Habitat enhancement project along 5 Bridges Trail in Waukon City Park made possible by anonymous donation


Work begins on habitat enhancement project on 5 Bridges Trail ... Photos above and below show the initial work that has been done along the 5 Bridges Trail in Waukon City Park as part of a habitat enhancement project that will rid the area of invasive vegetative species and replace it with more desirable native species that will offer better overall sustainability and vegetative and wildlife habitat along the trail. The project is a collaboration between the City of Waukon and its Park & Recreation Department, along with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and area forestry professionals in its planning and implementation, with the project being initially proposed and fully funded through the generosity of an anonymous donor. Submitted photos.

Removal of invasive species, planting of more than 3,000 trees planned and implemented by conservation, forestry specialists, funded by private individual

A project focused on the enhancement of vegetative - and coincidingly wildlife - habitat along the 5 Bridges Trail in Waukon City Park got underway this past week. The project is a collaboration of local, state and environmental professionals, but the entire project cost of more than $14,000 is being paid for through the generosity of an anonymous private donor.

“This isn’t something that we just decided to do on our own,” Waukon Park & Recreation Director Jeremy Strub explained. “It’s a project that was proposed to us with the costs covered, and we’ve spent most of the summer talking about it and planning it out so we could get it started this fall.”

The goal of the project is to further enhance the environmental habitat in the more open area of the 5 Bridges Trail along the western and northern boundaries of the trail. That enhancement will include ridding the area of the many invasive vegetation species that have begun to overtake the area and replace it with more desirable native species that will not only improve the aesthetics of the trail route but also the environmental function of the area for more natural sustainability and improved wildlife habitat.

The discussion and planning has been a collaboration of not only the private donor and Waukon Park & Recreation officials, but also of trained environmental and forestry specialists. Strub said that the planning process has involved input from Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist Sara Berges, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) District 2 Forester David Asche, and Forester Tom Brown of Brown Forestry, Decorah, who will ultimately be implementing the plan that is outlined in a couple different phases.

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