What will your legacy be?

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1 Plymouth County Conservation Board Winter Issue 2 Nature Notes Inside this issue: Friends Donation Sheet 2 Why an Oak Tree? 3 NCCC AmeriCorps Team Tubing Hill is Open! 3 Agrium Aids Elk Herd Growth Loess Hills Audubon Brings Birds to Hillview We are on the Web! Winter Activity Guide Contact us: Office telephone: (712) mwilmes@co.plymouth.ia.us Website: Facebook: Pintrest: pinterest.com/hillviewpark/ What will your legacy be? Plymouth County Conservation Foundation is pleased to announce the beginning of the new group Friends of Plymouth County Conservation. Friends of Plymouth County Conservation is a non-profit organization that finds great value in the conservation of natural resources and the nurturing of minds, young and old alike, for the betterment of our world as a whole. In supporting this organization, with volunteer hours or monetary donation, members are not only helping to expand and improve the conservation opportunities of Plymouth County, they are choosing their legacy by giving one of the greatest gifts imaginable to the future generations: the preservation the natural world. Friends of Plymouth County Conservation is not only a rewarding group to belong to because of the amazing work it supports, but also because of the thank-you gifts members receive in return for their donation. All levels of monetary and volunteer donors receive a subscription to the Nature Notes quarterly newsletter, a Friend of Plymouth County Conservation car decal, early bird signup for summer camps and an invitation to the annual Friends appreciation banquet. Depending on the donation level, members may also receive recognition in the Center for Outdoor Learning for one year, complimentary camping, cabin and Center for Outdoor Learning rentals. Please see the next page of this newsletter for the exact donation levels and coinciding gifts. With Christmas just around the corner, you may want to consider avoiding the chaos of the stores and instead buy the gift of conservation for that hard-to-shop-for or nature enthusiast on your list. Not only will your loved one receive a handwritten thank-you note, they will also receive all the gifts mentioned in the last paragraph*. Give the gift that truly embodies the Christmas spirit this year, give the gift of conservation. on d If you are interested in becoming a Friend of Plymouth County Conservation or donating in another's name, please print and mail in the donation sheet on the next page of this newsletter. Also feel welcome to call or Molly at (712) or mwilmes@co.plymouth.ia.us at any time with questions. Information can also be found on our website at under the DONATE tab. *Some gifts are dependent on donation level

2 Friends of Plymouth County Conservation Plymouth County Conservation Foundation is a non-profit organization that finds great value in the conservation of natural areas and the nurturing of minds, both young and old, for the betterment of our world as a whole. When you become a Friend of Plymouth County Conservation through monetary donation or the gift of volunteering, you are not only helping to expand and improve conservation opportunities in Plymouth County, you are helping to preserve the natural world for the generations to follow. Name: Street: City: State: Zip: Phone: ( ) Please indicate your desired level of donation: Student Membership $15 or 2 volunteer hours Individual Membership $25 or 5 volunteer hours Family Membership $50-99 or 10 volunteer hours Goldfinch Membership $ or volunteer hours Red Fox Membership $ or volunteer hours Bald Eagle Membership $ or volunteer hours Wapiti (elk) Membership $1, 000+ or 200+ volunteer hours Please accept these gifts as our way of saying thank you All levels receive the Nature Notes quarterly newsletter, Friend of Plymouth County Conservation car decal, early bird sign-up* and an invitation to the annual Friends appreciation banquet. Goldfinch membership and higher receive recognition in the Center for Outdoor Learning for one year Red Fox membership and higher receive a voucher for one night of free camping at Hillview Recreation Area, good for one year Bald Eagle membership and higher receive a voucher for one free night stay in a cabin at Hillview Recreation area, good for one year Wapiti membership receive the above listed gifts as well as a voucher for one free rental of the Center for Outdoor Learning, good for one year *Sign-up one day before the general public for summer camps For monetary donations, please indicate the area where you prefer your donation be used: No preference-use where most needed The Center for Outdoor Learning enhancement and support Educational programming Plymouth County Parks enhancements Habitat management and improvement Land acquisition for increased recreational activity opportunity If you would like to volunteer, please indicate below and the Plymouth County Conservation Community Outreach Coordinator will be in contact with you shortly. All volunteer hours must be completed within one calendar year. I would like to volunteer with Plymouth County Conservation at the level indicated above PCCB is a 501(c) 3 organization and your donation is taxdeductible to the full extent allowed by law. Amount enclosed: Please make checks payable to: Plymouth County Conservation Foundation P.O. Box 1033, Hinton, IA 51024

