The 600-acre Barber Creek State Wildlife area has received a 357-acre addition to its western border! The public hunting complex lies 4 miles southwest of DeWitt, Iowa, along the north bank of the Wapsipinicon River. As you can imagine, a visitor finds it a combination of backwater chutes and forested floodplain mixed with occasional meadow openings and native grass stands. The Wapsi has created unequalled wildlife habitat diversity in the region and natural resource managers have long recognized the value of these lands. The original 600-acre tract, purchased in 1977, has been hunting land for many deer, turkey, squirrel, waterfowl and pheasant hunters for the last 25 years. Although many more acres of high quality wildlife habitat existed on surrounding private lands, the IDNR wildlife bureau had not been able to finance more land and open new ground for area sportsmen.

Then the stars began to line up. The United States Department of Agriculture announced the advent of their Wetland Reserve Program. It allowed USDA to enter into partnerships with private landowners by paying for a permanent farming restriction on high quality wetlands. The Wapsi River floodplain contains many of the finest backwater wetlands in eastern Iowa, so we began looking into ways to enlarge the Barber Creek Wildlife Area. Mr. Charles Gregoire owned a series of superior backwater lakes and wetlands immediately west of Barber Creek. One day, I sat down with Mr. Gregoire and asked if he would be interested in allowing the government to purchase a wetland reserve easement on the lowlands along the Wapsi. The local NRCS office, the Clinton and Scott County Conservation Boards, the IDNR Wildlife Bureau, Clinton County Pheasants Forever, the Bi-State Resource Conservation and Development office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had formed the Wapsi River Alliance in 1999 in an effort to help Wapsi River landowners recognize the importance of their forest and marshlands. Mr. Gregoire had asked questions about ways to help and became interested when the Federal WRP program was spelled out.

After several planning meetings and many questions answered, the Gregoires entered into the WRP easement program. The IDNR Wildlife Bureau purchased the remaining land value and took fee title ownership of the 357 acres after the WRP easement was put in place. The Wildlife Bureau needed additional help from sportsmen to make it happen and they responded to the call. The Iowa Wild Turkey Federation recognized this premeire turkey area and came to our immediate aid with a $35,000 pledge. The Clinton County Pheasants Forever chapter also applied for additional State PF funds to help finance the project. In addition, they pledged to help seed down the idled cropland with native grasses.

The Gregoire family and all others associated with the project are happy to see this fine new addition to the wildlife area take place. It was opened to the public in early fall 2002. Twenty acres of backwater lakes and chutes, 120 acres of native grassland and 217 acres of forestland will soon combine to make up this new public wilderness. Bear with us as we develop the new parking lot, native grasslands and visitor information maps. Meanwhile, feel free to venture out to this new diamond in the rough. All boundaries have been marked with green public hunting signs. Remember it is a wildlife management area – designed to produce the greatest variety of wildlife species possible for the public to enjoy.

If you visit, there will be no comfort stations, waste cans, benches or trails. It is one of Iowa’s best efforts to let you experience a small wilderness area close to home. It may not be Minnesota’s boundary waters canoe territory, but these 957 acres are premiere Iowa wilderness, offering you a chance for new a adventure every day!