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Home > Missions > Recreation > Coralville Lake > Natural Resource Management > Volunteer Events
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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Bluebird Box Maintenance
  • Location:  Various areas around Coralville Lake.
  • Time of Year:  Mid-March through mid-September
  • Description:  Monitor and maintain bluebird boxes.  Boxes need to be checked every ten to 14 days to ensure only bluebirds are using the boxes.  Damaged boxes will need to be repaired or replaced.
Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Fence Removal
  • Location:  Various areas around Coralville Lake.
  • Time of Year:  Any
  • Description:  This project involves removing old fence posts and wire to make these areas more accessible with our prescribed fire equipment.  Any wooden fence posts that have not burned completely through at the bottom can be sawed off at ground level with a handsaw or chain saw.  Metal fence posts can be pulled with a fence post puller.  All fence wire needs to be removed from the posts and coiled.  Posts, fence wire, old railroad ties and any trash found in the area can be piled for removal by Coralville Lake staff. 
Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Invasive Species Removal
  • Location: Various prairies and woodlands, project wide
  • Time of Year:  Any
  • Description:  Remove invasive plants from specific prairies and woodland as part of our overall restoration efforts.  Currently there are four prairies and five woodland we are striving to restore.  Removal of Autumn Olive, Oriental Bittersweet, and Garlic Mustard is one of the first steps in reclaiming these areas.
Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Prairie Seed Collection
  • Location:  Various prairie remnants, generally on the north side of the lake.
  • Time of Year:  Seed can be collected in mid-July through December and is weather dependent.
  • Description:  Collect seed from native prairie species to be planted into a 125-acre prairie restoration project.  No previous knowledge is required.  Interested parties will receive a short training session and some initial supervision.
Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Prescribed Burning

Location:  Various prairies and woodlands around Coralville Lake

Time of Year:  Fall through Spring, weather dependent

Description:  Assist Coralville Lake staff in conducting prescribed burning of various woodland and prairie sites around Coralville Lake.  Prescribed burning is a very effective management tool for controlling exotic/invasive plant species and brush.  Prescribed fire also reduces the amount of dead vegetative matter that can build up over time – thus reducing the risk of large-scale out of control fires that can result from fuel load buildups.  Volunteers will be given instruction on safety and fire management.  They will be required to wear nomex clothing and a hard hat, which will be provided by Coralville Lake staff.  Completion of the S130 (Fire Fighter Training) and S190 (Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior) is highly recommended but not required.

The following volunteer events have been planned for 2014 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Program at Coralville Lake. The work event work will start at 9:00 a.m. or 1 p.m., dates and times can be flexible to accommodate you or your group. Each volunteer event will include a short (approximately 10 minute) interpretive program at the beginning of the work project which will explain the environmental issue being addressed with the work event. Click here to view and print a flyer with all volunteer events.

Campgrounds will be open and free sites available for dates underlined in bold for volunteers working a minimum of 4 hours. Early registration is strongly recommended.

If you are interested in volunteering, please call (319) 338-3543 ext. 6306 or email our office.

Spring

March 8:    Timber Stand Improvement (TSI). Volunteers will remove logs and brush (already cut) from areas near Coralville Dam to improve existing oak and hickory woodlands. A short interpretive program about forest ecosystems and forest health will be included at the beginning of the event.

April 26 (25 – 27):     EARTH DAY EVENT. Volunteers will participate in a variety of events; shoreline clean-up, planting trees, invasive species removal, timber stand improvement, campground clean-up and prep, trimming shrubs, or painting. Interpretive programs will be included with most projects.

May 16 (15 – 17):     TSI (see above) or Garlic Mustard Pull. Volunteers will pull and bag garlic mustard at various areas near Coralville Dam and Sugar Bottom. A short interpretive program about invasive species will be included at the beginning of the event.

Fall

August 16 (15 – 17):     Shoreline Clean-up. Volunteers will be removing trash along the shoreline of Coralville Lake; working from the shore or from boats.

September 26 (25 – 27):     NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY. Volunteers will be planting trees in the campgrounds or areas that are undergoing timber stand improvement work. An interpretive program about forest ecosystems and forest health will be included at the beginning of the event.

October 3 (2 – 4):     Prairie Seed Collection. Volunteers will be hand collecting prairie seed from a variety of prairie remnants and reconstructions to be re-planted into a 125 acre restoration project along Ely Blacktop (County Road W6E). An interpretive program about prairie ecosystems and restoration will be included at the beginning of the event.

October 18:     Prairie Seed Collection (see above description).

November 7:     Prairie Seed Collection (see above description).

November 15:     Prairie Seed Collection (see above description).

Campground will be open and free sites may be available for the dates in parenthesis for volunteers working a minimum of four hours.
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