

Holiday Walk: Season’s Greetings

Thursday, December 7th, 6:00 PM

Osborne Park, Elkader, IA

As winter settles over Iowa, it can seem like all the icons of

warmer times disappear—from flowers and leaves to insects

and birds. But under that blanket of snow and ice, the

activity never stops. Come and meet characters from spring,

summer, and fall celebrate Christmas with this fun, family-

friendly walk.

This Land Is Your Land: A History

Tuesday, January 23rd, 5:30 PM

Osborne Nature Center

BLM, NPS, DNR, CCCB…. The alphabet soup of land

management agencies tells a fascinating and powerful story,

from hot-blooded politics to near-extinctions. Come and

learn how we got here, and where we might

be going with this primer on public lands history in Iowa

and America.

Clayton County Conservation Board’s

Upcoming Events & Programs

4

Yesterday the first wave of illness began in my children’s

school sending three classmates home with stomach aches

and upper respiratory complaints. This got me thinking,

what else can we do to stay healthy? Sleeping well, eating

right, washing hands, and getting a flu shot are the first

lines of defense. There is more we can do to stay healthy.

We are surrounded by things that can keep us

healthier and speed recovery. Some of these things are in

your garden or kitchen already like honey and apple cider

vinegar. Ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon are all

shown to have antimicrobial properties to fight infection

as do cumin, thyme and turmeric. Most of the spices in

your kitchen in fact have antimicrobial properties, so get

cooking! Add spices to your baking, soups, pickles, and

everything you cook. The fresher your spices the better.

Plants in the mint family are also good allies. The

mints are a large, diverse group including antimicrobial

herbs like sage, oregano, rosemary, basil, lavender,

peppermint and spearmint. Oregano is one of the best

antiviral herbs available against viruses and bacteria.

Packed with antioxidants, phenols and flavonoids, it heals

and strengthens your immune system. Thyme, bee balm,

and oregano contain the potent antimicrobial chemical

thymol, which is a key ingredient in Listerine®. Mints are

good for soothing the stomach and for headaches too. For

a soothing decongestant and expectorant just boil a pot of

water, add a handful of mint, oregano or bergamot, steep

for 10 to 15 minutes then inhale the vapors under a towel.

My favorite wild herb is ginger. It is safe, easy to

find, easy to use, and it has a good flavor that can be used

interchangeably with culinary ginger. There are many oth-

er medicinal herbs found in Iowa’s wild places. The list of

wild plants and garden herbs below contains plants that

are easy to recognize and use. Most of these I have chosen

because they are relatively safe and most of them are

edible. These foods and herbs haven’t lost their ability to

fight bacteria. Microbes have not become resistant to them

like many pharmaceuticals. Start in your kitchen, then

your garden, and when you feel confident, you can forage

wild plants. So add a few fighting plants to your daily rou-

tine to stay healthy this season and spice up your life.

Fighting Herbs - Plants Can Keep You Healthy by Abbey Harkrader, Naturalist

Sweet Cicely, Wild Anise (Osmorhiza claytonia,

Osmorhiza longistylis L.) Anti-nausea, Analgesic

Wild Anise is stronger than Sweet Cicely and has less hairs

on a darker stem. Both species have licorice or anise

flavor and were used to treat a variety of complaints, espe-

cially digestive complaints and headaches. Taken for gas,

indigestion, lack of appetite, colic, nausea, cramps, aiding

childbirth, and milk production. Chewing the stem or root

is good for sore throats as an expectorant, decongestant,

and cough reliever. For insomnia put a few seeds in hot

milk before bed. For boils and wounds use a root poultice.

Edible root, stem, & seeds – Fresh or dried as a food,

flavoring, tea, tonic, or poultice.

Known hazards: None known

Wild Bergamot, bee balm (Monarda fistulosa, M. didy-

ma) Antibacterial, Analgesic

Wild bergamot is a mint that has been used historically to

treat many complaints, especially digestive complaints.

