|
WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
Wildlife population on
private lands can be improved by increasing the carrying capacity of your
land for wildlife. Including wildlife in your total farming plan restoring
soil fertility, and applying sound water quality management can all be
developed hand in hand. Proper planning will provide more and better food,
cover and water for wildlife and, at the same time improve living conditions
for both people and livestock.
THE PRIVATE LANDOWNER
Nature, through her
amazing power of reproduction, will restock new wildlife in homes as fast as
we can provide them. Help is available through the Lee County
Conservation Board
(LCCB) to assist with wildlife management planning and fishery development on
private lands.
Upon request, a
Wildlife Manager will schedule a tour of your land and help you develop a
program that is suitable to your land-use operation and to your interests.
What does it cost?
There are no charges for this service. Special planting materials that may be
recommended are usually available at a cost from a state or private nursery.
Cost share may also be available.
Where do I get the
materials? The Lee County Conservation
Board in cooperation with the Lee County
Chapter Pheasants Forever has information and materials available.
What are some of the
Wildlife Recommendations? Wildlife management recommendations vary because
all agricultural and livestock practices must be considered as the plan is
developed. Farms are different, as are the landowners.
Annual
Food Plots: Provide a high quality winter food supply for
quail, rabbit, deer, turkey and many song and field birds.
Wildlife
Shrubs: Provide a variety of natural foods; escape cover, and
homing areas. These plants are excellent additions to existing field borders
and woodland edges where food and cover are lacking.
Windbreaks
and Shelter Belts: Both man and wildlife share the direct
benefits offered by windbreaks. Protective plantings shield the farmstead and
livestock from winter winds and provide wildlife cover in areas where it may
be lacking. Shelterbelts between fields greatly reduce wind erosion on
croplands.
Pond
and Lake Improvements:
Managed ponds and lakes attract wildlife. A few of the additional benefits
are fishing opportunities, water for household and livestock use, fire
protection, erosion control and water conservation. Management of small lakes and ponds can
produce dramatic results. Aquatic plant and fish management increases healthy
fish and wildlife populations.
Improved
Field Borders: Special plantings and field borders that are
not mowed create natural wildlife areas. Most farm game species are dwellers
of the edge (where woods and field meet).
Brush
Piles: Brush piles provide escape cover, roost sites, new
food areas, and offer protection from severe winter weather.
Woodlot
Management and Tree Planting: Woodland
wildlife species benefit greatly as a result of planned woodland management.
Small, protected plantings of pine or cedar will produce long-lasting winter
cover for many species of wildlife. Plantings and woodlot management also
furnish posts and lumber as another direct reward for your labor.
Ditches,
Gullies and Odd Areas:
These areas are not suited to agricultural production but they will
produce a large crop of wildlife. Leave all of these areas protected from
livestock, and install plantings where they are needed. A well-vegetated
ditch or gully also protects the soil from erosion.
Wetland
Management: Iowa
landowners can make their wetland areas support more waterfowl by adopting
management practices that have been proven to increase wetland carrying
capacity for waterfowl and shore birds.
Lee County, Iowa, is
located in the heart of the Mississippi
Valley “Flyway.” Prairies,
forests, and rivers meet in this county attracting a great variety of
wildlife species. As landowners, we have an opportunity to enhance these
resources. The quality of life that we
enjoy in Lee County
is reflected in the abundance and quality of wildlife species that our lands
produce.
Wildlife management is
very flexible and can be shaped to your land. All you need to do is to show
your interest. Contact the Lee County
Conservation Office at the
numbers and address listed below.
Help is also available
through your local Natural Resource Conservation
Service Office, or Iowa State Extension Office located in Donnellson,
Iowa.
You may also contact your district Iowa Department of Natural
Resources Office located in Brighton, Iowa.
If you have any
wildlife or landowner questions contact the LCCB Office at 319-463-7673 or
Wildlife Manager Rick
Tebbs - 319-759-7407, email - rtebbs@leecounty.org
Assistant Wildlife
Manager Dustin Johnson -
319-759-7905, email djohnson@leecounty.org
Fax: 319-463-5013
EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE FOR
RENTAL:
|
Truax
Grass Drill
|
Mulcher
|
Wheel Disc
|
|
Backpack Water Cans
|
Tree Planting Bars
|
Cultipacker
|
|
|
Tree Planter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SERVICES & INFORMATION