English River Wildlife area adds 167 new acres

    The English River Wildlife Area recently received an addition of 167 acres on the western edge of the property, bringing the total acreage of the wildlife area to 782 acres. Washington County contributed $8,520 toward purchasing the property, which was assessed at $184,000. The Clemencia Nolan Estate owned the property and sold it to Washington Keokuk and Iowa counties on Dec. 30.

    Steve Anderson, director of the Washington County Conservation Board, said the new land will allow more deer and water fowl to inhabit the wildlife area.

    ?The area is predominantly a public hunting area,? said Anderson. ?There are a good number of ducks and geese up there. We have seen an increase in the deer population as well. This expansion will make it even better for wildlife. It has always held a lot of waterfowl, but it will soon be able to hold a lot more.?

    A few years ago the property was enrolled in the Wetland Reserve Program. Anderson said that it was once used as crop ground, but that the area flooded so often it did not bring in high yields.

    ?When the former owner put the crop ground into the Wetland Reserve Program, that ensured that it would never return to farmland,? said Anderson. ?That area can never be farmed again.?

    Anderson said there is now $57,664 in improvements scheduled for the property. He said the money will be used to excavate wetlands and plant vegetation to make it a welcoming home for wildlife.

    ?We?re going to do everything to make it the best wildlife area it can be,? said Anderson. ?It?s not going to be crops anymore. It?s going to be nesting cover, winter cover, shrubs and wetlands.?

    Washington County received significant financial help to purchase the property. While the land was appraised at $184,000, the Clemencia Nolan Estate agreed to sell the property for $110,000, saving the three counties a lot of money.

    The Iowa DNR provided a $66,792 grant from the Wildlife Habitat Stamp Fund, which comes from hunting and trapping licenses. The Washington County chapter of Pheasants Forever donated $5,500 to the purchase. The Pheasants Forever clubs in Iowa and Keokuk counties donated $10,700 combined. The other two counties involved in the purchase, Keokuk and Iowa counties, also contributed $8,520 each.

For the full article, see the Jan. 4 print edition of the Washington Evening Journal.