FAIRFIELD – Residents of Fairfield can look forward to a number of improvements planned for Pleasant Lake.

Pleasant Lake is a scenic pond on the north edge of town accessible from Pleasant Plain Road and the Fairfield Loop Trail, which snakes around its southern bend. It’s great to take in as a cyclist during the summer, and in the dead of winter it is a popular spot for hockey games.

The Nady Conservation Committee, which was formed to manage Fairfield’s Nady Prairie Park west of Pleasant Lake, has announced that it is moving forward with plans to improve wildlife habitat around Pleasant Lake, and to replace the lake’s dock and boat ramp so it is more accessible for recreation.

The centerpiece of the committee’s plan to improve wildlife habitat is to remove invasive plant species that crowd out more desirable trees. During a presentation to the Fairfield City Council in March 2022, Iowa DNR District Forester Cassidy Widner said that invasive species constituted about 60 percent of the vegetation in the area along the west bank of Pleasant Lake and its northeast corner. She said that was considered “very heavy.” Some of the undesirable species she mentioned were honeysuckle, black locust, white mulberry, which the Nady Committee hopes to suppress so that more desirable species such as oaks, hickories and walnuts can flourish.

Brittney Tiller, vice chair of the Nady Conservation Committee, said they are now in the second year of a three-year project to remove invasive species. The project began along the north bank of Pleasant Lake and will soon include the west bank.

“A forestry mulcher has mulched up the invasive species, which are all the plants that are not native to Iowa and shouldn’t be here,” Tiller said. “After the invasive species are under control, a forester is going to do some timber stand improvement, so any locations where the tree density is too high, or there are undesirable trees, they’re going to thin those out.”

Tiller said that, instead of just chopping those trees down, the forester will place a ring around the tree to stop it from growing, which kills it but leaves it standing so it can be habitat for woodpeckers and insects.

The plan calls for a forester to thin the undesirable trees near where the Fairfield Loop Trail touches the lake starting in mid-January, and then treat any regrowth by spot-spraying herbicide.

“People who love birds should hate invasive species,” Tiller said. “Birds, especially in the spring when they have their little fledglings, need food, and they can’t eat a hard seed, so they need something squishy like a little worm or larvae. All of those grow on our native plants, especially our oak trees. They don’t grow on any of these invasive species.”

Tiller said that invasive plants might not look harmful to the untrained eye, but they are bad for the area’s wildlife.

“We’re removing the things that weren’t there 200 years ago and aren’t beneficial now, and helping the land be restored to something that is healthy for our wildlife,” she said. “It’s going to look rough for a year or two, but in the long run, it’s going to be wonderful habitat for our wildlife.”

Ron Blair, chair of the Nady Conservation Committee, said another project being undertaken is the removal of downed trees, which will minimize the chance of a major conflagration.

Blair said the Nady Conservation Committee is taking “great pains” to educate surrounding property owners, locals schools and the university about the project, and is creating a series of educational signs about the importance of removing invasive species.

The other project the committee is spearheading is improving the boat ramp, which means laying fresh gravel, widening the ramp, and placing more rock where the ramp touches the water so that boats have an easier, more gradual descent.

“That will allow the DNR to do water testing at the lake, which they aren’t able to do with our current boat ramp,” Tiller said.

Blair said it will allow the DNR to check the lake’s fish stock, too.

Tiller said the current dock will be replaced with an aluminum plank, and will extend 10 feet further into the water. She said the new dock will have an apparatus so it’s easier to launch a kayak from the dock.

“It’s extremely challenging to launch [kayaks] from this location,” Tiller said. “It’s not very wide and there’s not enough room. It’s difficult to get your trailer down here.”

These projects would not be possible without grants from the Iowa DNR. The WRAC (Water Recreation Access Cost-Share) Grant covers the boat ramp, gravel entrance lane, and walking path to boat ramp. The total cost of that project is estimated at $7,000 with the DNR covering $5,250 and the City of Fairfield’s Park & Rec Funds covering the rest. Construction is planned for the late spring or summer.

An Open Spaces Grant from the Iowa DNR’s REAP funds will cover the boat dock and its extension plus a kayak/canoe launch, estimated at $11,000. It will cover the educational signage at $6,600 and habitat management projects for $54,303. This grant does not require a city match, and will be completely covered by the DNR.