Hardin County Conservation

08/26/2026

🦊 Animal Expansion Project - Starting Today! 🦊

Our 10 year old raccoon, Stitch, is excited because his new enclosure construction began today! (Stitch is pictured below as a 1 year old). As part of a three year plan, our staff members at Calkins Nature Area will be expanding and improving our non-releasable wildlife area. Animals at our facility cannot survive on their own in nature. This is due to habituation to people, illegal removal from the wild, or lifelong injuries that don’t allow the animals to survive on their own.

Phase 1 will be the construction of new, large enclosures for all our current mammalian residents. This includes new spaces for our fox, skunk, raccoon, and opossum. New enclosures will allow us to create better enrichment, improve necessary day to day care, creates better veterinary access, and allows our wildlife to have more room to enjoy sleep, play, and all other aspects of life.

Thanks to the Hardin County Community Endowment Foundation, we received $24,635 to begin construction on a new, 20’x20’x12’ enclosure. The space will also include a large building for overwintering, bedding, and more. We would like to take this time to thank the Hardin County Community Endowment Foundation for their support and we look forward to showing off this new exhibit to the public by mid fall! Additional funding will be provided by the Friends of Calkins Nature Area to complete initial construction of the first enclosure.

08/19/2026

Have a child interested in learning how to hunt? Come and attend our Hunter’s Safety Field Day at the lodge! Just remember, you must complete your online coursework with the PRINTED certificate before attending the field day.

Hunter’s Safety Field Day Registration is Live!!!!

https://license.gooutdoorsiowa.com/Event/ViewEvent.aspx?id=3953&fbclid=IwZnRzaATxVDlwZG9mAWZkaWQWUMtSsSO5PjKWT5VLl3m8XRATA9vgkWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7heMeR42TbtB74W85C25B9LtitQSAk9WRkWa3m0AeXdRvJt0eZ-SQ74t0_Yw_aem_oPWP1iByFGKWy7L2QNqgBw

08/17/2026

🌳 Thank you Tate 🌳

We’d like to thank Tate Miller for being a valuable part of our team over the many summers you’ve spent with us! Your dedication to conservation and efforts to keep up our parks has gone above and beyond what is expected of seasonal intern time and time again. We truly appreciate everything you’ve done and the time and effort you’ve put in over the years.

We will surely miss having you around, but we are excited to see where your future takes you! We wish you the very best in all of your endeavors!

Make sure if you see Tate around to thank him!

08/13/2026

🍁 New - Fall Nature Events for Adults 🍂

We are excited to host outdoor learning opportunities for adults this fall! Join our email list today. More information below. There will be 2, unique learning opportunities each month (September, October, November) with varying themes.

🦋 September - While the weather is nice, we will have a pollinator focused day based out of Calkins Nature Area. There will also be an aquatic wildlife day where attendees can enjoy river and wetland related activities. Bring your water shoes for that session!

🍁 October - All about leaves and birds. Peak leaf season arrives by mid October and the forests around Hardin County are at their most beautiful during this time. We will spend some time hiking along the river’s edge that day, so bring boots. Birds will be in the middle of peak migration, so we will also spend a day learning about our avian friends, their migratory habits, and hike through various properties to view unique species.

📸 November - Cold weather arrives, but allows for unique opportunities to discuss Native American history in Hardin County. This day will be based out of the nature center where adults can have a behind the scenes, more immersive look at the Ulch Collection. The final day will be based around nature photography as we enter the winter season. Lighting is perfect this time of year and wildlife is still active, so come learn how to take photos using something as simple as your smart phone!

If these events sound interesting to you, please join our email list for specific details on dates, time, locations, and more!

Our staff can be reached at [email protected]

07/31/2026

07/24/2026

🎊Thank you Chris Newman and AgroLiquid🎊

Hardin County Conservation would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chris Newman and AgroLiquid for their generous donation of new playground equipment at Bessman-Kemp Park!

Thanks to their support, families visiting the park now have a beautiful new place where children can climb, slide, swing, explore, and make lasting memories. Community partnerships like this help make our parks more welcoming, enjoyable, and accessible for everyone.

We are incredibly grateful for Chris and AgroLiquid’s commitment to investing in our local communities and helping enhance the outdoor experiences available throughout Hardin County.

If you haven’t visited Bessman-Kemp Park recently, stop by and check out the new playground!

07/24/2026

04/15/2026

You're Invited! 🌟

Join Hardin County Conservation for an open house at this beautiful new space,
The Lodge in Steamboat Rock. This is the perfect venue for weddings, celebrations, meetings, community gatherings, and so much more.

📅 Saturday, May 2nd
⏰ 1:00 – 3:00 PM
📍 299 N. 7th St. Steamboat Rock, IA

Enjoy light appetizers and refreshing lemonade provided by The Bakery while you tour the venue and connect with our team.

We’d love to see you there!

04/14/2026

Thank you to the Hardin County Community Endowment Foundation for their generous financial support of “The Lodge” in Steamboat Rock. Your continued support of Hardin County Conservation helps make projects like this possible and strengthens our community!

“The Lodge” will serve as a versatile event center open for rentals of all kinds, including weddings, conferences, meetings, community events, and outdoor programming. It will provide a welcoming space for people to gather, support local events, and help boost tourism in the area for years to come. We truly appreciate your investment in our vision.

04/10/2026