Chelsie Wilson, Executive Director, Boone County Conservation, 120525

Today in our program we are going to visit with Chelsea Wilson our executive director Boone County Conservation. Chelsea welcome back. Good morning how you doing this morning?

I am doing okay and we did have let's see the first time we visited was shortly after you had started and we're getting ready to now the first year pretty much or season let's just go with season first season pretty much out of the way.

What everything you thought it was going to be? What all have you had going on?

Yeah it was definitely a busy season a lot of people came out this year we had big numbers which was great to see we had a little over 3,000 reservations at Don Williams campground and around 500 reservations at Sweet Point so that just shows not how many people we had out there but just how many people booked a site which you know those are higher numbers and we're used to seeing so that's fantastic I love getting people out.

By booking a site there's probably family so again a lot more people would show up for it so I did want to ask because this is your you guys started taking a look at doing online booking and and trying to handle a lot of that online. How's it going?

Because that's a new experience for some people but others that have gone to other parks or county parks or even state parks they're a little more familiar with it.

Yes so it's definitely a trial year we had positive feedback we had negative feedback so we had half the campgrounds go online this year and with that experience we had a lot of people from out of state very positive about that.

Previously they chose not to come to Don Williams or Sweet Point because they simply didn't know if there was a spot and they didn't want to gamble that.

So a lot of the positive feedback we received were from people outside of the county simply because they knew they were coming to a spot that was ready and reserved for them and that is a positive trend for us going upward and we would like to see more people from out of the county coming to use our beautiful parks.

Another thing that we like about going online is that now we don't have to manage that cash flow which means it's one less set of hands on that taxpayer money.

We don't want any of it going missing we don't want any of it not being paid properly and this is just one more step toward the direction of financial security. Just being able to direct it right to the county.

Exactly that way it passes through less hands previously it was about two or three people that had to handle it and there's just room for error there we don't need any of that. We call it cashless folks it's the trend it is the trend and again in a lot of places.

So now I know you were kind of looking at this and then the board's been looking at this too they've been waiting to see what kind of data you get and and they seem pretty receptive to looking at continuing to go that direction.

Yes the 2026 season we will be fully cashless for the campgrounds. That doesn't mean that none of its first come first serve we will still have our campground see entirely first come first serve.

So that means if you still want to come out and look for a site you are welcome to do that. That also means that if you come out and see a site open you can go online see if it has been reserved if it hasn't you can reserve it on the spot and just park your rig.

Correct but that way it's one less step for us and it's one more security for taxpayer money. How about again because I know you've got some people that like to come out there and stay out there so do we have like time limits things like that are you gonna be doing some of that?

Yes so campground A, B and Swede point will all be 14 day max but campground C will be what we call extended stay sites so the whole season you can stay in campground C. There will be no limit on that and as long as you are paid up you are happy we're happy to have you.

Okay so and again that one's because that one's not used quite as much C. Correct. But the others I can see getting people in and out that's always one of the things. Yes. One of the challenges.

So yeah all right again that's so again we're headed that way campground again very we've seen that and our campgrounds have been very profitable.

So we're doing that and I know you're also looking at other projects and we'll talk about that in a bit but what other things have been happening?

Yes a lot of people that have been out this season I've seen a lot of improvements like our new this spring we got a new fishing dock on the Don Williams main boat ramp there and I'm glad to announce that this spring will be installing a brand new boat dock at the south boat ramp as well by the dam.

That one was sponsored by the Boone County Conservation Foundation. Okay so we pulled out the old dock already this fall and we don't want to install the new one until after the ice this winter.

So this spring you'll see that new one floating it'll be the same type of system that we just installed in the northern boat ramp. Good. I know you salvaged what you could off of the one on the on the north ramp. Yes.

Got that done but again the question was what do we do how can we do a little better job down on that south end? Yes. You get a lot of a lot of people use that for access and fishing and things too.

Correct one of the goals with this new one was to make it ADA accessible so we will have some railings on it and it will also have a ramp for anyone with a wheelchair or just mobility issues. We're gonna have another kayak launch? I don't believe so at this time. Just curious.

Not that I tried it or used it but I did. We got pretty lucky with that one. Supervisor Sean Bryant was donated those funds from his discretionary funds and so that's where that kayak launch came from and we did receive a lot of positive feedback on that.

Something new for some folks. I didn't know I could do this. Yes. All right so again dock wise and that's good and thanks once again Tim McLinn doing some grant writing for you. Correct. That was a that was a big project safety wise too.

