Nature Preserves NEAR GRINNELL

Center for Prairie Studies his guide introduces fi ve natural areas within 15 miles of Grinnell, Iowa, that are open to the public. Together these fi ve Tpreserves provide a good representation of the nature of “natural areas” in east-central Iowa. We invite you to use this guide to enhance your exploration of the Conard Environmental Research Area, Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve, the Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park, Rock Creek State Park, and Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary. The guide provides information about and images of the natural features and plants and animals that can be found in each of the fi ve areas, and also commentary on conservation efforts and needs. We hope this publication gives you a greater appreciation of nature in the Grinnell area.

You may download a printer-friendly version of the guide at the Center for Prairie Studies website, www.grinnell.edu/academic/cps.

Russell Tabbert at the Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park

The text of this guide was written by Russell Tabbert. He is a nature enthusiast from Grinnell and a retired English professor from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He enjoys volunteering at Grinnell area preserves and has been especially involved in managing Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary.

Larissa Mottl and Laureen Van Wyk collaborated on the design and layout of this publication. Larissa manages the Grinnell College Conard Environmental Research Area and assists with Center for Prairie Studies programs and publications. Laureen Van Wyk is the program associate for the Center for Prairie Studies and manages and coordinates Center for Prairie Studies programs, special projects, and publications.

Center for Prairie Studies staff

Professor Jonathan Andelson ’70, director Larissa Mottl, biological fi eld station manager Laureen Van Wyk, program associate

© Copyright Grinnell College, 2009 Table of Contents

Preserve Location Map …………………………………………………………………………… 4

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Conard Environmental Research Area ………………………………………………………… 11

Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve ………………………………………………………………… 21

Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park ………………………………………………………… 31

Rock Creek State Park …………………………………………………………………………… 39

Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary …………………………………………………… 47

Appendix A: Scientifi c Names of Plants Referenced in Text ……………………………… 55

Appendix B: Image Credits ……………………………………………………………………… 57 Preserve Locations

N Legend Preserves Guide Area

Reservoirs and ponds Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve (450 acres) Rock Creek State Park (1,697 acres) Rock Creek Wildlife Management Area (254 acres) Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park (444 acres) Conard Environmental Research Area (365 acres) Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary (49 acres) Preserve entrances

4 Introduction

his guide introduces fi ve natural areas within 15 miles of types of public areas, including parks, preserves, playgrounds, TGrinnell that are open to the public. All are west of town recreation centers, forests, and wildlife areas.”2 Although the in Jasper County. Rock Creek State Park and the Reichelt Unit land trust movement has not become well established in Iowa, of Rock Creek State Park are owned by the Iowa Department two private organizations have played a recent role in natural of Natural Resources. Conard Environmental Research Area area preservation. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (www. (CERA) is owned by Grinnell College. Sugar Creek Audubon inhf.org) and the Nature Conservancy of Iowa (www.nature. Nature Sanctuary is owned by the Tallgrass Prairie Audubon org/wherewework/northamerica/states/iowa) acquire lands with Society, the local Audubon chapter; and Jacob Krumm Nature signifi cant natural values, usually transferring ownership or Preserve is owned by the Jasper County Conservation Board. management to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources or Together these fi ve preserves provide a good representation of to a county conservation board.3 the nature of “natural areas” in this part of Iowa. As a consequence of this history of land preservation, all natural areas in Iowa, including those described here, have been impacted by agricultural or other utilitarian practices. Background Understanding this fact is central to understanding the nature of Iowa’s natural areas. It is also key to understanding the ecause the land that became Iowa was surveyed and challenges of managing the resources. Bsold by the federal government in the mid- and late-19th century, no public preserves were established from land in the public domain. No features of Iowa’s landscape inspired a movement such as that which saved Yellowstone from Prairie disposal. The single focus was to get land into private hands. Thus, all of Iowa’s parks and other protected natural areas have n 1847, at the time of survey by the Government Land been established by acquiring private land. There is only a tiny IOffi ce, this part of Iowa was largely tallgrass prairie, an amount of federally owned land in Iowa. The largest piece, ecosystem dominated by grasses and colored with dozens of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, is a several-thousand- species of wildfl owers (“forbs”). Periodic fi res, either caused acre prairie reconstruction in southwest Jasper County, about by lightning or set by Native Americans, kept most heat- 35 miles from Grinnell as the crow fl ies. sensitive brush and trees from invading. But in Iowa, prairie has virtually disappeared, mostly under the farmer’s plow, but While many other state governments were establishing public also under the shade of trees and shrubs after the elimination of land preserves in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Iowa did regular fi res. Only scattered remnants of native prairie remain not pass a law authorizing state parks until 1917. The fi rst such today, including small patches at all fi ve of these Jasper County park, Backbone State Park along the Maquoketa River, was not preserves, the largest and best one being at the Reichelt Unit. established until 1920.1 County-owned natural areas, such as Krumm Preserve, were not possible until much later. In 1955, In recent years, as enthusiasm for prairies has grown, many the state legislature authorized counties to vote on whether to individuals and organizations are “reconstructing” prairie by “levy taxes for park funds and to create county conservation sowing or drilling seeds on land, especially cropland, from boards with authority to acquire, control, and manage several which prairie has long been absent. Although reconstructions

big bluestem Indiangrass Canada wild rye switchgrass

1 Rebecca Conard, Places of Quiet Beauty: Parks, Preserves, and 2 Conard, 230–231. Environmentalism. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1997, 36, 54. 3 The websites of these two organizations give information about their activities. Neither group owns land in the immediate Grinnell area.

5 usually lack the species diversity of good-quality native prairies for miles in all directions one gorgeous mass of variant remnants, large ones, such as those at CERA and Krumm, beauty.”4 can give us a hint of what it must have been like living in or traveling through the original tallgrass prairie. Six striking forbs that occur in many of the Jasper County reconstructions and remnants are compass plant, lead plant, It is the shoulder and head-high grasses that give this plant rattlesnake master, round-headed bush clover, prairie blazing, community its name. In order of prominence, they are big and butterfl y milkweed. bluestem, Indiangrass, Canada wild rye, and switchgrass.

little bluestem prairie dropseed side-oats grama

Important shorter prairie grasses are little bluestem, prairie The common names of plants sometimes refl ect folk wisdom. dropseed, and side-oats grama. What you cannot see of these For example, the presence of lead plant supposedly indicated plants is equally impressive: they have root systems that go that lead ore was to be found there. Or the venom of a down several feet into the ground, making them far more rattlesnake bite could be counteracted by applying a poultice drought resistant than shallow-rooted grasses such as corn. made from the root of the rattlesnake master. However, in the (Yes, corn is a grass, though much modifi ed by plant breeding case of the compass plant, there is a rough accuracy in the and now genetic engineering.) name. The large, many-lobed leaves do more-or-less face east- west, thus pointing north-south.5

compass plant lead plant rattlesnake round-headed prairie butterfly master bush clover blazing star milkweed

Not so well represented in most reconstructions are the forbs, 4 Reprinted in Glenda Riley, ed., Prairie Voices: Iowa’s Pioneering the wildfl owers, that color high-quality native prairie. Early Women (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996), 218–219. pioneer accounts of the Midwest marveled at the carpets of 5 An excellent guide to prairie plants is Tallgrass Prairie blossoms. Here is Joanna Harris Haines 1865 recalling her Wildfl owers: A Field Guide to Common Wildfl owers and Plants of the arrival in the Grinnell area in 1855: “Another thing I shall Prairie Midwest (second edition) by Doug Ladd and Frank Oberle remember as long as I live with unalloyed and inexpressible (Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press, 2005). The plants are arranged according to blossom color and, within the color groupings, by time pleasure was the magnifi cence of the wild fl owers that made the of fl owering. A guide specifi c to Iowa and with more technical detail is An Illustrated Guide to Iowa Prairie Plants by Paul Christiansen and Mark Müller (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1999). It is arranged according to plant family and has excellent line drawings.

6 Savanna

nother important, though much smaller, plant community Ain presettlement Iowa was savanna. It was comprised of oaks of a similar age and of a ground layer of grasses and forbs. These plants and the fallen oak leaves provided fuel for the frequent fi res that moved through from the prairie. The thick, heat-resistant bark of the oaks, especially bur oaks, allowed them to survive and grow, but the fi res kept other heat-sensitive trees and brush from becoming established there. Savannas ranged from widely-spaced oaks in open, park-like settings— what the European settlers called “oak openings”—to close- growing stands. wood betony

Today savanna is rare in Iowa. The original has either been Woodland destroyed or, with the removal of fi re, invaded by thick stands of shade-tolerant trees and shrubs. In wooded areas of several ike savanna, Iowa woodlands, comprised of closer-growing of these Jasper County preserves, you will notice large bur Ltrees, also had periodic ground fi re in presettlement times, oaks with spreading lower limbs, but these lateral limbs are keeping them relatively free of dense understory. This allowed now dead and leafl ess. This is a good indication that the trees suffi cient light for growth of a rich layer of wildfl owers, grew to maturity in an open setting, allowing sunlight to reach sedges, and grasses. Today ungrazed woodlands are often their lower limbs. But as shade-tolerant trees like elm, shagbark thick with “weedy” trees such as mulberry, elm, and box elder and with underbrush such as gooseberry, multifl ora rose, and gray dogwood, to name just a few. The resulting heavy shade has severely reduced the variety and number of ground- level plants, except in early spring before leaves on the trees and shrubs appear. Thus, today woodland wildfl owers are primarily a spring phenomenon, typically from about April 15 through early May. They are often referred to as the “spring ephemerals.” Among those that brighten the woods in our area are Virginia bluebell, Dutchman’s breeches, and Mayapple.

