Friends Tour Spirit Knoll Area

The Friends of Stone Park hiked the Spirit Knoll property on May 15th, in place of their regular meeting.  Spirit Knoll is a 167 acre property in southern Plymouth County about 3 miles north of the entrance to Stone Park.  The new area may become part of the State Preserves system of Iowa.

Friends hiked one of the main ridges along the southwest border and discovered the following native prairie plants:  Lambert’s Crazy Weed, Missouri Milk Vetch, Ground Plum, Scarlet Gaura, Purple Coneflower, Stiff Goldenrod, Purple Prairie Clover, Yucca, Skeleton Weed Pussytoes, Equisetum, Toothed Primrose, Penstemon, Silky aster, Heath aster, Scribner’s Panicum, Lead Plant.

The DNR will develop a management plan which will spell out appropriate uses for the new area, establish rules, and identify critical resources.

Volunteers Needed for Adopt-A-Highway.

The Friends of Stone Park have adopted a stretch of Highway 12 along the border of the park between Riverside and the park entrance. If you would like to help clean-up this portion of the highway, please meet in the parking lot of the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center on Saturday, Apr. 28th, at 10:00 AM.

Volunteers are asked to bring gloves and drinking water. Trash bags will be provided. Parents are encouraged to closely supervise their children since traffic along this highway can be heavy. Help beautify the road to Stone Park! The event will end by 12:00 PM.

Broken Toe Trail Run/Walk 2011

The Broken Toe Trail Run/Walk was held on October 1st at Stone State Park. There were 93 runners and walkers that took to the trails on a crisp fall morning. The event was organized by the Friends of Stone Park, Missouri River Runners, and Morningside College. The primary goal of the event is to promote health, fitness, and appreciation of natural resources in Siouxland. Proceeds from the event benefit Stone State Park.

The Friends of Stone Park would like to thank the following sponsors of this year's event: Albrecht Cycle, Absolute Screen Art, Chesterman Co., Daily Grind, Fareway, Gelita, Just Relax, Inc., Morningside College, Missouri River Runners, Peak Performance, and St. Luke's Iowa Health System.

New Shelter Coming to Stone Park.

The Friends of Stone Park have been partnering with several local businesses and non-profit groups to build a new shelter in Pammel Valley. Construction began in late May and the shelter is expected to be ready for use by Labor Day.

L&L Builders helped the Friends build the shelter, without their expertise, this project could not have been possible. The Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD) helped finance the project, along with the Rotary Club, and an Iowa State Park Volunteer Support Grant. Friends members provided assistance with removing the old shelter and raising project funds.

The new shelter is more accessible to people of all abilities. Visitors can easily walk to the new shelter and carry their picnic supplies. We hope to add a large bbq grill, benches, and a sand volleyball court in the area of the new shelter.

Old Trail to Mt. Lucia

An old trail sign to Mt. Lucia was recently discovered near the Park Ranger's residence. The sign was less than 30 yards from the park road. Seasonal park employee Erik Lindsay is shown next to the old sign. At this point, the park staff does not know the exact route of the original trail, or how long ago the trail was abandoned. The sign was still mounted to the original post, but obscured by vegetation which had grown up around it. The sign was taken down for safe-keeping.

Prescribed Fire Benefits the Park

On Tuesday, April 13th a prescribed fire was sucessfully completed at Stone State Park. A total of 35 acres were burned with the help of wildland firefighters from the region. Fire benefits the park by controling invasive plants as well as returning nutrients to the soil. Five other fires are planned for this spring. The goal is to burn 120 acres by the middle of May.

If you are interested in joining us on a fire, please visit the fire programs webpage of the DNR forestry bureau at http://www.iowadnr.gov/. To participate, you need to take S-130/190 training. You can e-mail me for more information about this training or if you have any questions about Stone Park's fire program stone@dnr.iowa.gov

Park Deer Control Discussion

Options to Control Deer Herd in Stone State Park Topic of Public Meeting

SIOUX CITY – Controlling the deer population at Stone State Park will be the topic of a public meeting on February 24, when staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will discuss potential options and what has been done at other parks.
The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Gleeson Meeting Room, Wilbur Aalfs Main Library, 529 Pierce St., in Sioux City. Topics for discussion include identifying park deer issues, discussing possible means of control, special hunts in other state parks and to receive public input on the issue.

Media Contact: Kevin Pape, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Park Ranger, Stone State Park, 712-255-4698.

Friends Plan for a new Park Shelter

The Friends of Stone Park are making plans to replace a picnic shelter this year. The shelter in Pammel Valley was damaged by a storm a couple of years ago. The original shelter was constructed in 1941 by the Rotary Club. At that time, the area was part of the boy scout Camp Kellogg. The scout camp closed in the early 70's and became a part of Stone Park.

The Friends took down the old shelter roof and beams but salvaged most of the materials. The rock wall and Rotary Club plaque were left intact. The plans are to add a fire ring and park benches at the site of the old shelter.

The group applied for a State Parks Volunteer Support grant. The Friends were awarded a $25,000 grant to help build a new larger shelter nearby. The new shelter will have electrical service and be more accessible for park visitors. The total cost of the project is estimated at $45,000.

Please contact the Friends of Stone Park if you can assist with this project with cash, donation of time or in-kind services. The Friends are looking for help protecting the old wall, pouring the footings for the new shelter, running electrical service, and adding ammenities to the area. The plans are to have the new shelter built by this summer.

Winter Solitude at the Park

Do you stop visiting the park after the the snow starts flying? Many people prefer to stay inside when the winter wind blows, but you may be missing some of the most beautiful and quiet times in the park.

Wildlife are often more approachable in the winter and the chances of seeing turkeys, owls, and deer are good. Fresh signs of wildlife are everywhere. Winter is the prime time to see Bald Eagles hunting in open water on the Big Sioux or flying overhead.

Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling are all poplular activities when we have good snow cover. Snowmobiles have to be currently registered and can ride on trails marked with the snowmobile symbol. Snowmobiles also are permitted on the unplowed park roads.

The park takes on a whole new character in the winter. You can see the landforms that are hidden during the growing season. Trees creak and crack in the winter winds. The solitude can be good for the soul.

Struggle to the Death

It is annual event that has been going on since members of the deer family have been on this earth. During the rut, white-tail deer bucks battle one another for the opportunity to mate. On occasion the deer's antlers become entangled and can result in the injury or death of the warriors.

Last Friday I received a call from a neighbor to the south of the park. He had found these two bucks locked together in death, not more than 100 yards from his house and very close to the park border. The antlers of the buck on the right had pierced the neck of the buck on the left. The second buck faced a slow agonizing death with his foe still attached.