Iowa
Wetlands and
Riparian
Areas
Conservation
Plan
Community plan for greenbelt
reduces flood impacts,
increases local tax base
(Cherokee, Northern Iowa)
Repeated flooding of a major residential and commercial neighborhood--which caused an estimated $3.8 million in damage in 1993--prompted the City of Cherokee to clear the floodplain and allow the land to revert to a natural area. The project, called Green Space, will include restored wetlands, riparian forests, prairies, historic and community gardens, fishing and canoe access, an education center, and interpretative trails. Green Space is the first urban addition to Cherokee County Conservation Board's Little Sioux River Greenbelt.
Besides the additional public space, clearing the Little Sioux floodplain in Cherokee will also reduce future flood damages and disruptions. Was avoiding future flood damage worth a potential decrease in the city's tax base? Yes, according to Pam Pierce, Green Space coordinator. The conversion of 168 acres of taxable residential and commercial property to tax-free public space did not adversely affect the tax base of Cherokee. In fact, assessed property values went up $6.7 million since 1994. One reason for the increase was that more than 35 families left the floodplain and moved their old homes or built new ones in new housing areas with the aid of federal assistance money.
Homes aren't the only things being built in Cherokee. The Green Space project also had some construction to do--an equestrian staging area, picnic shelters, nature trails, an outdoor education center, and, of course, restrooms. Several AmeriCorps volunteers poured the foundation for the restrooms, and adult and youth volunteers pitched in to help plant gardens and an arboretum. Students at Cherokee Community Schools, with assistance from Cherokee County Conservation Board personnel, built nesting boxes for bluebirds and wood ducks.
An existing program through the Cherokee County Conservation Board, the Red Tail Ridge Project, provided the groundwork for using gardens and natural areas in Green Space as an outdoor classroom. Not only do students identify plants, animals, and insects, they also creatively write about what they see, hear, and feel. The connections established help kids appreciate and conserve natural areas. Several of the students received Adventure Iowa awards for their writing and art projects.
The wide array of Green Space promoters included local residents, businesses, students, educators, along with the Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council, the National Park Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Iowa Emergency Management Division, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Pam Pierce, Green Space
Phone: (712) 225-3224
Jeanette Hopkins, fifth-grade teacher at Roosevelt
Elementary School
Phone: (712) 225-6760
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