So we have had obviously the big one that's going on is building the clubhouse. Yes we can step into that. Yep. All right you want to give it a go. Yes so our new golf course clubhouse it is about let's say 60% complete right now.

The framing's up the roof is on they've started interior work moving forward with that. We've had a few hiccups in construction just like every project does but it should still be finished by the April 15th opening day for the golf course. So we are looking forward to that. Okay.

Slow but sure getting there. I know a lot of people have different opinions but probably one of the big things is handicap accessible restrooms. Yes. And the issue with doing those was going to require a new septic. Yes. No matter what was going to happen. That is correct.

That was not an inexpensive part of it. Yes so we as far as budget goes we did fully exceed our budget and we actually went over by about $50,000. So we've heard a lot of people say that it's a small clubhouse and they're not wrong. It's not as big as we would have liked it.

Trust me if we could have gone bigger we would have. But we spent every dollar we had and then we spent more. We got very lucky. We applied for a grant through the Leonard Good Trust and they awarded us a $55,000 grant.

50 of that went toward the building and five of it is going toward helping furnish the building after it's built. So we got very lucky there but a lot of people are concerned that we didn't add a kitchen. It would have been nice. Don't get me wrong.

It would have been great a great service to the public as well. However it would have cost an additional $100,000 to $150,000 and the county would never see any funds back from that.

So it would have been a private lease holder making all of the profit off of that taxpayer investment and we just could not justify that. Additionally we just didn't have the funds and so it was twofold there as to why that kitchen was not upgraded.

So we got that part that's there but now the other part is we are looking for someone to actually be there to operate the clubhouse and I know you've looked at a number of different options and the board basically said well let's put out and see if there's an interest.

Yes so currently we're looking for a net that our next one oh my goodness good morning we're looking for our next lease holder this person will be running their own staff their own food their own beverages but on there'll be no price to hold that lease we actually pay you 20% of all the golf money that comes in for us and that just helps incentivize you to help make sure that the golfing is all paid for that sort of things and then you get to use the building for free to sell either cafe style food or whatever you think you can make do with with the concession kitchen we have in the back.

So if you think that sounds good for you if you think you would love to sell you know beer and burgers or beer and sandwiches or whatever it is go ahead and give us a call we'd love to chat with you about it there's a lot of open-ended opportunities here for this new building it is gonna be brand new with new appliances and brand new pretty much everything so it'll be a nice clean slate for whoever is coming in.

So we'll see what happens that's that's the other part and again I know that sometimes there were challenges even with the old building to get somebody who would because it is time-consuming it is quite a commitment to be out there to manage the clubhouse and again make sure that the people are getting covered that are going out golfing and you're getting your fees and things like that that is there's that's a commitment.

Yes it is a it's a it's not an easy position I'll say that for sure but it hopefully will be profitable and our goal is to work with you as closely as we can so that way it's you know as easy as it can be as far as we can help.

Well we get so we got all of that happening too what other things are going on because I'd want to go back to some of your campgrounds because I know there's over the years we've done had some projects that were done to improve the campgrounds and stuff do you still have some upgrades that are being done at some of them what's happening there?

Yes so this fall we worked on the campground B bathroom we've had a plethora of issues with it this year so we worked on some plumbing issues we were able to re-apoxy the showers and get some new silicone in there additionally we put a whole brand new roof on it so that was a fun project and trim back some trees in the campground also we'll be upgrading fire rings this year and putting out brand new signage in campground C so that'll be something to look forward to this spring and then just regular things you have to take care of.

Yes it's just our yearly stuff you know just always something going on campgrounds are used hard a lot of people come out and really enjoy them but you have to remember they're out there all year in the elements all of those picnic tables and fire rings and everything else and so they need a lot of love and that's kind of what we do in the offseason.

Okay yeah someone's got to do that. I know and you know we've got a lot of times we just talk about but those same kind of improvements have been made down at Sweet Point too to get a lot of traffic in and out of there.

Yes Sweet Point definitely sees more of the out-of-town out-of-state people just because of the proximity to the high trestle trail and so more money was invested into it previously and so maintaining it is a lot easier than maintaining our northern facilities so we do like to keep down there pretty pristine and we have a Ranger on site down there and he does a fantastic job as well as maintaining the trail for our section so if you go down there you might see even prettier stuff but it's it does it did but it doesn't have the volume of traffic going through all right so other things that are going on.

Yes this year we installed our new disc golf course at Don Williams it is an 18 hole course we are still waiting to get signage up unfortunately the weather beat us this season yep but you might have seen the new concrete pads out there and all of the whole baskets are now installed as well so we've had some people out playing this fall and they seem very happy about it we still have some trees that are blocking people but have you been out?

