Local nonprofit promotes conservation with barbecue competition

SALEM — The smell of barbecue sauce and the sound of sizzling meat wafted through Oakland Mills Park in Salem all day on Saturday, Sept. 7, as the Friends of Conservation in Henry County hosted their 10th annual Jam at the Dam and Skunk River BBQ Championship.

According to the nonprofit's president, Steve Mendenhall, the event serves as both a membership drive as well as an opportunity to raise funds for conservation projects. Most recently, the group teamed up with local 4-H member Montana Cones to contribute to her beekeeping project, helping her to purchase the equipment that she needed.

For Jam at the Dam, the Mt. Pleasant-based nonprofit invites barbecue teams to the park each year for a cookout with the promise of cash prizes, and encourage locals to come enjoy a day in their community park.

'It's about getting people outside to appreciate and care about nature,' said Monte Stark, Friends of Conservation in Henry County's vice president.

This year, the Southeast Iowa BBQ Tour made Jam at the Dam an official stop and brought 10 teams to Oakland Mills to compete in four meat categories: chicken, pork, brisket and ribs. Locals who attended and purchased a tasting ticket also chose a people's choice griller by sampling meats and putting in votes for their favorite. Smokin' Monkey BBQ took the prize for the people's choice section and the brisket category while Fullsmoke BBQ took first place in the chicken category and the Wilson Brothers reigned supreme in ribs. Chillin' and Grillin' topped the pork category. Four certified judges from the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) attended the event and determined the winners. The competition also abided by the society's guidelines.

While Jam at the Dam usually includes musical performances, this year there was notably an absence of live entertainment due to the pre-booked band being unable to make it to the park. But that did not deter tasters from coming out and having a good time.

Tasha Gipple, who has attended Jam at the Dam with her family several times throughout its tenure said, 'It's local, fun and close. And it's run by [Friends of Conservation in Henry County] and we like to support the conservation efforts.'

The nonprofit was started 12 years ago by Mendenhall after working with the Oakland Mills Nature Center to design and build a pond and waterfall. Mendenhall wanted to help spruce up the center to make it more attractive to kids and when given donations by local residents, was told the money would have to go to a general fund that would contribute to all county projects. He created the nonprofit to make sure the donations would go specifically to conservation projects in the area.

'Our goal and mission is always to promote conservation and education in the county,' Mendenhall said. In addition to funding projects, the nonprofit has held summer camps, donated bird feeders to schools and given lessons to classes on native plant species and hunting etiquette.

Currently, the group's focus is on relighting the bridge at the Oakland Mills park.

'We were able to light it 10 years ago but since then, some of the lights have gone out and we're looking to replace them with all new LED lights, which can be expensive,' Mendenhall explained.

The nonprofit continues to search for different ways to support conservation efforts, and has most recently offered $1,000 grants to beautification and conservation projects in each city in the county. The group has also donated money to residents who purchased fish from the Henry County Agri-Center to help repopulate local ponds and lakes.

'Sometimes people think we're liberal tree-huggers but that's not what we are. We just want to do what's right for the nature around us … A lot of us grew up with farming backgrounds and have a great appreciation for animals and land, and we want to share that with others,' Mendenhall concluded.