Visit any Iowa state park and you’ll find nature is the prevailing theme. At Iowa’s newest state park, Honey Creek Resort, you’ll find a first-class nature experience awaits you.
Honey Creek Resort was designed to give visitors the chance to enjoy Iowa’s natural beauty in a very comfortable environment.
“We welcome both the seasoned nature lover and the tentative outdoors person, and everyone in between,” says Jeremie Slagle, resort manager. “We want all our visitors to enjoy the resort at what ever level of outdoor experience they are comfortable with. We are all about helping people enjoy nature and the beautiful outdoor setting we have here.”
Nature programming is a key component of the resort. Honey Creek has two resident naturalists on staff to guide visitors in understanding more about Iowa’s environment and all it has to offer. The regularly scheduled programs usually have seasonal themes with lots of hands-on opportunities. Some are geared towards kids, but most are appropriate for all ages, and all are open to the public whether they are guests of the resort or not.
“Most of our programs are about an hour long,” says Mike Godby, DNR naturalist for the resort, “and may include hiking, live animal exhibits, exploration activities, campfire stories, nature crafts or outdoor skills. We can also customize our programs for large group events at the resort or in the surrounding communities.”
“Summer is a great time for water-related activities and Lake Rathbun provides the perfect setting for all kinds of outdoor sports,” says Godby. “We want people to not just learn about nature but to get out and enjoy it. We can provide basic fishing lessons or help with a specific fishing technique. We have kayaks and fishing gear and even backpacks filled with tools and gadgets to help discover the outdoors.”
Trails throughout the resort help visitors explore the outdoors at their leisure. About a dozen large interpretive panels will be installed throughout the Honey Creek complex this summer to help visitors learn more about the flora, fauna, environmental features and conservation practices on site. The trail system at the park guides hikers through Iowa’s three major ecosystems -- prairie, woodlands and wetlands.
In addition to some wonderful overlooks and scenic views on the trails, a wildlife observation blind is available along the nature trail.
“We have some amazing wildlife viewing at Honey Creek,” says Godby, “particularly when it comes to bird watching.”
“With the variety of ecotypes at the resort, plus the large lake, spring migration can be phenomenal,” says Godby. “Really, anytime of year is great for bird watching at Honey Creek. We see bald eagles pretty regularly in the winter, large flotillas of pelicans in the spring and fall and, of course, wild turkeys year-round.”
An elaborate array of bird feeders, scattered around the lodge’s large windows, bring wildlife up close to the lodge.
The Lake Rathbun area has long been known for its great hunting and fishing. Southern Iowa holds bragging rights to some of the best deer and turkey hunting in the state, but the Rathbun area is also know for good waterfowl and upland game hunting as well. With approximately 10,000 acres of public hunting land in the area and access to one of Iowa’s premier fishing lakes, Honey Creek Resort is a natural destination choice for the hunter or angler.
The Lake Rathbun is the top walleye fishery south of I-80 and is maintained as a walleye brood fish lake. The DNR’s Rathbun fish hatchery is a state-of-the-art facility that produces walleye and channel catfish and is home to muskies during the winter. Tour arrangements can be made for large groups by calling 641-647-2406. Small groups can take a self-guided tour of the hatchery Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The hatchery is less than a 15-minute drive from the resort and a worthwhile trip to learn more about Iowa’s fisheries.
The whole nature experience at Honey Creek Resort is enhanced by the subtle environmental stewardship messages and “green” practices woven throughout the facility.
The resort’s outdoor lighting will minimizes “light pollution,” creating safe parking lots and walkways, but saving electricity and preserving the dark night sky for star gazing.
Because the resort’s golf course design protects the environment, conserves natural resources and provides wildlife habitat, the Preserve is expected to earn the National Audubon Society’s seal of approval.
Bioswales, bioretention basins and native grass plantings have all been incorporated into the Honey Creek landscape to reduce and filter storm water runoff and minimize erosion into the Lake Rathbun watershed. Thanks to EPA funding from their non-point source pollution program, interpretive signage will help explain these conservation practices.
“Everything at the resort encourages people to discover Iowa’s outdoors. We have beautiful nature photography throughout our buildings. Even our cabins are named after the birds, butterflies, trees and prairie plants found in the area,” says Slagle.
For more information about Honey Creek Resort State Park or to make a reservation, visit www.HoneyCreekResort.com or call 877-677-3344.
Iowa Sportsman
http://www.iowasportsman.com/article.php/20090623154242917