“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder - he

needs the companionship of at least one adult who can

share it, rediscovering the joy, excitement, and mystery of

the world we live in.” (Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder).

It has been my pleasure to connect children and

adults to nature for the past 33 years, 30 of those

years right here in Marshall County. God has blessed

me with a wonder-

ful job, co-

workers, volun-

teers, students,

teachers, families,

and other coopera-

tive agencies as

Naturalist for

MCCB. Through God-

given talents, hands-on

activities and creative

approaches, my goal was

to enlighten and educate

children and adults about the exciting world of nature and

help them become responsible stewards of the environment.

Even though I am retiring September 30, I will continue to

share my passion through everyday activities.

Where have the past 30 years gone?

They have slipped by among the

thousands of school field trips,

classroom programs, Uncle Ike ses-

sions/daycamps, Junior Ikes and

Junior Conservationists ses-

sions/overnight camps, Nature

Friends preschool sessions, Conser-

vation Poster Contests, Nature

Notes teacher newsletters, teacher

workshops, and Junior Naturalist patch program.

In addition, the years were filled with a myriad of adult

programming such Brown Bag Bunch adventures, Prairie

Heritage Days, Halloween Hikes, Photo Contests, Earth

Day displays/events, Master Conservationist classes, Win-

terfests and cross country skiing, monarch tagging, fly fish-

ing/fly tying, stargazing, Iowa River floats, Dutch oven

cooking, wild edibles, Iowater testing, hikes among prai-

ries/forests/wetlands for wildflowers/insects/birds/chorus

frogs, traveling exhibits, live animal programs with

bats/eagles/owls/snake/turtles/hawks/bird banding,

and more.

It was fun to reminisce

about earlier programs

such as maple syruping

and Woodcock watching

at Grammer Grove, owl

prowls and moonlight

skiing at Timmons

Grove, Armchair Adven-

ture movie nights at the

Fisher Community Cen-

ter, Reading The Landscape series at the Grimes Farm (pre-

conservation center times), Trumpeter Swan and bison re-

leases at Green Castle, Environmental Adventures at the

Landfill, Marshall County Geology bus tour, bus trips to

DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge, International Wolf

Center and Rockford Fossil Park, safe gun handling for

women workshops, snowshoe making workshops, willow

basketry/furniture making, bicycling on the Heart of Iowa

Trail, tubing down Minerva Creek and full moon hikes.

What fun! Not only was I blessed to

share the joy of nature with those around

me, I was able to share it with a second

generation of participants during the past

few years. I look forward to sharing the

natural world with my grandchildren as

well.

Thank you Marshall County for an enrich-

ing and satisfying career! God bless and

hope to see you on the trails!

Sharing a Sense of Wonder By Diane Hall, Naturalist

Volume 31, Issue 3 Fall 2016

Marshall County Conservation Quarterly Newsletter

SeasonsSeasonsSeasonsSeasons

Please join us for Diane’s retirement party on Wednes-

day, September 28 from 3-6 p.m. at GrimesFarm and

Conservation Center.

Page 2 SEASONS

Milkweed Seeds Needed The MCCB is asking for your volun-

teer service to collect milkweed

seeds of all species for use at the

Iowa River Wildlife Management

Area, Marietta Sand Prairie and

Klauenberg Prairie Preserve next

spring. If you have milkweed grow-

ing in your existing flower beds or

prairies we would like the seeds.

You can also collect the seeds from

any public area such as the Marietta

Sand Prairie.

Collect them just as the pods begin

to open and place the seeds in a pa-

per sack. Bring them to the Grimes Farm and Conservation

Center or call our office and we will come pick them up.

This is part of a continuing project to provide plant diversity

across Marshall County promoting the pollinator initiative

through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along the

I35 corridor.

Interpretive Prairie Sign

Baby Bison Time

A baby bison was born in July at Green Castle Recreation

Area. The bison exhibit has

been at Green Castle Recrea-

tion Area since November of

1989.

Next time you are at Green

Castle, stop by the bison ex-

hibit located in the southeast

corner of the park and take a

peek at the newest member

of the bison herd.

A new prairie interpretive sign has been added to Grimes

Farm. The sign is an overview of different aspects of a prairie

and is located to the east of the Grimes Farm shelter.

The sign was paid for from proceeds from the Grimes Farm

Run and designed with

the help of MCCB

staff, Carrie Barr, and

Missy Sharer Pieters.

Plans are underway to

place an interpretive

sign explaining geo-

logical land features of

Marshall County on

the observation tower

at Grimes Farm.