Found effective for headache, colds, bloating, gingivitis,

colic, nausea, gas, insomnia, fever, sore throat and aching

kidneys. Externally used for headaches, cuts, acne and skin

problems, a wash for sore eyes, an insect repellent and an

effective aromatherapy to calm nerves and treat bronchial

complaints. Leaves contain potent antimicrobial "thymol."

Edible leaves & flowers- Use fresh or dried as a tea, tonic,

poultice, or sachet-very aromatic.

Known hazards: avoid with thyroid problems

Self heal (Prunella vulgaris)

Antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic

Self heal has a long history of folk use in Europe. A

poultice is commonly used for wounds, ulcers, rashes and

bleeding. Use internally to treat fevers, diarrhea, gas,

intestinal infections, mouth infections, sore throat, internal

bleeding, etc. The whole plant has substances that

gradually restore health, cause tissue to contract, lower

blood pressure, soothe the stomach, and contract blood

vessels.

Edible, bitter. The whole plant can be used fresh or dried

as a tonic or poultice.

Known hazards-excess can cause constipation, dizziness,

and weakness. Avoid during pregnancy

How to Use Medicinal Herbs:

Tea—Herbal teas are simple to make. Just steep 1 tbsp of medicinal herbs in 1 cup hot water for 5-10 minutes.

Infusion—Herbal infusions are more concentrated than teas. Put a handful of dried herbs in a quart jar. Fill jar with boil-

ing water. Secure lid tightly and steep for several hours until completely cooled. Strain and enjoy. Once prepared you

can drink, add them to baths for soaking wounds or sore muscles or use in compress or poultice.

Infused oil—Creating infused oil is easy! Heat oven to 200 degrees, then turn off. Combine 1 cup coconut oil and ½ cup

medicinal herbs in oven-proof dish. Put in the oven. After 3 hours strain into jars. Label and store in cool, dark place.

Important note: Medicinal plants can be a beneficial tool but should not be a substitute for medical advice.

5

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, A. lanulosa)

Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory

This aromatic herb has been used for thousands of years

to repel insects, treat burns, boils, open sores, acne,

earaches, colds, canker sores, diarrhea, fevers, diabetes,

sore eyes and mosquito bites. Historically, it was best

known to slow internal and external bleeding and

menstruation; the alkaloid achilleine reduces clotting

time. Fresh leaves are said to relieve toothache.

Edible leaves & flowers, bitter- use in moderation when

young in tea, infusion, or poultice.

Known hazards: Use caution when using- taken in excess

may be potentially harmful, causing allergic rash,

headache, and photosensitivity. Causes uterine

contractions so avoid if pregnant or breastfeeding.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Antiasthmatic, antihistamine, diuretic, astringent

Nettles are beneficial and nutritious. The tea has

traditionally been used as a cleansing tonic and blood

purifier to treat allergies, arthritis, and anemia. Nettles

eliminate toxins, promote milk flow, control internal

bleeding and menstration, reduce blood sugar, and is a

stimulating tonic. Externally healing and soothing on

burns, gout, arthritis, sciatica, hemorrhoids, rash, skin irri-

tation, bruises and good for eczema and dandruff.

Treating arthritis with the sting of the plant brings more

blood to the area to remove toxins and relieve joints.

Edible plant- Use plant fresh or dried before flowering as

a food, tonic, or poultice.

Known hazards include—Skin irritant when touched,

sweating, fluid retention, or diarrhea. Do not use after

flowering -gritty crystals form that irritate urinary tract.

Elderberry Medicinal Syrup • 3 Cups Elderberries-stems removed • 1 ½ Cups Water • 2 inch Cinnamon Stick • 1 Whole Clove • 2 Tablespoons Chopped, Wild Ginger root • 2 Lemon Slices ½ Cup Raw Honey Put elderberries in a pot with herbs and spices, add water to cover. Simmer, mash berries and stir occasionally for about 1 hour or until reduced by half. Strain berries and squeeze out the juice using cheesecloth or a jelly bag. Squeeze the berries and get out as much of the juice as possible. Once strained and cooled, mix in honey to taste. Raw honey provides 5,000 live enzymes so don`t heat and kill them. You can store syrup in the fridge, freezer, or processed jars.

Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea)

Antiviral, Antibacterial, Anti-fungal

Another great medicinal herb is Echinacea, or purple cone-

flower. Echinacea has been used for centuries in tribal med-

icine to treat pain and sickness. It is immune

enhancing, antiseptic, and the seeds are a numbing

analgesic. Taken at the onset of an infection, Echinacea is

well tolerated and stimulates the immune system to speed

the healing process. Most effective when used at first signs

of illness.

Edible - Use whole plant as infusion, tea, or poultice.

Known hazards - Don’t use for long periods or if you have

auto-immune disease.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Antiviral

Elderberry has antiviral activity against viruses and

enhances immune function. When used as a remedy for

viral infections like the flu and common cold it significant-

ly shortens the severity and duration. Elder stimulates cir-

culation, causing sweating, effectively cleansing the body.

Known hazards – Berries must be properly prepared. Plant

parts contain cyanide-producing compounds and should

not be consumed without cooking properly.

Garlic (Allium sativum)

Antiviral, Antibacterial, Antifungal

This superfood is an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-

viral, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal, and antioxidant. Daily use

is shown to have a beneficial effect on the blood system

and heart. Garlic promotes immune function and fights

bacteria without wiping out the body's good flora. Garlic

also fights fungal infections like yeast and ringworm. Best

used raw. Heat damages the key active chemical allicin

which has similar properties to penicillin. Other allium like

chives, wild leek, and onion are also good

antimicrobials.

Edible bulb & plant - Use as a tonic, poultice, or food.

Known hazards: None known

Wild Ginger Root (Asarum canadense)

Antiviral, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Anti-nausea

Wild ginger is another herb known for its antiviral and anti-

bacterial properties. It is used to prevent and decrease dura-

tion of the common cold. The root contains antibiotic sub-

stances effective against a broad-spectrum of bacteria and

fungi and is widely used for stomach complaints and nau-

sea.

Edible root—use as an infusion, tea, food, or poultice.

Known hazards - don’t use if pregnant or bad kidney,

For more info, check out

http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net

http://www.herbpathy.com “Infection Fighting Herbs” Linda B. White, M.D., 2017

“Herbal Antibiotics—Using Herbs to Fight Infection and Speed Healing” Laurle

Neverman, 2016

6

Iowa’s Public Lands: Pride and Peril by Kenny Slocum, Naturalist

Iowa, from a land management perspective, is somewhat

paradoxical. Its conservation educators fondly tout our

state as the incubator for some of the greatest figures in

American conservation history. Without Oskaloosa’s

Senator John F. Lacey, we might not have the Antiquities

Act, the 1906 law that empowered the President to declare

National Monuments. Without Burlington’s Aldo Leopold,

we may not have the concept of Wilderness as we know it

today: landscapes of true preservation, where “man himself

is a visitor who does not remain.”

And yet, to visit the

Leopold Wilderness,

Iowans must travel all

the way to New

Mexico. Iowa is one

of only six states in

the union with no

congressionally

designated

wilderness, despite

being the homeland of

one of its biggest

proponents. Such is the state’s great paradox. It is at once a

place of proud tradition, present struggles, and uncertain

futures.

Iowa is often referred as “the most biologically

altered state in the union.” Today, less than 1% of the land-

scape remains as it was pre-settlement. Less than 3% of the

state is public land – managed at a city, county, state, or

federal level – which ranks 49th in the

nation. Thanks Kansas!

However, small though it may be, much of that

public land exists thanks to remarkable prescience

displayed by several key figures in the early 1900’s. Iowa’s

early conservationist champions took up their cause in

response to the rapid degradation and disappearance of

wildlife habitat, species diversity, and natural landscapes.

These people lived to see the destruction of natural

resources, and sought to find a solution. Their dedication to

the lofty ideals of landscape preservation made Iowa a

leader of the broader “parks movement” occurring

nationally.

Iowa was not the first state to set aside land as a

state park. The state of California was gifted the Yosemite

Valley and Mariposa Grove in 1864 out of the federal

government’s public domain lands, establishing Yosemite

as a “state park” 45 years before it would become an icon

of the National Park Service. New York, New Jersey,

Wisconsin, and Minnesota also all had state parks before

Iowa.

