blake
Life Member
I wonder how much of our hunting license fees were appropriate for this bird trail? What do you suppose it is costing the bird watchers to utilizes this trail?
The above sentence does not necessarily reflect the opinion of iowawhitail.com, the administrators of this website, or any of the moderators other than me.
From the IDNR:
NEWS: New Birding Trail Announced for Central Iowa
Posted: April 3, 2009
Looking for something new in outdoor recreation within a short drive of Des Moines? With the annual northbound bird migration just about to move into full swing, unveiling of central Iowa's new Makoke Birding Trail could not be more timely.
Birding trails have exploded across the United States in recent years, now approaching some 400 nationwide. These are not always "trails" in the traditional sense. Instead, most feature a map or guidebook to several birdwatching hotspots within a defined area. Birders then drive (or walk, if the trail is short) to highlighted stops along the route. Stops feature a habitat, such as a marsh or woodland, particularly attractive to a large variety of birds. Birders might find interesting species more easily at these sites than if just randomly searching for birds.
"Makoke Birding Trail is the first of its kind in central Iowa and features 22 sites selected for their birdlife," said Doug Harr, DNR Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator. "Saylorville Lake, Red Rock Lake, and Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge serve as large anchor sites for the entire birding trail. All 22 sites are generally within an easy 30-40 minute drive from Des Moines, some within the city itself."
Makoke means "bird" in the Ioway tribal language and was chosen to honor the native people once inhabiting much of central Iowa. Each stop on the Makoke Trail will be identified by a special sign depicting a bobolink, one of Iowa's most recognizable and beloved grassland songbirds, and the Makoke name. A 32-page guidebook will lead birders to each site with aerial photo maps. Maps are accompanied by a description of habitats at each site, best time of year for seeing the most species, a brief list of some of the birds that might be seen, details about local nature centers, hiking trails, facilities available and other notes useful for visitors. Guidebooks will be available at many federal, state, and county conservation offices and nature centers featured in the Makoke Trail. They will also be available from Iowa DNR, 502 East 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0034. While trail guides are available now, signs identifying each site may not be erected until later this spring.
Publication of the trail guide culminates more than two years' effort by a number of conservation agency partners. The trail's development team was comprised of local representatives of The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Polk County Conservation Board. Additional partners helping with publication costs include the Jasper, Warren and Madison County Conservation Boards, Iowa Audubon, Des Moines Audubon Society, Sierra Club and Pheasants Forever. The Iowa Ornithologists Union will soon host an online version of the trail guide at its website, www.iowabirds.org.
Harr encourages everyone to get outdoors and enjoy central Iowa's amazing birdlife. "Our announcement of the Makoke Birding Trail, with its Native American name, uniquely coincides with this year's International Migratory Bird Day on May 9," he said. "The 2009 IMBD theme is Celebrating Birds in Culture and features a logo, posters and educational materials depicting birds in traditional Native American impressionistic design."
For more information about the Makoke Birding Trail, contact any central Iowa office of the partner agencies mentioned above.
PM
Ron Wyllie
Southwest Iowa IBA Area Representative
rwyllie@iowawhitetail.com