If a woodland has been heavily grazed by cattle or other livestock, the invasion of trees and shrubs has been inhibited. However, grazing severely impacts the wildfl owers and other bur oak plants that grow on the forest fl oor, eventually killing them and leaving the ground available to weedy species. In the hickory, box elder, and mulberry took root and thrived around woodlands of these fi ve Jasper County preserves, you will and beneath, they blocked enough light to the leaves on the see the whole range of quality. The spring wildfl owers are lower branches of the oaks to cause the limbs to die. The especially nice at CERA and Sugar Creek Audubon Nature presence of these “shade-pruned” limbs is a good indication Sanctuary. that the oaks had grown to maturity in the open without competition.

Recently interest has been growing in savanna restoration. The process is very labor intensive, but without it there is no hope of retaining examples of this important, endangered Midwestern plant community. It involves cutting and removing the invasive trees, leaving the oaks. And it requires reintroduction of controlled burning of the ground layer to deter reestablishment of unwanted woody species and to stimulate growth of the forbs, sedges, and grasses that had been inhibited by shade or destroyed by grazing. There is an excellent example of savanna restoration at Grinnell College’s CERA.

Some of the herbaceous species one might expect to fi nd in a savanna include bottlebrush grass, New Jersey tea, wood betony, and Joe pye weed. Virginia bluebell

7 Thicket Aerial photos from 1940 show Sugar Creek meandering into and through what is now the Audubon preserve and squiggling prominent habitat type at several of these Jasper County east and then south into, through, and below what is now A natural areas is what might be called “thicket.” It has Krumm. It is still fl owing naturally in a 1955 aerial. But by developed after preserve status on what was previously open 1967, the stream had been channelized except for the portion land such as permanent pasture, hay land, or cropland. Now, in the Audubon preserve and in the narrow strip of land that however, large areas have been taken over by close-growing connects east and west Krumm. It runs straight and smooth trees, shrubs, and brush. These include natives such as above the Audubon preserve and between it and Krumm and hawthorn, elm, wild plum, and gray dogwood, and exotics such below Krumm. The North Skunk now fl ows arrow-straight as multifl ora rose, autumn olive, and Tartarian honeysuckle, through a portion of CERA, but the original course is clearly among others. Except for some areas at Reichelt, this explosive visible on the adjacent fl oodplain. Historic and recent aerial encroachment of woody species is not the result of plantings, photos are reproduced in the sections describing each preserve. but rather of natural reproduction in the absence of checks such as fi re, grazing, or cultivation. Straightening these streams allowed farmers to avoid having to conform their planting to the twists and turns of the channels in their fi elds. Also at about this same time farmers were installing extensive networks of drainage tile to draw the water away Aquatic Habitats from low areas they cultivated or wanted to cultivate. The result of this tiling was to put water into the stream channel more ecause this part of Iowa has not been glaciated for at least quickly, and the effect of the channelization was to speed these B500,000 years, its gently rolling land is relatively well larger surges of water downstream unimpeded by meanders. drained, and it therefore lacks the extensive wetlands found Thus we have the deeply and widely eroded channels we see originally in the “prairie pothole” country of central and north- now, what are essentially drainage ditches. These modifi cations central Iowa. The absence of recent glaciation also means there of stream fl ow severely degraded or destroyed the habitat for are no natural lakes and very few natural ponds. To remedy native fi sh and other aquatic species and for many species of this defi ciency, a tradition has developed among landowners animals and birds that utilized the rich streamside wetlands and and natural resource agencies to impound water behind dams plant communities for recreation, for wildlife habitat, and for soil conservation purposes. Rock Creek Lake is a large, shallow artifi cial lake. The water in Sugar Creek and the North Skunk, like that in And there are artifi cial ponds at CERA, Krumm, and Reichelt. most Iowa streams, is polluted with excess sediment and nutrients. During periods of rain or snowmelt, runoff from The streams that fl ow through three of these preserves—Sugar fi elds carries soil, fertilizer, pesticides, and manure into the Creek through the Audubon sanctuary and Krumm and the streams. North Skunk River through a corner of CERA—illustrate what has happened to many of Iowa’s drainages. Until the early 1900s, these streams had meandering channels that were narrow and shallow, often with adjacent wetlands, wooded Wildlife areas, and fl oodplains. Now, however, they have widely and deeply eroded channels, and in much of their length crops n the words of Indian Agent Joseph Street, describing a grow right up to the treeless banksides. This results from two Ivisit to an area in northern Iowa in 1833, “I had never rode modifi cations to the land to accommodate row-crop agriculture: through a country so full of game.”6 The prairies, wetlands, straightening streams (“channelization”) and tiling fi elds in woods, and savannas of presettlement Iowa provided rich the watersheds to speed drainage and to convert wetlands to habitat for a variety of life. The subsequent division of the land cultivation. and the conversion of it into farms has resulted in tremendous reduction and alteration of environments for wildlife. Iowa is said to have one of the most modifi ed landscapes of any of the states. Further impact has been caused in recent decades by the rise of large-scale, intensive row-crop farming in which fence lines, pasture, and hay land have been drastically reduced and crop diversity has been virtually eliminated in favor of only corn and soybeans. Another recent trend is what can be called “rural sprawl”—the construction of residences on acreages that oftentimes had been good wildlife habitat, especially in pieces of mature woodland, but which now have become manicured landscaping.

6 Quoted in James J. Dinsmore, A Country So Full of Game: The Story Sugar Creek of Wildlife in Iowa. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1994, 1.

8 2. Man’s actions—and inactions—have been integral to this process of change and will continue to be so.

3. Therefore, keeping hands off and “letting nature take its course” will not lead to some truer or more natural condition. Doing nothing is, in fact, doing something and will have different results from other management approaches.

In 30 or 50 or 100 years, what will people who visit these natural areas see? Will they feel that we have successfully fulfi lled the purposes of a nature preserve? cedar waxwings

For all of these reasons, islands of nature such as these fi ve Helping Nature in Nature Preserves preserves are especially important for wildlife today. t each of these preserves—and in most others in the Astate—serious management challenges go unmet because Managing Nature in a Nature Preserve of lack of funds and staff. You can help by volunteering. Increasingly nature enthusiasts are pitching in by committing he level of natural resource management in these fi ve their labor and expertise to a particular preserve or resource Tprotected areas in east Jasper County ranges from intense, agency or organization, doing such things as cutting invasive active management at CERA to very little management at the brush, assisting with controlled burns, removing alien plants, Reichelt Unit. Visiting any of these “natural areas” can raise collecting seed for restorations, leading nature hikes, serving some interesting considerations about a “nature preserve.” on “friends of” groups, and doing species inventories. What is the nature of the nature in these and similar protected By becoming a volunteer, you will be rewarded with the areas in Iowa and the Midwest? After 150 years of intensive knowledge that you are helping in a cause that is important to use, man’s imprint is everywhere: on the contours of the you, and you will have the pleasure of working with other like- land, on the water resources, on the wildlife, and on the plant minded people and with knowledgeable, dedicated staff. Each communities. What is it from earlier, more “natural” conditions of the preserves described in this guide welcomes volunteers. that has been “preserved”? Does what we see now relate in any Contact information is given in the individual sections. direct or important ways to the nature that was here 150 years ago at the time before European agriculture began? Should the You can also help by becoming an advocate for nature and goal of managing a nature preserve be to defend what little for Iowa’s natural areas. Two membership organizations that remains of earlier conditions and to reconstruct examples of promote appreciation and protection of our native habitats are what has been lost? This will mean continuing and aggressive the Iowa Prairie Network (www.iowaprairienetwork.org) and the efforts to reconstruct and manage the prairies, woodlands, Iowa Native Plant Society (www.public.iastate.edu/~herbarium/ savannas, and wetlands. inps/index.php). The Iowa Nature Conservancy and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation are two organizations involved Or does any of that matter? If we are part of nature, then are in acquiring land for natural area preserves. (Their websites the effects of our actions (and inactions) “natural” too? In were provided earlier in this Introduction section.) Both are presettlement time, fi re and to a lesser extent grazing by bison membership groups and both use volunteers. County chapters maintained prairie, savanna, and woodland. With the coming of Pheasants Forever also provide fi nancial support for habitat of Europeans, cultivation and grazing by domestic livestock protection and enhancement (www.iowapheasantsforever.org). also kept invading brush and trees at bay. Now, however, with And of course, there is always the need to encourage legislators grazing and cropping removed from these preserves, the areas and state and county offi cials to give higher funding priority that are not managed with fi re and cutting are being overtaken to natural areas. One organization that engages actively in the by woody invasives. Should this be a concern? Is this a political and governing processes on behalf of nature is the “natural” process, and is that what should be “preserved,” that Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club (www.iowa.sierraclub.org). is, letting nature take its course?

