STORY COUNTY CONSERVATION • NATURE PROGRAMS AND NEWS

February - April 2020

IN THIS ISSUE. . .

Programs & Events...... 2-6

Calendar of Events...... 7

Mushroom Memories...... 8

The Latest...... 10 Photo by Larry Reis Partners Membership...... 11 — PROGRAMS & EVENTS — Providing people opportunities and inspiration to develop an appreciation and understanding of nature and humans as a part of it

Winter and Wildlife FEBRUARY Wednesday, February 19, 7:00 p.m. Ames Public Library, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium Snakes Alive! While spring is a time of renewal, summer a time Saturday, February 1, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. of plenty, and fall a season of transition, winter is Conservation Center, McFarland Park a challenging time of hardship and adaptation for Midwestern wildlife. Food and shelter that was February 1 is National Serpent Day. Come celebrate and seemingly everywhere most of the year is now in short explore this often misunderstood and feared creature. supply as challenging winter weather often endures. Snakes have been a part of human culture since the first This presentation by Ty Smedes will discuss the many stories were told. Uncover the different symbols snakes challenges faced by wintering wildlife, and we will view have portrayed across the world throughout time. Learn images demonstrating their adaptability and will to about our snake neighbors in Iowa, and meet some real survive. This free program is sponsored by the Outdoor live serpents! This program is free, and there’s no need Alliance of Story County, Story County Conservation, to register. and the Ames Public Library. Participants to this event are invited to record a story inspired by Iowa’s nature Great Backyard Bird Count through the Common Ground project. A facilitator will Saturday, February 15, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. be available in a study room from 8:00-8:45 to record McFarland Park 10 minute stories on a first-come, first-served basis. Find additional opportunities for participation at Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) http://bit.ly/CommonGroundProject. with Story County Conservation, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Iowa Young Birders. You will learn about the GBBC and what birds to expect this time of year. We’ll cover different types of feeders and children can make their own to take home. Be a citizen scientist and record birds in the park! This program is open to all ages but is designed for ages 7 and up. A limited number of binoculars will be available; feel free to bring your own! Program fee is $5 per group (groups must consist of at least one adult and no more than four youth) and registration is required by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 7.

STORY COUNTY CONSERVATION 515.232.2516 56461 180th Street • Ames, Iowa 50010 Monday - Friday • 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. [email protected] • www.storycountyconservation.org 2 MARCH

National Day of Unplugging: Friday, March 6

Pause and relearn what life was before there was “an app for that.” According to NationalDayOfUnplugging.com, March 6 is a time to commit to “a 24-hour global respite from technology. It highlights the value of disconnecting from digital devices to connect with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities in real time.” It is no secret that there has been a drastic increase in personal electronic use. U.S. consumers average five hours a day on a mobile device. And new data shows the average smartphone user checks their device 63 times a day. Visit NationalDayOfUnplugging.com and sign the pledge to make a commitment to reconnect through disconnecting.

To show our support, Story County Conservation is offering a series of free programs at McFarland Park to help fill your time and mind during some of the most common times of day that we “plug in.” Without needing to check your phone or computer, there is sure to be some extra time in your routine. No need to register!

Community Coffee Lunch and Learn Community Campfire 7:00 - 8:30 a.m. 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy some coffee and A lunch hour is the perfect time Campfires have been bringing people conversation with one of your county to enjoy the outdoors and learn together for centuries and have a naturalists. Recreate a time where something new. Come enjoy a very calming power. We will tell phones were not the centerpiece on discussion about nature unplugged. stories, sing songs, and celebrate the the table. Relax and reconnect while Please bring a sack lunch to enjoy end of the day. You are welcome to watching our bird feeders. Coffee, at the park -- we’ll be outdoors if stay after the event and enjoy the hot tea, and cocoa will be provided. weather permits. night! This program will be canceled if there’s inclement weather.