Over the past summer the MCCB has been supplementing fish

populations at Green Castle Lake and Sand Lake through an

aggressive stocking effort

in an attempt to increase

fishing opportunities and

quality in Marshall County.

Green Castle went through

a major renovation two

years ago and restocking

began immediately with

bluegills, largemouth bass

and catfish. Since then, red-

eared sunfish made possible

from a gift from the Tri-

County Bass Club, and

black crappie were reintro-

duced into the lake. Last

fall walleye were released

from the east silt/fish rear-

ing pond at the park. This

spring walleye fry were put

in the rearing pond to grow until they are big enough to re-

lease in October. This summer, both at Green Castle and Sand

Lake, 200 Northern pike were released in an effort to control

pan fish from over populating the waters.

Plans continue for additional releases this fall and next spring.

Small-mouth bass will be released into Sand Lake, as well as,

the usual stocking of trout. Aside from trout, fish stocked by

the MCCB are paid for through donations. If you have inter-

est in contributing to this program, please contact with MCCB

offices for additional information.

Get Your Bait Ready, Fish Stockings

Be on the lookout for migrating

monarch butterflies. If you see a

number of monarchs nectaring

on flowers or roosting on trees,

give our office a call at 641-752-

5490. We would like to tag and

release as many as possible as

they migrate to Mexico.

Seeing Monarchs

Page 5

What is a StoryWalk®?

Combining physical activ-

ity with literacy may seem

like an odd mix, but it’s

an innovative way to get

people of all ages out

walking while reading

children’s picture books.

Pages of a book are trans-

formed into signs that are

then laid out on a trail

inviting families, children,

caregivers, teachers and others to follow the path of pages.

The StoryWalk® was conceived as a way to inspire parents,

teachers, and other adults to take young children outdoors to

enjoy reading stories together, StoryWalk® helps build chil-

dren’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy outdoor

activity for both children and their grown-ups.

StoryWalk® was created by Anne Ferguson in Montpelier, Ver-

mont, when she worked for the Vermont Department of Health.

Anne was thinking about ways to prevent or lessen the impact

of chronic disease on adults and children by increasing physical

activity. She wanted to find something that was fun for families

to do together in natural settings.

The StoryWalk® was added as a supplement to the Nature

Playscape at Grimes Farm. The StoryWalk® begins on the

boardwalk just north of the living tunnel in the Nature Play-

scape. The path follows the boardwalk and ends on the north-

west side of the Nature Center.

Book Schedule: September - Monarch Butterfly of Aster Way by Elizabeth Ring,

Illustrations by Katie Lee

October - Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan

November - Fawn at Woodland Way by Kathleen Weinder

Zoehfeld, Illustrations by Joel Snyder

December - Not A Buzz to Be Found, Insects in Winter by

Linda Glaser, Illustrations by Jaime Zollars

Construction of the StoryWalk® was done by Eagle Scout Mat-

thew Dickey of Marshalltown with donations from the Mar-

shalltown Morning Optimists and Noon Optimists clubs.

A generous grant from Martha Ellen Tye S.T.E.P. was used to

purchase the books.

StoryWalk® Added to Grimes Farm

Teachers Take Note!

Descriptions of Environmental Education activities

are now available on the

Marshall County Conservation Website.

Go to: www.co.marshall.ia.us/departments/conservation

On the left side navigational bar, click on

Teacher’s Resources

to find grade appropriate activities to reinforce

your classroom studies.

As the summer winds down, our summer interns say a fond fare-

well and head back to

school. This year

MCCB had two summer

interns, Katie Cope and

Tanner Thompson, that

helped with the daily

maintenance of the

parks such as mowing

and cutting down tree

limbs. Katie and Tanner

also worked on several projects at the parks: the Nature Play-

scape at Grimes Farm, the new prairie sign at Grimes Farm, the

StoryWalk® at Grimes Farm and the remodeling of several gar-

den beds around the Nature Center.

MCCB would like to thank Katie and Tanner for all their hard-

work this summer and best wishes in your fall semester

at college.

GrimesFarm and Conservation Cen-ter will be closed:

• Monday, September 5 for Labor Day

• Friday, November 11 in observance of

Veteran’s Day

• Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 for

Thanksgiving

Thank You Summer Interns!