The following assumptions seem true:

1. The nature that we see now in these and similar “natural areas” is not a fi xed, “preserved” condition but is the result of a long prehistoric and historic process of change. That process of change is happening now and will continue.

9 10 Conard Environmental Research Area Conard Environmental Research Area

he Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) is a 365- Tacre preserve located about 15 miles west of Grinnell. It is owned and managed by Grinnell College.

To get to CERA using Interstate 80, go west about nine miles from Grinnell to the Kellogg exit (173). Turn north on Highway 224 and go approximately a quarter mile to the fi rst gravel road (South 12th Avenue East). To get to this point using Highway 6, go west about nine miles to Highway 224 (the Kellogg intersection). Go south one mile to the fi rst gravel road (South 12th Avenue East). Then go east on this gravel road about a mile and a half to the CERA entrance on the right. It is clearly marked with a large sign. There is a parking area immediately inside the entrance, another one-third of a mile down the lane on the right, another a quarter mile farther on at the Environmental Education Center, and still another a quarter mile farther at the end of the gravel lane.

12 Still another parking area, which gives access to the forest trail, savanna remnants, control exotic species, and reintroduce fi re is located just off the county gravel road one third of a mile to all habitats. east of the main entrance just before the bridge over the North Skunk River. Historic and recent aerial photographs are included at the end of the description for this preserve. The aerials serve as a visual CERA’s noteworthy natural habitats include large areas confi rmation of the changes in the vegetation over time that are of reconstructed prairie, restored oak savanna, and high referred to in the text. quality woodland. At the preserve, Grinnell College students and faculty study a wide range of biological and resource management topics. It has also been used extensively by art students. CERA is open to the public, and the College Prairie encourages its use for activities compatible with its purpose, bout 115 acres of prairie have been reconstructed on including hiking, bird-watching, photography, drawing and formerly cropped land. The plantings range in diversity painting, and other no-impact types of nature study and A from several large areas that contain primarily the four enjoyment. Regulations for visitors are the following: originally seeded grass species (big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, and switchgrass) to smaller areas that have been • Do not enter experimental areas or disturb equipment, enriched with up to 80 species of forbs. The most diverse are fl ags, stakes, or markers. the areas along the entrance road. The fi rst one (A) is burned • Do not remove anything, pick fl owers, or disturb plants, annually in the fall. The second (“Deaner Prairie,” B), the most fungi, or animals. diverse prairie at CERA, is burned every two or three years, • Motorized vehicles are allowed only on designated roads. usually in the fall. On the other (south) side of the entrance • Park in designated areas. lane, the west part (C) is burned every three or four years. • Bicycles may be used on roads and fi rebreaks, but not on For comparison, the unit just to the east (D) is left unburned. woodland trails. Another area that has been enriched with forbs is the prairie just • Horses are prohibited. to the south of the Graham Lab (E). Species growing in these • Hike on marked trails or mowed fi rebreaks. diverse prairies include lead plant, compass plant, prairie dock, • Dogs must be kept under control at all times. white wild indigo, pale purple conefl ower, purple conefl ower, thimbleweed, Ohio spiderwort, foxglove, showy goldenrod, and A network of well-maintained and clearly marked trails leads New England aster. around and through the various habitats of CERA. Many of the units are posted with interpretive signs describing key species A number of CERA prairie reconstructions consist primarily and management practices. of the originally seeded tallgrass species (F). They have not been enriched with forbs, but some aggressive species have colonized naturally, including tall goldenrod, sawtooth History sunfl ower, and heath aster.

he land that today forms CERA was historically used On either side of the road leading to the Graham Lab, a series Tfor crops and pasture starting in the mid-19th century. of 38 experimental plots, each 10 by 20 meters square, has been However, already in the early 20th century, Grinnell College laid out (G) to study effects of fi re (including the timing of it biology professors and students visited its forest, taking the and the absence of it) on prairie growth, fl owering, and seed train to Kellogg and then walking to the property.2 In 1968, the production. Students also study soil properties, invertebrates, College purchased the 365 acres and named it to honor Henry and other aspects of prairie ecology. S. Conard, an inspiring professor of botany at the College from 1906 to 1944 and an authority on Iowa’s fl ora and natural history. In the years of College ownership, Perry Pond was constructed (1972), Graham Lab was built (1983), and the modern Environmental Education Center opened (2005). A program of intensive management and restoration was begun early on. By 1988, all former cropland had been planted to native prairie grasses. More recently, management goals have been to increase species diversity, restore prairie and oak

2 This information and what follows is derived from the pamphlet “CERA: Conard Environmental Research Area” © Grinnell College 2002 and from the CERA website (www.grinnell.edu/academic/biol- ogy/cera). Visit the website for much more detailed information. white wild indigo showy goldenrod

13 A small remnant prairie across Willow Creek in the southwest Other areas of degraded oak savanna at CERA (K and L) are corner of CERA (H) is being rehabilitated through burning slowly being restored through this same process of thinning, and removal of woody species. Among the forbs present here interseeding, and burning. are lead plant, rough and prairie blazing star, and butterfl y milkweed. Two species uncommon in our area that grow in the remnant are Hill’s thistle and Great Plains ladies’-tresses. Woodland/Forest

he distinction between savanna and woodland or forest is Savanna Tnot clear cut, either in theory or on the ground. Experts use various percentages of canopy cover and what grows beneath n the 1980s, Karl DeLong, at the time a professor of biology it to distinguish several categories. In one classifi cation, Iat the College and CERA director and restoration manager, savanna has 5 to 30 percent coverage, closed savanna 30 to began some of the fi rst savanna restoration in Iowa in the 70 percent coverage, and woodland and forest more than 70 approximately 35 acres marked I and J on the map. Prior to percent. Forest is distinguished from woodland by having a College ownership, the areas had been heavily grazed. Aerial woody understory.3 In reality, they blend. For example, the photos show only large oaks set in grassland. After grazing open savanna at I becomes closed savanna and woodland south ended, invasive trees such as elm and white mulberry and toward Willow Creek and in the central and eastern part of J. shrubs such as multifl ora rose became established. By the 1980s, according to DeLong, this encroachment “had turned At CERA, there is an especially nice forest, with understory the grassland between the large oaks into a thicket of native and trees and shrubs, on the bluff above the North Skunk River exotic woody plants.”2 and on the slopes leading down to its fl ood plain (M). This approximately 40-acre area was probably forested for 1,000 Clearing began in 1989, and ground-layer burning began years until logged in the 1860s to aid railroad construction. In shortly thereafter. Native forbs and grasses known to occur in the years following, although the area was no doubt grazed, an this habitat were selectively interseeded. The extensive thinning upland forest consisting of white oak, shagbark hickory, red has increased the availability of light to the oaks and to the oak, basswood, and ironwood became re-established. In the herbaceous vegetation. Regular prescribed burning has helped spring, a rich variety of wildfl owers covers the woodland fl oor. to suppress unwanted woody species and to stimulate the Starting in mid-April, the delicate pink and white blossoms

bottlebrush grass spring beauty prairie trillium growth and fl owering of grasses and forbs, both those that have and grass-like leaves of spring beauty create a carpet of color been added, like bottlebrush grass, and those that have been against the dull brown-gray of the dead leaves. Following revived. More open parts now have grasses typical of prairie, rapidly over the next few weeks are bluebell, rue anemone, including big and little bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, dogtooth violet, toothwort, Dutchman’s breeches, prairie prairie dropseed, and porcupine grass. Forbs include prairie trillium (which in spite of its common name is a rare woodland violet, New Jersey tea, cream gentian, and white prairie clover, plant), and many others. among others. Under greater canopy cover, plants such as sweet cicely and white snakeroot are more common. A checkerboard of 19 plots 25 meters square has been established along a central ridge top to test the effects of annual autumnal fi re on the ecosystem. Otherwise the management of this woodland has not included controlled burning.

2 Karl DeLong, “Savanna Restoration at the Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) of Grinnell College.” Presented at an Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Park Meeting, Nov. 4, 1998, 2. 3 Summarized in DeLong, 13.

14 Aquatic These “green” features have earned it Iowa’s fi rst Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certifi cation everal types of aquatic habitats at CERA have provided by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national standard for Ssources of inquiry for college students. The North Skunk high-performance, sustainable buildings. The building is open River fl ows through the northeast corner of CERA. Although to the public during normal weekday business hours. The the river was channelized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers classrooms may be in use during this time, but the restrooms, in the 1920s, some of the original oxbows are still evident drinking fountains, information kiosk, and hallway displays within the river’s historic forested fl oodplain. The river is are open to the public. Weekend tours of the facility can be highly polluted with sediment and varies greatly in fl ow, often accommodated if arrangements are made one to two weeks in meandering only as a small stream within its channel during the advance. summer. Beavers have been trapped and extirpated from many creeks and rivers in Iowa, but CERA staff have been pleased to In the prairie just south of the Environmental Education Center see beavers near the South 12th Avenue East river bridge and is a stone cairn built by British artist Andy Goldsworthy in the evidence of their tree harvesting in the fl oodplain. Bald eagles spring of 2001. It is made from Iowa limestone using dry-stone are often seen perched in the trees on the riverbank during the construction. It was photographed over a period of 18 months winter. to document the sculpture in varied conditions, including during a prairie burn in 2002. The resulting suite of panoramic images is now in the collection of the Des Moines Art Center. Goldsworthy often creates temporary sculptures outdoors, which he photographs as they change with their environment. Although considered a temporary work, the Prairie Cairn should last for decades before succumbing to the effects of weather.