No I've walked the trails I've been across around some of the trails. Yes but it's a work in progress and we should have it ready to go this spring fully with all the signage and all of that. Good stuff so that's another great improvement we're seeing yes.

Things like that they don't happen overnight. No. And then getting the trees taken care of and stuff like that and I know walking the trails there's a bridge or two that could use some TLC so. Yes we got other things that we've got a list don't you worry. It's there.

Plenty of projects yes and in the winter things definitely slow down and we do try to get some more invasive species work. Winter is a great time to get out with large equipment and use the ground while it's frozen to get out and mow down.

Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, Oriental Bitter Sweet things like that that are actively posing threats to our environment and try to maintain the health of our forest. So that's something else that we're working on.

Do we get volunteers to come and help with that or I mean I know you did some during public lands day you had had some people come out and start to do some of that.

Is that something that you're looking at down the road might have some people come out or do we send Kyle out to round some folks up. Yes so National Public Lands Day was great. We had about 40 people show up.

We were able to clear four acres worth of invasive species in our prairie. Yes it was a great day a lot of very motivated people and we celebrated with the root beer float party afterwards. That was fun. But we are always always looking for more volunteers.

So if you're passionate about being outdoors or helping your community we'd love to have you. Any level is acceptable. We either have you out you know in a big equipment or we'll have you out picking up trash if that's what your level allows.

But if you're interested in giving back we'd love to hear from you. You can either contact me or our naturalist Kyle. But Kyle does have some stuff coming up. He has a lot of school programs. That's kind of what his spring is usually involved with.

But we are also looking we had a great turnout for our hawk watch as well. Okay. If you were able to get out there great. But if you weren't next year we are looking at adding some ADA accommodations to help people get all the way out to the bridge.

Because we know it's a long walk. It is. So if that's something you're interested in that is something we'll be providing next year. We also had our monarch spectacular this year. Oh yeah. And that was a good one. That was hosted by Kyle our naturalist and he had about 87 people.

And it was a great turnout. Yes. And they were able to tag about. Oh I'm sorry I don't have an exact number but it was over 100 monarchs this year. So we ran out of tags which was great. I'm sorry we ran out of tag. Yes. He's been pretty committed to that. Yes.

I told people I said they wanted to say you know I wanted to see about doing some butterflies around in different areas. I said call Kyle. He can tell you how to do it. Yes Kyle's been very busy. He also was the person who found our rusty patch bumblebee this year.

So that was a huge find for us. It has reshaped the way we're doing studies at the park as well. Just so we make sure to protect those sensitive areas. And it has helped change the range of what was previously known for the rusty patch bumblebee. Yeah.

Spread it out even a little bit more. Also you have did have an opportunity for those that were out there for National Public Lands Day to see more about your remnant prairie. Yes. Those prairies. A lot of people don't realize it's out there. Yes.

So one of the reasons why we were even studying the B. was because of these prairies. Fortunately Kyle with his expertise and plans he identified some plants that usually aren't in Iowa prairies these days.

And that's because you know just land use previously whether it was agriculture grazing whatever it was kind of beat back some of those more sensitive plants. So when he started seeing these he realized we might have something special here.

So after calling out some professors from Drake University and doing some collaborative studies we've realized these are in fact remnant prairies.

And what that means is that they not that they've gone untouched but that they weren't so severely damaged that there is still a seed bed there of what should have been here historically. There is that remnant.

And so we get to see these species that you don't really find in other places because of the damage that is incurred. So our now project is to go through each and every season and we did that this year and do inventory studies.

So in these plots we're looking at different flowering plants different leafing plants and also what's died. And kind of going through that life cycle and figuring out what's been there what we think is coming and then try to document all of it.

With that list that we're compiling we're going to be able to really see what's here and see what level of remnant we have and just see what level of protection it will need going forward.

So and then also hopefully in the future we can collect some of that remnant seed and help others re-establish their sensitive prairie plants. So I know that obviously we're talking a lot about what's happening at Don Williams. Yeah that's where a lot of this is located.

But you got a lot of other you got a lot of people keep forgetting county conservation. You have a lot of other properties you have to take care of. That is correct. We have let me go through the list here in the north near pilot mound there is Rhodes acres.

That is a large property on the Des Moines River and that one is used pretty often for turkey hunting and deer hunting. But if you love a good hike and you don't mind some hills that one might be for you.

It is unmanaged though so you definitely get to just go bushwhacking and see what you can find. Additionally our largest property outside of Don Williams is Buffalo Grove. That's kind of a hidden gem. It's just north of Perry and it is a great day.

