Hunters, hikers and birders often appreciate more remote experiences and to that point, the Rathbun Wildlife Area doesn’t disappoint. To describe the newly acquired 356-acre wildlife area in southeastern Lucas County as off the beaten path might be an understatement.
With parking available at Lucas County Conservation Board’s adjacent Slab Castle Wildlife Area, this parcel is the final piece connecting Chariton to Lake Rathbun – a 17 mile stretch of state, county and federal land.
“This area is already good, but has the potential to be even better,” said Heath Van Waus, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Rathbun Wildlife Unit.
The DNR is partnering with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Lucas County Conservation Board to manage this area along with the neighboring parcels for the same type of habitats across boundaries.
“We’re taking a slow approach to this area because it’s so new, using practices that we know will improve the quality of habitat – removing invasives, using prescribed fire – then watch how it responds,” Van Waus said. “The area has had a major facelift over the last 18 months.”
That facelift began with removing and grinding out autumn olive, honeysuckle and cedars, followed by prescribed fire on 320 acres, including through the timber and on the old grasslands.
“It’s been at least 20 years since some of this has seen fire – some of it may never have – and it’s been responding really well,” he said.
Entering its second growing season, the restored prairie is taking hold. Round headed bush clover, gray headed cone flower, showy tic trefoil are visible as are the bees and sounds of grassland birds.
Walking out on a hillside, a seven-acre potential remnant prairie, once covered under autumn olive and random cedars and pin oaks, is starting to show through the mulch. It has had fire on it twice. The openness at ground level is good for turkey poults and quail chicks – the prairie flowers bring in protein rich bugs and the plant densities allow the chicks to navigate with ease.
As if on que, a quail, perched on dead tree branch, is whistling every few seconds. A few feet away, a goldfinch joins in on this steamy July morning.
The meandered portion of the Chariton River flows through the south section of the area. The bottomland had a network of old berms, covered under dense vegetation, that held the potential for a future wetland.
“We’re looking at using some of the existing berms to restore wetlands here, but needed to inspect the condition of those berms before we could do that,” he said.
“The main berm had been overtopped and needed work, so we regraded it with the intention of using it to create a 26-acre wetland. The water control structure is new and once the breeches are fixed, we will have the ability to put water on a large basin – and raise and lower that water level to maximize the benefits for wetland species,” he said.
Driving east along the long main berm, two turkeys that had been hiding in the thick grass along the berm nervously flew away. Pulling out onto the county gravel road heading north, a hen pheasant with 10-quail sized chicks flew in to the safety of a nearby cornfield.
Yes, it’s already good here. And its future is even brighter.