DNR imposes camping shutdown on Hawkeye Wildlife area in response to misuse

OXFORD - Litter, destruction to wildlife areas and all night parties have prompted the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to ban camping at the Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area for an undetermined period of time.

The DNR announced the move on Wednesday and said the closure will remain until state officials can address the myriad issues in the expansive wildlife area in northern Johnson County along the Iowa River. Officials said problems such as littering, tree and grass cutting, unattended fires and camping with improper equipment have persisted for more than a decade.

'When they do that, they're doing destruction to the wildlife area,” said Shawn Meier, DNR law enforcement supervisor for the Southeast Iowa District, which includes Johnson County. 'The whole purpose of that area is wildlife management.”

At nearly 14,000 acres, the wildlife management is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and used for flood control. The DNR leases the land from the Corps of Engineers. Equal parts timber, marsh and upland, the wildlife area is home to game such as deer, turkeys, ducks and pheasants and nongame such as turtles, frogs and native plants. While areas are set aside for hunting and fishing, there are also habitat areas for those animals, Meier said.

Meier said the DNR strives to maintain a balance of making the wildlife area available for people to enjoy, but protecting it for the species that inhabit it.

'We want everybody to enjoy it,” he said. 'Our big goal for the DNR is get out, enjoy the wild.”

The problem is, Meier said, the area is not being used as it's intended. While primitive camping is allowed in the area, Meier said people are camping out of campers in cars, either in parking lots or driving their vehicles off-road and tearing up the area. He said some visitors are also illegally mowing areas for camping and cutting wood for fires. Some are camping for extended periods of time or using the relatively remote area of the county to host bonfire parties.

'Our wildlife area is not designed for that,” he said, comparing it to modern campsites. 'That's the hard part about it. They're not really enjoying it naturally.”

Meier said that most people who enjoy the wildlife area are not the problem.

'It's a select few and they're ruining it for everybody,” he said.

According to the DNR, public meetings will be hosted over the next year to review the Army Corps of Engineers' master plan for the Coralville Lake, which is adjacent to the Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area.

'People are welcome to comment on camping, but we need constructive input on stopping the illegal activities and general disturbances to the wildlife habitat,” said DNR wildlife management biologist Tim Thompson in a news release. 'We want people to enjoy getting back to nature by using Hawkeye responsibly.”