Ames Reads Leopold Luminary Hike Sunday, March 8, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 20, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Ames Public Library, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium McFarland Park

Join guest readers as we explore the conservation and Let luminaries light your way around McFarland Lake on land ethic writings of Aldo Leopold. His most famous a special walk to welcome spring. End the experience work, A Sand County Almanac, published in 1949, is with cocoa by a campfire. Walk is self-guided; complete still popular with naturalists and writers alike. Readers luminary loop is about one mile. Dress in layered will share essays from this book, his other books, and clothing appropriate for the weather. Participants must from other like-minded readers. Participants to this event arrive by 8:30 p.m.; event ends at 9:00 p.m. Fee of $5 are invited to record a story inspired by Iowa’s nature with registration is required by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, through the Common Ground project. A facilitator will March 13. be available in a study room throughout the program to record 10 minute stories on a first-come, first-served basis. Find additional opportunities for participation at http://bit.ly/CommonGroundProject. 3 O.W.L.S. Programs Learn to Compost and Vermicompost Thursday, March 26, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. O.W.L.S. (Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls) programs are held Conservation Center, McFarland Park each month at 11 a.m. at the Story County Conservation Center. These are designed for “boomers” or older -- but Composting and vermicomposting both use natural anyone can attend. An optional luncheon follows the processes to turn organic material into a dark, rich humus program for just $7.50. Register for lunch by 4 p.m. on that is great for your soil and garden. Join Cindy Haynes, the deadline at storycountyconservation.org or call horticulture specialist and Associate Professor at Iowa 515-232-2516. State University, as she provides the information and encouragement needed to start backyard composting and Tuesday, February 4 vermicomposting at home. Fee of $3 per adult (kids can Gym-N-Eat Crickets: The Unlikely Adventure of attend for free) required with registration by 4:00 p.m. on Raising Crickets for Human Consumption Tuesday, March 24. Shelby Smith After moving back home to Iowa in October 2017 and helping on the family farm, Shelby was encouraged APRIL by her dad to find an obscure niche other than the traditional farming markets of corn and soybeans. By Trailgate Party: Adventures in Alaska January 2018 she had ordered her first 10,000 crickets, and the rest is history. Sunday, April 5, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Menu: Chicken parmesan with spaghetti, salad, Conservation Center, McFarland Park breadsticks, and cheesecake. Register and pay for lunch by January 31. Celebrate spring trail season at this trailgate party by learning about Alaska. Emily Stone, Cable Natural History Tuesday, March 3 Museum Naturalist and Education Director, Northland The Cats of America: Ancient History and Modern College alumni, award winning writer, and Iowa native Conservation will share her 2018 Alaska road trip sabbatical. She will Dr. Bill Clark, Emeritus Professor, NREM ISU share stories about the flora and fauna of this amazing We’ll cover paleological history of cats that once roamed place. An update on the Story County trails right in your North America, modern cats including endangered backyard will also be provided. This program is free, and and common species, and conclude with conservation there’s no need to register. challenges including habitat loss, climate change, conflicts, and hunting. Menu: Soup (choice of broccoli beer cheese, tomato Geocache Egg Hunt bisque, chili), salad, bread, and mint Oreo fluff. Register Saturday, April 11, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and pay for lunch by February 28. McFarland Park Tuesday, April 7 Your family will love this new-age way of hunting eggs. The Brenton Arboretum: Past, Present, and Future Join Naturalist Jess Lancial to learn how to use a GPS, then Melissa Burdick, Executive Director go search the woods to find the Conservation Bunny’s Nestled in the heart of Dallas County farmland, The nests of hidden treasures. Collect prizes and candy, and Brenton Arboretum is one of Iowa’s premier botanical discover some of nature’s wonders along the way. Be sure collections. Join us for an exploration of The Brenton to keep a watchful eye as you may come across a “golden Arboretum from pioneer farming days, to a seed of egg” -- worth a special prize! Spots are limited. Be sure to an idea in founder Buz Brenton’s imagination, to the register early to reserve your spot. Fee of $5 per collector stunning cultural attraction it is today. Plus, enjoy a (any child 3 - 14 years old) required with registration by sneak peek at the exciting projects in store for the future 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. of the Arboretum with a glimpse at the newly updated master plan. Menu: Macaroni & cheese bar (ham & swiss, chicken Marsala, broccoli), green beans, roll, and lemon bar. 4 Register and pay for lunch by April 3. VOLUNTEER View & register for opportunities at storycountyconservation.org

TEAM Day Garlic Mustard is Saturday, April 25, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. an invasive plant Christiansen Forest Preserve plaguing our (55973 310th St., Huxley) woodlands. We need YOUR help to Help make improvements to your parks at a TEAM get it under control. (Trail Enhancement and Management) Day! We will be Timing of garlic cutting brush back along the trails. No prior experience mustard pulling is needed. This workday is intended for those at events will depend least 13 years old. Children must be accompanied on the weather -- by an adult. Registration is required by 4:00 p.m. on watch our website Thursday, April 23. for opportunities this spring.

