Outdoor notes: New Year’s Day to include free, guided hikes at 26 Iowa state parks

Outdoor notes: New Year’s Day to include free, guided hikes at 26 Iowa state parks
A mallard duck passes through Lewis and Clark State Park on Highway 175 in Monona County, Iowa. (World-Herald News Service)
Free, guided hikes will take place in 26 Iowa state parks on New Year’s Day as part of America’s First Day Hikes initiative. Hikers can expect to be surrounded by the quiet beauty of nature in winter, and experience spectacular views, beautiful settings and the cultural treasures offered by Iowa’s state parks.
All 50 states will participate in the seventh annual national event that encourages everyone to celebrate the New Year with a guided outdoor exploration.
“We are excited to host First Day Hikes again as part of this effort to get people outdoors and into our parks,” said Todd Coffelt, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau. “These hikes are a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family.” Last year, more than 1,200 people began the year in an Iowa state park, hiking more than 1,100 total miles.
Staff and volunteers will lead First Day Hikes in Iowa’s 26 participating state parks. Below are the 13 of those parks in the western half of the state:
NORTHWEST
>> Big Creek State Park
>> Dolliver Memorial State Park
>> Gitchie Manitou State Preserve
>> Ledges State Park
>> Lewis and Clark State Park
>> Prairie Rose State Park
>> Springbrook State Park
>> Stone State Park
SOUTHWEST
>> Green Valley State Park
>> Lake Anita State Park
>> Viking Lake State Park
>> Waubonsie State Park
>> Wilson Island State Recreation Area

Gearing up for bird count

The annual Christmas bird count begins across Iowa with volunteers working with count coordinators from the Iowa Ornithologists Union to identify one day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 to count every bird — seen or heard — in their designated area. The Christmas bird count began in 1900, and has been called the original citizen scientist project. In fact, enough data has been captured over the years that various scientific organizations have been using the results to document changes in bird populations.
“This has become a winter tradition for hundreds of birders,” said Bruce Ehresman, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program. “When the weather is good and we have open water, volunteers often document more birds, including one year when more than 100 different species were documented at the Saylorville count area.”
Last year, there were 35 areas in Iowa where Christmas bird counts were run. Each count is held during one complete day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, 2018.

Calendar

Tuesday
Duck and coot hunting season closes in zone 2 and 4
Friday
Bighorn sheep hunting season closes
Dec. 26
Duck and coot hunting season closes in Zone 1
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