3 Nature Notes I s sue 2 P age 3 Why an Oak Tree? The symbol for Friends of Plymouth County Conservation is an Oak tree. You may be asking yourself, why an Oak tree? Bur Oaks are the native Iowa symbol of strength and longevity. Bur oak trees are able to survive for hundreds of years through fire, storm and drought. Their roots are deep and their branches strong. As Friends of Plymouth County Conservation may we forever strive to be like the oak tree, the stability of today and the strength of tomorrow. Photograph by Ansel Adams NCCC AmeriCorps Team Gives Conservation Land a Facelift Americorps team helping to build a new tubing hill warming hut The Tubing Hill is Open!!! During the months of September and October, Plymouth County Conservation and The Nature Conservancy were lucky enough to host an amazing team of NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) AmeriCorps workers. The workers helped the Plymouth County Conservation staff with valuable projects such as construction of a new warming hut for the tubing hill, prep for a sidewalk around the Center for Outdoor Learning and removal of fence from Five-Ridge Prairie. Our AmeriCorps team members were from many different backgrounds and grew-up all over the United States, but they worked together extremely well and gave Plymouth County Conservation a BIG boost on their projects. A huge thank you to our awesome AmeriCorps team and their wonderful work ethic and attitudes! The tubing hill at Hillview Recreation Area is now open and will remain open until the end of February from 1pm to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays when there is adequate snow cover. The tubing hill is located on the south side of Hillview Recreation Area and is equipped with an automatic pulley system so that you do not have to walk back up the hill! Your fee of $5.00 covers both the lift pass and the tube. The tubing hill is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The tubing hill is also open for rentals. A private tubing hill rental has a $100 minimum charge which includes tubes and lift tickets for 20 people; there is a $5 fee for every person over 20. You may rent the tubing hill if there are less then 20 people in attendance, however there is still a fee of $100. Private rentals are for two hours on weeknights from 6-8pm or from 7-9pm. If you have any questions regarding whether or not the tubing hill has adequate snow cover to operate or you would like make a reservation, simply call us at (712) or (712) Agrium Aids Elk Herd Growth Agrium, an agriculture based business in Early, IA recently became the first Friend of Plymouth County Conservation with an extremely kind monetary donation for the addition of a female elk to the Hillview elk herd. Hillview bull elk in the first snow Plymouth County Conservation found themselves with a very small elk herd after an essential bull elk action this fall. In order to add an elk funding was needed, that s where Agrium stepped in. Nick Snyder, an Agrium employee, attended the elk auction with his family this fall and saw the need for a new female elk. He then submitted a request to his employer, Agrium, for a donation to be made to Plymouth County Conservation. A HUGE thank-you to both Nick Snyder and Agrium for their awesome contribution to the education and enjoyment of all visitor to Hillview Recreation Area! Nick Snyder, Agrium Employee, offers donation to Molly Wilmes, Plymouth County Conservation Community Outreach Coordinator

