Iowa
River Corridor Project
Contact:
Port Louisa NWR
10728 CR X61
Wapello IA 52653-9477
Phone: 319-523-6982
Fax: 319-523-6960
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay)
E-mail: Sally_Jack@fws.gov
State Contact:
Rick Trine
2501 S. Center Street, #L
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phone: (641) 752-5521
Inter-Agency
Program
The Service is engaged
with other agencies in promoting biological diversity and natural river
floodplain structure and function by purchase, restoration, and management
of floodprone farm land and floodplain wetlands along the Iowa River
in Benton, Tama and Iowa counties.
Approximately 10,000
acres have been purchased by the Service on Wetland Reserve Program
(WRP) easements allowing for the
development, management, and protection of fish and wildlife resources. Service
ownership also affords public use opportunities which would not be available
on privately held WRP easement areas.
Project
Goals
-
Provide landowners
a menu of land use and land management assistance options that represent sound floodplain management
-
Manage public lands
and easements in the project to provide for the natural diversity and functions of the Iowa River system
-
Use the characteristics
of the floodplain to improve the Iowa River quality for fish and wildlife
-
Provide an interpretive
opportunity to illustrate floodplain system management
-
Demonstrate and illustrate
the economic outcomes of alternative floodplain management and land uses
-
Use private and
public partnerships to the fullest extent of each agencies’ resources
to accomplish the objectives
Management Responsibilities
-
In addition to the
involvement of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in obtaining easements to reduce annual crop loss in the floodplain, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is a partner with the Service in managing purchased lands
-
Through a Memorandum
of Understanding the Iowa DNR has assumed day-to-day management responsibility for the Service purchased lands
-
The Mark Twain National
Wildlife Refuge complex and Port Louisa NWR staff works closely with the DNR on purchased land management issues
-
The Service’s
Iowa Private Lands Office assists with privately held easement projects
|