Iowa currently has less than 3% of its land accessible to the public. The Iowa chapter of BHA was contacted by the Ida County Conservation Board to assist on an access project in Ida County, which ranks one of the lowest counties in Iowa for public land access. The Smith Wildlife Habitat Area connects to the Crawford Creek Recreational Area, which is currently owned by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation but doesn’t allow public access. This access project would nearly double the size of the current recreational area (118 acres), and add 30% more public gun hunting land to the county.
Iowa BHA is matching up to $1000 in funds to donate to the project. The chapter created a donation page to raise funds to transfer the property to the County Conservation Board, which would allow public access exclusive for recreational opportunities. They are working with local chapters of Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and other conservation groups to ensure increased and permanent access to public hunting in Iowa. This is the first time that all local conservation groups have come together to work towards a common goal.
We congratulate the Iowa BHA chapter for being a conservation leader within the state!