The Voas Nature Area is a 265-acre park located west of Minburn,
approximately 1/2 mile east to the North Raccoon River. The area
was donated to the Dallas County Conservation Department by Lyle
and Mae Voas. Both brother and sister had a desire to see their
family farmland restored to a native prairie and forest condition
similar to pre-Euro-American settlement.
They intended for the area to become a wildlife refuge and
educational center.
Mae and Lyle Voas formed an impressive collection. They collected
rocks, fossils, and minerals across the United States and around
the world. They built a museum displaying many artifacts. Rare
native elements, dynamic quartz specimens, and fossils are on
exhibit.
The Voas Nature Area is diverse in habitat. A 90-acre oak/hickory
forest, and 125-acre prairie and wetland complex have been
re-established. 90 percent of Iowa's prairies and wetlands have
been plowed and drained for farmland.
To restore the wetlands, field tiles were broken, plugged and in
some cases wetland basins were deepened. As water accumulated in
these prairie pothole marshes, aquatic vegetation grew back. Some
aquatic vegetation seed remains dormant in the soil for as much as
70 years.
The diversity of habitat serves as an excellent stage for learning
about our natural world. Interpretive programs offered at the Voas
Nature Area include tours of the museum, bird-watching hikes,
prairie programs, geology presentations, and many other
environmental education programs. An observation deck and restroom
facilities are available at the museum.
Voas Nature Area hours are 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily. The museum is
open Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 PM seasonally May 1 to
October 31. From November 1 to April 30 the museum is open by
appointment only.
Source:
Dallas County Website
Placed with permission by the Dallas County Conservation County
Board
Placed by a member of the...