In January 2007, a wind turbine was erected to provide more than 90 percent of the electricity needed by the Environmental Education Center. The 120-foot tower supports a 50 kW generator with 49.2-foot blades.

To learn more about the “green” features of the facilities at CERA, visit the kiosk website at: cera.grinnell.greentouchscreen.com. North Skunk River Contact Information Willow Creek fl ows east through CERA and drains into the North Skunk River about a mile past CERA. The creek fl ows or information about CERA, to arrange a tour, or to inquire all year round, fed in part by smaller, usually ephemeral creeks Fabout volunteering, contact Larissa Mottl, CERA manager, that fl ow from springs in upland areas. Students have studied at 641-269-4717 or [email protected]. nutrient levels in this creek and have searched for insects. Extensive information about CERA is available at www.grinnell.edu/academic/biology/cera. In 1972, a dam was built across Willow Creek to create another type of aquatic habitat for wildlife and research. Perry Pond fi lled in 1972 with 14 surface acres of water. It is about 14 feet deep and supports largemouth bass, bluegills, green sunfi sh, frogs, and many aquatic invertebrates. Dragonfl ies and damselfl ies are very abundant around the pond during the summer.

Of Special Note

he Environmental Education Center is a 7,500-square- Tfoot teaching and research facility with classroom, lab, greenhouse, and offi ce space. Its sweeping south window wall looks out onto a broad expanse of prairie grassland. The building has a high-effi ciency geothermal heating and cooling system and graywater recycling, and local and recycled materials and certifi ed wood products were used throughout. Prairie Cairn

15 Environmental Education Center and wind turbine

16 Aerial Photographs of the Conard Environmental Research Area

Please note that the preserve boundaries indicated on these aerial photographs are approximate. When visiting this preserve, please note signage and respect preserve and private property lines.

1930s

1955

17 Aerial Photographs of the Conard Environmental Research Area

1967

1994

18 Aerial Photographs of the Conard Environmental Research Area

2004

2007

19 20 Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve

acob Krumm Nature Preserve is a 450-acre natural area fi ve Jmiles southwest of Grinnell. It is owned and managed by the Jasper County Conservation Board (JCCB).

From the east, go south out of Grinnell on Highway 146 for two miles to 410th Avenue, a gravel road just before the

Super 8 Motel, and then west two and three-quarter miles to the preserve’s east parking area, or three and a quarter miles to the west parking area, called “Ahren’s Access.” (The name of the road changes in Jasper County to “Jacob Avenue.”) From the west, take Lynnville exit 179 from Interstate 80, go north on Highway T-38 a quarter mile, and then about a mile east on trail bridge Jacob Avenue.

22 gray-headed coneflower rough blazing star hoary puccoon

On the preserve’s gently rolling terrain are woodland, Prairie reconstructed and native prairie, brushy areas, a 25-acre lake, ponds, and a wetland. A well-maintained trail system loops entral to this goal was constructing what the students through the two units, providing routes of varying length for Ccalled “artifi cial prairie” on most of the fi elds that had hiking, running, mountain biking, and skiing. There are toilets, been in crops. The area east of the east parking lot (A), about drinking water, and picnic facilities adjacent to the east parking 20 acres, and the area north of the dam leading from the east area. Similar facilities were recently installed near the west parking lot (B), about 50 acres, are well-established prairie parking area. Fishing, boating, and pets (on leash) are allowed; reconstructions. They are burned periodically by the staff as hunting, motorized vehicles, and horses are not allowed. part of the management plan. An area in the west unit (C) was planted to prairie in the late 1990s and reseeded a few years later. It did not become well established. Notice the large areas History of brome and many rank, nonprairie plants interspersed with patches of big and little bluestem and occasional other prairie hen Jacob S. Krumm died in 1976, he bequeathed his plants. W370-acre farm, which he had operated since 1922, to the Jasper County Conservation Board “so that a wildlife preserve The small remnant prairie adjacent to the railroad tracks on the and park may be developed for the use and enjoyment of the north edge of the west unit (D) contains a number of typical people of the State of Iowa, and in particular the people of prairie forbs, including tall coreopsis, stiff goldenrod, rough Jasper and Poweshiek Counties, Iowa.” Since the land had blazing star, lead plant, rattlesnake master, compass plant, gray- been in agricultural use for well over a century, fulfi lling his headed conefl ower, pale purple conefl ower, hoary vervain, and wish required more than just ending the farming. A proposal hoary puccoon. developed in 1977 by four Grinnell College students called for “returning the land to what it once was, before it was cultivated Grasses here include the common prairie species little bluestem and over-grazed.” 1 Their plan for Krumm has been followed in and the less common rough dropseed. Although woody species, many respects by the county conservation board. such as sumac, are encroaching on this prairie remnant, the JCCB plans to burn this remnant periodically to reduce and halt Historic and recent aerial photographs are included at the end encroachment. of the description for this preserve. The aerials serve as a visual confi rmation of the changes in the vegetation over time that are referred to in the text. Savanna

he wooded area indicated at E on the map illustrates the 1 Julia Bell ’77, Robin Chazdon ’78, Peter Gerstenberger ’78, and Joel challenge of restoring and maintaining a savanna today. Spiegel ’78. “Prospectus of Jacob Krumm Wildlife Area,” May 12, T Where the East Loop Trail swings back south into the trees, 1977.

23 Unless these are cut and the stumps treated with chemicals to inhibit resprouting, in time the brush will dominate the understory and the trees will reach up into the oaks. Periodic ground fi re after cutting would keep future invasion in check. Spring wildfl owers found here are moderate in variety and number, suggesting a history of grazing. They include bluebell (around the entrance), trout lily (especially on the north side), Dutchman’s breeches, Jacob’s ladder, bloodroot, and Mayapple.

Another woodland at Krumm is a younger, mixed species stand in the west unit bordering the southwest side of the lake (G). The most common species here are shagbark hickory, black oak, bitternut hickory, and black cherry. The relatively open character of this young forest and the presence of stumps suggests that wood was harvested here and that it was grazed. oak savanna An aerial photo from 1940 shows this woodland smaller and with more scattered trees. In later photos it is seen expanding notice about a dozen large bur oaks with spreading lower limbs. and the canopy fi lling in. Spring wildfl owers here are the best In a 1940 aerial photo, crowns of individual trees are clearly of the three Krumm woodlands. They include Dutchman’s visible with spaces between. This allowed sunlight to reach breeches, trout lily, wild leek, Mayapple, bluebell, false their low, lateral limbs. But as shade-tolerant, rapid-growing Solomon’s seal, and wild geranium. trees like elm, box elder, and mulberry took root and thrived around and beneath, they blocked enough light to the leaves on the lower branches of the oaks to cause the limbs to die.

As you continue south along this leg of the trail and follow it around west and then back north, you come to an area where staff and volunteers have begun restoring savanna-like conditions. They have cut and removed the invasive trees, leaving the bur oaks, and have seeded in grasses and forbs. They have also reintroduced fi re through controlled burning of the ground layer to deter re-establishment of unwanted woody species and to stimulate growth of the forbs, sedges, and grasses.

Woodland bloodroot here are three small woodlands at Krumm. One is a mature Tstand of bur oaks on the southeast boundary (F). Notice that shrubs and saplings of other tree species (elm, black cherry, The third woodland is a small bur oak grove in the west unit and hackberry) are growing thickly beneath the oak canopy. just south of the small pond (H). Earlier aerial photos show a few widely spaced trees surrounded by open fi eld. The 1977 “Prospectus” by the Grinnell College students reported that “the native shrub and herb layers have been completely destroyed by over-grazing.” Found there now are weeds such as burdock and the nonnative shrubs multifl ora rose and Tartarian honeysuckle. Grazing and perhaps woodcutting may account for the fact that almost all the oaks here are multistem, having grown from resprouting. There is almost no spring fl ora here other than Mayapple and a few bluebells, so this area will be a good candidate for re-introducing spring wildfl owers in the future.

Thicket

erhaps the most remarkable change in the vegetation since Jacob’s ladder Pthe Krumm farm became the Krumm Nature Preserve is

24 the encroachment of brush and small trees, especially in areas that were permanent pasture and hay land. In aerial photos from 1940, 1955, and 1967, the only woodlands at those times were the three just mentioned. Along ravines and Sugar Creek there were scattered trees and brushy areas. Otherwise the farm was open, either under cultivation or in grass.

Now, however, large areas have been taken over by close- growing small trees, shrubs, and brush. For example, the portion of the trail on the west side of the lake between the two woodlands (I) is now fl anked by a dense mix of hawthorn, multifl ora rose, elm, and other species. Or in the east unit, the thick stands of wild plum and hawthorn along the trail have grown in since the property became a nature preserve in 1977. These do not represent plantings, but are natural expansion. constructed wetland These dense woody stands do provide excellent nesting and County. Within the narrow neck of land that connects east food habitat for many species of birds. Listen for the beautiful and west Krumm, the creek was not straightened, but below song of the brown thrasher and look for it perched in the top of that it was. However, on the west side of the picnic area in one of the taller trees. In April and early May, many of these the east unit (J) you can see some old streambed. Before thicket areas are colored with the blossoms of fi rst wild plums, channelization, the creek made a big half-moon loop to the then hawthorn (both white), and then the pink and white of the east into the backside of Jacob Krumm’s farmstead. The gently Iowa crabapple. sloping drop-off behind the toilets is the old stream bank.

