BOONE, Iowa—This year marked the fourth year that an annual meeting was held for the Ledges State Park.  Park Manager Andy Bartlett and Park Ranger Klint Peterson held the event at the Boone City Hall Auditorium Thursday evening.  In the past, the event was used to present information about projects at the Ledges State Park, like the camp ground improvements in 2018.  Most recently, information has been made available about Parks 2020, the Centennial Celebration of the Iowa State Park System.

Bartlett and Peterson also took time to recognize their Volunteer of the Year for 2019, Mike Holland of Kelly.  They said Holland has repeatedly stepped up to assist with numerous projects and tasks at the Ledges and has been available to help staff whenever possible.  The Volunteer of the Year recognition was begun last year and is done by Park Staff to recognize a volunteer for their efforts at the Ledges State Park.

Left to Right, Ledges Park Manager Andy Bartlett, Mike Holland and Park Ranger Klint Peterson

2019 provided some interesting numbers for the Ledges State Park, since it was the first year that camping was available after extensive improvements were made to the camp grounds.  Klint Peterson provided operational information and noted that the statistics for the year, compared to a three-year average, showed that people camping at the park were down slightly, but they were staying longer.  In the past year, campers at the Ledges came from 44 different states and from 92 different counties in Iowa.

Park Manager Andy Bartlett said a focus in the past year was to improve interpretive opportunities and that was done with two seasonal Naturalists.  There were over 170 programs this year, nearly 4,000 participants and almost triple the number of school related programs all provided free of charge.  Bartlett said they hope to build on the season in 2020.  He also said people will also begin to hear more about their next big effort and that will be to establish a Forest Management Plan for the Ledges.

Friends of the Ledges, the volunteer group that provided nearly 7,000 hours of service this year, continues to raise funds for a playground update at the campgrounds.  The group continues to look for people interested in joining their efforts.  They will begin regular meetings in February.  More information about the group and activities at the Ledges is available on their Facebook page.

Ledges Park Manager Andy Bartlett talks about the history of Iowa’s State Parks during an annual meeting for the Ledges State Park held at the Boone City Hall Auditorium Thursday evening.