Scott County, Iowa Conservation

06/12/2026

Fun Fact Friday!!
☹️Have you ever been unfortunate enough to pick up Poison Ivy (PI)? Did you know there is a friendly plant foe for poison ivy? That's right, jewelweed, or "touch-me-not", can counteract the itchy scratchies PI can cause!

🌿This plant is often found in the same habitat as PI, it has a pinkish stem, oval leaves that are lightly scalloped on the edges, and leaves are a dark dusty mint green color.

💎If you submerge the plant in water, the droplets glow silver and give the appearance that jewels are all over the leaves, which is where it gets its name.

❌This plant's other name, "touch-me-not" comes from the seed dispersal strategy--seed pods explode when touched to launch the seeds! See the blue circle on the photo to see the seed pods.

🫧If you have a known contact with PI, simply grab some jewelweed, crush the leaves and stem, and rub the juices on the affected area. This should help until you can get to a place to wash with soap!



Photo credit: Creative Commons

06/09/2026

💦Let's Gear Up for the Summer Snapshot with Partners of Scott County Watersheds!
📣Registration for the Summer 2026 Snapshot is open! This is your opportunity to become a citizen scientist for the day and gather important chemical data on Scott County's watersheds. No experience is needed!
✅Sign up for this citizen scientist event happening on Saturday, July 11th from 8am-12pm. Volunteers will start the day off at the Eldridge Regional Innovation Center (2205 S 1st St, Eldridge, IA 52748) for a brief overview about water quality and quick training on how to collect the data. During this time, you’ll be able to meet your data collection group while enjoying some coffee and donuts. 🍩☕️
🧪After training, you and your group of 3-4 people will take off to collect data from 5-7 sites around Scott County. This data will include pH, nitrogen, chloride, and phosphorus levels. During the Summer Snapshot, benthic macroinvertebrates are also surveyed in some streams. After collecting this information from each site, groups will meet back at Nahant Marsh Education Center for FREE pizza and swag. 🍕
➡️To register, go to the Xstream Cleanup website here: https://xstreamcleanup.org/event/summer-snapshot-volunteer-water-quality-monitoring-event-july-11-2026

Event Date Saturday - 07/11/2026 Start Time 8:00 AM End Time 12:00 PM Event Description Join Partners of Scott County Watersheds for the Summer 2026 Snapshot Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Event! This is your opportunity to become a citizen scientist for the day and gather important data about t...

06/05/2026

Fun Fact Friday!
🐟Did you know that starting today is the Iowa DNR’s FREE FISHING WEEKEND? From June 5th-7th, Iowa residents can go fishing without purchasing a fishing license in the state of Iowa! All other regulations remain the same. Whether you’re a beginner or pro, take your friends and family out to the pond, lake, or river and explore! 🎣



📷Photo Credits: Scott County Conservation staff and Creative Commons

05/30/2026

We are experiencing phone and internet issues at West Lake, which are affecting our main phone line. We apologize for the inconvenience!

05/29/2026

Fun Fact Friday!

🐦Have you seen any cool birds lately?
🦊Heard any strange animal sounds at night?
📷Share your observations!

🌳Scott County has a project called Natural Phenomena where you can share your nature observations throughout the year! By gathering many observations across different places and times, we can begin to see patterns - such as when certain flowers bloom, when birds return, or how weather and water conditions affect local habitats.
📅We’ll use these observations to keep track of changes in the natural world in Scott County throughout the year. We’ll then collect all observations, featuring top photos, in a 2027 calendar.

📓Record your observations here:
https://arcg.is/HiXHD

👀See all observations here:
https://tinyurl.com/4cah4x5k



📷Photo Credits: Wapsi River Center Staff

05/28/2026

Join our Wapsi River Center Director, Dave Murcia, at Hollowview Park in Bettendorf, IA next Wednesday, June 3rd, at 8 PM for a live owl program and owl prowl for Bettendorf Conservation Committee's Wildlife Wednesdays. Please see the link in the post attached to register for this free event! 🦉🦉

Wildlife Wednesdays is back and even better this Summer! Our first session is next Wednesday, June 3rd at 8 PM at Hollowview Park. Scott County, Iowa Conservation will be bringing a live owl and educating everyone on the critical role these creatures of the night play in our community! Register for this free event so we can notify you of any cancellation: https://tinyurl.com/WldWedReg

05/26/2026

🚨 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄 🚨

Reminder: the West Lake Park Beach & Boathouse will be closed today, Tuesday, May 26th, through Friday, May 29th.

The facility will reopen for daily operation on Saturday, May 30th. Thank you for your understanding!

🏖 Beach Information ⬇️
https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/conservation/west-lake/beach

🚣‍♀️ Boathouse Information ⬇️
https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/conservation/west-lake/boathouse

🏊‍♀️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴!

05/24/2026

Get ready for a blast from the past! Walnut Grove Pioneer Village is hosting its annual Heritage event on Sunday, May 24 and Monday, May 25 from 11:00 - 4:00 PM. Admission: $2 adults, $1 kids, and free for those 5 and under.

05/22/2026

Fun Fact Friday!

🐢Tomorrow, May 23rd, is World Turtle Day! To celebrate World Turtle Day, here are some fun facts about turtles!
🐚The turtles shell is not just a place to hide. It is part of their body including their ribs and spine. They have nerve endings in their shell allowing them to feel anything that touches them. Their shell grows with them as they age. They can not outgrow it, and cannot leave it.
📦Box turtles, like the Iowa native Ornate Box Turtle, are able to lock their shells closed. They have a hinge on the bottom of their shell that allows them to close their shell with head, tail, and limbs completely inside their shell.
❄️Turtles brumate (similar to hibernate) during the winter months. They can stay underwater and survive for over 100 days by absorbing oxygen from the water through specialized body surfaces.
🌡The gender of turtles is determined by the substrate temperature where the nest is located and eggs are laid. Warmer ground temperatures produce female turtles and cooler ground temperatures produce male turtles.
🐢Not all turtles have a hard shell. There are two species of softshell turtles that call Iowa home, the Smooth Softshell Turtle and the Spiny Softshell Turtle. Their shells feel more like leather than a hard shell.
🐢Iowa's largest turtle is the Common Snapping Turtle.
😁The Blanding's Turtle wears a permanent "smile" and can be identified by a bright yellow chin and throat. This species is long-lived and can live up to 70-90 years old. Blanding's turtles are state threatened by habitat fragmentation and loss.
💦The preservation of Iowa's wetlands and sand prairies is critical to the Blanding's Turtle, the Eastern Musk Turtle, the Wood Turtle, the Ornate Box Turtle, and the Yellow Mud Turtle. These turtles are either state Threatened or Endangered.
📣If you would like to learn more about Iowa's turtles or see some up close, come out to the Wapsi River Learning Center to meet some of our shelled friends.



📷Photo Credits: Wapsi River Center Naturalists

05/21/2026

☀️ Summer Splash Update! 🏖️
West Lake Park Beach & Boathouse is opening THIS WEEKEND! 🏊‍♀️🚣‍♂️ Here’s what you need to know:

🗓 May 23 – 25: Open
⚠️ May 26 – 29: Closed
📅 Starting May 30: Open daily
🧭 Mid-Aug–Labor Day: Weekends only (staffing dependent)
⏰ Regular hours: 12–7 PM

👉 Follow us for updates or visit our website. Let the summer fun begin!