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Be a Friend of the Great Outdoors

All trees from the Residential Tree Program have been sold

POTENTIAL SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES

Listed below are potential support opportunities for Friends of the Great Outdoors grouped according to cost. Glance through the list and see what project ideas interest you. Do you have some ideas of your own? Let us know!

Large Gifts

  • Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt Research Center - Hands-on learning center designed for school children, colleges, and public education projects located int he heart of 8,000 acres of prairie and wetland.
  • Jester Park Conservation Center - Interpretation and administration facility designed to provide a public interpretive area, environmental education classroom, and Polk County Conservation administration office space.
  • Easter Lake Park Trail - Construction of a 4.8 mile trail around beautiful Easter Lake Park in the heart of Des Moines that provides the means to achieve a healthy lifestyle and key trail connections to Ewing Park, Indianola Avenue, and Carlisle.
  • Land Acquisition - Acquisitions and easement opportunities for prioritized critical natural areas such as wetlands, prairies, woodlands.
  • Bison and Elk Exhibit - Renovations and enhancements to the historic Jester Park bison and elk exhibit to include accessible observation decks, information kiosks, educational panels, interactive displays, art, and picnic area.

Medium Gifts

  • Brown's Woods Trail Expansion - Expanded nature trails and environmental interpretation throughout Iowa's largest urban forest.
  • Two Dam Pond Accessible Trail - Accessible access around one of Jester Park's favorite ponds so people of all ages and abilities can fish, exercise, watch birds, canoe, and just enjoy nature.
  • Natural Play Areas - Children need to roll down hills, scramble up rocks, dam up water, and hide in grass. Natural play areas, like the Jester Park Playscape, would be great additions to Mally's Park and Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt.
  • Jester Park Amphitheater - A rustic outdoor amphitheater in the heart of Jester Park would provide the perfect location for improved interpretive programs for campers, school groups, and the general public.
  • Media Partnership - Collaborative conservation media messages are a win-win for the media partners, general public, and the great outdoors. One of the most effective ways to reach the public to promote park opportunities, conservation issues, and the importance of getting outdoors is through television, radio, and print marketing.
  • Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Projects - Improve wildlife and fisheries habitat through reintroduction programs, natural resource management practices, natural area studies, and other methods for the benefit of native Iowa fish, turtles, butterflies, raptors, swans, otters, and more!

Small Gifts

  • Wildlife Viewing Blinds - Wildlife viewing blinds bring people closer to nature and provide unique viewing experiences for all ages and abilities. What's your favorite park? A bird blind might be a perfect addition!
  • School Bus Field Trip Scholarships - Help bring local students outside for naturalist-guided field trips where they take part in activities such as hiking, fishing, canoeing, geocaching, and service learning.
  • Environmental Education Programming - Sponsor a program or special event that encourages people of all ages to get outdoors and learn more about our natural world. Hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, birding, camping... are just a few programming ideas that are sure to lead more people outdoors and foster more stewards of the land.
  • Equestrian Scholarships - Sponsor at-risk youth or a therapy rider to attend summer horse camp at the Jester Park Equestiran Center. These programs promote character development, confidence, and physcial and emotional wellness.
  • Healthy Lifestyle Programs - Sponsor a program or event that encourages active outdoor lifestyles. Snowshoe hike, cross-country ski, bike, canoe, or hike your way to a longer life. ($500 and up)
  • Just Be a Friend! - Become a Friend of the Great Outdoors. Fill out this form then print and mail it with your payment to Great Outdoors Fund, PO Box 2, Granger, IA 50109-0002. Your annual membership allows you to show support for conservation and outdoor recreation projects in Central Iowa. Receive the latest news from The Great Outdoors Fund and Polk County Conservation.

Volunteering

The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in Central Iowa. Volunteers help clean up parks and waterways. They help remove invasive species and harvest seeds. Some attend volunteer events, while other self-motivated people keep parks clean year round through the Adopt-A-County-Park program.

Volunteers are critical to the work of Polk County Conservation, which manages more than 10,000 acres of parklands. As Natural Resource Specialist Loren Lown puts it: “Staff is adequate to maintain recreational opportunities, understaffed to meet the demands of environmental education, and totally inadequate to maintain and restore natural areas.” That’s why he began a unique program called the Corps of Recovery, inspired by Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery mission. Volunteers discover much as they learn to restore landscapes near their homes or their hearts.

To offer gifts of your time, please contact Polk County Conservation's Planning and Outreach Coordinator, Pat Spain, at (515) 323-5280.