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CCCB News

Photos of recent activities...click here.

Welcome to What's Happening at the CCCB!
Photos of recent activities are above, announcements are in the weblog below.
Read and enjoy, and send us your feedback!

Welcome to the CCC Blog, a weblog designed to keep you informed about conservation in Cherokee County. Check us out often & we'll keep you posted!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Blogging vs. skiing

If ever there was a winter for blogging, this has been it. The old timers say they've never seen this much snow on the ground all at once in Cherokee County. And yet, I've hardly spent time at my desk. We've been busy finishing the cabins at Martin's Access, moving lots of snow, keeping the Silver Sioux Lodge ready each weekend for guests, and renting out cross country skis! It's nice to know that even in winter, the community is buzzing, busy and having fun. Snowmobiles on the river, Jazz and Blues in the pubs, and always, always planning for spring and summer. Cherokee is a vibrant place.

Skis! The cross country ski trail at Red Tail Ridge Habitat Area has been groomed. First, it was mowed, summer after summer, until the deer became accustomed to its convenience. Then, once it was covered in a couple feet of dense snow, their hooved feet in great numbers trampled it to a firm icy track. Adventuresome skiers sped along this narrow, icy trail until we came along with a freshly repaired snowmobile to widen and groom the thing. Now, it is firm, fast and well-travelled! I like to ski where no tracks mark the snow, where my skis sink about half a foot into the drifts, which may be three feet deep or more, and my speed is tempered by the friction of loose powder. I tend to fall over if I go too fast. Whatever your preference, we have skis to rent: $5/pair/day. Maybe you should give skiing a try! Before winter ends and it is too late!

24 feb 10 @ 2:35 pm 

Friday, June 12, 2009

Friends of Conservation Annual Field Day!

Bring your family out to the 18th Annual Friends of Conservation Field Day at Silver Sioux Park Sunday, June 14! Prairie Stew cooked over an open fire with all the fixin's will be served in the Barn beginning at noon. CCCB will provide wagon rides through the Stiles Woodland Preserve, across Silver Creek from the park. Demonstrations of spinning wool, rope making and wood working will give you a taste of history, with a backdrop of live "Crabgrass" country music to make your toes tap. Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join the barn jam!

What better way to entertain your family on a June day? While you are in the park, check out the trails, the prairies and forest, the birdfeeding/watching station, the campgrounds and access to the Little Sioux River. CCCB staff members will be there for the day, too.

What is Friends of Conservation, you ask? Come find out! They are a private organization preserving a beautiful tract of forest, savanna, prairie and cropland for its historic and natural value. We like 'em, and so will you!

12 jun 09 @ 4:25 pm 

Monday, May 4, 2009

Geocaching isn't just for geocachers...
So maybe you're not what any reasonable person would call a "geocacher." Maybe you don't quite know what one is. But ask yourself the following questions: Do you enjoy the outdoors? Would you like to see an area from the point of view of local experts? Do you enjoy scenery and remarkable discoveries in out-of-the-way nooks? Have you ever wanted to uncover a secret treasure? Do you like to meet other adventurers? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you just might be a geocacher in the rough. Want to learn more, to polish your skills? Click HERE to enjoy a complete description of an exciting, upcoming "Welcome Spring" event hosted by Cherokee County geocachers. You will need a Geocaching.com profile to get the details. It's free!
 
OK, you're in a hurry (then why are you reading a blog?) and don't want to search for info up there. Here's what you need to know: The event headquarters will be Silver Sioux Recreation Area. Activities get underway Saturday, May 16, with access to dozens of new caches in the area beginning at 7:00 AM. A Geocaching 101 class will start at 10:00 AM. Beginners will not want to miss it! Bring your GPS receiver or borrow one at class and start your geocaching throughout the park with help from the experts. A potluck evening event with prizes and logging caches will begin at 6:00 PM for registered participants.
 
May 17, Sunday: more geocaching and a special river float beginning at 8:00 AM at Wescott Park in Cherokee, floating to Silver Sioux. There will be 20 to 30 new permanent caches on the river! You don't want to miss it!
 
Please register by contacting the event hosts Wonder Boy and Tonedog52 through the geocaching website (click "HERE" above) to take part in all or some of these exciting events. WARNING: you will have fun! Your family will not forget it! Your kids will think you are the coolest!
4 may 09 @ 9:51 pm 

Monday, February 9, 2009

Whip those Winter Blues!
Saturday, February 14th (VALENTINE'S DAY, BY THE WAY) the CCCB will host a free public program: "Nature in Winter" at the Silver Sioux Lodge at Silver Sioux Recreation Area. We are so lucky to have Hugh Perry, an "amateur" photographer from Storm Lake, Iowa, coming to talk to us about taking our cameras outdoors to get the shots that we'll want to hang on the wall. Check out Mr. Perry's work on the Buena Vista County Conservation website. Following an indoor program, I will lead the group on a nature hike through the park, making the rounds along the river and over to the birdwatching blind. Afterward, we'll gather for hot drinks and snacks by the fire, back at the Lodge. The program begins at 10 am and will wrap up by noon. Join us with your camera and your sweetheart for a great late winter morning!
9 feb 09 @ 10:03 pm 

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Thank our veterans!
Folks, everyone is invited to Veteran Appreciation Day at the Cherokee County Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008. Please come check out the booths of local businesses and organizations, and let our vets know that whoever you are, wherever you're from, whatever philosophy you subscribe to... you appreciate their service and sacrifices for this great country we all share! The US can't have enough veteran-supporting communities! Let's make Cherokee a great one! The CCCB will have a table with lots of hand-outs, information about county parks and hunting, birdwatching and roadside wildflowers! You can also bring someone out to browse our website right there at the table. Don't miss it!
30 jul 08 @ 4:19 pm 

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629 River Road, Cherokee, IA 51012. Phone: 712.225.6709 Fax 712.225.6707