 | Calendar of Events |
Contact: O'Brien County Conservation Board  | | Phone: 712-295-7200 |
| Address: 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, IA 51047  | | Location: Prairie Heritage Center |
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Starts: March 16, 2013
Ends: April 30, 2013
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) Have you ever “listened” to the prairie? What stories might it tell? The answer to these questions can be found at the Prairie Heritage Center from now until the end of April!
The O’Brien County Conservation Board is pleased to bring another special exhibit to the Prairie Heritage Center. This exhibit, entitled “Listen to the Prairie – Farming in Nature’s Image,” was created by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and has been on tour since 2001. The Friends of Hartman Reserve Nature Center in Black Hawk County received a REAP Conservation Education Grant to bring the exhibit to Iowa and assist in its travels across the state. Ed Gruenwald, Hartman Reserve’s Nature Center Director explains, “What we are trying to do is to send a Smithsonian quality exhibit to small-town Iowa. We want to let all Iowan’s know that their stories and relationships with the land are important and worth sharing.”
The exhibit focuses on the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and how it has changed into one of the most productive agricultural lands on earth. The display leads viewers through the diverse prairie ecosystem and why it is important, the conversion of prairie to farmland, and how modern agriculture can maintain its viability while still protecting and preserving prairie lands for the future.
The exhibit has something to interest everyone! Touch screens, audio clips, and engaging artwork help to tell this interactive story. The exhibit is free of charge and can be viewed at the Prairie Heritage Center, just north of Hwy 10 on Yellow Ave. The Center’s hours are Wednesday – Friday from 9:00 – 4:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 – 4:00. For special groups, please call the center at 712-295-7200 to make special arrangements.
Don’t miss your chance to “Listen to the Prairie!”
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| Contact: O'Brien County Conservation Board | | Phone: 7122957200 |
| | Address: 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, IA 51047 | | Location: Prairie Heritage Center |
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| Date: April 4, 2013 (7:00pm - 10:00pm) |
) “Peace Through Corn” Presented By Liz Garst
Agriculture in Iowa has influenced the course of history in our state, our nation, and the world. On Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 7 P.M. Humanities Iowa speaker, Liz Garst, will present “Peace Through Corn” which reflects on the ways in which Iowa’s agriculture industry has had influence worldwide.
Liz Garst will recount the history of agricultural development in Iowa, from early settlement through the fabulous mid-century explosion of farm productivity, based on the hybrid seeds, machinery, fertilizers, and livestock technologies promoted by her grandfather, Roswell Garst. She will also talk about the visit to her grandparents’ farm by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and his family in 1959 and will share her personal memories as an 8-year-old participant. Imbedded in the entertaining story are history and economics lessons as well as a powerful message about the ability of an individual to make a difference.
The program will begin at 7 P.M. on Thursday, April 4, 2013 at the Prairie Heritage Center and is free and open to the public.
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| Contact: O’Brien County Natural Resource Conservation Service | | Phone: 712-757-3855; Ext-3 |
| | Address: 340 2nd St SE, Primghar, IA 51245 | | Location: Farm Bureau/ISU Extension Conference Room |
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| Date: April 6, 2013 (8:30am - 1:00pm) |
) What’s in the water? Are you curious? The O’Brien County Natural Resource Conservation Service, the O’Brien County Farm Bureau and the O’Brien County Conservation Board have worked with local volunteers each spring to capture a snapshot of the water conditions in our county. The O’Brien County Water Quality Snapshot will take place on Saturday, April 6.
Play a part in this year’s sampling. Volunteers meet together for instruction at the Farm Bureau /ISU Extension Office in Primghar at 8:30 a.m. Teams go to various sites in the county to sample water and return to Primghar. The sampling is completed by noon, and lunch is provided.
Please call the NRCS Office at 712-757-3855 ext #3 to sign up. Take part in this spring event and help to gather information on water quality. This event is free to all participants, but pre-registration is required.
For more information, call the Conservation Board at 712-295-7200 or the NRCS office at 712-757-3855 ext 3.
Provided by O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| Contact: O'Brien County Conservation Board | | Phone: 7122957200 |
| | Address: 5038-5088 Wilson Ave., Sutherland, IA 51058 | | Location: Waterman Prairie |
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| Date: April 6, 2013 (2:00pm - 4:00pm) |
) Spring has arrived and the sights and sounds are all around us! Join the O’Brien County Conservation Board in welcoming the coming of spring with a search for the first wildflower. Pasque flowers are one of the first wildflowers to be seen on the prairie & this year’s Annual "Pasque Flower Hike" is planned for Saturday, April 6 at 2 P.M. on the Waterman Prairie.
This event is free and great for the whole family. Enjoy an afternoon walk along the hillside and imagine what the landscape once looked like!
Meet at the Waterman Prairie on Wilson Avenue, O’Brien County. From Hwy 10, turn south on Wilson Avenue and follow the road around the curve, up the hill, and the parking lot will be on the east side of the road.
For more information, contact the Prairie Heritage Center at 712-295-7200.
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| Contact: O'Brien County Conservation Board | | Phone: 7122957200 |
| | Address: 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, IA 51047 | | Location: Prairie Heritage Center |
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| Date: April 18, 2013 (6:30pm - 9:30pm) |
) In celebration of the upcoming Earth Day, the O’Brien County Conservation Board is hosting a program to look at a different form of recreation. In this case, the focus is on re-creating something new from something old!
Bring your recycling spirit and learn about how to transform cast off objects into something new. There will also be a take home craft for various ages.
Join the Conservation Board staff for learning, games, crafts, and much, much more on Thursday, April 18 at the Prairie Heritage Center beginning at 6:30 P.M.
