Bird conservation area possible for Jones County

MONTICELLO - Iowa's 23rd bird conservation area likely will be established along the Maquoketa River in Jones County.

The area, which includes Indian Bluffs State Preserve and Pictured Rocks Wildlife Management Area, encompasses more than 25,000 acres and is home to 111 species of nesting birds, according to Bruce Ehresman, Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program biologist.

'That's exceptional. It's indicative of the rich and rare habitat types within the area,” said Pat Schlarbaum, Ehresman's colleague in the Wildlife Diversity Program.

With the bluff-bordered Maquoketa River at its core, 'it's a special place - a standout in terms of scenery and landscape diversity,” said Curt Kemmerer, who manages the DNR's Maquoketa Wildlife Unit.

Kemmerer said the area includes more than 9,500 acres of hardwood forest, more than 6,800 acres of grassland and more than 500 acres of water and wetland.

Large forest dwellers such as the broad-winged hawk and wood thrush will benefit, as will savanna species such as the redheaded woodpecker and Baltimore oriole and grassland birds such as the eastern meadowlark and bobolink, Ehresman said.

The river corridor is a stronghold for bald eagles and other raptors, Kemmerer said.

'It's not a done deal yet, but it looks good for a May 10 dedication,” he said.

The proposed bird conservation area covers 25,530 acres, most of it privately owned, with a nucleus of 3,265 acres of public land.

The program focuses on all-bird conservation at a large-landscape scale, and its success depends upon partnerships among public agencies, private conservation organizations and private landowners.

'It's not a land grab or anything of the kind. It's all voluntary,” Schlarbaum said.

'It's just a means of designating a special spot and providing conservation assistance to landowners who request it.”

As part of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Iowa established its Bird Conservation Area Program in 2001.

Other Eastern Iowa bird conservation areas include the 135,000-acre Effigy Mounds-Yellow River Forest bird conservation area, which encompasses the state's largest unfragmented forest; the Iowa River Corridor BCA, which runs 45 miles from Montour to Homestead; and the Wapsi river BCA in Bremer, Black Hawk and Buchanan counties.

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