Welcome

Welcome to the Winnebago County Conservation Board, one of 99 county conservation boards in Iowa.

We are located in the rolling hills of north-central Iowa's prairie pothole region.

Our purpose is to provide outdoor recreational opportunities for everyone and to protect and conserve our natural resources.

Scroll down for the latest news and browse through our web site often to see what we have to offer! And, be sure to contact us if you have any comments or questions!

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Read the Spring, 2021, edition of our newsletter,
"The Prairie Country Quarterly," here.

The Florence Trap Shooting Range
is now open!

On Friday, May 14th, 38 employees from Winnebago Industries volunteered their time to help clean up Thorpe Park and the Winnebago River Water Trail! Workers at Thorpe Park picked up trash, trimmed trees, planted flowers, weed-whipped, cleaned out bluebird houses, and performed other maintenance work. Those that traveled down the river cleaned up trash, including a car wheel (still on its rim) and an old car battery.

The employees who volunteered at Thorpe Park were Eric Jones, Greg Hansen, Mike Berns, Rod White, Tim Dakken, Tom Schreiner, Bill Rout, Alex Schumaker, Dan Kesler, Mark Lamoureux, Kurt Faber, Pamela Divan, Rich Miller, Joni Miller, Tony Carter, Jon Gamerdinger, Curt Nygaard, Bob Ritter, Matt Haugen, Doug Fredrickson, Gabe Donbert, and Blake Hoover (pictured), as well as John Mills, John Bonczyk, Tony Stokka, and Brian Thoreson (not pictured).

Members of the river crew were Lee McInroy, Jeff Lewison, Jeff Hovinga, Jon Moritz, Russ Garfin, Paula Appel, Jacob Staines, Connie Theobald-Low, Deb Lund, Bonnie Boothroyd, Joe Liviero, and Stephen Bender.

We would like to thank all the volunteers from Winnebago who helped out that day. Their efforts definitely improved the park and the river, and the Board is very grateful for their dedication to these local natural areas and to the overall environment!

Beginning July 1st, shooting hours at the Hogsback Shooting Range will run from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM or sunset (whichever is earlier). Please be aware of this change and help us get the word out. Thank you!

We are still accepting donations for our Environmental Education Center!

Due to Covid cost increases, the bids for our nature center came in 30% higher than what we had anticipated. So, we are in the process of deciding our next step. We will definitely keep fundraising, but we may also downsize our project somewhat or change the building plan altogether. In any case, we will still need donations to help us continue to move forward! So, if you'd like to be a part of this project, it's not too late to help out. In fact, you can donate here on our web site! 

We want to thank all the donors who have already contributed so generously to this project and have helped us get this far. We are truly grateful for all the support we have received! We will keep everyone posted as the project moves along!

• The center will contain exhibits and interactive displays to help increase people's awareness and knowledge of their natural resources, as well as how to conserve those resources.
• It will be centrally-located in the county, just south of the north junction of Highways 9 and 69.
• The building will be 40' x 96', or 7,680 square feet over two levels.
• It will be a post-and-beam design, with 28'-high vaulted ceilings.
• The building will meet ADA specifications for accessibility.
• It will include a variety of green design elements, including geothermal and solar energy systems.
• Rooms will include offices, a large program/meeting room (that will seat 85-100 people), an exhibit area, a workshop/activity area, a staff meeting room, and a kitchenette.

It is estimated that the cost of the new center will be between $1.4 and $1.5 million. The WCCB has already voted to commit $225,000 to the project and the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors has committed $145,000. None of this money will come from county tax dollars. The rest is being raised through grants and private donations.

The following donor recognition levels have been established...

• Chickadee Level: < $250
• Bluebird Level: $250-$499
• Goldfinch Level: $500-$999
• Cardinal Level: $1,000-$2,499
• Sandhill Crane Level: $2,500-$4,999
• Trumpeter Swan Level: $5,000-$9,999
• Bald Eagle Level: $10,000 and higher.

All donations under $250 will be recognized in "The Prairie Country Quarterly," our quarterly newsletter. Donations above that amount will also be recognized at the center itself. A variety of naming opportunities will also be available for larger donations.

Fundraising will continue throughout 2020. We have completed preliminary dirt work, installed the septic system, and plan to let construction bids this summer, with actual construction beginning in the fall. If all goes as expected, we then hope to be holding our Grand Opening early in 2021!