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Des Moines County conservation director reports busy year: park renovations, staff changes and volunteer recognition
Summary
The county conservation director told supervisors Sept. 10 that fiscal 2023'24 was unusually busy, citing a $400,000 park renovation, office relocation to the nature center, property acquisitions, volunteer contributions and staffing turnover; the written annual report will be published on the county website.
Chris Wheat, Des Moines County conservation director, told the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 10 that the conservation board's fiscal 2023'24 year was one of the busiest in his tenure, driven by land acquisition, facility upgrades and program expansion.
Wheat said the department added a parcel to the conservation area, converted a longtime park ranger's house into a ranger cabin, moved the main office into the nature center to increase public access, and completed about $400,000 in park renovations including new campgrounds and additional concrete infrastructure. "We did a lot of stuff at the Nature Center through grants and donations that we got for that," Wheat said, adding that volunteer support and grant funding were essential to several projects.
The department also faced staffing turnover and the challenge of patrolling parks without a certified law-enforcement officer; Wheat said new hires and grant-funded positions are helping to restore capacity. He highlighted stewardship work including sediment ponds and ongoing bat research that contributed to grant awards and land acquisition decisions.
Wheat recognized several volunteers and contributors by name and role, citing George and Terry Van Hagen, Trevor Skolinski (environmental educator and volunteer), Kevin Moore and Kathy Ziegler for outstanding service. He said the conservation board will publish the full annual report on the county website and made printed copies available to the supervisors.
The presentation was received as informational; board members thanked Wheat and moved to other agenda items.