SEASONS Marshall County Conservation Board 2349 - 233rd Street Marshalltown, IA 50158

Return Service Requested

NON-PROFIT

U.S.POSTAGE

PAID

Marshalltown, IA

Permit No. 159

Printed on Recycled Paper

MARSHALL COUNTY CONSERVATION BOARD

2349 233rd Street, Marshalltown, IA 50158

(641) 752-5490

mccb@co.marshall.ia.us

www.co.marshall.ia.us/departments/conservation

Conservation Center Hours Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Board Members Jeffrey Mathis

Julie Stahl

Pam Paone

Ray Helland

Tom Mack

Staff

Mike Stegmann Director

Diane Hall Naturalist

Jeremiah Manken Maint. Sup./Park Ranger

Tyler Renze Maintenance Technician

Tami Krough Administrative Assistant

Katie Cope Summer Field Intern

Tanner Thompson Summer Field Intern

Editor, Diane Hall

Thank You! Newsletter Collation: Kay Russell, Ivadeen

Proffitt, Paul & Darlene Maytag, Dena Graff,

Dianna Freiboth, Bob Dunham, Dorothy Chris-

tensen, Charlotte McGinty, Kenny & Patricia

Long

Reception Desk: Margaret Kroener, Rob &

Joyce Christensen, Janet Johnson, Sheila

Geraghty, Jack & Linda Mackin, Melissa Nel-

son, Clay Leonard, Kristie Cameron, Doni Sheldon, Dennis & Phyllis Smeins,

Janine Erman, Mary& Lawrence Stewart

Programming: Carrie Barr, Karen & Max Bach, Dale Weston, Will Schmitt,

Mary O’Dell, Holly VanHeel, Ray Helland, Peggy Schoer

Flowerbed Maintenance: Gary Fulton, Larry Duffy, Junior Conservationists at

Lenihan Intermediate School, Vanessa Engel

Uncle Ike Day Camp: Sally Wilson, Janey Swartz, Marvis Drew, Mona Kil-

born, Rachel, Silva, & Willow Schmidt; Skylar & Alyzah Boggs, Maggie, Mar-

cus Barker, Olivia Smith, Denny Eige & Phil Grabenbauer.

Linn Creek Art Festival: Marvis Drew, Julie Stahl, Julie Mannon, Janet Steg-

mann

Eagle Scout Projects: Matthew Dickey, Shane Jacobson, and Reese Jacobson

Donations: Dena Graff, Pinnacle Bank

If we inadvertently missed someone, our thanks to you also.

QR code for

MCCB website.

Help us keep costs down and save resources. If you

would like to receive the newsletter electronically

rather than having it mailed, please send an email to

mccb@co.marshall.ia.us. Also the electronic version

is in color!

Page 3

September 7 & 21 10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.

October 5 & 19

November 2 & 16

GrimesFarm & Conservation Center

2359 233rd St.

Preschoolers and their adult(s) are invited to listen to fun nature

stories, take a walk and explore nature's wonders. Join us on the

first and third Wednesdays each month.

Nature Story HourNature Story HourNature Story HourNature Story Hour

Saturday, September 10

1-2:30 p.m. Marshalltown Public Library

2:45-4:00 p.m. Grimes Farm

Bring your family and friends to this FREE

program highlighting the plight of the amaz-

ing monarch butterfly.

1:00 - Presentation on the monarch migration

1:30 - Family crafts and activities

2:15 - Milkweed seed packets given to each family

2:30 - Leave for Grimes Farm

2:45 - 4:00 - Monarch tagging at Grimes Farm

Each family will receive a packet of milkweed and nectar plant

seeds (as long as supplies last) to plant in your garden, at the

butterfly garden at Judge Park, or in a new butterfly garden to

be located at the Fisher Community Center. First 50 people

will receive a FREE gift!

T-shirts commemorating this event will be available for pur-

chase, for more information call Anne at 641-754-5715 at the

Parks and Recreation Office or email:

aselness@ci.marshalltown.ia.us.

Monarchs and Milkweed Monarchs and Milkweed Monarchs and Milkweed Monarchs and Milkweed

for the Marshalltown Areafor the Marshalltown Areafor the Marshalltown Areafor the Marshalltown Area

Prairie Heritage DayPrairie Heritage DayPrairie Heritage DayPrairie Heritage Day

Star GazingStar GazingStar GazingStar Gazing

Dean Memorial Observatory

Green Castle Recreation Area

1 mi. S of Ferguson

Friday, September 23 7:00 p.m. “Summer Deep Sky” - A tour of the Summer sky including

the prominent Summer constellations, Milky Way, planets and

beautiful Star Clusters and Nebulae.

Friday, October 21 6:15 p.m.

“Orionid Meteor Shower”- Come and see one the farthest ob-

jects visible to the human eye at over 2.5 million light years

distant.

