(Washington Township, Iowa) -- Polk County Conservation is celebrating restoration efforts at the north end of its largest park - Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt. Crane Meadows is a 348 acre recently acquired parcel of land. Prior to purchasing the land, many private and public partners invested their time and expertise into re-wilding terrain that sits within the area watershed and was prone to flooding.
Since 2019 Polk County Conservation and its partners have constructed, restored or planted:
3 Skunk River oxbows
7 pothole wetlands
27 acres oak savannah
86 acres prairie planted
Polk County Conservation crews plan to plant another 120 acres with native prairie seeds this year and in 2024.
Polk County Conservation says the Crane Meadows timber and prairie land has the potential to capture at least 680,000 pounds of carbon each year, while the oxbows and wetlands have the potential to remove more than 28,000 pounds of nitrate from the groundwater each year.
In the next few years its expected that Crane Meadows will develop into prime habitat for many native pollinators, waterfowl, and invertebrates, creating a thriving ecosystems.
This restoration work was done in partnership with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Pheasants Forever, Iowa Audubon, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.