(Spirit Lake)– A dedication ceremony was held this past Thursday for a wetland restoration project just north of Big Spirit Lake. The 195.5 acre complex will be known as the Howard K. Vincent Waterfowl Production area. John Smeltzer, President of the Spirit Lake Protective Association, says the transformation of that area will have a direct benefit to water quality of Big Spirit Lake and the entire Iowa Great Lakes chain…
“A reduction in nitrogen and phosphorous, particularly, estimated to be about 30 tons per two inch rainfall running in to Big Spirit Lake. This particular area has about 35 or 40 acres that are underwater during big, major rain events and there are three wells, underground wells, that actually pump this water out of those basins directly into Big Spirit Lake and those wells, after this cropping season, will be shut down, some berms built to allow that water to stand and the tile that are currently used in that particular property that reduce the amount of water that would stand are going to be cut and it will actually over the course of the next couple, three years, will return back to a marsh condition. They’ll be re-seeding the area with native vegetation.”
Smeltzer says the project will also benefit waterfowl in that area…
“Particularly the trumpeter swans, canvas back ducks, the red heads, just love that area. If you are familiar with or if anyone has driven by on the grade road, particularly during the spring and during the migrations, the entire area can be filled with water fowl of all types. It makes for a great birding opportunity. Minnesota Pheasants Forever will be constructing a parking lot on the southeast corner of the property, area surrounded by glacial boulders, and we’ll have public access, and of course there will be some hunting opportunity on it as well during appropriate seasons, but from a public access perspective on it the birding on it will be great, particularly as that marsh redevelops.”
A special monument was also unveiled as part of the ceremony.
Howard Vincent and his wife Wendy (Photo courtesy Steve Weisman)
