Floyd County Conservation gears up for fall season

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

As summer winds down, homework assignments start piling up.

Fall is the time of year when Heidi Reams’ calendar begins filling fast.

Reams, the Floyd County naturalist, is busy booking dates to lead school field trips on tours of the Fossil and Prairie Park just outside Rockford.

“Fall is as good a time as any to get out. It’s not so hot. There’s not as many bugs,” said Reams.

Students come from all over the state to experience the beauty and wonder of the Devonian Period Fossil Park and Prairie Center.

The park and center close at the end of October. But that leaves plenty of time for visitors or nature enthusiasts to make the trek to one of the hidden gems in the state right here in Floyd County.

“Every winter we try to change up our exhibit some so that if people have been here before, that they want to come back and it’s not the same old thing,” said Reams.

She said attendance is up at the park, which draws school groups from as far as Ames or Marion County, which is about an hour south of Des Moines. Reams will schedule field trips and classroom visits for area schools in addition to many north Iowa counties like Winnebago, Kossuth, Hancock, Bremer, Worth and Chickasaw.

Reams said students from the Nevada School District, near Ames, have made it a tradition to take a two-hour bus ride up to the park every year.

“They come up for the day,” said Reams.

One recent addition to the park is the creation of an amphitheater that was built at the northwest corner of the center. The amphitheater was built by Otto’s Oasis and cost roughly $12,000. Around half of that cost was funded by an anonymous $6,000 private donation.

“That’s going to be a great backdrop once the grass gets established,” said Reams. “It’s still developing.”

Reams said anyone can enjoy the amphitheater when the park is open, from sunrise to sunset. Reams said the amphitheater will be one of the “stations” that students will learn about during their field trips, and she’s already seen graduation photos taken by the amphitheater.

The outdoor arena was the perfect spot for Floyd County Conservation’s Outdoor Movie Night this past Saturday. Around 20 movie-goers grabbed a blanket and munched on popcorn and candy while watching “Jurassic World” play on a big screen overlooking two ponds that are part of the 400-acre park.

“Everyone loved it and it worked perfect – bring your blanket and find a spot,” said Reams.

Anyone with a license can fish at the two ponds or at the quarry at the Fossil Park. Two floating docks have been installed at the east end of the quarry.

Floyd County Conservation Director Adam Sears said two other docks are currently being worked on and could be placed in the far pond within the next month or so.

An otter and mink mount are two new pieces that were recently added to the prairie center. There’s also an otter pelt that joins fox, coyote and badger furs, to name a few, that people can feel and look at. Sears said a couple of mounted squirrel should arrive by winter.

There are plenty of activities to do this fall at the park. The Fossil and Prairie Park 5K Run/Walk will take place starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Monarch tagging is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15.

There is also a youth pheasant hunt scheduled to teach hunters tips and techniques on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Gilman G. White Conservation Area. The area is 10 miles east of Charles City and four miles southeast of Colwell. The wildlife preserve features 200 acres of newly restored prairie.

Sears said the new four-season, family-sized Tosanak log cabin could possibly be rented out by the middle of September. Tosanak Recreation Area is open year-round and reservations to stay in the new log cabin can be made at any time.

For more information, contact Floyd County Conservation at 651-756-3490.