We recently completed the first stocking of fish at the Ambroson Recreation Area, located one mile south of Leland along Highway 69. The stocking took place in three of the five fishing ponds at the area and included 12,500 Bluegills ranging in size from 2"-3". Later this  year, Channel Catfish and Largemouth Bass will also be stocked.

Carp and other rough fish were removed from the ponds last fall. An additional pond was also acquired and a dike constructed to keep rough fish out of the ponds in the future. The money for the renovation came from the Fish Habitat Grant program and the fish were provided by the Iowa DNR.

Check out Our Upcoming
"Women in the Outdoors" Event

--Plant a tree, a shrub, or some flowers.
--Feed a bird.
--Pick up some litter.
--Recycle something.
--Reuse something that you would have thrown out.
--Turn off alight or a TV that isn't being used.
--Ride a bike or walk somewhere instead of taking a car.
--Take a resuable shopping bag on your next shopping trip.
--Replace an incandescent light bulb with a fluorescent one.
--Next time you buy something, make sure it's made from recyclable products.
--Give your old clothes and household items away instead of throwing them out.
--Take a hike and think about how beautiful the Earth is.
--If you go camping, take care fo your campsite.
--Don't buy overpackaged products.
--Hang your clothes outside to dry, instead of using a clothes dryer.
--Compost.
--Build a bird or bat house and put it up in a giood location.
--Create a brush pile for animals.
--Make sure your car is tuned up and your tires properly inflated to save gas.
--Only run full loads of clothes or dishes so that you don't waste water.

On Saturday, March 8th, we, along with the Hancock County Conservation Board, hosted a "spring" bus trip to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN, for their annual "Soar With the Eagles Fesitval." Thirty-eight people participated in the trip and, despite the very cold weather, the trip did provide people with a great opportunity to finally get out and enjoy what spring has to offer. And, yes, we did see plenty of eagles!

After departing from Garner and Forest City, people enjoyed juice and rolls on the bus, while watching a couple eagle videos. At the National Eagle Center, participants had the chance to listen to a wide variety of educational presentations about birds of prey and other issues dealing with the Mississippi River. They could also observe the Center's resident eagles up close, which provided some wonderful photo opportunities! And, of course, there were many displays to view and some eagles to see just outside the Center.

Unforutnately, the unexpectedly cold weather froze the river over enough that our scheduled riverboat cruise to view eagles along the river had to be canceled. The river had been open all week before that, but a -14° temperature the night before closed up the river; something that the Center employees said had never happened there that late in the year. Lucky us!

But, to make up for the cruise, we took a little extra time on our departure to drive up and down the river, viewing other eagles at other locations. We then took a backroad back to the Interstate, which allowed us to view even more eagles. We also saw numerous nests along the way--good news for the area's future eagle population!

This was the first jointly-sponsored motorcoach excursion sponsored by the Hancock County Conservation Board and us. Thanks to the success of this first trip, we are already planning future trips to such locales as the National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City, and Living History Farms near Des Moines. We are also hoping to travel to Kearney, NE, next spring to view the migration of the Sandhill Cranes. Keep watching the web site for information about these possible trips!