MInes of Spain, Newsletter


	Mines of Spain Summer 2003 Newsletter Change of Address for park: Due to the new 911 service in Dubuque County the parks mailing address has changed. It is now: Mines of Spain Recreation Area 8991 Bellevue Heights Dubuque, Iowa 52003-9214 (the house number is what changed, the rest is the same) A Letter from the Park Ranger As I write this letter I reflect back on the last year and all the help that I have received from the many volunteers. After over a year the state is filling the position of Park Manager. The new Park Manager will be Ben Horstmann, a native Dubuquer. He has worked at the Mines of Spain as a seasonal employee for the pas two years and at Maquoketa Caves for one year. He has also been active in volunteering this winter and always hiking in the park. He will be a great asset as he loves to provide programs, working with the natural resources and being at the Mines of Spain. Ben and I will be working as a team to provide quality interpretive programs throughout the year and continue with the expansion of prairies and other natural resource management and improvements to the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center. Please stop out and introduce yourself to Ben and welcome him to the park. He will hopefully begin just before Memorial Day Weekend. Park Ranger Wayne Buchholtz Riprow Valley What’s New! Exciting times happened in Riprow Valley on May 17. The Girls Independent Softball League had their grand opening for four brand new softball fields. The fields are equipped with direct lighting, limestone infields, fencing, score boards and all the trimmings. It is a pleasant sight to see these fields in exchange to what was in the valley just two and half years ago, abandoned buildings and trash. The Iowa DNR has finalized plans for the parking lot which will be east of the railroad underpass. The lot will face across the river so as you sit in your car you will be able to have a fantastic view of the Mississippi River. A small picnic area is planned with tables, benches, kiosk and other amenities. The trail going up the hill to the Julien Dubuque Monument has been started. It has been roughed out and railings will be added to prevent short cutting and water diversion bars to slow any water runoff. The trail is being completed by volunteers from our local boy scouts. Mines of Spain Fall Seminar CALL FOR PRESENTERS! Presenters are still needed for the Mines of Spain Fall Seminar. The seminar will be held September 13, 2003. Presenters are needed for one, two or three program slots. Various topics are still needed. We are looking for topics pertaining to northeast Iowa and the tri-state area. Topics could include photography, bird watching, bird netting, butterflies, fossils, rocks and minerals, prairies, savannas, frogs/toads, nature crafts, Native Americans, insects and more. Give the park office a call to discuss topics. A presenter form can be faxed, emailed or mailed to you. Call today 556-0620. Nature Days for kids on SATURDAYS: Do you have kids, grandkids or friend of the family? All nature days start at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center. The programs will run from11:00 a.m. to noon. The programs are geared to elementary ages, 5-12. The programs will vary from week to week, but will involve the kids in learning about nature in various ways through crafts, exploring, hikes, videos and other hands on activities. Please call the park office to let us know you are coming. Volunteers are always welcomed to assist. Tentative schedule, subject to change due to weather. June 7- Hike to Granger Creek June 14 – Turtles, see live turtles June 21 - Paper making June 28 - Stream Table July 5 - Animals, make tracks July 12 - Butterflies July 19 - Snakes, live ones from the center July 25 - Rocks and minerals August 2 - Precious Moments, baby animals video August 9 - Songbirds ,binoculars provided August 16 - Soil dig, get dirty finding critter. August 23 – to be decided August 30 – to be decided Summer Programs Mark Your Calendar Programs for June, July and August have been scheduled. The E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center will be open from 12:30 to 4:30 at each Sunday program. Each program will start at 1:00 p.m. The programs are free and everyone is encouraged to attend. June 8 – History of the Mines of Spain with Park Ranger Wayne Buchholtz. Tour the Pine Chapel Trail to the Otto Junkermann farm site, lead mine and a pit mine. We will discuss the cultural and natural resources of the area. June 22 – Snakes, Lizards, Turtles and more with Patricia Jackson. Meet live critters and discover secrets and the lives of each. July 13 – Butterfly Count, Start at the center to learn how to identify butterflies of the area. We will then go over to other areas of the park to count butterflies for the North American Butterfly Association. Good family activity. Young persons are needed to chase the butterflies and capture them in a net for identifying. Cosponsored by the Dubuque Audubon Society. July 27 - Snakes Alive, Dan Roth will provide the program which is returning after two years. Meet at the main picnic area south of the Julien Dubuque Monument. See liver snakes such as pythons, boas, bull snakes, and more. There will be native snakes of Iowa and from other areas. Good time to learn about snakes and their behaviors. Photo time. August 10 – Prairie Hike, Hike the Prairie Ridge Trail, so named because of the tall grass prairie. Identify Prairie plant species, observe songbirds and walk amongst the prairie plants waving the wind. August 24 – Wildbirds Unlimited, Connie and Colleen will share the secrets of feeding birds, what to feed, when and how will be shared. Learn to identify those songbirds at your feeders. Program for all even if you feed the birds now. . Items needed: The following items are needed at the Mines of Spain. Chest waders for kids, sizes 5,6,7,8 Black light for programs Refrigerator, compact Bagged cement for stepping stones Bird seed, black sunflowers and nyger seed Dubuque Audubon Society The Dubuque Audubon Society is meeting at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center for their monthly meetings. The meetings are on the second Thursday of each month. The meetings start at 7:00 p.m. Guest speakers provide excellent programs about wildlife, interesting places and environmental issues that affect all of us. For topics contact the park office. The last program for the year is June 12 with a potluck to share. Go bird watching with other Audubon members, many are friends to the park. New Park Manager As a Native Dubuquer, I was happy to accept the position at the Mines of Spain SRA. I received my degree at the University of Dubuque last winter and have been hanging around the mines ever since. The Friends group here is the envy of many other managers, so I look forward to meeting and working with all of you in the coming months. Please feel free to introduce yourself. I will hopefully be starting around the 23rd of May. Ben Horstmann Natural Resource Aides The park will have an excellent staff this summer. The parks naturalist is Jenny Lawler from Dubuque. The maintenance staff is Elizabeth Franck n (Dubuque), Josh Wilhelm (Bellevue) and Craig Schultz (Dubuque). Elizabeth, Craig and Josh have all worked here in the past and have done a supper job. If you need anything they can all assist with your needs. Message From The President Have your ever felt the need to “get away from it all” for just a few hours? –How about taking a peaceful hike on one of the Mines of Spain’s many hiking trails! Are your children fascinated by snakes, turtles, birds or butterflies?