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Thursday, May 1, 2008By Intern Ranger Michael Hartin The weather is finally starting to warm up. Let us hope it stays that way! It is a good time to start going out of doors. We all have our particular outdoor activities that we enjoy the most. So whatever it is, have fun and be safe. For those of you who enjoy hunting for morel mushrooms, the season is fast upon us! A few are starting to come up, and once we get some more sunny weather you should really start finding them. I noticed a mushroom hunter or hiker found an empty bottle in the woods and left it by the roadside for us to pick up, which is very much appreciated. Every little bit helps and we out here at Kent park thank you. Fishing is starting to pick up a little bit as well. I received a report that the surface water temperature on our main lake has reached mid sixties and some largemouth bass are starting to be caught. If we can get some more sunny, warm days they will soon start feeding more aggressively and begin to spawn. The campground is now open as well. We have seen a few of you and look forward to the rest of you coming out. Electrical sites are $15 per night and non electrical sites are $10 per night at Kent Park. (Prices are $5 cheaper at Hills access and River Jct. access) If you need firewood, at Kent Park, just ask a head Ranger or me, as we make regular stops into the camping area. It is sold for $4 per large bundle. The campground attendants have not yet arrived, so if you need any further assistance, just ask one of us as we come through. That is all for this week's report. If you have any questions about shelter reservations, youth camp reservations or anything else feel free to contact us at 1-319-645-2315.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008Go For A Nature Drive, By Intern Ranger Michael Hartin Hello, my name is Michael Hartin and I am an Intern Park Ranger for the Johnson County Conservation Board. My friends call me Mike! I am a student at the University of Iowa and I am finishing up a degree in Environmental Bioscience. Well, it sure has been a long winter and like the rest of you I am ready to go out of doors and start enjoying spring. That has been tough to do lately with the cold, rainy weather, at times it is even hard to tell if spring is on its way. So how do we get out of our homes, enjoy nature, and still stay comfortable? One possibility is to load up the family or friends and take a nature drive. Since the extreme harshness of winter has passed the natural residents out here at F.W. Kent Park have become much more active. Also the trees are still bare and the forest undergrowth has not sprouted. This makes it very easy to see deep into the woods while staying toasty warm in your car. You can start your journey by driving into the park and veering to the right at the directional sign. This will take you to the east side of the park. This area is heavily forested; you can observe many deer running through these woods, open areas and sometimes across the road. If you do not see any at first glance, take a second look into the woods, and watch for the white hair of their tails. Be sure to drive into the Red Haw, Bob White and Youth Group areas. Since there have not been very many park visitors, during the winter months, these animals sometimes hang out in these areas. Wild turkeys also are abundant. The big males, or “Toms”, are starting to court the females. Sometimes you can observe the males spreading there tail feathers and dancing side to side trying to impress the females. The turkeys are very abundant and you will very likely see some. Once you have driven through the east side of the park, keep driving and you will come up on the west side. This area is mostly prairie, with large open areas. Controlled burns have recently been executed to keep the prairie healthy and vital; these areas will be very visible to you. You can stop at the Knight Prairie Pavilion, the newest attraction at Kent Park. Construction was completed in September of last year. The pavilion is loaded with interesting facts to help park visitors learn about Iowa’s tallgrass prairie and the role that it has played in the natural and cultural history of our state. The west side offers a good lookout over the park and is the best place to observe predatory birds. There are many red tailed hawks, cooper hawks and even an occasional owl to be seen. They like to fly around and observe the area from tall trees because of the good visibility. Turkeys and deer can also be seen routinely throughout this area. Perhaps bring a book of North American birds and see how many you can find! Continue on and you will come down hill towards the lake. This time of year a variety of migratory birds have come back to be with us this summer. You can see many different species of ducks, such as mallards and wood ducks. In addition Canada geese can also be seen. That pretty much raps up the drive, but feel free to drive through a second time to try and see things that, perhaps, were not there the first time you drove through. It is also helpful to pack some hot chocolate, maybe some snacks and a pair of binoculars. This is fun for the whole family. I hope to see you soon!
Thursday, February 21, 2008If you’re from Northern Minnesota or anywhere in Canada and came to Iowa for warmer winters this updates for you. My In-laws from Duluth have ensured me that their winters NORMALLY have this much snow, ice, frigid cold and these very conditions are why they live in these DEEP FROZEN WASTE-LANDS. The ability to come up with ways to enjoy winter 6 plus months of the year I have to admit takes quite an imagination and I tip my hat to my northern friends. After 3 months I’m struggling with what new type of snowman concept for my kids to build, I hate to admit I called my in-laws yesterday for tips on surviving cabin fever in case the month of March decides to join the winter fun this year. Since I’m not a snowmobile fan (too noisy), not big on electronic gizmos (too trekke), hate shopping (too indoors, although sidewalk sales seem to neutralize any ill effects), ice fishing becomes my sport of choice. Most winters lately haven’t lasted long enough to hardly get on the ice to fish more than a couple weeks, so I used to fish as much as possible in the short span of time the ice would last. Four times a week was not uncommon to see me on the ice. This year however, I haven’t cut a hole in the ice for at least 4 weeks, having burned myself out in early January this year. I talked to a fisherman today on Kent Lake, he had a hand ice auger, I watched him cut a hole so deep that I think I could have went home and cooked breakfast, do the dishes, and brew a pot of coffee before he struck anything like water. Fishing success has been good at times and slow during the snow storms which seem to hit every 3 days. Needless to say, the ice at Kent Lake is still safe with 14 plus inches and growing along with 6 inches of crusted snow on top of that. I think this thickness now qualifies either as an ice flow or berg. Have we been spoiled by the lasts couple winters? Probably, although this one is becoming a potential record breaker so it would seem that next winter if it is a normal one will feel like a vacation. One thing I try to remind our ice fishermen is that Kent Park restricts the use of snowmobiles and ATVs in the park. Twice this month I have visited with fishermen with ATVs on the truck to remind them of these rules. Since our lake is only 23 acres in size most of it can easily be fished by walking. Plenty of snow has made snowshoes a needed piece of equipment if hiking the back country areas. By the tracks a few people are out getting away from the roads and parking lots. I’ve been considering a purchase myself, either that or x-country skis. Plenty of sledding on the hills especially when decent temperatures are available, although these last 2 weeks we have seen some bitter cold. Everyone is running out of road sand and room to push snow, so is the Park, so we have closed some areas in order to conserve sand. The lake and east road to nature center will be open but the west side of park and boat ramp road will be closed until snow and ice melt off. For the wildlife watchers the extreme cold offers plenty of viewing opportunities along the roadways. Park staff is still feeding corn and seed to pheasants and songbirds in certain parts of the park, these sites should be viewed from a distance and pet owners should restrict their pets from these areas as far as possible. The Conservation Board would like to thank Hubbard Feeds and Coop Feeds for their donation of grain used to feed wildlife at Kent Park. Think spring! |
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