4 Nature Notes I s sue 2 P age 4 Loess Hills Audubon Society Brings the Birds to Hillview Loess Hills Audubon Society has become the second member of Friends of Plymouth County Conservation through a generous donation to a bird watching area just outside the large glass windows on the south side of the Center for Outdoor Learning. Beautification of the area outside of the Center was slowed almost to a halt by the summer plagued with drought. However, Plymouth County Conservation staff are optimistic that the rains will come and improvement can begin once again. A plan for a bird feeding and observation area was well received by the Loess Hills Audubon Society Board, who were willing no only to donate monetarily, but also to give the gift of experience. Deer, turkey and squirrels can be very destructive and piggish at bird feeders and the Audubon Board was eager to share their life experiences with Plymouth County Conservation staff on managing these creatures and protecting bird feeders from damage. If you are interested in learning more about the amazing Loess Hills Audubon Society, please visit their website at Current window view Desired winter window view Desired summer window view We are on the Web! It is the age of ipads and Smart Phones. Information and inspiration spring from the pages of Facebook and Pintrest. The time of phone books and glove compartment maps is screeching to a hault and the era of handheld GPS and Google Search are being ushered in. Welcome to the 21st century, you had better get your technology on! As a business in the 21st century, Plymouth County Conservation has chosen to embrace the technological advances of the up and coming generation and has chosen to increase their accessibility on the World Wide Wed. There are now new ways to gather information on the services offered by Plymouth County Conservation and there has been improvement of the existing website and Facebook Page. Plymouth County Conservation has had a website for many years, but the site has now been updated to make it more user friendly and more accurate. The website ( is now easy to navigate and loaded with information and images. Plymouth County Conservation Facebook Page has also begun to boom. Between interactive surveys, up-to-date activity and project information, and comical/educational nature images, Facebook truly is the greatest way to stay in touch with your County Conservation Board. To follow us on Facebook, like us on our Plymouth County Conservation page or friend us on our Hillview Park page. Along with offering an awesome website and Facebook page, we have also recently started a Pintrest Page. For those of you who are not familiar, Pintrest is basically an online bulletin board where you can store your favorite things from the internet and save them for a later date. Pintrest users often pin recipes, crafts, landscaping, designs and so on. Plymouth County Conservation started a Pintrest page for educators and care takers who would like seasonally appropriate ideas for nature centered activities and crafts for children of all ages. Whether you are bored on a Saturday or are looking for a project related to plants, visit our Pintrest site for all the inspiration you will need and more!! If you like our ideas on Pintrest, be sure to follow us so that you will not miss new activity and craft ideas as we update the site. Although Plymouth County Conservation staff will always find great value in one-on-one communication, telephone calls, a handshake and a smile, we are also more then happy to cater to the ipad and Smart Phone users who prefer the electronic form of gathering information. Whether you like to use a compass or a GPS, know that Plymouth County Conservation staff are here to help and answer questions regardless of your technological preferences!

5 P age 5 Nature Notes I s sue 2 December 12th Knee High Naturalists Pre-schoolers are invited to join us, with a parent, at the Center for Outdoor Learning in Hillview Park to learn about elk. Reindeer and elk have many traits in common and with the holidays beginning, we will be kick starting our holiday spirit by learning about these magnificent creatures. We will read a story, explore furs and antlers and do a craft. We will even go down to the elk pen and take a first hand look at these creatures, weather permitting. Cost is $3 per child, pre-registration is required. January 17th- Backyard Basics-Attracting Birds 6pm Winter can get a little long. At times there seems to be no distraction from the freezing temperatures and the driving winds. To beat those winter blues join us at the Center for Outdoor Learning in Hillview Park to discover the world of birds, right in your own backyard! Not only is birding a wonderful distraction from the winter monotony, caring for your backyard bird set-up will give you a chance to spend just enough time outside. Pre-registration is required. January 23rd- Knee High Naturalists Pre-schoolers are invited to join us, with a parent, at the Center for Outdoor Learning in Hillview Park to learn about where animals go in the winter. We will read a story, make animal tracks in the snow (weather permitting) and have a cup of cocoa with marshmallows to warm ourselves up! Cost is $3 per child, pre-registration is required February 13th- Knee High Naturalists Pre-schoolers are invited to join us, with a parent at the Center for Outdoor Learning in Hillview Park to learn about what makes birds tick. We will read a story, explore real bird feathers, meet a live bird so that we can see bird traits up close and personal and do a craft. Cost is $3 per child, pre-registration is required. February - Ice Fishing Fun Day - sponsored by Pheasants Forever Spend the afternoon getting your line wet. Bring your own gear, or use some of ours. Pre-registration is encouraged. The location will be determined at a later date. Check us out on Facebook or or for more information. February 28th Backyard Basics Easy Eggs Winter Activity Guide 6pm Keeping backyard chickens is an easy, inexpensive hobby with a wonderful reward-eggs and meat (if you so choose). Join us at the Center for Outdoor Learning in Hillview Park to learn if chicken rearing is right for you, how to choose a breed and how to care for chickens. Pre-registration is required. Program Registration Form Participants Name: Age: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Medical or food issues/allergies Circle all that apply Knee High Naturalist Sept. Dec. Jan. Feb. $3/class Backyard Basics Jan. Feb. FREE!!! Ice Fishing Feb. FREE!!! Mail to PCCB-Molly PO BOX 1033 Hinton, IA Make checks payable to Plymouth County Conservation No refunds for cancellations Registration closes a week prior to Backyard Basics date.