Iowa
Wetlands and
Riparian
Areas
Conservation
Plan
National wildlife refuge launches
stewardship initiative
(Union Slough, Northern Iowa)
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge in Kossuth County has some big changes ahead, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which manages the refuge. The changes include improving the quality of water that enters the slough, increasing the number of waterfowl that nest and are hatched in the refuge, and expanding environmental education opportunities there.
The refuge, established in 1937, is about nine miles long and one-half mile wide. This narrowness and lack of a surrounding buffer increase the vulnerability of the slough to sedimentation and pollution from agricultural runoff. According to a U.S. Geological Survey study, an average of 2.62 feet of sediment accumulated in the slough between 1938 and 1995. To increase the life of the slough, refuge management would like to decrease the yearly rate from about one-half to one-eighth inch. Acquiring some adjacent land from willing sellers to help buffer the slough is part of the solution, but improving water quality will also require some voluntary changes in farming practices and/or land use in the watershed. For this reason, refuge staff are working with local landowners on a watershed-wide promotion and education campaign to encourage voluntary stewardship measures.
This project, called the Watershed Stewardship Initiative, includes developing a monitoring program in the slough and its associated wetlands, and forming a 13-person advisory committee representing landowners, agribusiness, conservation organizations, and the USFWS. The goal is to find ways that productive agriculture and conservation can exist side-by-side. Many environmentally sound farming practices, such as precision farming, conservation tillage, and integrated crop management, also can be economically advantageous. For example, they conserve productive topsoil and encourage efficient use of pesticides and fertilizers. The adoption of these techniques throughout the watershed means that Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, agricultural producers, and wildlife will benefit.
Refuge visitors will reap the rewards, too. These visitors have included local school children who use the marsh as an outdoor learning center. A new floating board walk, environmental education shelter, and improved parking area will enhance teaching opportunities while improving safety and making the marsh handicapped accessible. Long-term plans also include curriculum development that focuses on the refuge's rich array of wetlands, water, and wildlife.
Wildlife at the refuge include wood ducks, blue herons, Canada geese, mallards, blue-winged teal, trumpeter swans, northern harriers, American kestrels, sora rails, dickcissels, bobolinks, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles. The waterfowl and a number of other species will benefit from the additional land buffer adjacent to the slough that will provide more area for nesting and cover. The added acreage will also allow for some increased hunting areas and improvements to an auto tour route to allow enjoyment of the wetland and its inhabitants without disturbing wildlife during nesting season. Vanishing Prairie Trail and an auto tour route along the slough are available and open July 15, after nesting season.
One of the more peculiar sights that can be seen along the route are clusters of four beige cylinders, on curved poles about 4-5 feet high. They aren't strange beehives, but wood duck nesting boxes. The beige cylinders are actually old Freon containers with holes drilled in them for the wood ducks to enter when ready to nest and for the young ducks to exit when they are ready for that first big step. Such modular homes hatch a couple of thousand wood ducklings every year. The idea for these recycled homes came from a refuge maintenance worker who was dedicated to providing the prefabricated housing to these handsome waterfowl.
Contact:
- Barry Christensen, Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge Manager
- Phone: (515) 928-2523
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