Effort to get park named state preserve moves foward

IOWA CITY – A state board will visit Iowa City's Ryerson's Woods Park before deciding whether to designate the area a state preserve.

The Iowa State Preserves Advisory Board met Friday and voted to consider the city's request and to take a field trip to the city-owned park, said John Pearson, an ecologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The visit likely will coincide with the board's October meeting, he said.

After that, if board members are still interested, they'd ask the city to prepare a management plan for Ryerson's Woods. If the plan is acceptable, the city, board and governor would need to sign off on paperwork dedicating the area as a state preserve, Pearson said.

The 49-acre Ryerson's Woods, found on the south side of town, is home to more than 200 plant species, including 10 rare or infrequent ones. The city has made an effort to keep its natural character intact, rather than have it be a park to be played in.

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here for a story from earlier this month on Ryerson's Woods.