Henry County Conservation Board seeks new member

MT. PLEASANT - As of Jan 1., 2026, the Henry County Conservation Board seeks a new board member.

Katherine Zeglen, who has served on the board for ten years, is approaching retirement age, and wishes to pass the torch.

Attending once-a-month board meetings, board members, reporting to the County Supervisors, votes on matters relating to the District. The meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month, at the Oakland Mills office, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Board members also offer their services at Park events, working alongside naturalists and citizen volunteers. The ideal candidate, according to Executive Director Caleb Waters, is someone who is conservation-minded, with an understanding of budgeting and finance. So far, there have been no applicants.

Birdwatch for Beginners is set to begin at noon on Jan. 12. Attendees will learn to identify species of local birds, and take a brief hike in search of them. Although attendance is free, registration is required.

The Nature Nerds book club has its first meeting on Jan. 14, at the Mt. Pleasant Community Library. The Club will meet every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, from January to March. This club, aimed mainly at adults, will be reading H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, the story of a falconer who, in the wake of their nature photographer father’s sudden death, buys and trains a Eurasian goshawk, in the hopes it will ease the pain of grieving.

Call 319-986-5067, or email apacha@henrycountyconservation.com for more information on either program.

In other news, the Conservation Board has moved to a new website, CivicRec which it hopes will make it easier to register for cabins, campsites and shelters.

“It also gives information about all of our recreation areas,” says Gloria Villanueva, the Board’s office manager.

The new system replaces the venerable MyCountyParks, which has been preferred by many counties across the country. However according to Villanueva, recent updates have made the site less straightforward to use.

“Some of our users were having issues getting the dates they wanted, and finding the information they needed. We’ve been having some really good reviews on [CivicRec] already.”

Reservations are also available through calling the office directly.

Call Marilyn Higgins at 319-368-8895 or email her at marilyn.higgins@southeastiowaunion.com