Iowa Prairie Network 2022 Annual Meeting and Field Trips
Saturday August 6th, 2022
Maquoketa, IA
[also, Field trip #3 Sunday morning, August 7th]
The IPN annual meeting will take place in and around Maquoketa on August 6th. Registration will be limited. Please pre-register.
There will also be a Zoom link for those wishing to attend virtually.
Schedule:
Saturday:
8am Coffee at Moore Local, 605 Birch, Maquoketa
10am Codfish Hollow Hill Prairie field trip.
12 Noon - Meeting and lunch at the Brewery in Maquoketa.
2pm - Car caravan departure to Ozark Wildlife Area field trip.
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Sunday:
8am Coffee at Moore Local, 605 Birch, Maquoketa
Sunday 9 am car caravan departure to Buzzard Ridge Wildlife Area field trip.
Codfish Hollow Prairie is a composite of multiple high original quality native prairie dolomite hilltops, buffered and surrounded into a landscape by 30 to 35 years old plantings of imminently locally derived prairie seedings. There are some small components of native savanna and woodland communities. Easy walking.
Ozark is comprised of a scenic remote woodland river corridor with quite nice savanna and prairie communities on hilltops overlooking the terrain in a beautiful part of the county. This is a moderately strenuous and lengthy walk.
Rattlesnakes are found in NE Iowa including Ozark and potentially Buzzard Ridge. Some folks will consider this a plus! While the path often follows an old broken down road, there will be meandering on prairie and bluffs. High topped boots and long pants recommended. Snake chaps can be considered. Also, please carry along a quart of drinking water and have a gallon of drinking water in your car!
Buzzard Ridge walk is fairly easy through river corridor woodland to a characteristic upland prairie opening overlooking the Maquoketa River.
Check out the local overnight camping and motels.
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Details about the prairies:
CODFISH HOLLOW HILL PRAIRIE: A dozen original high quality native prairie covered Dolomite knolls. These have been buffered and tied together by 30 to 35 year old reconstructions within prior crop ground to create a whole connected landscape, using highly local, hand picked native prairie species. It is also a local reserve for locally scarce prairie species. Special original species include one of the most northern populations of Purple Coneflower in existence with fascinating reasons for their appropriate presence. It also holds Leonard’s Skipper, which was the first population rediscovered in eastern Iowa since last seen in the 1800’s. Common species include downey painted cup, shooting stars, blue eyed grass, needlegrass, several dry sedges, pale spiked lobelia. Later in the year upland white aster, silky and skyblue aster, blazingstars, great plains ladies tresses….. Step offs to the next plateau down are characterized by pale purple coneflower, leadplant, compass plant, prairie moonwort.…..There are some savanna edge components with purple milkweed and hazel nut thickets…, and some small components of woodland with jack in pulpit and dutchmans breeches…..
OZARK: This is a wonderful natural area, a woodland corridor, and prairie and savanna remnant uplands. We should see iconic savanna species, abundant leadplant and white prairie clover, a variety of milkweeds……. It will show several biological communities in one of NE Iowa’s beautiful settings.
Buzzard Ridge (Sunday am) is located west of Maquoketa, in the same region as Ozark.
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Other local visiting options include Maquoketa Caves State Park, 600 acre Pine Valley with Algific Talus Slope and upland bluffs of the Maquoketa River, Bellevue State Park overlook of the Mississippi River.
Camping: Maquoketa Lakehurst River Campground. Maquoketa State Park. (Mississippi River/JCCB) Spruce Creek and Sabula campgrounds. Maquoketa in town Horseshoe Pond Campground.
Directions:
East Highway 64 = East Platt street in Maquoketa is closed. Go north or south to get to the east edge of town.
DIRECTIONS to Codfish Hollow Hill Prairie: Junction of 35th St and 288th Ave, 5 miles NE of Maquoketa. Type in the neighbors on your phone: “Codfish Barnstormers”. From the east end of town, at the junction of Hwys 62, and 64 (Platt St). take HWY 62 going north for less than 1 mile to 35th St (Codfish Hollow Road). Turn right/east on 35th/Codfish Road and go 4 miles to the prairie.
DIRECTIONS to Brewery, lunch and meeting, 110 S. Main St. Maquoketa: Center of Downtown, ½ block to south of Platt on Main. Park behind, go via Niagara St, one block to west of main.
DIRECTIONS Through Maquoketa to East end of town to get to prairie:
The primary E-W road (Platt St=Hwy 64) in Maquoketa is closed EAST of downtown. Just go on different roads via north or south edges of town.
Go to east end of town/Codfish:
DIRECTIONS to Codfish through town From Davenport (south), take first exit (S.Main/Business 61). Go 1 ½ miles into town and turn right on Summit St, which will curve north as Jacobson St and when you hit the stop sign at the end, look towards the left and you will see HWY 62.
DIRECTIONS to Codfish From Anamosa/Wyoming Hey 64. Go all the way into downtown on Hwy 64 (Platt St. ) unti you are forced to turn at Main St. Turn left on Main and go about 5 blocks to Pershing Road. Turn R on Pershing Road and go to the stop sign at the end and you will be at Hwy 62. Turn Left on 62 and go ¼ mile to Codfish Hollow Road (35th st.) and turn right and go 4 miles to the prairie.
DIRECTIONS to Codfish From Dubuque (North). If you want to stop at a station, then Exit at Hwy 64/Platt Street. If you want a quicker bypass of town, then Exit early at Business 61, take time and be very careful of oncoming traffic. Note the lime kilns. The first road in town via this Business 61 exit, just past the River bridge, is Pershing Road. Turn left on Pershing and go to the stop sign at the end and you will be at Hwy 62. Turn left on 62, go ¼ mile to Codfish Rd (35th st) and turn right and go 4 miles to the prairie.
DIRECTIONS to Ozark: “Its way out over there yonder in them there hills…”. From Maquoketa junction of 61/64. Take Highway 61 north only a half mile to exit at Hwy 428 (aka Caves Road). Go NW on 428 about a dozen miles to 45th Ave, turn right and go on 45th Ave about 1 ½ miles to 166th St.. Travel on 166th St. about a mile where you will see 21st Ave on right. Turn right on 21st Ave and the destination will be immediately after crossing the North Fork Maquoketa R on the right. Park immediately off of the gravel and travel beyond this point will be determined by conditions at the time. A close by address will be supplied at the noon meeting.
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