-Well, then why don’t you bring them to one of our Saturday or Sunday programs this summer! Do you want to learn more about outdoor related topics? – Then sign up for our Fall Seminar, to be held Saturday, September 13,2003! Are you a runner looking for a challenging training run? – Try running the Main Road through the Mines of Spain Park, both ways! Are you a photographer looking for that perfect nature shot? – Try the Horseshoe trail around sunrise or sunset! Looking for a good service project for yourself, a scout or an organization? – Call Wayne Buchholtz (556-0620) at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center and he is sure to find something that you can do to help us out! Yes, opportunities abound at the Mines of Spain Recreation Area! Whatever your interests, there truly is something for everyone. On behalf of the Friends of the Mines of Spain, I would like to invite you and your family to take part in any or all of these activities. This newsletter details many of the specifics of these event o go to our website at www.minesofspain.org and click on “Calendar of Events” for more details. Whether you are a first time visitor or veteran, I’m sure that you will enjoy the experience! Doug Olk, President, Board of Directors Friends of the Mines of Spain Volunteer Projects: There are several volunteer projects going on at this time. These include Boy Scouts, schools and other volunteers. Currently the trail from the Julien Dubuque Monument is being constructed by Boy Scouts, the Cattesse Foot Trail is being cleaned, old fence removed by students from Central High School, the center is being stained, the center and gardens are maintained by several volunteers, concrete platforms for picnic tables, a sheltered table will be constructed by scouts Are you looking for something to do? Volunteer at the park doing a variety of things: greeter at the center staining/painting writing newsletters running the gift shop mowing/trimming gardening cleaning doing programs keeping center open cut trees out of prairies repair tables etc. install new kiosk at center install log railing at JD Monument Office work Building displays Trail construction/maintenance Odds and ends Give us a call today and we will get you started - 563-556-0620 GRANTS There are two grants that have been applied for. A Dubuque Racing Association (DRA) Grant has been submitted to purchase and install three latrines throughout the park. One each will be at the interpretive center, canoe launch and the main picnic area. If the group is successful, archeological studies will be done to pick the right spot so we do not disturb a site. The grant is for $22,000. The second grant submitted recently by the park and written by the Wildlife Biologist Bob Sheets is for trail construction on the CalciteTrail. This trail starts at the main picnic area and winds up and over a big hill down to Catfish Creek. If successful box steps made of stone will be placed to curb erosion and make trail easier to walk on giver the hiker a great outdoor experience. The grant is worth $39,000. If these grants are not successful we will need to look for other sources. The Friends of the Mines of Spain Board has been discussing what needs to be done at the park on a long range master plan. Some suggestions have been latrines, addition to the center for programming, a new shop, shelters, trail improvements, a staircase in the quarry and equipment, land purchases and staffing. If you have ideas for funds please contact the park office at 563-556-0620 and it will be forwarded to the board. Bird sightings: What a year for birds at the interpretive center. The center has gone through about 1500 pounds of bird seed this past fall and winter. Generous donations have been keeping the feeders full. The list of birds from last fall to the present include: Black-capped Chickadee Red and White Breasted Nuthatches Robin American Redstart Tufted Titmouse Redheaded Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Slate colored Junco Hairy Woodpecker Red Bellied Woodpecker Yellow Shafted Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Rufus Sided Towhee Cardinal Blue jay Goldfinch Purple finch House finch Orioles Indigo Bunting Yellow Rumped Warbler Yellow Warbler Blue Bird Tennesse Warbler House Wren Carolina Wren Hummingbird Crow Red Breasted Grosbeak Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager White Crowned Sparrow You have the idea. There has been a good variety this year. And yes, there were no house sparrows, pigeons or starlings. We feed only nyger seed and black oiled sunflowers. No cracked corn, millet or other seed. Ideas. Put out hummingbird feeders, oriole feeders (actually the orioles like the hummingbird feeders best), grape jelly for the orioles, suet for the woodpeckers and other birds that can cling to the sides of the wire baskets. Squirrel Problems? Put feeders about 6-8 feet away from trees, buildings and other places they can jump from. Put a baffle, the center uses stove chimney pipe, to keep them from climbing the pole. Come visit the feeders at the center. Observe from inside the building and listen to the birds sing with the outside microphone. GIFT SHOP! The gift shop at the interpretive center has many great give ideas for family, friends or even yourself. The shop has t-shirts - caps – cups – walking sticks – ID books – bird feeders – magnets – rock and mineral samples – kid stuff such as necklaces, bouncing balls, snakes, arrowheads and more. Visit the gift shop. All proceeds stay at the Mines of Spain and are used in various ways. Some ways have been displays in the center, interpretive signs, equipment, facilities, trail material and more. NICC Visit Howard Higley represented the Friends at the NICC Seniorfest event on May 15. The event was held at the Peosta Campus. Howard distributed volunteer information and literature about the Mines of Spain. We are looking forward to new members and new volunteers to assist at the park. Good job Howard. Friends of The Mines of Spain, Dubuque, IA 52003-9214, 563-556-0620