Special Event Planned To Mark Expansion Of Little Foote Forest West Of Milford

(Milford)– A grand opening will be held later this month on the expansion of a little known county park west of Milford. Kiley Roth, Community Relations Coordinator for the Dickinson County Conservation Board tells KUOO news it’s for the recent expansion of the Little Foote Forest located near the intersection of County Road A-34 and 195^th Avenue. She says three parcels of land totaling nearly 66 acres were added earlier this year to the previously existing 15.6 acre park…Little Foote Forest01 

“We’re protecting about a one mile of the Little Sioux River which is a critical waterway in Iowa, and we also have different habitats in these parcels including oak woodland, river bottom, wetland and grassland. So it’s making a really wonderful wildlife corridor in there as well.”

Roth says the expansion was made possible through some land that was donated by the Iowa Great Lakes Saddle Club when it disbanded…Little Foote Forest02 

“Kind of what spurred along working to get these parcels connected to the Little Foote Forest, the Saddle Club ended up donating 22 acres of land as well as their sand practice arena, and on that land is about one mile worth of trails, so we were really, really grateful for that donation.”

She says the donation was valued at $81,000, and that the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation was also involved, along with a $182,000 REAP grant…Little Foote Forest03 

“So we applied for a REAP grant to get the other two parcels along with the Saddle Club donation, and we were very thankful to have received a wonderful grant from REAP. It’s a very imperative program in Iowa. It’s something that’s going to be reaching its sunset here soon and we really need to talk to our legislators in order to keep the REAP program in the future to be able to protect places like the Little Foote Forest acquisition and then many, many places that REAP helps throughout the entire state.”

Roth says a grand opening of the expanded Little Foote Forest will be held at 4:00 pm Tuesday, October 15^th at the former Iowa Great Lakes Saddle Club located at 2261 195^th Avenue west of Milford, just off County Road A-34.