Common Ground Project

Tell the story of your connection to the natural world — building a fort in the woods, catching that monster fish, growing up on the family farm, walking in a prairie, catching sight of a special bird, taking your child hunting for the first time, paddling on the river. Whatever sparks your love for the land, we are excited to help you record and share those experiences and memories. We hope to show that — despite perceived differences — our common (though unique) experiences in nature are fertile ground for building relationships and coming together to work toward a collective goal: the protection of our natural resources.

Common Ground will collect recorded stories and photos from across the state and create a public archive and exhibit. You have full control over your submissions to Common Ground and can elect how you wish to have your story and image shared publicly.

Two options are available: 1. Record on your own. Have a conversation with a family member or friend and record it on a phone or computer. Upload via the website using the provided instructions. 2. Attend a recording event and work with a project facilitator to tell your story. Daytime, evening, and weekend opportunities are available through the support of the Ames Public Library. Find recording event dates on the project website: http://bit.ly/CommonGroundProject. New dates will be added throughout the winter.

Common Ground brings together people of all generations, ages, backgrounds, knowledge bases, places of residence, and political persuasions to give voice in their own words to the important role that the natural world plays in their lives. The project aims to help people not only acknowledge their own connections to the natural world, but also build relationships with others who feel the same.

Common Ground is a project of the Iowa Association of Naturalists and supported in our county by Story County Conservation and the Ames Public Library. 5 Thousands of people come together over one weekend each year in the name of science. In 2020 this weekend is February 14-17. Bird populations do not stand still; they are constantly moving, and an army of citizen scientists can do a much better job recording the movement than just one or two bird scientists. This event is called the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), and YOU can be a citizen scientist and help track bird populations.

The information that you collect is combined with information from other citizen science projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count or Project FeederWatch, to get a big picture of what is happening to bird populations. The data collected in the twenty-one years of the GBBC is very meaningful because it can show things such as how weather and climate change can influence bird populations.

Doing your own observing from home is easy. It takes only fifteen minutes of observation on one of the four days, a few more minutes to submit your information online, and that is all! You are free to observe as long as you want, and on as many of those four days as you want, but fifteen minutes is all it takes to contribute. Visit the website for more information at https://gbbc.birdcount.org.

We’re teaming up with Wild Birds Unlimited and Iowa Young Birders to hold a GBBC celebration on February 15 at McFarland Park, full of information and activities! Find more program info on page 2 of this newsletter.

Check out Park Packs this spring at the Ames Public Library

These nature exploration backpacks are filled with fun tools, activities, and field guides (selected by a Story County Conservation naturalist) to help families discover nature in their local parks. Families can choose from five topics: animals, birds, insects, pond and creek, or pollinators. The packs also include resources for finding Story County Conservation or City of Ames parks to explore. Search “park pack” in the catalog, or click Special Collections under the Books, Movies & More tab on the Ames Public Library homepage.

Many thanks to the Ames Public Library for including Story County Conservation as a partner on this project and to the Ames Public 6 Library Friends Foundation for funding the purchase of all materials. Due to scheduling conflicts, environmental literature is taking a break. We hope it will return next winter.

— CALENDAR OF EVENTS — Date Time Event Location FEBRUARY Saturday, February 1 10:00 a.m. Snakes Alive! Conservation Center Tuesday, February 4 11:00 a.m. O.W.L.S.: Gym-N-Eat Crickets Conservation Center Monday, February 10 5:30 p.m. SCC Board Meeting Conservation Center Wednesday, Feb 12 1:00 p.m. Common Ground Recording Session Ames Public Library Thursday, Feb. 13 1:00 p.m. Common Ground Recording Session Ames Public Library Saturday, Feb. 15 9:00 a.m. Great Backyard Bird Count McFarland Park Monday, February 17 SCC offices closed Wednesday, Feb. 19 7:00 p.m. Winter and Wildlife Ames Public Library

