Conservator November, 2020

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Pottawattamie Conservation Parks Begin Preparations for the Winter Season

Colder temperatures & the approach of winter bring seasonal changes to your county parks. While most of our campgrounds, cabins, & lodges remain open year-round many amenities, such as water access & showers, close for the season. These closures are weather dependent so we recommend checking our website at www.pottconservation.com or visiting your favorite park on Facebook for the latest in amenity availability before you make your plans to visit. Arrowhead Park - The modern shower house at Arrowhead Park is closed for the season, water hydrants & the dump station remain open at this time but may close for the season soon. Pit toilets will be available all winter long. Click Here to Follow Arrowhead Park on Facebook Botna Bend Park - The restrooms in the north campground, water to the south campground, the shower tower, & the modern shower house are closed for the season. The dump station, selected hydrants & the disc golf course remain open at this time but may close for the season soon. Click Here to Follow Botna Bend Park on Facebook Hitchcock Nature Center - The restroom at the front entrance is closed for the season. Currently water hydrants, the modern shower house, & dump station remain open but may close for the season soon. Restrooms at the Loess Hills Lodge & pit toilets in the campground will be available all winter long. Click Here to Follow Hitchcock Nature Center on Facebook The Loess Hills Lodge at Hitchcock Nature Center - The welcome desk at the Loess Hills Lodge will begin observing their winter schedule on December 1st with limited hours due to COVID-19 concerns. The Loess Hills Lodge welcome desk will be open: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday & Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday Closed Monday through Thursday & Major Holidays The observation deck & tower as well as the restrooms at the Loess Hills Lodge will be open 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, including holidays. Click Here to Follow Hitchcock Nature Center on Facebook Narrows River Park - Access to Narrows River Park closed on October 25th. Thanks for a great season, we look forward to seeing you again in the spring. Click Here to Follow Narrows River Park on Facebook Old Town Park - Water access at this park is new for the season & staff currently believe water will remain on at this park throughout the winter season. Thanks for understanding, we look forward to seeing you at the parks this winter!

Bats of Iowa - November 12th

Bats are one of the most misunderstood mammals in the world. Their appearance & lifestyle have inspired folklore & superstition that impacts the way many of us relate to these unique animals. Join Lauren Darnold, Education & Public Outreach Coordinator with Nebraska Wildlife Rehab & get to know these unique creatures as we kick off our 2020/2021 Speaker Series at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 12th at the Council Bluffs Public Library. Lauren will be discussing bat adaptations, their importance in our ecosystem, & bat species from around the world. This program will be held in Meeting Room B at the Council Bluffs Public Library, located at 400 Willow Avenue in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This event is free, pre-registration is required to attend as space is limited, walk in participants will not be admitted. Please register online. This program is part of our adult education programming, we ask that participants be age 14 & over please. For questions not answered online please call 712-545-3283.  Due to COVID-19 the format for this program has changed: Attendees are required to wear a mask for the entire duration of the program Overall attendance numbers have been reduced to facilitate social distancing Pre-registration is required to attend, walk in participants will not be admitted Attendees must sign a waiver before participating There will be no reception or speaker meet & greet following the presentation The 2020/2021 Speaker Series is a programming series, held in partnership with the Council Bluffs Public Library, designed for teens & adults to provide them with an opportunity to learn from and interact with various authorities in the fields of conservation & environmental science. Programs are free & will last approximately 1 hour. Free will donations are gratefully accepted and will support continued programming opportunities in Pottawattamie County. Pottawattamie Conservation has received a grant award of $ 1,350.00 from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of a project called “Speakers Series 2020 - 2021”.

Click Here to Register Online Today

Thank You for Helping us Name Our Cabins!

Hitchcock Nature Center Trails Closed December 5th Through 9th

All trails at Hitchcock Nature Center will be closed to hikers & park visitors December 5th through 9th during shotgun season. During this time only pre-registered hunters will be permitted access to the trails network and we ask that all park visitors abide by this restriction for their safety. The Loess Hills Lodge welcome desk & gift shop, observation tower & deck, playground, & campground will all be open regular business hours during this time. We apologize for the inconvenience & appreciate your understanding. For more information please call 712-545-3283.

Get to Know: Earl Johnson, Hawk Counter

During the autumn months the observation tower at Hitchcock Nature Center becomes an office for an incredibly important research project, the Hitchcock HawkWatch. Our HawkWatch volunteer team is led by our Hawk Counter & this year we are happy to welcome Earl Johnson. Earl is a previous Hawk Counter & we are happy to have him back for another season at Hitchcock Nature Center.  What inspired you to go into your chosen field of study? I've always loved wildlife and being outside as much as possible. Getting started with wildlife fieldwork and being fortunate enough to be able to turn doing what I love into my profession was a natural way to maximize spending time outside. This isn’t your first stay at Hitchcock Nature Center. How many previous seasons have you worked with the HawkWatch & what brought you back for the 2020? I was the counter here in 2015 as well, following that I spent time counting birds in many different places and am very happy to be back! The amazing diversity of the flight here combined with how near many of the birds come to the hawkwatch tower make this a very special place to watch the migration unfold.  Are there any migrating raptors that you are looking forward to seeing the most when you are working on the tower at HNC? I always love seeing the different varieties of Red-tailed Hawk come through! The species has so many different plumages that can give clues to where the birds are coming from that I never tire of seeing them migrate through. The big number Red-tailed Hawk days that usually come a little bit later in the season are always some of my favorites! Click Here to Read More!

Upcoming Programs

Little Tike Hike - Botna Bend Park 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Daily November 6th -30th Botna Bend Park, Hancock Take a walk on the wild side at Botna Bend Park with this special hike for young learners. Read More ...

Little Tike Hike - Hitchcock Nature Center 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Daily November 7th - 16th Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek Families with young learners are invited to hit the trails for a self-guided hike full of fun nature learning at Hitchcock Nature Center. Read More ...

Bats of Iowa 7:00 p.m. November 12th Council Bluffs Public Library, Council Bluffs Learn more about the often misunderstood bat with Lauren Darnold from Nebraska Wildlife Rehab Inc. Read More ...

Nature's Recyclers 9:00 a.m. November 14th Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek Explore the life forms that speed regeneration & decomposition in the natural world. Read More ...

Botna Bend Night Hike 5:00 p.m. November 14th Botna Bend Park, Hancock Explore Botna Bend after dark on this special, guided night hike.  Read More ...

Hitchcock Nature Center Trails Closure December 5th - 9th Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek Trails at Hitchcock Nature Center will be closed to guests during shotgun season.  Read More ...

Winter Bird Feeding & the Science of Snow 9:00 a.m. December 5th Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek Get ready for the winter bird watching season as you learn tips & tricks for creating your own backyard feeder station. Read More ...