Story County Conservation

10/16/2026

Story County Conservation was recently awarded 1st place for the 2026 Wildlife Habitat Improvement Award by Izaak Walton League of America, for Iowa counties over 20,000 people! 🥇

Habitat improvement efforts like prairie plantings, prescribed burns, Carroll Prairie oxbow restoration, volunteer seed harvests, land acquisition, goat/cattle grazing, and much more are considered when deciding the recipient of this award.

A special shoutout to our entire conservation staff, led in these efforts by Natural Resource Specialist Brandon Clough, for constantly raising the bar!🎉

10/14/2026

Get SPOOKY with us this weekend at Trick-Or-Treat Night at Dakins Lake! Campers will decorate the sites with spooky, scary, smoky effects, and the public is invited to trick-or-treat. Enjoy some highlights from the annual Halloween event at Hickory Grove Park earlier this month - thanks to everyone who participated!

Only EIGHT campsites remain as of Wednesday at 4:30. All are first come, first served. Find full details on MyCountyParks or head to the park to claim your spot!

📍Dakins Lake, Zearing, IA
📅Saturday, Oct. 17, 5 -7 PM

👀P.S. - The new rental cabin is on-site and under construction. Those who visit Dakins on Saturday will get to sneak a glimpse from afar of this new lodging opportunity!

10/12/2026

Thank you ladies for getting ✨wild✨ with us at Wild Women of the Woods 2026 this weekend! We hope to have more pics available soon. Until next year!🫶

10/09/2026

Here's a quick look the in progress Dakins Lake Cabin! Thanks to the partial funding from the Story County Water & Land Legacy bond, this cabin will be opening for rental soon.

10/09/2026

If you've been to any of our parks recently, odds are you have noticed some fungi! Fall is a great time to go out and forage for some earthy treats. 🍄

Always do your research on edible mushroom identification and make sure to leave some for others. Remember: when in doubt, leave it out! Feel free to share your fall foraging finds below!

Keep an eye out for our upcoming issue of Prairie Horizons for more information on puffball mushrooms and fall foraging.

10/07/2026

Tomorrow's forecast = 😍😍 We can't think of a more soothing way to spend a fall evening than with us on the prairie, collecting prairie seeds. There's still time to sign up to volunteer with us tomorrow near Nevada!

🔗Link to register/full details is in the original post.

VOLUNTEER WITH US - Join us for fall seed harvests! Nothing beats a peaceful afternoon on the prairie, learning about plants around you while contributing to future local prairie establishment projects.

- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1 PM at Prairie Valley Preserve
- Wednesday, Sept. 23, 4:30 PM at Prairie Valley Preserve
- Friday, Oct. 2, 3:30 PM at Doolittle Prairie (Happy Hour Harvest)
- Thursday, Oct. 8, 4:30 PM at Jennett Heritage Area

🔗Register in advance: https://bit.ly/VolunteerwithSCC

Harvesting prairie seed requires no special skill and is great for all ages. No prairie knowledge required!

10/07/2026

The EPA is accepting public comment until Friday on a proposed change to the Clean Water Act, which would strip protections from Ioway Creek as well as likely the Skunk River and many other local streams. This post links to a site where one can easily submit a comment to the EPA.

We've linked an article in the comments with a better break down of how this could impact Story County streams.

The EPA is proposing to eliminate Clean Water Act protections for nearly all of our nation's wetlands and the vast majority of rivers and streams that do not flow continuously year-round. Healthy rivers and wetlands are essential to healthy communities.

Act now: Tell the EPA you oppose eliminating Clean Water Act protections for our wetlands and streams.

Submit a comment by Oct. 9: iwla.org/advocate

10/07/2026

UPDATE: West Peterson Park and Sopers Mill have re-opened, thanks to our incredible field staff! Peterson Park's trails are very wet/muddy, so please use caution and be mindful if visiting that location.

UPDATE: West Peterson Park and Sopers Mill have re-opened, thanks to our incredible field staff! Peterson Park's trails are very wet/muddy, so please use caution and be mindful if visiting that location.

‼NOTICE‼
This record-breaking rainfall has impacted a number of our parks, with multiple trails currently underwater. Currently, West Peterson Park and Soper's Mill are closed, and multiple river accesses along the South Skunk River are affected by high water. Please exercise caution while planning your weekend visits, and do not enter floodwater. As flooding dries up, our staff will be addressing any damages and reopening parks as soon as possible!