MARCH Tuesday, March 3 11:00 a.m. O.W.L.S.: The Cats of America Conservation Center Friday, March 6 7:00 a.m. National Day of Unplugging: Community Coffee Conservation Center Friday, March 6 12:00 p.m. National Day of Unplugging: Lunch and Learn McFarland Park Friday, March 6 6:30 p.m. National Day of Unplugging: Community Campfire McFarland Park Sunday, March 8 2:00 p.m. Ames Reads Leopold Ames Public Library Monday, March 9 10:00 a.m. Common Ground Recording Session Ames Public Library Monday, March 9 5:30 p.m. Story County Conservation Board Meeting Conservation Center Thursday, March 12 1:00 p.m. Common Ground Recording Session Ames Public Library Friday, March 20 7:30 p.m. Luminary Hike McFarland Park Thursday, March 26 5:30 p.m. Learn to Compost and Vermicompost Conservation Center

APRIL Thursday, April 2 6:30 p.m. Story County Conservation Partners Meeting Conservation Center Sunday, April 5 1:30 p.m. Trailgate Party: Adventures in Alaska Conservation Center Tuesday, April 7 11:00 a.m. O.W.L.S.: The Brenton Arboretum Conservation Center Saturday, April 11 10:00 a.m. Geocache Egg Hunt McFarland Park Monday, April 13 5:30 p.m. Story County Conservation Board Meeting Conservation Center Saturday, April 25 1:00 p.m. TEAM Day Christiansen Forest Preserve Thursday, April 30 7:00 p.m. Story County Trails Committee Meeting McFarland Park Shop 7 Oftentimes the heralds of spring are the return of sight as it easily camouflages and disappears into the our migrant birds, the emergence of flowers, or the forest floor. In its last stages, it can become as huge as an anticipation of the spring turkey hunt. But for many ice-cream cone, making it much easier to spot. I would Iowans like myself, the coming of spring has us fevering slowly approach the mushroom and just as my parents for one thing -- morel mushrooms! This finicky fungus is had taught me, inspect to make sure it wasn’t rotting or Iowa’s most famous spring ephemeral, and because of sun burned. Then I would pinch the stalk and shake it so it’s delicious woody flavor and limited growing season, the tiny spores could sprinkle onto the dirt below. I’d stay it has a very competitive market (a licensed forager can put to scan the forest floor around me. “When you find average $40-$80 per pound.) For me, mushroom hunting one, there’s usually more,” my dad would tell me. Sure in the spring holds a different value -- tradition. enough, peeking from the leaves and greenery, there would be another, then another, and another -- a true Every year growing up as a child I would watch our treasure hunt. lilac bushes with eager anticipation; I was taught that when the bushes produced their fragrant purple flowers At the end of the hunt, I would lift my onion sack and and the oak leaves were the “size of a squirrel’s ear,” it show my parents its heftiness. Since I was closer to the was time to hit the woods. We would wait to go after ground, mushrooms were easier for me to spot, and I a good rain and when the sun was warm, “to allow the often out-hunted my parents. I would show off my cuts mushrooms to pop.” I would be the first to race into the from the raspberry and multiflora rose bushes with which woods determined to find the first mushroom. Like any I’d gone to war. “Battle wounds,” my father would call eager kid, I would frantically circle trees and rush around them. In some ways, mushroom hunting did feel like shuffling my feet to plow away the leafy underbrush. I a battle of the elements -- crawling under branches, would battle the multiflora rose that tangled around my climbing over logs, scurrying up and down hills. By the feet and tripped me to the ground. After I was certain time we’d make it back to the car I was exhausted, but that we had been searching for “hoooooours” I would it was all worth it as we’d imagine the feast that was pout and proclaim defeat. “There aren’t any mushrooms!” to come. At dinner we would gorge ourselves to almost My dad without lifting his gaze from the forest floor sickness, and with the rich and buttery mushroom flavor would offer one simple reply, “Be patient, slow down, still lingering on our tongues, we’d discuss where we you are moving too fast.” Even in the 80s before Forest would search tomorrow. We would talk about needing Bathing was ever a craze, my parents were teaching more rain and more sun. I would watch the meteorologist me a lesson in mindfulness. I would then visualize the on the news, hopeful he would announce ideal weather. mushroom, which reminded me of a brain, and sniff the I learned words like “overnight temps” and that if they air taking in the forest’s scent of moist decaying logs were over 40 degrees that was good, but as soon as “day and fresh blooming wildflowers, and slowly scan the time temps” got over 80 degrees, it would be too hot for forest floor ahead of me. Then in the corner of my eye, the morels to continue to grow, and the season would be I would spot the grey conical shape glistening in the shortened. sun -- a morel mushroom. “I found one!” I let the whole forest know. The “little grey” (Morchella esculenta) is the early-season stage of the yellow morel mushroom. When you find a little grey, you never let it leave your As a general rule in Iowa, start looking for morels in early April, and then continue to hunt through 8 mid-May. As I grew older, I learned other hunting strategies and shared them with others. I paid attention to the direction of the sun, concentrating on westward and southward facing slopes where soil temperatures would be warmer. Disturbed areas, clear cuts, and wildfire burns tended to boom morel growth. Certain trees like ashes, oaks, sycamores, hickory, apple trees, and dying elms were great places to check. I started to notice other mushrooms in the forest, such as the poisonous false morel mushroom (Gyromitra fastigiata) and taught inexperienced mushroom hunters how to tell the difference (cut the mushrooms down the center; the edible species is hollow inside, and the inedible is solid throughout.) My growing knowledge-base budded an interest in learning what else I could forage from the forest, and soon I began picking things like fiddle head ferns and fresh pheasant backs (Polyporus squamosus, which if collected while young and tender, have a sweet flavor and smell like watermelon rind.) To this day, I continue to try new wild edibles and test new recipes; there’s so much to learn. Jess Lancial has been a naturalist with SCC since 2012. She loves As I reflect on the many years of our spring tradition, it is easy to see how to kayak, backpack, hike, cave, mushroom hunting had a role in shaping who I am today and the career collect rocks and artifacts I have chosen. Morel mushroom hunting was one of the first things to spark my desire and connection with nature. It was a gateway to learning (especially geodes), and would be awareness of my surroundings and instilled a deep desire to learn what happy to answer your mushroom was in my woods and the connection between plants, animals, and questions. humans. The time spent in the woods taught me patience, observation, how to be still, and how to balance the emotions of anticipation, expectation, and sometimes disappointment. These are lessons that cannot be taught but are only gained through the experience itself. Now as I take to the woods with the youngsters in my life, I watch the same journey unfold for them with familiar excitement, curiosity, and frustration. I think of my father who hunts with me now only in spirit and feel grateful for the parents who knew the value of getting me away from the screen and into the outdoors. I invite you to start your own tradition this spring.