This Event Is Open To The Public & Free For Everyone To Enjoy!
For more information, contact the Prairie Heritage Center at 712-295-7200.
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| Contact: Katy Patterson | | Phone: 515-432-2823 x-102 |
| | Address: 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, IA 51047 | | Location: Prairie Heritage Center |
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| Date: April 20, 2013 (10:00am - 4:30pm) |
) The Iowa DNR has rescheduled this event for Saturday, April 20, 2013 at the Prairie Heritage Center. If you are still interested in this great opportunity, please be sure to get pre-registered and you can do so by visiting the links below.
Ever wondered what the earliest nesting birds in Iowa are? Or why Herons nest in groups? Have you ever seen a Bald Eagle soar and wondered where it raises its young? Do you want to be a valuable part of wildlife conservation Iowa? If you answered yes the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (IDNR) Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program (VWMP) is for you! The citizen scientists of the VWMP provide the IDNR with crucial data that we otherwise would be hard-pressed to gather. If you are interested in becoming part of this exciting and important program, please join us at one of our training workshops! We offer a series of workshops that train volunteers to collect yearly data on raptor and colonial waterbird nesting. Over the course of the workshop we will provide you with all the information and training you need to become an effective wildlife monitor!
A bird nest monitoring training workshop will be held at O’Brien County Conservation’s Prairie Heritage Center at 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, Iowa on Saturday February 23 2013 from 10:00 am to 4:30pm. Participants will learn how to identify Iowa’s breeding raptors and colonial waterbirds (herons, egrets etc…), how to find nests and rookeries, what observations to make and how to report those observations.
Information presented at trainings will appeal to adults with an enthusiasm for the outdoors and an interest in observing wildlife. Pre-registration is required with a $10.00 fee. For information on how to register and other details, please visit the website or contact Katy Patterson at (515) 432-2823 x-102 or via e-mail at: katy.patterson@dnr.iowa.gov
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| | Address: IA |
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) On Monday, April 22, 2013 we celebrate the observance of Earth Day! Earth Day gives us reason to enjoy the tonic of fresh air, contact with the soil, and companionship with nature! Walk through the woods in search of emerging wildflowers and green moss. Go outside, no matter what the weather!
Ever wondered how Earth Day started? This observance arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues. In 1970, San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. McConnell chose the spring equinox (March 21, 1970) and Nelson chose April 22. Millions of people participated, and today Earth Day continues to be widely celebrated with events on both dates. The most common practice of celebration is to plant new trees for Earth Day.
Visit to learn more about Earth Day 2013! Make a plan to make everyday Earth Day!
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board
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| Contact: O'Brien County Conservation Board | | Phone: 7122957200 |
| | Address: 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, IA 51047 | | Location: Prairie Heritage Center |
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Starts: April 28, 2013
Ends: May 4, 2013
Time: (Ends at: 11:00pm) |
) For the fifth year, Iowa Native Plant Society is celebrating wildflowers in a special way at the end of April and the beginning of May. Iowa Wildflower Week was created by and is coordinated by INPS. Flowers are an ideal attraction to help introduce people to native plants and natural areas. Let’s look at wildflowers per se and the history of the celebrations.
Defining “wildflower” is not straightforward. We immediately think of flowers growing in an undisturbed natural area – not seeded or planted – naturally growing there. We all know the delight of finding wildflowers and admiring them. They are native plants in
bloom.
Increasingly, we treasure wildflowers that are blooming in a restoration or econstruction as we seek to heal land that had been neglected, abused, or converted to other uses. We are encouraged by success of these native plants in their role of ecosystem repair.
Wildflowers can also be native plants, not cultivars or hybrids, that have been seeded or planted into gardens.
This is quite different from the wildflower seed mixtures that are sold to grow anywhere. These packets often include species that are not native to or appropriate for the area where they are to be planted. They frequently include naturalized exotic species that some now treat as natives.
Iowa Wildflower Week (IWW) celebrates native wildflowers in their natural surroundings. It celebrates those that have been sown or planted in restorations, reconstructions, and gardens. Indeed, the use of wildflowers and other native plants in landscaping is important to reduce or eliminate the need for mowing, fertilizing, and watering; to provide wildlife habitat for birds, butterflies, and other fauna; and to prevent soil erosion.
Celebrate IWW by organizing or attending a field trip, visiting a native garden, planning a garden or addition to your existing landscaping, or help others to learn more about native plants and our natural areas. Stay tuned to your local media and the O'Brien County Conservation Board and Prairie Heritage Center's websites and social media to find out the great activities that are available to help in celebrating Iowa Wildflower Week.
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
| Contact: Western Iowa Tourism Region - Shonna Bruno | | Phone: 888-623-4232 |
| | Address: 1st Street SE, Peterson, IA 51047 | | Location: Peterson Community Building |
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| Date: April 30, 2013 (10:00am - 3:00pm) |
) All travelers have to eat, right? Culinary tourists are more engaged in your location and willing to spend more money for an authentic experience. Travelers spent more than $1.4 billion on food service in Iowa in 2011, an amount second only to transportation. This generated more than 26% of the travel-related payroll in Iowa for that year! Learn how to tap this important market.
The event takes place Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at the Peterson Community Building and the program includes Rebecca LeHeup, executive director of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance along with her colleague, Julia Gilmore. They are touring Western Iowa the week of April 28-May 2, and will share their recipe for developing culinary tourism; collaborating with others in your community, county, and region; and increasing economic development through food-related travel.
Contact Shonna Bruno at 888-623-4232 or via e-mail: shonnabruno@traveliowa.org to register!
Provided by the O'Brien County Conservation Board |
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