Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation seeking to protect 21-acre area located in far northwest part of Allamakee County
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation working to protect 21 acres ... Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) is working to protect 21 acres in northwest Allamakee County, as depicted in the yellow-outlined area in the map above. INHF wants to work with partners to open the property to the public and expand use around the adjacent North Bear Creek Wildlife Management Area (part of which is marked by the green grid squares at far left in the above image), owned by the State of Iowa and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Map image courtesy of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) is working to protect 21 acres located 12 miles northeast of Decorah in Allamakee County, along Quandahl Drive and Bear Creek. This unique site offers rare geological formations, a high-quality coldwater stream, and native woodland and prairie plant communities.
INHF will work with partners to open the property to the public and expand use around the adjacent North Bear Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is owned by the State of Iowa and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The property is not currently open to the public.
Preservation of the site includes protecting 0.35 miles of Bear Creek, a coldwater stream with naturally reproducing brown trout and catchable rainbow trout. The site also includes an algific talus slope - a rare landform where a steep north-facing hillside releases cool air from ice found in cracks and caverns underground.
The property is near the former village of Quandahl. In the late 1800s, the property was home to a creamery, sawmill and grist mill powered by the waters of Bear Creek. INHF plans to raise $100,000 through private donations to support this project. To learn more, visit inhf.org/bear-creek.