Tired of the same old pan-fried morels? Jess recommends this tasty recipe from feastingathome.com:

Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus, Morels & Lemon Parsley Dressing 1. Cook pasta according to directions. • 8 ounces pasta 2. Finely chop the shallot and prep the mushrooms (cut the • 1–2 tablespoon olive oil morels in half or bite size pieces.) • 1 shallot, finely chopped 3. Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium • 6 ounces morel mushrooms, sliced heat, add shallot and cook 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add • 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (2–3 cups) mushrooms, season with salt and stir occasionally until • salt and pepper lightly cooked, about 5 minutes. Set aside and saute the • 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped asparagus, seasoning again with salt, and cook just until • 5 scallions, chopped tender and bright green. Dressing: 4. Drain the pasta and place in a bowl. • zest of one small lemon, plus 1–2 tablespoons juice 5. Top with the mushrooms, asparagus, chopped parsley, • 4 tablespoons olive oil and scallions. • 1 clove garlic, finely minced 6. Add the lemon zest and one tablespoon lemon juice. Add • ¾ teaspoon salt garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well to combine. • fresh cracked pepper Taste, adding more lemon juice or salt if you like. • grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese 9 — THE LATEST — Timely and brief updates on ongoing projects

Christiansen Forest Preserve Partners Membership Program We’ve been working to restore oak savanna habitat at Partners meetings will now be held quarterly (the first Christiansen Forest Preserve near Huxley. An oak savanna Thursday of January, April, July, and October) in the Story is a fire-dependent ecosystem containing scattered, open- County Conservation Center at 6:30 p.m. We discuss grown trees with prairie species beneath; this habitat projects and fundraising efforts, events for Partners once dominated Iowa and many of our most vulnerable members, and requests for youth service project funding. plants, animals, and insects depend on it. Over the years, Did you know $3,000 in membership funds are set undesirable and invasive shrubs and trees overtook the aside each year to fund youth projects in county parks? park. We have been using a variety of management Keep tabs on what your membership dollars are doing techniques to remove select species. The latest work by visiting storycountyconservation.org, scroll down to was a partnership with Conservation Corps of Iowa to the Partners Membership Program section, and click on strategically remove the larger trees and shrubs. The “subscribe to receive agendas and minutes when they are goal is for more sunlight to reach the woodland floor, posted.” allowing species such as oak, shagbark hickory, grasses, and forbs a chance to grow, and restoring the balance of This year Partners fundraising efforts will help build the ecosystem as a whole. Join us in observing how the a cabin at Dakins Lake. So far you have contributed landscape is healing next time you visit. $6,560 (27%) towards our goal of $24,000. A Partners membership is a simple way to support the local conservation efforts that you and your family will enjoy.