On Krumm Preserve, several small drainages that would have Aquatic had wet areas have been dammed to form ponds and a lake. Recently, a semi-artifi cial marsh was created in a low area in he stream that cuts through the narrow neck of land the east unit in a process called wetland mitigation. First, dirt Tconnecting the two units of Krumm is Sugar Creek. It was removed to create a shallow depression. In the spring drains an area west and north of Grinnell, bisects the Sugar of 2002, marsh soil from a wetland that was to be destroyed Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary just north of Krumm, and during highway reconstruction in northwest Jasper County then fl ows to the North Skunk River in south Poweshiek was moved to the excavated area. The expectation is that some plants in the transported soil will survive and re-sprout and that seeds in it will germinate. Wetland species, including swamp milkweed, cardinal fl ower, rose mallow, arrowhead, sedges, and bulrushes, were seeded in April 2002. Nearby to the east, a combination bird blind and observation tower has been constructed (marked with a star on the map).

Jacob Krumm built two small ponds on his farm (K and L). After 1976, Jasper County built two additional ponds. The one on the far eastern boundary (M) gets part of its infl ow from the neighboring cattle feedlot just up the hill to the east, thus acting as a settling basin before its waters drain toward the pond near the east parking lot. That pond (N) is stocked with sport fi sh, including bluegill and largemouth bass.

The 25-acre lake in the west unit (O) was made possible with the addition of 80 acres to Krumm Preserve in 1994. The lake was designed to have a maximum depth of 22 feet near the dam and 3 feet as it shallows into a marsh at the north end. It is stocked with channel catfi sh, bluegill, bass, and crappie. Fishing regulations at Krumm prohibit using minnows for bait. Bass must be at least 18 inches long to be keepers. No gas- powered boats are permitted, and no swimming is allowed.

Muskrats live in several of these impoundments.

swamp milkweed

25 Historical Note Contact Information

nder the oaks on the east side of the parking lot for the he administrative offi ces of the Jasper County Conservation Uwest unit of Krumm is the grave of Job Welling Jr., TBoard are located in Newton at 115 North 2nd Avenue a 19-month-old whose parents were part of the Mormon East. The director, Keri Van Zante, and the naturalist, Katie Handcart Trek, which passed by here and used this spot as a Cantu, can be reached at 641-792-9780 or by e-mail at campsite. Between 1856 and 1860, immigrants who had joined [email protected] and [email protected]. The the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints set out from website of the board gives additional information about Krumm Iowa City, then the end of the rail line, for Salt Lake City. Preserve, as well as other natural areas that the county board Because they could not afford wagons, they crafted wooden administers: www.jaspercountyconservation.com. carts and pulled their supplies and belongings themselves. The cart boxes were usually three by four feet, with eight-inch sides centered over an axle attached to two wagon wheels. Two shafts extended forward, joined by a crosspiece that the person pulling could lean into. A fully loaded cart could hold about 500 pounds. Of the 2,962 handcart immigrants who set out, about 250 died along the way. The marker, which has been placed on the grave, reads as follows:

Mormon Handcart Trail

This stone marks the grave of Job Welling, Jr. October 20, 1854 June 17, 1856

The son of Job and Frances E. Welling. He died approximately 10 miles east of here, and was buried Wednesday, June 18. From the camp journal of the First Company of Handcarts crossing the plains from Iowa City to Salt Lake City in the summer of 1856.

Edmund Ellsworth, Captain Andrew Galloway, Secretary First Company Handcarts to Zion

oak savanna

26 Aerial Photographs of Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve

Please note that the preserve boundaries indicated on these aerial photographs are approximate. When visiting this preserve, please note signage and respect preserve and private property lines.

1930s

1940

27 Aerial Photographs of Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve

1955

1967

28 Aerial Photographs of Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve

1990s

2007

29 30 Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park

eichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park is a 444-acre Rpreserve located eight miles west of Grinnell on the south side of U.S. Highway 6. It is owned by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and was until recently administratively attached to Stephens State Forest, headquartered in Chariton, Iowa. In October 2007, management was transferred to the staff of Rock Creek State Park.

To get to Reichelt from the east, go west out of Grinnell on Highway 6 about eight miles, passing by Oakland Acres on the north and continuing about two more miles. From the west, go east on Highway 6 two miles from its intersection with Highway 224. (To get to this intersection from Interstate 80, take the Kellogg exit 173 and go north on Highway 224 one and one-half miles.) A wooden sign marks the wide entrance driveway on the south side of the road. The parking lot is in 50 mowed only a couple times a year. There are no facilities. No yards and to the left. hunting, horses, or motorized vehicles are allowed.

Much of the land is covered with brome grass. Trees and shrubs that were planted in the late 1980s are expanding aggressively History into some areas. The most notable natural feature at Reichelt is a high-quality native prairie remnant, the largest and best he Reichelt Unit is an unusual natural area, to say the least, in our area, just west of the old driveway. There is also a bur Tand a classic case of unfortunate decisions. Its oddness oak woodland of about 20 acres in the southeast corner. An lies in how a large, gently rolling farm became a state “forest.” approximately three-mile trail loops around the central part of The last private owner was Sherman Reichelt (pronounced the property, with a spur leading into this woods. It is usually with a “sh” sound for the middle consonant), whose family had

32 owned the land since 1907. Reichelt raised grain and livestock “Forest” and operated a fi sh hatchery in ponds that he constructed around the property. In the early 1980s, Reichelt, then elderly ith funding help from Pheasants Forever and other and a widower with no living children, wanted his property to Worganizations, trees were planted in the late 1980s. As become a wildlife refuge and offered to donate it to the state. directed in the donation agreement, several hardwood species, He apparently felt that his open land needed trees to be a more among them oak, walnut, and maple, were placed in straight natural area. In 1986, the Iowa Natural Resource Commission rows in various areas around the property. However, the 1 accepted the donation with his conditions. Among them, resident deer herd has browsed them heavily, especially the oaks, resulting in many misshapen or continually chewed-back The Department of Natural Resources agrees to establish trees. (plant) hardwood tree species such as walnut, butternut, hickory, oak, etc. at the rate of 10 percent of the acreage DNR apparently felt it had latitude in interpreting the donated per year. Soil unsuited for hardwood species will requirement “hardwood trees such as…,” for it also planted be planted to evergreen-conifers. The Iowa DNR agrees to shrubby species at Reichelt. One of them is the native shrub reserve approximately 20 percent of the acreage donated common ninebark. Unfortunately, at the time of the Reichelt for native prairie species, ponds, and nesting cover for planting, state forestry offi cials were still promoting several wildlife. nonnative woody species as wildlife cover, and two of the most invasive ones were planted at Reichelt: autumn olive, native to The Iowa DNR agrees to maintain the property in a east Asia, and Tartarian honeysuckle, native to Eurasia. Both forestry rotation in perpetuity, except the 20 percent species produce heavy crops of small reddish fruits that stay mentioned above. on the plants into winter and are seemingly irresistible to birds. The seeds are then distributed in droppings and germinate The Iowa DNR agrees to maintain said property as a easily. That is what is happening now at Reichelt. wildlife refuge—no hunting or trapping except that muskrats will be allowed to be trapped in compliance with all applicable statutes. This stipulation is intended to be in perpetuity; except the donor agrees to the following stipulation: “If determined by the director of the Department of Natural Resources in Iowa, the control of deer may be allowed to reduce depredation damages from an indigenous herd.”

But where to put the property in the DNR bureaucratic structure? Since the agreement required a lot of tree planting and since the DNR’s Bureau of Forestry operates a forest nursery and administers several state forests, the decision was made to attach the Reichelt farm to Stephens State Forest. That entity is comprised of more than 8,000 acres in several units in southern Iowa, primarily in Clarke, Lucas, and Monroe counties, with administrative headquarters in Chariton. No DNR staff was ever assigned solely to Reichelt; any management activity required personnel and equipment to be transported 70 miles each way daily. Finally recognizing Tartarian honeysuckle the impossibility of this arrangement, in October 2007, DNR transferred management of Reichelt to the staff of Rock Creek State Park. Tartarian honeysuckle thrives in both open and wooded habitat, including the oak woodland in the southeast part of Reichelt. Except for the initial tree planting (see below), there has been Autumn olive likes open areas and forest edge. It is spreading little management of the Reichelt Unit. Internal farm fences are aggressively in the northeastern part of Reichelt and in several still in place. In 2001, the present entrance road and parking lot other areas, forming dense monocultures that shade out other were constructed. In 2004, the farmstead buildings at the top of plants. It is also appearing in the native prairie remnant and the hill at the end of the blacktop drive were razed. invading neighboring property to the east of Reichelt. In transferring management in 2007, State Forester Paul Tauke promised to implement an aggressive control program of cutting and chemically treating the stumps of these two species. Controlling these invasives will be a challenge.

