Enjoy a full day of gardening workshops. You will choose from 3 choices for 5 different sessions to learn about a variety of gardening topics. Choices include: All American Selection Trials, Vegetable Gardening, Growing Succulents, Pollinators and other Garden Insects, The Backyard Orchard, Native Plants, and Cooking with Herbs. Our day starts with keynote speaker Michele Biodrowski who will tell us to "Lose the Lawn, Plant for Life". We will also have vendors and a raffle. A continental breakfast and lunch is included. The cost for the day is $50.
Grist Mill's first production of 2023! Come enjoy Neil Simon's "Fools" on March 31 or April 1 at 7:30 pm or April 2 at 2:00 pm! Call 712-486-2216 and leave a message for reservations - visit our website for seating options and availability!
Grist Mill's first production of 2023! Come enjoy Neil Simon's "Fools" on March 31 or April 1 at 7:30 pm or April 2 at 2:00 pm! Call 712-486-2216 and leave a message for reservations - visit our website for seating options and availability!
Let's rub shoulders again. Honey Creek Creamery is bringing back its Friday night goat yoga class followed by wine and treats. Reserve your Friday night to let loose from the week with your dose of nature, goat silliness, and some refreshments afterward. The 45-minute yoga class is taught by high-caliber yoga instructors and then we take a tour of the nursery. Have some appetizers along with some wine to top off the night.
Let's rub shoulders again. Honey Creek Creamery is bringing back its Friday night goat yoga class followed by wine and treats. Reserve your Friday night to let loose from the week with your dose of nature, goat silliness, and some refreshments afterward. The 45-minute yoga class is taught by high-caliber yoga instructors and then we take a tour of the nursery. Have some appetizers along with some wine to top off the night.
Join the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) and Peak Performance for their 14th annual Race Against Extinction, benefitting American Prairie. Join other local runners for Earth Day and do your part to support conservation efforts while enjoying fresh air and beautiful trails at Hitchcock Nature Center! Choose from a challenging 4-mile trail run and a 1-mile, 2-mile, or stroller-friendly nature hike.
Date: April 21, 2023
Time: Starting at 6:00 PM
Registration: Registration cost:
$30 - includes *T-shirt if registered by April 9th.
$35 April 10th - April 20th;
$40 on race day
Stick around for the post-race award ceremony, door prizes, music, food, and beverages! Unique Earth-friendly race medals for top three male and female finishers overall and in 10-year age increments.
In honor of Earth Day, we will be waiving park entry fees on Earth Day, which is Saturday, April 22nd. Bring your friends and family and enjoy all the beauty our county parks have to offer! Free park entry will be allowed at Arrowhead Park in Neola, Botna Bend Park in Hancock, Hitchcock Nature Center in Honey Creek, and Olde Town Park in Macedonia. Please note that all other park fees, like camping, will remain in place. Pottawattamie Conservation parks offer that “get away from it all” feeling we all crave and truly have something for everyone. Plus, what better day is there for treating yourself to an adventure and exploring the natural world around you than Earth Day? So, pack up your friends and family and come out to see us on April 22nd. We can’t wait to meet you!
Lightwire Theater has been featured as semi-finalists on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and winners of Tru TV’s Fake Off. The performance combines theater and technology to bring stories to life in complete darkness and has been internationally recognized for their signature brand of electroluminescent artistry. The 60-minute show begins with Aesop’s classic fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, but continues the story 10 years into the future. Now the classic competitors have children of their own who are exploring modern-day distractions. Smartphones and video games create a landscape of lost connections to life experiences. The Next Generation features Tortoise Junior and Lil’ Hare in a whole new kind of race, where their adventures lead them into unexpected territory. Old Man Tortoise and Big Daddy Hare must come together despite their differences to find and save their children. What hurdles will they have to overcome to make it to the finish line?
Join the Unique Boutique Iowa for their second annual succulent bar event! Your ticket includes a cup or pot for your plant, a succulent of your choice, rocks for your plant, care instructions, snacks and drinks, and a guaranteed fun day out! Be sure to follow us on Facebook for more information.
Celebrate Earth Day with Pottawattamie Conservation and join our annual park cleanup event at Hitchcock Nature Center. Did you know that Hitchcock Nature Center's Loess Hills beauty and remnant prairie systems were almost turned into a bottled water factory, and then of all things, a dump!? Thankfully local community members came together, put their feet down, and fought to protect this beautiful area. They're known as the Dump Busters! Help us bust the park's litter and follow in the Dump Busters' footsteps. Please meet us at the Loess Hills Lodge to check in, receive your bag, and pick which area of the park you want to cover. Volunteers may bypass pay stations. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to enter themselves in a random drawing for a two-night cabin stay. Recommendations: bring a pair of gloves, dress for the weather, and wear tall socks and good hiking shoes. We especially appreciate anyone who is willing to venture off the beaten path and work up a sweat.