Dillon Schmidt Joins SCC I grew up in central Iowa in the small town of Ogden. Ever since I was a child, I have always had a curiosity for natural resources and a love for the outdoors. My family home consists of 50 Oak savannas are the preferred habitat of species acres where I have like the red-headed woodpecker or the Indiana bat. spent the majority of my life hunting and trapping the timber Praeri Rail Trail with my father. My The paving project along the Praeri Rail Trail in Zearing fiancé, Charli, and I enjoy similar hobbies including has been postponed until the spring of 2020. Wet and hunting, fishing, trapping, and hiking whenever we cold weather ultimately put a halt to its progression for get the chance. Degrees in environmental science and the 2019 season. Work will resume once it begins to forestry coupled with prior work experience at Ledges warm up and drier weather prevails. State Park and the 4-H camp in Madrid have prepared me well for my new role as Conservation Technician. I am looking forward to helping manage the natural resources at the many locations that Story County oversees.

10 HELP BUILD A SUSTAINABLE CABIN! BOARD & STAFF Help us reach our goal of $24,000 Your Story County Conservation Partners membership will help build a Conservation Board sustainable cabin at Dakins Lake. You will receive a nature-themed magnet and Craig Meyers, Chair a 10% discount on all programs, facility rentals, and merchandise. The Red Fox Christine Laumer, Vice Chair membership level and above will be recognized in the conservation center for Dr. Nancy Franz, Secretary their support. Dr. Jim Pease, Member Red-tailed Hawk - $1,000 or more Goldfinch - $70 to $124 Ted Tedesco, Member Great Blue Heron - $275 to $999 Otter (Family) - $35 to $69 Linda Murken, Ex Officio Member Red Fox - $125 to $274 Great Horned Owl (Individual) - $30

Conservation Staff Name Conservation Center, Ames Michael Cox, Director Address Ryan Wiemold, Parks Superintendent City State Zip Pat Shehan, Special Projects Ranger Marianne Harrelson, Financial Data Manager Phone Elizabeth Jackson, Administrative Assistant II Jerry Keys, Environmental Education Coordinator E-mail Heather Hucka, Naturalist Enclosed is my check for $ Jess Lancial, Naturalist Rebekah Beall, Naturalist My membership level is Beth Waage, Naturalist Erica Place, Outreach Coordinator Make checks payable to: Story County Conservation Partners 56461 180th Street, Ames, IA 50010-9451; Phone (515) 232-2516 McFarland Park Shop, Ames Or, join online! Danny Simcox, Park Ranger www.mycountyparks.com/ Russ DeWall, Conservation Technician II Brandon Clough, Trails/Natural Resources Technician County/Story.aspx Joe Hill, Conservation Technician Dillon Schmidt, Conservation Technician

Hickory Grove Shop, Colo Thank you to all those who support Luke Feilmeier, Park Ranger Story County Conservation with Beau Hoppe, Conservation Technician donations of time, funding, and materials. Nick Keefer, Conservation Technician Vacant, Natural Resource Specialist THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR GENEROSITY IRVM Office & Shop, Nevada Joe Kooiker, Vegetation Management Biologist CASH DONATIONS Tyler Kelley, Vegetation Management Specialist Mary K. Abbott and Mary Jane Long in memory of Alan Abbott IOWA OUTDOORS SUBSCRIPTION Dr. Jim Pease John Riveiro, Barbara and Philip Schendel, and Virginia Shenk in The Story County Conservation Board COLLECTION OF NATURE PHOTOS memory of James Cue typically meets the the second Monday AND ARTWORK of each month at the Story County Don Wall Conservation Center at Great Ames Adventure Race in memory of Dennis Jones McFarland Park (56461 180th St.), NATURE ARTWORK northeast of Ames. Meetings are open to Shirley Riney ITC Midwest the public. Outdoor Alliance of Story County 11 STORY COUNTY CONSERVATION Nonprofit Org. 56461 180th Street U.S. POSTAGE Ames, Iowa 50010-9451 PAID Ames, Iowa Permit 301