Hiking along a sidehill next to limestone outcropping a narrow, worn path leads to the point overlooking the Upper Iowa River where it joins the Mississippi, near the town of New Albin.
It’s hard to get more northeast in Iowa that at Black Hawk Point wildlife area.
The area’s steep hills and valleys are typical of the Driftless area – enjoyed by hikers looking to reduce stress and elevate their heartrate, and by hunters looking to harvest an Iowa stag.
Wildlife biologist Troy Anderson, from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) nearby Upper Iowa Unit, said this is one of the last few places in Iowa with ruffed grouse, and that habitat management has included improving grouse habitat.
“We did an Aspen cut 15 years ago, and will do another seven acres this winter,” he said.
Aspens, as a young forest or early successional, play an important role in the lifecycle of ruffed grouse and the DNR has been including Aspen management at Black Hawk Point and other public wildlife area in the region for more than two decades. Ruffed grouse require Aspen stands of different age classes, and that requires a clear cutting reset on different stands every 15-20 years.
Of the 320 acres at Black Hawk Point, about 240 acres are in timber. The rest is upland habitat. The Black Hawk Point management plan emphasizes removing invasive species and using prescribed fire in the timber and on the prairie.
In this area, if there is remnant prairie present, it’s usually found on the side of steep hills. At Black Hawk Point, there are a few small patches near the point itself, and a larger seven-acre section towards the area’s southwest corner.
This seven-acre remnant emerged after local staff removed encroaching cedar trees and invasive honeysuckle from the hillside. It’s now managed with prescribed fire and with the trees and shrubs gone, fire will carry through.
“We try not to burn the whole prairie at once; leave a little refugia and only burn as needed. Since we’ve removed the cedars and periodically work on non-native invasives, it’s stayed pretty open,” Anderson said. “Once the prairie gets a good foothold, it helps keep the invasives out.”
Walking on the steep hillside, Anderson is pointing out different prairie plants on this late September morning - leadplant, little bluestem, purple coneflower, prairie clover, side oats grama, rough blazing star, goldenrod, bell flower, whorled milkweed, sky blue aster, Great Plains lady’s-tresses and compass plant. Most are well past their summer splendor.
While some trees were coming out, a new tree planting will be coming in.
A nine-acre former crop field in a valley along the western edge is being converted into a mixed white oak timber this fall through a direct acorn seeding, and a with an additional mixed oak seedling planting this spring.
“It’s somewhat of a trial run since it is difficult to propagate white oaks via acorns because of how quickly they germinate once they hit the ground,” Anderson said. “These were collected within the region and planted within a few days’ time.”
The oak planting is adjacent to a field planted with turnips for green browse.
Black Hawk Point has one parking lot, just west of the Black Hawk Road and Hwy. 26 intersection, on the area’s north edge. There is an artesian well adjacent to the parking lot.