Floyd County Conservation hosts a volunteer day.

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

A team of eight volunteers helped paint floors at various buildings at Tosanak Recreation Center Saturday, April 29, for Floyd County Conservation.

On a colder-than-usual end-of-April afternoon, volunteers from Floyd County and Valero helped Floyd County Conservation prepare for its open house next Saturday.

A grant that Floyd County Conservation got from Keep Iowa Beautiful allowed the workers to paint the floors of several of the shelters at Tosanak Recreation Center.

“Typically what we do on volunteer days is a painting project, a stick pick-up or planting trees or flowers,” said Adam Sears, Floyd County Conservation director.

Using hand tools and not heavy machinery is the goal for most volunteer projects, Sears said.

“Its nice to get the (people) numbers for these projects,” he said.

The Redtail and Kingfisher shelters were able to get floor paint jobs on Saturday.

“I think it (the grant) was enough for eight gallons of floor enamel paint,” said Heidi Reams of Floyd County Conservation.

Floyd County Conservation has a volunteer day at least once a year, but they are usually as needed or as schedules allows, Reams said.

“It’s helps our regular visitors to say, ‘I did that’ when they come back later,” Reams said.

Scout groups helped out Sunday, April 30, with Trees For Kids tree planting, Reams said.

“We try to spread out our volunteering with different organizations,” Reams said.

All of this is being done to prepare for the open house planned for Tosanak by the Floyd County Conservation.

“That’s the big thing coming up for us,” Sears said. “We want to serve food out of these buildings.”

There will be a 5K race at Tosanak Fossil and Prairie Center in the morning prior to the open house, he said.

“At 10 o’clock people can start showing up and enjoying the different activities,” Sears said.

There will be tram rides to take people to different locations, and a freewill donation lunch, Sears said.