The 600 acre Barber Creek Wildlife Area has received a 357 acre addition to its Western border. This public wildlife area lies 4 miles southwest of DeWitt, Iowa along the North bank of the Wapsipinicon river Wapsi. A visitor to Barber Creek will find a combination of backwater chutes and forested floodplain ........
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Honey Creek State Park in southern Iowa features 828 acres of rolling, timbered hills with the beautiful backdrop of Iowas second largest lake, Rathbun Lake. Many wooded areas offer visitors a secluded setting for wildlife viewing, especially abundant eer and turkey, along with numerous bird species. ........
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The nucleus of this national historic site, a complex of structures in West Branch commemorating Herbert Hoover, is the tiny cottage where he was born and spent the first 5 years of his life. Another major building is the Friends Quaker Meeting House he attended. Also within the park area are the Herbert ........
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Lacey-Keosauqua State Park is one of the largest and most picturesque of Iowa state parks and recreation areas. The park's 1,653 acres of hills, bluffs and valleys wind along the Des Moines River in Van Buren County.
During the middle of the 19th century, the great Mormon trek westward across Iowa ........
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Lake Darling State Park was dedicated on September 17, 1950. J. N. Ding Darling, for whom the park was named, set the gate, a ceremony in which an honored guest closes the valve on the spillway, completing the impoundment process. Ding Darling was the editorial cartoonist of the Des Moines Register ........
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Lake Keomah State Park is 366 acres of beautiful woods and water. Lovely shaded picnic areas are nestled between the arms of the 83 acre man-made lake.
During the summer the open water, grasslands, deep woods and marshy areas provide habitat for all types of wildlife. Hikers along the park's scenic ........
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Lake Macbride State Park's 2,180 acres offer much to the outdoor enthusiast fishing, picnicking, swimming, hiking, camping, boating and lots more. The park is located in two units. The northern unit lies at the end of County Road F-16, 4 miles west of Solon. Here you will find a modern campground, boat ........
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Lake Wapello's 1,150 acres could easily be called the country club of Iowa's state parks. The beautiful wooded hillsides, shaded picnic areas and lake provide a quiet elegance which makes Lake Wapello one of southern Iowa's best-kept secrets. The beautiful lodge has been converted back into a restaurant. ........
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Maquoketa Caves is probably Iowa's most unique state park. Its caves, limestone formations and rugged bluffs provide visitors a chance to step back into geological time thousands of years. Caves vary from the 1,100' Dancehall Cave with walkways and lighting system to Dugout Cave. The remaining caves ........
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The Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex NWR was established for the protection of migratory birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. It is located along the Mississippi Flyway, one of the major routes for migrating waterfowl. Refuge units also provide important habitat for big river ........
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Palisades-Kepler State Park lies along the beautiful Cedar River in Linn County. The 840-acre park has dramatic river bluffs, deep ravines, majestic hardwood trees, a large variety of wildflowers and an abundance of wildlife. Palisades-Kepler State Park is also important for its prehistoric past. A ........
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Rock Creek is one of central Iowa's major state parks and was officially dedicated on August 24, 1952. The 602-acre Rock Creek lake is the third largest state operated artificial impoundment. Rock Creek State Park truly offers something for everyone.
The park is a haven for many different species ........
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Flora
The flora of the region consists of the tallgrass prairie association and the oak-hickory and bottomland hardwood timber types and their transition zones. Since the forest area is located mainly on soils which have been formed under forest vegetation, the plants of the prairie are not as common. ........
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