Iowa, however, did have an important distinction

in how it determined suitable land for its state park system.

The Iowa Conservation Association was the driving force

behind the passage of the 1917 Iowa State Park law. The

ICA was a body composed of academics, true experts in

the subject matter concerning natural resources. The State

Park law enabled the establishment of state parks. In the

enabling legislation, state parks were to be created in areas

of “scientific interest, historical association, or scenic

quality.” (IA State House of Representatives, 1917) It is a

mandate that reflects the priorities of the scientifically-

minded ICA. Nowhere in that language does one find a

provision for recreation.

While other states had set aside public lands before

Iowa, no other states had done so with such specific

consideration to the ecological concerns, and relative

disregard for recreation. This singular focus on preserving

endangered elements of Iowa’s natural history caught the

attention of another prominent figure in the parks

movement: Steven Mather, the very first director of the

National Park Service.

Since its creation just a year before, in 1916, the

National Park Service under Mather had been inundated by

communities seeking park designations for their own back-

yard treasures. Mather found many of these places to be

“of insufficient character for a national park,” but

recognized their inherent value and struggled to find a

solution that protected the land, while preserving the NPS’

limited resources.

Enter Iowa, whose 1917 law made it the only state

with a robust and comprehensive approach to its parks,

albeit with a slightly vague definition of what qualified.

What stuck out in particular to Mather was the structure of

the Iowa Conservation Association, specifically its

composition of qualified academics who specifically

studied the places they sought to protect.

And so it was that Des Moines, Iowa, became the

sight of the very first National Conference on Parks in

1921. Park officials from

all around the country

gathered to talk shop, and

Iowa became a standard

bearer for how to deter-

mine sites in need of

protection, and how to

protect them.

A decade later, in

1931, Iowa would again

take the lead when the Board of Conservation combined

with the Fish and Game commission to create the Iowa

Twenty-Five Year Conservation Plan. This was the first

such effort, by any state, to undertake comprehensive stud-

ies of long-term resource conservation needs as they relat-

ed to state parks’ development.

In other words, the land came first. The priority

was in restoring and maintaining ecosystem health;

The Civilian Conservation Corps con-structing the bridge at Ledges State Park

Iowa’s Wildlife Management Areas, tiny relics of a once-vast wilderness

7

any benefits to the visiting public in terms of recreation

were nearly incidental. The plan recognized the value of

ecosystem services, and more importantly, recognized the

need for long-term planning to provide for them.

The plan became a model for other states, who

adopted their own long-term conservation plans based on

the wisdom of the Hawkeye state. By having such a plan –

one that provided for the present and the future – Iowa was

able to take full advantage of the newly-minted Civilian

Conservation Corps, whose footprint remains visible in a

multitude of city, county, and state parks. By the 1940’s,

the focus of Iowa’s conservationists had sharpened even

further. Efforts spearheaded by Louise Parker found the

state’s Conservation

Commission acquiring

land for preserves,

lands specifically set

aside with little to no

development,

recreational or

otherwise. Staples of

modern nature

enthusiasts – White

Pine Hollow, Hanging

Bog, Bixby – currently

enjoy the level of protection they do thanks to previous

generations of Iowans, who dreamt big against the never-

ending encroachment of agricultural development and pri-

vatization. No other state had a template from which the

Conservation Commission could borrow a strategy and

ethos; they had to be the change.

It’s a proud history, yet it is a history decidedly at

odds with present headlines. Early conservationists fought

tooth and nail to make forestry a part of the conservation

association’s duties; just months ago the Iowa DNR axed

its forestry bureau entirely. In politically correct language,

the IDNR “consolidated” the forestry bureau in order to

“streamline” operations. It’s especially unfortunate in light

of the fact that the Iowa DNR itself was already a consoli-

dation of the Water, Air, & Waste commission, the

Geological Survey, parts of the Iowa Energy Policy Coun-

cil, and of course the Conservation Commission.

