Mills County wetland purchased by DNR

---

This article was written and posted on INHF's website in January 2008.

A new 800-acre public wetland, located along Interstate 29 and a major bird migration highway, is being restored to serve wildlife and humans.

In June 2007, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) purchased the property from a private landowner, Dick DeLaschmutt. DeLaschmutt enrolled the property in the Wetland Reserve Program, a federal farm program designed to restore natural wetland complexes.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently purchased the Mills County site from temporary owner INHF. The DNR received a grant for funding the land purchase from the federal North American Waterfowl Conservation Act (NAWCA).  The grant was administered by Ducks Unlimited. The area, which is now open, will be named Haynie Slough, an old local name for the property.

“Normally it takes several parcels acquired over a period of time to make a complex this big,” said Bruce Mountain, Land Projects Director of INHF. "It is quite satisfying to be able to build such a large complex all at once, both from a habitat and from a public use standpoint."

According to Carl Priebe, wildlife biologist for the DNR, future plans for the property include maintaining water levels in the wetlands and the quality of native grass on the uplands and providing a wetland area for the public to enjoy. Two things make this property unique, Priebe emphasized. One is the sheer size of the land. The other is its location on the Missouri River floodplain, where most of the land had been converted to farmland, so today, the wetland is an oasis.

At present, the property is home to pheasants, deer, ducks, and depending on water levels, possibly shore birds and northern harriers. Because of the wet conditions, Priebe said, the area is also an outstanding habitat for migrating waterfowl. Public uses for the property will include pheasant hunting, birdwatching, hunting and wildlife photography.

See related magazine article

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.