MInes of Spain, Newsletter


	Mines of Spain Winter December 2003 Our Mission: The club is organized to inform and educate the public in nature, ecology, conservation, greenbelt concept, natural history, archeology and current events pertaining to those topics. FRIENDS GROUP RECEIVES AWARD The Friends of the Mines of Spain received an award November 8 at the Annual Department of Natural Resources Volunteer Awards Banquet. The program “Keepers of the Land” presented a plaque to the Friends as the “Outstanding Volunteer Group” in recognition of the groups dedication and enthusiastic support of Iowa’s Natural and Cultural Resources. The plaque is hanging at the center. A Letter from the Park Ranger This past recreation season has gone by very fast. We have had record attendances at programs that were offered this summer. We started a new program for kids - Nature Days - on Saturdays. It was very well attended and we look forward to next summer. We are currently working on a few projects in the park. The latrines are nearing completion. The vaults were installed in early November and buildings should be delivered later in the month. The kiosk by the center was completed and constructed of logs. A new deck has been added to the entrance of the center and looks great. A log railing fence has been added to the river side of the Julien Dubuque Monument, and steps will be constructed to take you down to the fence for a closer look at the river. The trail going down into Riprow Valley to the north is completed and ready for your hiking pleasure. A sign about the history of canoeing on Catfish Creek has been delivered and will be installed next spring to start out the recreation season. I want to thank all of the volunteers that have helped with the projects mentioned, keeping the center open, cleaning the center, giving programs, being a host at the center, trail work, seed collecting and so much more. I can not begin to list all the names, nor tell you how much it is appreciated. It is great to see how much the park means to so many of you. Wayne Buchholtz Park Ranger Riprow Valley News What’s New! Bids were received and approved, and construction of the Riprow Valley parking lot will start in the spring of 2004. Portzen Construction of Dubuque will be completing the work. The foot trail from the valley up to the Julien Dubuque Monument has been completed. This trail restoration was made possible by Eagle Scouts Alex Metcalf and Peter Seitz. The prairie seed that was planted in the spring is coming on slowly. Cattails, rushes and arrowhead plants were planted in low spots to create small wetland areas. Winter Programs Mark Your Calendar Programs for January, February and March of 2004 have been scheduled. The E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center will be open from 12:30 to 4:30 on the second and fourth Sundays during the programs. Each program will start at 1:00 p.m. The programs are free and everyone is encouraged to attend. January 10 – Bald Eagle Day at the new Grand River Center. Live raptors and displays. January 11– Mark Wagner Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. Animals of the area. January 25 – Earl Brimeyer, Cross Country Ski Clinic. Bring your own skis. February 8 – Dave Shealer, Loras College. Bird Banding and netting. See songbirds up close. February 22 - to be decided. March 14 - to be decided. March 28 - to be decided. Busy Spring/Summer/Fall The park was busy this past season. In the time period from May 1 thru October, there were 123 programs provided to the general public, schools, scouts and other groups. A total of 3946 people attended the various programs. Of the schools coming on field trips we saw students from Eisenhower, Audubon, West Delaware, Table Mound, Nativity, Kennedy, Irving, Hempstead, Marshall, NICC, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph the Worker, Bryant, Prescott, Central Alternative, St. Columbkills, Dubuque Lutheran, Resurrection, East Dubuque, Galena, St. Mark’s, Bettendorf, Youngins, Lancaster, Cascade and Boy and Girl Scouts from various towns. The Nature Days on Saturday mornings, and the Sunday afternoon programs were all well attended with return visitors, and many new faces also attended. It was a busy andsuccessful season! Feed birds in your backyard. Best seeds to use are nyger and black sunflower. In 1996, an estimated 63 million people fed birds and 44 million reported watching wildlife around their homes. For ideas about feeders, visit the E.B. Lyons Center. We have various styles to look at and a fantastic viewing window to watch the birds. Items needed: The following items are needed at the Mines of Spain. Items marked out have been donated. If you would like to make a donation of an item or funds to purchase, please contact the park