One of the initial projects for the Foundation board 25 years ago was in raising over $2 million through donations, grants and fundraisers to build the Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center located at Rock Creek Marina and Campground. Subsequent fundraising efforts added an educational Turtle Island area with live animal displays, interactive nature experiences, and murals celebrating the diversity of Iowa’s natural environment.
In 2002, the Foundation was instrumental in raising funds to purchase the Blue Heron Eco Cruise pontoon boat. The 24-passenger boat continues to offer free cruises to the public on a weekly basis during the cruise season. Exploring the Mississippi backwaters and main channel, special cruises include bird watching, history of the river through music, and sunset and fall foliage. Cruises are led by a CCC naturalist who provides a narrative of wildlife and river features.
A busing scholarship program, which began in 2009, continues to cover transportation costs to make it possible for school field trips to travel to our parks and nature centers for day-long, outdoor environmental education experiences.
The foundation engaged in a fundraising effort to build an addition to the Eden Valley Nature Center. The multi-purpose room provides meeting space and much-needed indoor classroom space for school field trips in bad weather.
We are in the midst of a fundraising effort for a badly needed remodeling of the original Eden Valley Nature Center display area to make it a more effective environmental education learning space for school groups and visitors to the park.
Rock Creek was hit hard by flooding and derecho winds. The Foundation worked with CCC and the DNR to fund the planting of flood resistant trees to replace the more than 200 trees that had to be cut down. That project improves the safety and appearance of our park facilities for our campers and visitors.
Through memorial gifts, the Foundation has worked to seek ways to honor the donors and to combine gifts to fund appropriate and meaningful projects that will benefit persons of all ages for years to come.
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