1 Reichelt died April 22, 1991.

33 autumn olive black locust tree-of-heaven

Two other introduced invasive tree species, which were and has been relatively less impacted. One such species at apparently established at Reichelt through natural spread, are Reichelt is Hill’s thistle. Another is cream wild indigo. threatening to overtake areas in the remnant prairie on the northwest side. One is black locust, which is native to the On the middle and west ridges are thick stands of lead plant Adirondack and Ozark regions, but not to Iowa. It colonizes (see picture in Introduction). Visitors to the remnant enjoying areas through aggressive suckering. A thick stand is spreading the russet colors of October will be pleasantly surprised by the out of a ravine in the southwest part of the prairie remnant. splash of deep blue of the late-blooming downy gentian.

Another invasive, which has established a small, dense stand on the west-most slope of the remnant prairie, is tree-of-heaven, originally from Asia. It seeds prolifi cally, also spreads by suckers, grows rapidly, and can overrun native vegetation. It produces toxins that prevent the establishment of other plant species.

Control of black locust and tree-of-heaven is very diffi cult.

Prairie

he high-quality prairie remnant (A on the map) is located Tjust west of the old asphalt drive on three sloping ridges divided by two north-south ravines. There are no marked trails, but it is relatively easy to wander in it. To access it, cross the entrance road onto the east-west farm lane and immediately cream wild indigo climb the low bank to the left onto the prairie. Another option is to walk west down the farm lane approximately 500 yards to the point where it bends south, and then leave the path and This prairie remnant is special and deserves to be actively walk southeast up the hill. managed to keep it from being overrun by woody species, both native and alien. However, since 1993, there have been The approximately 20-acre area was used by Reichelt for only four full or partial burns and only a small amount of pasturing sheep, but apparently not very intensively, for more handcutting of brush and trees by volunteers. The threat is than 100 prairie species occur. The predominant grass is little becoming even more severe with the recent explosive spread bluestem. The tall grasses are big bluestem and Indian grass. of autumn olive elsewhere on the preserve. Its seeds are being Especially on the west slope of the west ridge, there are many carried to the prairie, and young shrubs are beginning to appear. clumps of a fountain-like grass with wispy blades called prairie Unless measures are taken soon to control this invasive exotic dropseed (see photo in Introduction). Among the forbs in the throughout the property and to defend the remnant from it, this Reichelt prairie are a number that are conservative species; that wonderful swatch of prairie will be lost. is, they are sensitive to disturbance and the fi rst to disappear. Their presence in a remnant indicates that it is of higher quality

34 Woodland Contact Information

n the southeast part of the Reichelt property, there is an As of October 2007, the Reichelt Unit is managed by the staff Iapproximately 20-acre woodland of mature bur oaks (B on of Rock Creek State Park. The headquarters is located on the map). The area was probably grazed fairly heavily. However, road along the east side of the north arm of the lake. Park some spring ephemerals have survived, including nice stands Manager Roger Thompson can be reached at 641-236-3722 of bluebells and May apples. Unfortunately, the exotic shrub or by mail at Rock Creek State Park, 5627 Rock Creek East, multifl ora rose, introduced to the Midwest decades ago as Kellogg, IA 50135. His e-mail is [email protected]. “living fence,” grows thickly in parts of this woods, its vicious thorns making passage through these areas diffi cult. And Tartarian honeysuckle, spreading from the state’s plantings, is invading and will become a serious problem.

A farm lane branches off from the main trail east through the center of the timber and across the dam of a pond to a hillside where, sadly, native prairie was planted to woody species, including rapidly spreading autumn olive. The only management of the woods has been a controlled burn in the west half in 2003.

Aquatic

here are no streams on the Reichelt Unit. The aquatic Tresources consist of ponds that Reichelt constructed in low areas and drainages. In aerial photos from the 1980s, 13 ponds are visible. Most of them are very small, but there is one of about three acres in the southwest corner adjacent to the railroad track (C on the map). Although this pond and several others no longer retain much water except after periods of heavy rain or snowmelt, they support wetland plants and associated wildlife. The far western part of the Reichelt Unit is part of the historic fl oodplain of the North Skunk River, which fl ows just to the west.

skipper on purple coneflower

35 Aerial Photographs of Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park

Please note that the preserve boundaries indicated on these aerial photographs are approximate. When visiting this preserve, please note signage and respect preserve and private property lines.

1930s

1940

36 Aerial Photographs of Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park

1967

1994

37 Aerial Photographs of Reichelt Unit of Rock Creek State Park

2007

38 Rock Creek State Park Rock Creek State Park

ock Creek State Park, located fi ve miles west of Grinnell, Rconsists of a large man-made lake and a surrounding fringe of land.

There are several access points to the lake and to the park trails. (Locations in the description that follows are keyed to the park map above.)

North side access. The most commonly used entrances are on the north side of the park on either side of the north arm of the lake. To reach these from Grinnell, go west out of town on 11th Avenue, which becomes County Road F-27. After two miles, F-27 jogs briefl y north (joined with Highway T-38) and then turns west again. Go three miles west, at which point you will see the causeway over the tip of the lake. One entrance road is on the left just before the bridge and the other entrance road is just across the bridge on the left.

South side access. To enter the south side of the park, go west out of Grinnell on Highway 6 about six miles (passing Oakland Acres) to a blacktop road going north (East 125th Street left, a short entrance road leads to a parking area and the lake. North). Follow it about two miles to a “T” intersection and turn Or instead of turning down Juniper Avenue, continue west on west onto North 39th Avenue East. In about one-third of a mile, North 39th Avenue East, which becomes gravel just west of you will see Juniper Avenue on the right. Follow it through the the subdivision. After about a quarter mile, just beyond a small residential area until almost the end (about one mile). On the bridge over Rock Creek, turn right into a small parking area.

40 At the end of the lot is a spur trail leading to the dam and the main park trail. About a quarter mile further west on North 39th Avenue East at the top of the hill, a short entrance road on the right leads to a parking area overlooking the lake and dam. An eroded spur trail goes down from here to the main park loop trail.

The park developments—campground, picnic areas, boat launches—are primarily located along the roads on the east and west sides of the north arm of the lake. Park information claims 14 miles of trail. However, the trails around the east and west arms of the lake provide the best hikes, with less development. These trails can be accessed at the ends of the two park roads (red symbols) and from the dam and dam overlook parking Rock Creek Lake area. They can also be accessed from gravel roads at the east and west tips of the park. The trails are “multi-use,” which recommended ratio of watershed to lake area is no more than in this case means that horses, bikes (not motorized), and 20 to 1. The ratio for Rock Creek Lake is more than 54 to 1. snowmobiles are permitted. For the most part, the trails go The second part of the problem is the intensive agricultural through unmanaged woodland with occasional open areas, activities in the watershed, especially row cropping. Erosion including some native prairie remnants. The portion of the park carries 25,000 tons of soil into the lake every year, and attached north of F-27 and the causeway is a “wildlife management to these sediments are nutrients, especially phosphorus, which area,” in which hunting is allowed. degrade the water quality.

In recent years the Rock Creek Watershed Project has History attempted to reduce these harmful infl ows. Project staff have studied the watershed to identify areas that are contributing n 1947, a group of citizens, primarily from Newton, the most damaging runoff, and have worked with farmers Iconvinced the Iowa Legislature to appropriate funds for to modify practices. In addition, retention ponds have been construction of a lake in Jasper County north of Highway constructed, and land purchases and conservation easements are 6. Acquisition of the needed land, which was cropland and also being used. On the 2003 purchase northwest of the park, pasture, began in 1950 and required some use of eminent a 23-acre lake has been constructed to fi lter the drainage from 1 domain proceedings. The park was dedicated Aug. 24, 1952, 1,414 acres before it then runs into Rock Creek Lake. with a lake of 602 surface acres. Subsequent small land additions brought the total park area to 1,697 acres. In 2003, The headwaters of the lake, the portion north of F-27, became a 254-acre parcel about a mile northwest of the park was marshy over time, with vegetation including cattails and reed acquired for wildlife habitat and sediment fi ltration. It is canary grass. Sedimentation has greatly reduced the water area. administered as a wildlife management area.

Historic and recent aerial photographs are included at the end Woodland of the description for this preserve. The aerials serve as a visual confi rmation of the changes in the vegetation over time that are erial photos from 1940 show only small clumps of trees referred to in the text. Aon the land within the present park boundaries. Now, however, woody species dominate large areas, especially around the east and west arms. But as a 1997 ecosystem Aquatic management plan acknowledges, “In general, the park’s woodlands are not of high quality.” It continues: he lake is the park’s centerpiece—and its big problem. TWater quality is poor, and sediment is reducing its depth Much of the forested area consists of tracts of of former and surface area. According to DNR information, in 1952 the crop and pasture land, now dominated by species such as original lake had a surface area of 602 acres and a maximum elm, box elder, honey locust, black locust, and walnut. depth of 24 feet. In 2004, the statistics were 491 surface acres Shrub species mostly include gray dogwood and Tartarian and 18 feet maximum depth. In recent years, high nutrient honeysuckle. Both are very invasive species that can take levels have resulted in algal blooms, and high bacterial counts have occasionally required swimming to be banned. 1 Information in this section is from two articles published in the Iowa DNR magazine Iowa Conservationist: Jessie Rolph, “GIS Mapping: The source of the problem is the watershed. The streams Creating Solutions for Rock Creek Lake,” September–October, 2004, fl owing into Rock Creek Lake drain a very large area: 26,698 20–25, and Robert Steele, “Rock Creek State Park,” May–June, 2004, acres. To maintain good water quality in an artifi cial lake, the 54–57.