The Amateur Astronomers of Central Iowa invite the public for

a telescopic view of the night sky. For more information con-

tact Jim Bonser at (641)751-8744 or visit their website

www.amateurastronomersofcentraliowa.org.

Saturday, September 24 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Grimes Farm

2359 233rd Street

Celebrate Oktemberfest and participate in pioneer

crafts and skills: candle dipping, rope making, cider

pressing, crosscut sawing and more. Observe the

7th Cavalry, woodcarving, flint knapping, barn

building, broom making, and spinning. Frybread will be availa-

ble at pioneer prices at 1¢. Come join the fun!

Wanted Apples: At Prairie Heritage Day, volunteers demon-

strate how apple cider is pressed and give

out free samples of the sweet refreshment.

Many bushels of apples are needed to pro-

vide for the large crowd expected at the popular Prairie

Heritage Day Celebration on Saturday, September 24 at

the Grimes Farm.

If you have apples to spare or know someone who does,

please contact us at (641)752-5490. We can arrange for

volunteers to pick the apples.

Tuesday, September 13 5:30 p.m.

Grimes Farm

2359 233rd St

Join us to celebrate the grand

opening of the Nature Playscape at

Grimes Farm. From the Eagle’s

nest to the archeological dig site

there is fun for everyone!

Nature Playscape Open HouseNature Playscape Open HouseNature Playscape Open HouseNature Playscape Open House

Page 4 SEASONS

Sand Lake Trout ReleaseSand Lake Trout ReleaseSand Lake Trout ReleaseSand Lake Trout Release Friday, October 7 11:00 a.m.

Sand Lake Recreation Area

2901 E. Main St. Rd.

The Iowa DNR will be releasing 2000 rainbow trout. This is a

great way to introduce new an-

glers to the joys of fishing. This

event is FREE, but anglers must

be properly licensed, and bring

their own fishing equipment. For

more information call our office at

(641)752-5490.

Nature’s Treasures Craft SaleNature’s Treasures Craft SaleNature’s Treasures Craft SaleNature’s Treasures Craft Sale

Diane Hall Retirement PartyDiane Hall Retirement PartyDiane Hall Retirement PartyDiane Hall Retirement Party

Picture the striking contrast of sunlight beaming through tower-

ing clouds of a thunderstorm, the shocked expression of a tod-

dler catching their first fish, or wood duck ducklings emerging

from a nest box. Each of these scenes

last but a few brief moments. We have

all been in the right place at the right

time only to say “wish I had my cam-

era.” Well for those of you who did have

camera in hand and captured that mo-

ment here is your chance to show it off.

The MCCB is holding its 16th annual

natural resource/conservation photo contest. The entry dead-

line is noon on January 31, 2016. A contest rule sheet may be

picked up at the nature center or is available at our website. The

People and Natural Resources category has been retired and

replaced with Trail Cam, all other categories still remain.

2016201620162016----2017 Photo Contest2017 Photo Contest2017 Photo Contest2017 Photo Contest

Saturday, November 5 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

GrimesFarm and Conservation Center

2359 233rd St.

Discover unique, locally-made, nature-related

crafts that will make excellent gifts for friends

and family. Wildlife prints, ceramics, frames,

birdhouses, nature books, etc. Food available.

Reclaim your holidays!

Wednesday, September 28 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

GrimesFarm and Conservation Center

2359 233rd St

Please join Diane and wish her a happy re-

tirement after 30 years as the county’s Natu-

ralist. Diane joined MCCB in October of

1986. Come out, enjoy a cupcake, and wish

Diane well on her new journey.

FIELDSTONE NEEDED

Fieldstone is needed for our Nature Playscape, if you have any you would like to donate, please call (641)752-5490. Also, volunteers are needed to collect the fieldstone, if interested please call (641)752-5490.

Wednesday, October 19 10:00 a.m. - Noon

Timmons Grove South

1801 Marsh Ave.

Enjoy a hike in the fall forest.

Experience different kinds of

trees that color the park. Bring a

sack lunch and enjoy a picnic

after the program at the shelter

at Timmons Grove. Hike will

start at the shelter.

Fall Color WalkFall Color WalkFall Color WalkFall Color Walk

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Pinterest

and Twitter

Help Wanted Volunteering can be a fun activity for you and your family.

We are seeking volunteers to help with Prairie

Heritage Day on Saturday afternoon Septem-

ber 24 at the Grimes Farm. Would you like to

help with a pioneer activity?

Call (641)752-5490 ASAP.