The Environmental Education team at Pottawattamie Conservation is bringing nationally recognized instructor and naturalist, Dave “Muskrat” Muska, to Iowa for a spring environmental educator professional development training workshop! In this experiential training, you will learn skills and techniques to further your ability to inspire and engage participants of all ages with the natural world. These are tools and techniques that Dave has personally gathered over the course of his career as a naturalist, educator, and program director. Many of these tools are driven by research in human psychology, biology, elementary education, and anthropology. These are tools that you will use on a daily basis in schools, speaking engagements, public events, special courses, and guided trips that span age ranges from preschool to mature adult elders. This training will include presentations on education and given subject matter as well as lessons and activities that will fully immerse participants.
The Environmental Education team at Pottawattamie Conservation is bringing nationally recognized instructor and naturalist, Dave “Muskrat” Muska, to Iowa for a spring environmental educator professional development training workshop! In this experiential training, you will learn skills and techniques to further your ability to inspire and engage participants of all ages with the natural world. These are tools and techniques that Dave has personally gathered over the course of his career as a naturalist, educator, and program director. Many of these tools are driven by research in human psychology, biology, elementary education, and anthropology. These are tools that you will use on a daily basis in schools, speaking engagements, public events, special courses, and guided trips that span age ranges from preschool to mature adult elders. This training will include presentations on education and given subject matter as well as lessons and activities that will fully immerse participants.
The Environmental Education team at Pottawattamie Conservation is bringing nationally recognized instructor and naturalist, Dave “Muskrat” Muska, to Iowa for a spring environmental educator professional development training workshop! In this experiential training, you will learn skills and techniques to further your ability to inspire and engage participants of all ages with the natural world. These are tools and techniques that Dave has personally gathered over the course of his career as a naturalist, educator, and program director. Many of these tools are driven by research in human psychology, biology, elementary education, and anthropology. These are tools that you will use on a daily basis in schools, speaking engagements, public events, special courses, and guided trips that span age ranges from preschool to mature adult elders. This training will include presentations on education and given subject matter as well as lessons and activities that will fully immerse participants.
Let's rub shoulders again. Honey Creek Creamery is bringing back its Friday night goat yoga class followed by wine and treats. Reserve your Friday night to let loose from the week with your dose of nature, goat silliness, and some refreshments afterward. The 45-minute yoga class is taught by high-caliber yoga instructors and then we take a tour of the nursery. Have some appetizers along with some wine to top off the night.
Arrowhead Trail Run is a 5k marked course at Arrowhead Park near Neola, Iowa. Choose the traditional 5k distance, two laps for a 10k, or complete as many laps as you can in a 4-hour Enduro! Medals will be awarded to the top 6 Males and Females in the 5k, 10k, and Enduro events. All are welcome to run, jog, walk or hike at your own pace while enjoying the scenic lake and wooded views. 100% non-profit event with all proceeds supporting the Pottawattamie County Trails Association.
Our annual Spring Kick-Off Event is back this year and will return to the north end of the Trail this year, to Tobey Jack's Mineola Steakhouse - home of the Thursday Night Taco Ride! Drive, ride your bike, run, or walk (weather permitting). We will be collecting some great Live and Silent Auction Items, plenty of food, and lots of fun! Bring your checkbook; remember this is also a fundraiser for the trail! Social hour will begin at 5:30, with dinner starting at 6:30 and Awards/Live Auction starting at 7:30! Make a day of it and ride your bike or run/walk to Mineola (trail conditions permitting)!
Come over to Treynor for a city-wide garage sale! There will be tons of items to shop for all. Maps will be placed at Casey's, Dollar General, and Post Office, marking the garage sale locations.
As winter begins to transform into spring, join naturalist and folk herbalist Dustin Clayton for a renewing hike and demonstrations focused on the spring, or vernal, equinox. You’ll learn about medicines the forest offers this time of year, how to recognize ephemeral spring flora, and some tips for learning to recognize local trees. We'll also discuss the stories our ancestors told about springtime, as well as some traditional lore associated with the other beings we share the land with. We'll examine how this body of traditional knowledge has shaped people's relationship with the natural world. Hosted by naturalist Dustin Clayton. Cost is $10/person. Ages 16+.