41 over the understory, thus suppressing more desirable trees and fl owers. These species typically occur on lands which had been subject to intensive row cropping and pasturing and on which no subsequent efforts have been made to control the process of selection.2

Other invasive woody species found in the park woodlands include multifl ora rose, wild plum, silver maple, mulberry, blackberry, and prickly ash. Small pockets of more desirable species are present, such as a small stand of mature white oaks north of the east lake arm (A) and a stand of nice black walnuts at the extreme northwest tip of the park (B).

The 1997 ecosystem management plan for the park promises that active management of the woodlands will begin, focusing fi rst on the higher quality timbers. However, little or perhaps none has occurred, due to limited state funding for natural resource management on state-owned lands. blue phlox

The short, interpretive Twin Bridges Trail begins just east of the Prairie campground registration kiosk. It passes through typical park woodland and a restored prairie area. round the western arm of the lake, there are several areas Awhere signifi cant numbers of prairie species have survived The best spring woodland wildfl owers in the park are found in and re-established after park protection removed agricultural an area on the south side of the lake just east of the home sites. uses, probably pasturing. Unfortunately, all these areas are now (C. Note: Even though some homeowners have established severely threatened by invading woody species. The largest lawns down to the lakeshore, park property extends back from remnant is an approximately 10-acre area at the northwest tip the lake 300 feet, and trail routes that connect across these of the western arm (D). More than 45 prairie forbs and grasses lawns are open to the public.) In a small oak savanna just have been identifi ed here, including compass plant, downy beyond the last mowed area, a rich palette of spring ephemerals gentian, fl owering spurge, green milkweed, hoary puccoon, and greets the hiker, starting with snow trillium in late March or rough blazing star. early April and then followed by spring beauty, toothwort, Virginia bluebell, Dutchman’s breeches, dogtooth violet, To reach this remnant, take the trail west from the beach Jacob’s ladder, swamp buttercup, blue phlox, and Mayapple. parking lot for about a mile. Where the trail leaves the trees and takes a sharp turn to the right (north), the prairie is to the left.

If you continue along the trail around the northwest tip of the lake, you will see scattered patches of prairie species. A short

swamp buttercup green milkweed golden alexanders

2 Rock Creek State Park Ecosystem Management Plan 1997. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 12.

42 slender ladies’-tressespurple prairie clover creamy gentian distance after the trail turns back south, an area on the west side brush and a faint deer/people trail that leads into a low area of the trail (E) features more than 25 prairie species, including of trees. Follow it, pushing aside branches of shrubs and rough blazing star, pale purple conefl ower, nodding ladies’- dodging the multifl ora rose. After about 20 yards, bear right tresses, and butterfl y milkweed. and continue for another 25 yards. You will emerge into a small open area that goes down to the lake. This “Hidden Prairie” (G) The other two signifi cant prairie remnants are best accessed is especially worth fi nding in late July or early August when from the dam overlook parking lot. Near the west end of the the substantial stand of prairie blazing star is in bloom. Among parking lot, fi nd the spur trail that goes down to the lake. There the more than 40 prairie species here are purple prairie clover, follow the main trail west (left) around a lake cove and then prairie cinquefoil, slender ladies’-tresses, downy gentian, north for about three-quarters of a mile until it leaves the trees butterfl y milkweed, and rattlesnake master. and a large, mostly open area is on your right. The best prairie (F) is reached by continuing down the trail approximately 100 The staff of the park has done some prairie management in yards, until it is about to descend into brush and trees. Here, go recent years. Several areas have been burned and trees and off the trail to the right toward the lake. This area contains more brush cut. Volunteers, including Grinnell College students, than 50 prairie species, including white wild indigo, rattlesnake have participated in the annual Prairie Rescue Day in April master, pale purple conefl ower, compass plant, creamy gentian, around the date of Earth Day, cutting woody species. However, golden alexanders, and blue-eyed grass. the threat to the remnants is still severe. The primary culprit is gray dogwood, a native shrub that forms dense stands A fourth prairie remnant is nearby, but challenging to reach. through suckering and usually resprouts after being top-killed At a point about 25 yards from the lake on the left side of the by fi re. Cutting and then treating the stump with herbicide prairie just described above, face the lake and look to the left. combined with regular burning has proved effective for At the bottom of the short slope is an opening in the keeping infestations within control. However, this is very labor intensive.

Contact Information

ock Creek State Park headquarters is located on the road Ralong the east side of the north arm of the lake. Park Manager Roger Thompson can be reached at 641-236-3722 or by mail at Rock Creek State Park, 5627 Rock Creek East, Kellogg, IA 50135. His e-mail is [email protected].

gray dogwood

43 Aerial Photographs of Rock Creek State Park

Please note that the preserve boundaries indicated on these aerial photographs are approximate. When visiting this preserve, please note signage and respect preserve and private property lines.

1930s

1955

44 Aerial Photographs of Rock Creek State Park

1967

1994

45 Aerial Photographs of Rock Creek State Park

2007

46 Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary

ugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary is a 49-acre preserve Sfi ve miles west of Grinnell just off U.S. Highway 6. It is owned and managed by the Tallgrass Prairie Audubon Society, the local chapter of the National Audubon Society.

To get to the sanctuary from the east, go west out of Grinnell on Highway 6 about fi ve miles, continuing past the junction of Highway T-38 (on the right) and up the hill as Highway 6 angles southwest. Near the top of the hill, a highway sign indicates a side road to the left. It is North 28th Avenue East and it is marked with a “Dead End” sign. Turn down this road. To get to this road from the west, go east on Highway 6 past Oakland Acres about a mile and a half. On the right is a farm fence with white wooden posts. three quarters of a mile to the fi rst gravel road to the right. It is North 28th Avenue East. To get to this point from Interstate 80, take exit 179. It is the Lynnville-Oakland Acres exit and also county blacktop Then (whether coming from either direction) go east down Highway T-38. Take Highway T-38 north to Highway 6, North 28th Avenue East for a quarter mile. At the “T” approximately two miles. Turn right on Highway 6. Go about intersection, turn left (north) and go about 150 yards. Where the

48 In 1997, the property was sold to the Tallgrass Prairie Audubon Society on the condition that it be maintained in its natural state.

Historic and recent aerial photographs are included at the end of the description for this preserve. The aerials serve as a visual confi rmation of the changes in the vegetation over time that are referred to in the text.

Woodland

ugar Creek runs unchannelized east-southeast across the new dorm at Sugar Creek in 1955 Snorth part of the property. The triangular piece of land north of the creek (about six acres) and a piece south of the creek road turns east again, continue north on the driveway that goes (about eight acres) (A on the map) are fl at bottomland. Trees to the sanctuary parking lot, about 50 yards. here include black walnut, bur oak, box elder, American elm, silver maple, black willow, hackberry, eastern cottonwood, and The preserve is primarily wooded. A set of short loop trails, mulberry. A healthy population of the relatively rare plant green totaling about a mile in length, leads through oak-hickory dragon is also present here. It is in the same genus (Arisaema) forest. There are small prairie remnants on the west side and as Jack-in-the-pulpit, though it grows taller, up to three feet. Its planted prairie in the open area directly north of the parking lot. bloom time usually is in early June. A small building at the north end of this entrance compound serves as a nature center (open occasionally) with a bird The land rises from this fl oodplain, creating north-facing slopes feeding area adjacent. There are no toilets or drinking water. No across the entire property from northwest to southeast, with hunting, pets, or bikes are permitted. several steep ravines on the south east side. These hillsides, which constitute more than two-thirds of the property, support History a forest of (predominantly) oak (white, black, red, bur), hickory (shagbark and bitternut), black cherry, black walnut, basswood, and hack berry. In the spring, these slopes are covered with he central 40 acres was claimed by Elijah Garton on June wildfl owers, beginning with snow trillium in late March or 15, 1850. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it T early April and including, among others, bloodroot, spring changed hands several times. In 1926, the road that is now U.S. beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, dogtooth violet, Jack-in-the- Highway 6 was routed across the neighboring parcel to the pulpit, and wild geranium. The loop walking trails go through west, leaving a triangular piece on the east. In 1932, this wedge this area of fi ne fl ora. of about nine acres was sold to the owners of the central 40 acres. They in turn sold the entire property to the Grinnell Girls Camp Association, and from 1932 to 1997 it was used by the Most of the woodland is currently unmanaged other than local Campfi re Girls as Camp Hawikuh. removing alien species, primarily multifl ora rose, buckthorn, and Tartarian honeysuckle. A portion of the forested area on the

green dragon wild geranium Jack-in-the-pulpit

49 west side (B) is being actively managed with thinning, brush confi rms this. To recreate a more savanna-like setting, Audubon removal, and regular ground fi re. members have thinned many of the younger trees and have reintroduced regular ground fi re.

