PROGRESS: Woodbury County parks keep adding features, especially in outlying areas

Last year, the beach at Little Sioux Park in Correctionville was modernized, and Woodbury County Conservation Board Director Dan Heissel said park users really liked the change.

Additionally, the Southwood Conservation Area has a new overlook deck/tower to give a great valley view, and a new structure to attract more fish was added at Brown's Lake-Bigelow Park.

The county conservation board oversees 16 outdoor options totaling nearly 5,700 acres, including wildlife areas, nature preserves and parks such as Little Sioux Park south of Correctionville, Southwood Conservation Area near Smithland, and Brown's Lake-Bigelow Park and Snyder Bend Park, both near Salix.

Heissel said there are multiple projects coming online this year. At Brown's Lake-Bigelow Park, workers are razing an old concessions building and will replace it with a new building. People for the first time be able to rent paddle boats, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards at Brown's Lake, and a handicapped-accessible fishing pier will be added.

At the Owego Wetland Complex, water control structures will be repaired or replaced. Ditches will be cleaned out and steps to control cattails will be undertaken to improve water management at Owego.

A third 2019 project involves fixing the roof and other parts of the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City, with an estimated cost above $700,000. The county-owned facility, which opened in 1995, is located within Stone State Park.

Along with the roof, the nature center heating and air conditioning unit will be modernized. The HVAC system of heat pumps will be removed and replaced with systems connected to a heat exchanger. Heissel said the work started in January and should be done by April.

The main months for the parks run from April through October. Two county swimming beaches, which are not staffed with lifeguards, will open near Memorial Day.

Overall, Heisell said the park offerings are plentiful and well-used, given good oversight by the Woodbury County Conservation Board.

"(They) provide quality of life opportunities for a wide range of ages, from trails, to parks and camping, to hunting and fishing and environmental education. The cornerstone of this environmental education program is the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center and the great naturalists that run the program," Heissel said.

The conservation board members had considered a modernization of the Little Sioux Park beach for a few years, and ultimately set a budget of $150,000 for the project.

After work done in 2018, the parking lot is more organized, and a concrete sidewalk leads down the middle of the grounds from the bath house showers to the beach. There is a raised cement observation area, with wire fencing all around the south side of the beach, separating it from the parking lot. Many big boulders were placed on the grounds, improving the aesthetic look.

Little Sioux Park also got a new enclosure on the north side of the lake for four captive swans, including two who were recovering from injuries.

"It turned out great, contractor did a fabulous job with the project. Had to fight weather and it delayed the project some but it was worth the wait. We have gotten a lot of comments on the beach," Heissel said.