DCCB Summer Solstice Newsletter 2023

We are one step closer to the completion of the Raccoon River Valley Trail to High Trestle Trail Connector Trail Project. This project, of course, is actually the extension of the High Trestle Trail (and is what the name of this section of the trail will be) from Woodward to Perry. Phase V of this project has been bid out and is in the process of getting contracts signed so that work will begin during the summer 2023 construction season.

Over the course of human history, we have made decisions that have unintended consequences. If you go back and start listing them, many of these are in the natural resource realm. Not all are as devastating as the others, but they all have a special place in our “lessons learned” category. To set the precedent, we will start with possibly one of the worst unintended consequences.

WILDNESS– It grows on you! Let me tell you a story of growth. In this picture, you see me with my arm around a wild friend– Raegan Morris-Groves and her daughter Emily. She is surrounded by Earlham 4th grade learners on their Gary Paulsen themed Hatchet-Survival Field Day. This crew is taking a break for a photo-op while working on their steel and flint fire starting skills. Raegan stopped by to deliver a check for $500 from her employer, Scheels, to support DCCB’s Wilderness Backpacking Trek. This is the second year that Raegan has directed funds from this Scheels program to the Trek. A big DCCB thanks to Scheels for their generous support.

I am very pleased to welcome our 14th intern to Forest Park Museum on June 9. Jacob Valerio-Garsow is an ISU history major with a strong interest in a museum career. He has already had two museum internships and will bring a youthful perspective and fresh eyes to our museum exhibits and other attractions. He is particularly interested in our increasingly popular traveling exhibits and our fantastic Iowa and international artists collections.

Summer is the perfect time to hit the water in Dallas County, Iowa. My favorite summertime activity is boating and fishing on the North Raccoon River. It is where I go to relax, and I cannot find anything in nature that gives me the same spiritual feeling I get from being on the river. I always make sure to let my friends and family know where I am going, when I will be back, and I never fish alone.

When the Wilderness Act of 1964 was being considered by the U.S. legislature, there was a wave of defenders who surged forward to advocate for the value of the idea of federally-designated Wilderness. One of those defenders was a man by the name of Wallace Stegner, who wrote a beautiful letter to the Secretary of the Interior at the time. John Muir, H.D. Thoreau, Ed Abbey, Rachel Carson, etc. all have famous meaningful quotes about nature attributed to them that I’m sure some of you could recite from memory, but my all-time favorite wild quote comes from Stegner’s letter:

While traversing Dallas County, you will encounter a variety of trees that may not be known to you. This feature will help you identify and learn about some tree species that may not always be in the spotlight.
The Slippery Elm (Ulmus Rubra) is one the most abundant native elms in Iowa and, at one time, was possibly one of the most abundant species in the state.

I was teaching at Kuehn earlier this spring and was explaining the benefits of spiders to second grade students. I was having them rub their bellies and explained that most spiders end up being eaten by a bird. Their strong and sticky webs also benefit birds by holding nesting material together. I asked the students this simple question, “What is the Iowa state bird?” A confident and enthusiastic hand shot up; she knew it. “Cy!” It took a second to register. She was absolutely right; the Iowa State bird is Cy the Cyclone. I laughed and gave her a fist bump. She answered the question just as I had asked…even though I was looking for American Goldfinch.

By this time, most of you have noticed an increase in large, dark colored birds soaring our skies for the last few months. “It’s an eagle!” is usually what I hear kids say when they see one, and every now and then it is, but usually it’s not. What we’re actually looking at is a bird that’s important for our ecosystem and only hangs around in the warm months: a turkey vulture.

Many educational public programs to help you experience the wilds of Dallas County! Check them out today.