Prairie Contact Information he west part of the property, the triangular piece between THighway 6 and an old north-south roadbed, was native or information about Sugar Creek Audubon Nature prairie until about 50 years ago. Aerial photos from 1940 and FSanctuary, to arrange a tour, or to inquire about 1955 show it treeless except for a fringe along the old wagon volunteering, contact Russell Tabbert, vice-president of the road. But a 1967 aerial photo shows it starting to become Audubon chapter, at 641-236-7309 or rtabbert@iowatelecom. thickly overgrown with hawthorns and other woody species. net. When Audubon took over in 1997, tiny remnants of the prairie were still surviving in small gaps in the canopy. These openings (C) have been expanded by removing the hawthorns and brush, and the prairie is being rehabilitated through regular burning and interseeding with local ecotype seeds. Some of the walnut and black oak that have grown in are being retained.

In the former camp compound area (D), what in 1997 was an expanse of lawn has largely been planted to prairie. The grasses are primarily little bluestem and side-oats grama, with some Indiangrass, big bluestem, and Canada wild rye. The forbs, the seeds of which were gathered from local remnants, include gray-headed conefl ower, creamy gentian, tall prairie coreopsis, great blue lobelia, black-eyed Susan, and New England aster, among others.

Savanna

n the northwest section of the preserve (E), some large bur Ioaks with shade-pruned lower limbs indicate that this was once a much more open area. The aerial photo from 1940

black-eyed Susan great blue lobelia

50 Aerial Photographs of Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary

Please note that the preserve boundaries indicated on these aerial photographs are approximate. When visiting this preserve, please note signage and respect preserve and private property lines.

1940

1955

51 Aerial Photographs of Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary

1967

1994

52 Aerial Photographs of Sugar Creek Audubon Nature Sanctuary

2007

53 54 Appendix A:

Scientifi c Names of Plants Referenced in Text

Boldface denotes species that are not native to North America. autumn olive Elaeagnus umbellata Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum basswood Tilia americana mulberry, white Morus alba big bluestem Andropogon gerardii mulberry, red Morus rubra bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis multifl ora rose Rosa multifl ora black cherry Prunus serotina New England aster Aster novae-angliae black locust Robinia pseudoacacia Ohio spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis black oak Quercus velutina pale purple conefl ower Echinacea pallida black walnut Juglans nigra prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya black willow Salix nigra prairie cinquefoil Potentilla arguta blackberry Rubus allegheniensis prairie dock Silphium terebinthinaceum bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis prairie dropseed Sporobolis heterolepsis blue phlox Phlox divaricata prairie trillium Trillium recurvatum bluebells Mertensia virginica prickly ash Zanthoxylum americanum blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre purple conefl ower Echinacea purpurea box elder Acer negundo purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium bur oak Quercus macrocarpa red oak Quercus borealis butterfl y milkweed Asclepias tuberosa rough blazing star Liatris aspera Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis rough dropseed Sporobolis asper common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius round-headed bush clover Lespedeza capitata compass plant Silphium laciniatum rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides cottonwood Populus deltoides shagbark hickory Carya ovata creamy gentian Gentiana alba showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa dogtooth violet Erythronium albidum side-oats grama Bouteloua curtipendula downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta silver maple Acer saccharinum Dutchman’s breeches Dicentra cucullaria slender ladies’-tresses Spiranthes lacera elm, American Ulmus americana slippery elm Ulmus rubra elm, red (or slippery) Ulmus rubra spring beauty Claytonia virginica false Solomon’s seal Smilacina racemosa stiff goldenrod Solidago rigida fl owering spurge Euphorbia corollata sumac Rhus glabra foxglove Aureolaria grandifl ora swamp buttercup Ranunculus septentrionalis golden alexanders Zizia aurea switchgrass Panicum virgatum gray dogwood Cornus foemina, ssp. racemosa tall coreopsis Coreopsis tripteris gray-headed conefl ower Ratibida pinnata Tartarian honeysuckle Lonicera tatarica Great Plains ladies’-tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum thimbleweed Anemone virginiana green dragon Arisaema dracontium tree-of-heaven Ailanthus altissima green milkweed Asclepias viridifl ora trout lily Erythronium albidum hackberry Celtis occidentalis Virginia bluebell Mertensia virginica Hill’s thistle Cirsium hillii white mulberry Morus alba hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens white oak Quercus alba hoary vervain Verbena stricta white wild indigo Baptisia lactea honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos wild geranium Geranium maculatum Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans wild leek Allium tricoccum Iowa crabapple Malus ioensis wild plum Prunus americana Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum lead plant Amorpha canescens little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium

55 56 Appendix B: Image Credits

We extend our thanks and appreciation to all of the photographers who contributed images for this guide. In addition to the images listed below, we have also included historic and recent aerial photographs of each preserve made avail- able online by the Iowa State University (ISU) Geographic Information System (GIS) Facility.

We also thank Heather Craig ’09 and Anna Isis-Brown ’08 for volunteering many hours to help create the preserve locations map and the individual preserve maps. The aerial photographs used as backgrounds for each preserve map were taken in 2007 and are available online at http://cairo.gis.iastate.edu/new_site/, courtesy the ISU GIS Facility. p. 5 big bluestem USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Miscellaneous Publica- tion No. 200. Washington, D.C. p. 5 Indiangrass Larissa Mottl p. 5 Canada wild rye Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland fl ora: Field offi ce illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln. p. 5 switchgrass USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Miscellaneous Publica- tion No. 200. Washington, D.C. p. 6 little bluestem USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated fl ora of the northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions. Vol. 1:115 p. 6 prairie dropseed Iowa State University Extension News, accessed online Aug. 5, 2008. p. 6 side-oats grama Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database p. 6 compass plant Ken Saunders p. 6 lead plant Larry Allain @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database p. 6 rattlesnake master Ken Saunders p. 6 round-headed bush clover Emmet Judziewicz and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium p. 6 prairie blazing star Christina Mahoney ’04 and Kelly McCarthy ’05 p. 6 butterfl y milkweed Larissa Mottl p. 7 bur oak Robert Groenendyk p. 7 wood betony Larissa Mottl p. 7 Virginia bluebell Ken Saunders p. 8 Sugar Creek Russell Tabbert p. 9 cedar waxwings Ken Saunders p. 11 CERA forest Larissa Mottl p. 11 trout lily Martin Minelli p. 11 shooting star Erik Mottl p. 11 gray-headed conefl ower Ken Saunders p. 11 bottle gentian Erik Mottl

57 Appendix B: continued

p. 13 white wild indigo Alisha Saville ’09 p. 13 showy goldenrod Sarah DeLong p. 14 bottlebrush grass Larissa Mottl p. 14 spring beauty Ken Saunders p. 14 prairie trillium Ken Saunders p. 15 North Skunk River Larissa Mottl p. 15 Prairie Cairn Larissa Mottl p. 16 Environmental Education Jim Heemstra Center and wind turbine p. 21 Krumm oak savanna Katie Cantu p. 21 red-headed woodpecker Ken Saunders p. 21 Peck’s skipper Ken Saunders p. 21 gray treefrog Ken Saunders p. 22 trail bridge Katie Cantu p. 23 gray-headed conefl ower Ken Saunders p. 23 rough blazing star Katie Cantu p. 23 hoary puccoon Larissa Mottl p. 24 oak savanna Katie Cantu p. 24 bloodroot Ken Saunders t p. 24 Jacob’s ladder Ken Saunders p. 25 constructed wetland Katie Cantu p. 25 swamp milkweed Katie Cantu p. 26 oak savanna Katie Cantu p. 31 Reichelt prairie Jon Andelson ’70 p. 31 downy gentian Tom Barnes, University of Kentucky p. 31 Delaware skipper Ken Saunders p. 31 lark sparrow Larissa Mottl p. 33 Tartarian honeysuckle Erik Mottl p. 34 autumn olive Emmet Judziewicz and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium p. 34 black locust University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium website, accessed Aug. 5, 2008. p. 34 tree-of-heaven Natural Biodiversity Organization website, accessed Jan. 6, 2009. p. 34 cream wild indigo Larissa Mottl p. 35 skipper on purple cone- Ken Saunders fl ower

58 p. 39 great blue heron Sarah DeLong p. 39 arrowhead Larissa Mottl p. 39 milkwort Larissa Mottl p. 39 raccoon Erin Hurley p. 39 butterfl ies on vervain Sarah DeLong p. 41 Rock Creek Lake Lauren Dickinson ’06 p. 42 blue phlox Ken Saunders p. 42 swamp buttercup Ken Saunders p. 42 green milkweed Larissa Mottl p. 42 golden alexanders Merel Black and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium p. 43 purple prairie clover Sarah DeLong p. 43 slender ladies’-tresses Derek Anderson and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium p. 43 creamy gentian Paul Drobot and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium p. 43 gray dogwood Derek Anderson and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium p. 47 eastern bluebird Ken Saunders p. 47 northern cardinal Ken Saunders p. 47 blue jay Ken Saunders p. 49 New dorm at Sugar Creek Campfi re Girls Historical Records, courtesy of Mary Shutts p. 49 green dragon Ken Saunders p. 49 wild geranium Ken Saunders p. 49 Jack-in-the-pulpit Ken Saunders p. 50 black-eyed Susan Ken Saunders p. 50 great blue lobelia Merel Black and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Herbarium

59 60