The Other Side of Saylorville

I’ve mentioned before that we are learning there is a great deal going on behind the scenes here at Saylorville, than we ever would have imagined the past 15 years of sitting around the campfire, boating on the lake or going for walks. It is so easy to be in your own ‘back yard’ and never really know all the things the area has to offer.  This past winter a very common conversation starter at the Visitor’s Center at Balcones NWR were local people coming in saying,  “ I’ve lived here all my life and never been out here.”  We hear the same thing here. and I'm guilty of it myself. Locals come in and discover all that has been here for them all along.  We get busy with our everyday lives and routines and forget all the intrinsic benefits of our hometowns. Everyday I get more excited and fall in love a little more with one of my favorite local campgrounds. Here are some of the reasons why.

I have learned that Saylorville Lake is an Internationally recognized Important Birding Area. That means that the ecological diversity and the aggressive habitat management taking place behind the scenes here create areas that attract not only one of the most diverse bird populations in the Midwest, but we are located on a major migration route and Saylorville acts as a giant rest stop area for birds to stop and feed on their journey each spring and fall.

As avid boaters, we have always been disappointed that the lake level north of the  bridge, where we could once navigate our boats up into the Des Moines river for a pleasant day of boating, has dwindled over the years and we can no longer access the area. I have learned the reason is that the area called the mudflats is now a managed area for migrating waterfowl and raptors,

[caption id="attachment_313" align="alignright" width="300"] American Pelicans in morning fog[/caption]

including the American White Pelican that come by the thousands on their trek from the Gulf Coast to points north from Iowa and back. The Rangers lower the lake several inches around this time of year and areal seed Japanese Mullet that will grow to maturity by the late summer migration to provide food for the resting  birds. It’s an incredible site to see the Pelican numbers peak in late summer. We've experienced this boating. Now we know why they come here and how important this area is to their migration. Having been born with the heart of a conservationist, I can appreciate their efforts and am happy to share my boating activities in the summer with the birds.

[caption id="attachment_321" align="alignright" width="300"] Fish pond at Sandpiper after the release into the Lake[/caption]

The small ponds around the Sandpiper boat launch area are not storm run off as we have always assumed, they are fish stocking ponds. They released babies into the ponds early this spring around the time Champ and I  arrived, and just this past week opened the gate and released the, fry sized, wipers, striped bass and largemouth bass into Saylorville. It will take some time for the pond to refill on its own. But now we know why it mysteriously drains from time to time.

Throughout the 26,000 acres of Corps managed land that make up the Saylorville project there are a number of specific habitats being actively maintained, including Oak Savannah (what most of Iowa was before the westward expansion)  prairie grassland, woodlands and wetlands. All for the purpose of promoting safe habitat for native animal species. There are bobcats, coyotes, deer a wide variety of other woodland creatures and of course the birds. This is their safe haven in the middle of the voracious urban sprawl that is consuming once rural land in Des Moines and the surrounding communities.

I learned just last night from Will and Judy, 15 year Natural Resource volunteers, that the fields I see them plant throughout the area are not all native grasses as I had assumed but some are things like peas, turnips, kale, sweet grass planted for the express purpose of providing food for the wildlife.

The most remarkable thing to me is that this is all occurring in an area that is visited by over 1,000,000 people a year. We boast 4 campgrounds with over 500 campsites, dozens of day use facilities 2 beaches and even with the heavy public use the Corps and the DNR are having consistent success maintaining and improving populations of a number of wildlife species both flora and fauna. This link will take you to their website if you want to read more about the efforts here.  http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Saylorville-Lake/Natural-Resource-Management/

[caption id="attachment_332" align="alignnone" width="300"] Me talking to a visitor about the bike trail[/caption]

I’ll end with some pictures of what I have noticed as an active volunteer this summer. If you are in the area, by all means come out to the Visitors Center. We work every Monday and Friday 10-2.  I’d love to share this special place with you.

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