Figures like Thomas MacBride, Bohumil Shimek,

Ada Hayden, and Louis Pammel loom large over Iowa’s

pioneering conservation history – true students of nature,

blessed with keen skills of observation and incredible

foresight. They dedicated their lives to the puritanical

pursuit of preservation, recognizing the inherent value of

nature not as a source of extractable resources, but a font

of ecological, physical, and even psychological health.

These bold academic figures are contrasted today by an

Iowa DNR whose two most recent governor-appointed

directors include a dairy farmer, and a lawyer. These

individuals are well-qualified and have a sincere concern

for natural resources, but their appointment shows a

distinct departure for the puritanical ideals of decades past.

The land for Iowa’s first state parks was purchased

by local citizens, with the express purpose of long-term

preservation and conservation. Many state and national

parks were created out of “public domain” land, yet Iowa’s

parks had to come from private hands. It’s part of a legacy

of caring. An engaged public had to take specific action to

see those lands protected and available to all its citizens.

Iowa, with her postage-stamp plots of public land, had to

plan for continued care to keep the developed world from

creeping into the few remaining wild places.

Today sees Iowans calling for the relinquishing of

public lands that are “going to waste,” because a lack of

funding has led to a lack of management. Today sees a

denial of responsibility for polluted waterways; a staunch

insistence that people should be able to do what they

please on private land regardless of the laws of hydrody-

namics.

People see dollar signs in timber stands, and

cannot seem to remember why that tract of old growth

remains at all amidst the row crops and subdivisions that

replaced most others. It calls to mind the aphorism of

philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot

remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This

clichéd quote typically seeks to warn people, but in the

context of Iowa’s conservation history it has an element of

hope.

There seems to be a collective amnesia regarding

how and why public lands exist in Iowa. There certainly

seems to be a lack of education on just how many now-

mainstream park management principles stemmed from

Iowan revolutionaries. Perhaps by forgetting its storied

past, Iowa’s citizens have “condemned” themselves to re-

peat it. A lofty dream? Perhaps. But lofty dreams are the

reason Iowans can enjoy a stroll under the dense canopy at

Yellow River State Forest. Lofty dreams are what keeps

coldwater streams full of trout. Without lofty dreams, Iowa

might not have a proud history to forget at all.

White Pine Hollow State Preserve, a local treasure saved by foresight.

Tornadic destruction at Pike’s Peak State Park. Budget cuts and hiring freezes have left the park with just one full-time

employee, meaning trails were closed for months.

8

The Clayton County Conservation Board does not discriminate against anyone on

the basis of race, color, sex, creed, national origin, age or handicap. If anyone be-

lieves he or she has been subjected to such discrimination, he or she may file a

complaint alleging discrimination with either the Clayton County Conservation Board

or the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Dept. of Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240

Clayton County Conservation

Osborne Conservation Center

29862 Osborne Rd, Elkader, IA 52043

(563) 245-1516

Conservation Board Members:

Gary Kregel, Garber……………..............Chair

Daryl Landsgard, St. Olaf..………...Vice Chair

Larry Stone, Elkader……...………….Secretary

Marilyn Lenth, Postville………..…….Member

Pam Vaske, Strawberry Point………...Member

Staff Jenna Pollock……………...………....Director

Marty Mulford………...Operations Supervisor

Tucker Anderson…....…..Ranger/Special Proj.

Abbey Harkrader….…..…………...Naturalist

Kenny Slocum…….…..…………...Naturalist

Molly Scherf………......…….Office Manager

Tammie Kraus…….…..….…Office Assistant

Deron Hakert...………..…...…...Maintenance

The mission of the Clayton County Conservation Board is to promote the health and general welfare of

the people and to encourage preservation, conservation, education, and recreation through responsible

use and appreciation of our natural resources and cultural heritage.

Monday-Saturday

8:00am - 4:00pm

Sunday

Closed

Native Wildlife Exhibit Hours

Everyday 10-4:00

Clayton County Conservation Board meetings are the

second Tuesday of every month at 6:00pm in the

Osborne Center Auditorium.

Meetings are open to the public.

Visit: www.claytoncountyconservation.org