You can get out there and you can see some topography because it is along the Beaver Creek River. And once you get in there it's in an old forest. It's mostly oak. There's some hickory. You'll see some hackberry as well.

I'd wear long pants though because there's some some thorns out there. But that is also another great one for hunting. It's another great one for hiking or bird watching. Anyone that's interested in foraging. We've got mushrooms and berries and everything else you can think of.

But these properties just don't get used nearly as much as I hope that they could one day because I don't think people know about them. Dick Sissel sees a lot of traffic. Yes and all of these properties you might have noticed have brand new signage.

That was due to a grant through the Endowment Fund here in town. And thanks to their generous contribution everything now is matching and has much larger signage that should hopefully last us at least the next 20 years. And you got a few others for the Historical Society. Yes.

So we've been working on getting proper signage everywhere just so people know what's available. Know that they're allowed to be there because I find that's a problem we have with the public is they don't want to you know trespass on anybody's land.

They want to be respectful and so we want to make sure we can show everyone what's available and that they feel comfortable getting out there and using it. All right. Plans going forward. You got some things that you're looking at for 26 for the calendar year.

We're going to go calendar year. Not the fiscal. We'll overlap in there anyway. So are there some things coming up? Yes. We have quite a few things. To start some of you ice fishermen might be excited to hear that we'll be adding wipers to Don Williams Lake.

They are a sterile fish and they are a cross of white bass and striped bass. They'll be coming from the DNR and they were recommended because they are a predatory fish. So they'll help us clean up some of those little guys out there.

We tried a couple of times to reduce that and we knew they would come back. We just knew it. Until we do an entire lake restoration project where we completely lower the lake, the shad will be there and maybe even after that project.

So these wipers is what they're called will be a great addition to the lake because they'll help lower those numbers and they'll also be considered trophy fish for those fishermen. So this year they might not be trophies because they're coming in only about seven to nine inches.

But give it a few years and we'll see some nice fish out there. Alright, so that's good. We still have others out there that are there as well too. So pretty good. Okay, that's going on. Yeah, another big project we have going on.

We are out in the Buffalo Grove area and we are doing an invasive species program. Basically we'll be reducing invasive species on over 100 acres out there and we're doing that through a contractor.

So that is through a new grant that we received and that grant will allow us to basically be hands off with our staff and say, hey contractor, this is the plan.

Go out and go and execute it as long as we are supervising and through that we'll be able to really attack that area and help restore it to what it should look like. Okay, so I'm pretty sure your guys have other things they're working on anyways. It's winter time.

You do a lot of maintenance and a lot of repairs. Yes, not to mention most of our staff works long hours in the summer. So winter is the best time for them to recoup, spend some time with their families and use some of that comp time that they've accumulated.

Alright, before I run out of time, other things, other final things to remind people about? Yes, this summer reservations are already open for camping. So if you want some of those beautiful sites, go ahead and get online right now to mycountyparks.com.

If you're planning a family reunion or just a beautiful weekend on the 4th of July, you can go online right now and reserve those sites so you have the best sites. And so go ahead and look at those.

Also if you want cabins or if you have a birthday coming up, we have buildings for that. So go ahead and get online and reserve those. And yeah, it also makes a great Christmas gift for anybody that wants to maybe give a gift card for camping or a gift card for golfing.

Those are also available. I was going to say cabins are still pretty popular. Yes. Even in the winter time. So we actually closed them in the deep winter. They are considered a three season cabin. Okay.

But they were open up until December 1st and they were used all the way up until December 1st. Yep. All right. Busy time. So and a lot of other things coming up too.

So people should be looking if they want to find out more again about the handling the clubhouse or being a part of that. Make contact. That's a good way to do that online. Yes, they can. Any questions? I'm happy to talk to you about them.

And if there are other activities and things that are going on, I know Facebook, your Facebook page is easy way to follow along there and find out what activities are taking place. Yep. Go ahead and follow us and we'll keep you updated. All right.

Thanks so much for joining us again. Chelsea Wilson, executive director. First year. Call it a success. So far, but keep my fingers crossed. Again, we've got the rest of the winter to go to. By the way, is the lake frozen yet? Not yet. No. Sorry. No ice fishing yet.

But you had people out there quite a while, quite a bit last year. I know that last year. Yes. Yeah. We had about three and a half weeks of frozen solid ice last year. So I'm hoping for more this year. All right. Well, keep watching it. Don't go out on the water yet.

Thanks for coming in. Thanks for having me.