office. * Cover for snowmobile * Chest waders for kids, sizes 5,6,7,8 * Black light for programs * Refrigerator, compact * Rocks and mineral collection * Butterfly Nets * Stain and paint * Stereo with 5 disc storage * Speakers for projector * Taxidermy mounts for center * Nature sounds CD’s * GPS locator “It is our duty to present to the next generation some typical and scientific areas in different parts of the state.” Louis H. Pammell (1862-1931) Professor of mycology and plant pathology at Iowa State College Dubuque Audubon Society The Dubuque Audubon Society is meeting at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center for their monthly meetings. The meetings are on the second Thursday of each month. The meetings start at 7:00 p.m. Guest speakers provide excellent programs about wildlife, and interesting places and environmental issues that affect all of us. For topics, contact the park office. The last program for the year is June 12 with a potluck to share. Go bird watching with other Audubon members - many are Friends to the park. News from the Park Manager As I approach the 6-month anniversary of my hiring, I look back at my first summer and reflect. It was a real eye-opening change from being a seasonal employee. We had a good crew of workers out here this year, though, and they made it easy for me to get going right away. I would also like to thank all the volunteers that have helped take a lot of the stress away from work. We could do what I needed to do and not think about who was in the center. The thing that really shocked me was the amount of school groups that came here this fall. I knew there would be a lot, but wow! September and October were a blur. I love to do them, though. And Wayne has been giving me guidance on ideas and methods that he uses to get and keep the kids’ attention. So far, the job has been as exciting and as rewarding as I had hoped. All of you, as well as Wayne, have made this a really positive start to my career at the Mines of Spain. Ben Horstmann Park Manager Message From The President As another successful year comes to a close, I realize how fortunate our group is to have the great support that it does have. There are so many of you that help in so many ways to make it all happen…. From the twelve active Board Members of the Friends of the Mines of Spain that are always coming up with ideas on what we should be doing next, to our two never tiring DNR Staff members-Wayne Buchholtz and Ben Horstmann that accomplish an extraordinary amount of work in a limited time and with a limited budget… To the over 100 Friends members that so generously contribute financially to the group, to the numerous volunteers that work continuously on the many behind the scenes projects that we couldn’t do without, to those State Officials and Administrators that advocate on our behalf, and to the many guests that visit, take in and enjoy the Mines of Spain and its many programs every year, we are truly thankful. My hope is that you will continue to be a part of our group and its efforts, and that you will have a safe and healthy holiday season and New Year. Doug Olk President, Board of Directors Friends of the Mines of Spain Volunteer Projects: * The walkway behind the center is being renovated with street brick. * The front deck on the center has been rebuilt and is waiting for stain. * The Calcite trail has had gravel hauled up the hill to fill in steps and un-level areas. * Steps at the Julien Dubuque Monument are planned. * A portion of the Calcite Trail is being rerouted for erosion control. Are you looking for something to do* Volunteer at the park doing a variety of things: * greeter at the center * staining/painting * writing newsletters * running the gift shop * mowing/trimming * gardening * cleaning * doing programs * keeping center open * cut trees out of prairies * repair tables etc. * install new kiosk at center * Office work * Building displays * Trail construction/maintenance * Odds and ends Give us a call today and we will get you started: (563) 556-0620 Conservationist of the Year Wayne Buchholtz, Park Ranger, was recognized at the State Parks Annual meeting and banquet October 28. He was recognized as the 2003 Iowa State Parks Natural Resources Conservationist of the Year. The award was for his perseverance and dedication to restoring tall grass prairies at the Mines of Spain. He has converted approximately 270 acres of agricultural ground to prairie and several large areas have been maintained as native prairie and savannas habitats. Wayne was also recognized with the 2003 Peer Recognition Award for the work he has done in the past year. Mines of Spain nominated for IBA What is IBA* Important Birding Area. This program is designed to designate government or private lands as areas that are beneficial