MADRID, Iowa—Nearly 100 years ago, in November of 1919, the Iowa Board of Conservation challenged the citizens of Boone and surrounding communities to be the champions in driving the effort to establish the Ledges as one of Iowa’s first state parks. The volunteer spirit was alive and strong then and continues to thrive today. September 28th was National Public Lands Day. A day to celebrate the value of what our public lands mean to us as a country and as a community.
On National Public Lands Day, 70 volunteers showed up in force at Ledges State Park, giving 145 hours of their time to help make their state park a better place. These volunteers aren’t just numbers either. There was a mom, going back to school to pursue an advancement in her profession. A young man from Ames who took part as a way to get better connected with the assets of his community. A crew of AmeriCorps members, currently stationed at Camp Hantesa also showed up to lend a hand. This crew hailed from Tennessee, Connecticut, and other states from across the country. Friends of the Ledges members, neighbors, and even the Director of the DNR showed up to all be part of the team.
Organizing the trash clean-up portion of the event was a young man attempting to obtain his Eagle Scout rank. He organized, promoted and directed nearly 50 volunteers himself in ridding the park of much litter and debris. It was incredible to watch as this diverse group of people, united for a few hours one morning for the common good of the park.
Next year our state parks system will turn 100 years old. Parks 2020, as it’s called, will be a time for us as Iowans to celebrate the value and heritage of our state parks. They are places of recreation, warehouses of ecological diversity, settings for special events, and showcases of our state’s incredible natural resources. National Public Lands Day provided a day for many to help enhance our state parks for the coming celebration, but it also provided help and hope to us as park staff that the volunteer spirit that bounced off these canyon walls 100 years ago, continues to reverberate still today.
DNR Director Kayla Lyon and State Parks Bureau Chief Todd Coffelt pose with Boone natives Carden & Hayden Nerem (front) and Kyan Lehman & Cole Bowers (back) after planting a tree in the Ledges campground.
Volunteers Mari and Rod Logan pose with a newly planted tree in the Ledges campground.
Volunteers excavate a hole in preparation to plant a tree in the Ledges campground.
Volunteers from far and wide helped pick up litter throughout the lower portions of Ledges State Park.
(contributed article and photos, Andy Bartlett, Manager, Ledges State Park)
