Rains help curb raucous behavior at Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area

OXFORD - Wet weather has taken care of what the Iowa Department of Natural Resources set out to do last month: put a halt to illegal practices at the Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area.

Last month, the DNR said it was placing a ban on camping in the 14,000-acre wildlife area because of improper camping, littering, destruction of habitats and partying. But thanks to persistent rain in the following weeks, those issues haven't come to pass, said DNR spokesman Kevin Baskins.

'The problem has kind of been taken care of by a higher authority than us,” Baskins said. 'With all the rain, all of the areas where they were camping are under water. So they can't do what they were doing in the past.”

The wildlife area, nestled along the Iowa River in northern Johnson County, is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and used for flood control. The land is leased by the DNR and is equal parts timber, marsh and upland. According to the DNR, the management area is home to deer, turkeys, ducks, pheasants, turtles, frogs and native plants. There are areas set aside for hunting and fishing, as well as habitat areas for animals.

However, DNR officials said last month they have dealt for more than a decade with littering, tree and grass cutting, unattended fires and camping with equipment not meant for the area.

'Our main problem is trying to stop the kind of camping that is best done in state parks and campgrounds,” Baskins said.

While the rainy weather so far has put a stop to problematic behavior, Baskins said the DNR isn't relying completely on Mother Nature. The DNR has increased enforcement in the management area and has also placed boulders in the paths formerly used by campers and RVs.

Baskins said primitive camping still is allowed.

'We would not have any problem with that as long as you're not cutting down trees, mowing grass or doing any other type of illegal activities,” he said.