to birds. The Mines of Spain has been nominated and is in phase two of the nomination process. To complete the second phase, we need documented sightings of threatened or endangered species. Species that we need data on are the Pileated Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Veery, Wood Thrush, American Woodcock and Bald Eagle. If you have any information on these species, please let us know. If you are on a hike or outing and observe any of these species, let the park staff know and we can enter the information onto the IBA website. Each species needs to be observed two out of five years to complete phase two of the nomination process. Some other species to look out for are Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Least Tern, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Henslow’s Sparrow, Black-billed Cuckoo, Logger-head Shrike, Prothonotary War-bler, Cerulean Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Yellowbreast- ed Chat, Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink. Volunteers recognized at Annual Dinner The Friends of the Mines of Spain held the Annual Appreciation Dinner on October 11 at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center. There were 79 people attending with food catered from Kalme’s at St. Donatus. Special guests included Liz Christianson (Deputy Director), Jerry Reisinger (District Supervisor) and Representative Pat Murphy. The evenings speaker was Deputy Director Liz Christianson of the Iowa D.N.R. Christianson spoke on the importance of our natural and cultural resources and how valuable volunteers are. She credited the friends group with the successes the Mines of Spain has had. Several volunteers were recognized for their help in the past year. Those recognized were: * Alliant Energy * Paul and Ruth Brenner * Jeanette Callahan * Bob Cussen * Dan & Ann Ernst * Gerda Hartmann * Howard & Joan Higley * Rich Hyman * Ben Horstmann * George Kalhorn * Connie Mueller * Doug Olk * Larry Pape * Rudy & Rose Pruszko * Jack Rolling * Mary Strom * Video Creations * Lydia Zaya * Dubuque Chamber of Commerce * Dubuque D.R.A. * Alex Metcalf * Garriet Eaton * Brian Metz * Peter Seitz * Matt Markus * Juvenile Court Services All of these individuals and organizations are invaluable to keeping the programs and projects going at the park. THANKS for a job well done. GIFT SHOP Christmas Ideas! The gift shop at the interpretive center has many great gift ideas for family, friends or even yourself. The shop has: t-shirts - caps - coffee cups - walking sticks - ID books - bird feeders - magnets - rock and mineral samples - kid stuff such as necklaces, bouncing balls, snakes, arrowheads and more. Visit the gift shop for Christmas stocking stuffers. All proceeds stay at the Mines of Spain. Various ways that gift shop proceeds have been used include displays in the center, interpretive signs, equipment, facilities, trail materials and more. Think of the Mines Spain and make a difference! Hunting in progress A reminder that there is hunting allowed in portions of the Mines of Spain. Archery hunting is allowed October 1 to December 5 and December 22 to January 10. Shotgun hunting for deer is allowed December 6 - 10 and December 1 -21. The use of rifles, pistols, muzzleloaders or any other firearms are prohibited except shotguns during the regular deer season. City deer permits and tags are not permitted in the Mines of Spain. The hunting is limited to portions of the park with four areas closed to hunting. A map of the park showing the zones and refuges can be obtained at the park office. Park staff advises that hikers, skiers and other users, including dogs and other pets, to wear blaze orange for visibility. The park staff wears the orange during normal duties. As a reminder, ALL dogs/pets must be on a leash at all times. Wish List The board of the Friends have been looking into the future. Dreams have been discussed, and a wish list made of large projects for the park. An addition to the Center is a priority which would include an auditorium, classrooms, a handicapped restroom, offices and a library. Funds and donations are needed for this large project. An expansion is definitely needed due to the large gatherings for programs, school field trips and meetings. No costs have been estimated. An estimated 15,000 square feet on two levels is planned. Other projects on the list include an addition to the park’s service building (1440 square feet), two latrines, shelter houses, city water run into the park, walk-in camp sites, and the addition of 500 acres. If you can help or assist in these projects. let Doug Olk or the park office know what you can do. “The planting of a tree shows faith in the future.” Charles Schultz Friends of The Mines of Spain, Dubuque, IA 52003-9214, 563-556-0620