2023 EVents
2023 SPRING EVENTS It’s easier to get out with the longer and warmer days already. Join us for the annual woodland walk in April to see a progression of spring flowers that bloom before the trees and bushes leaf out and block sunlight from the woodland floor.
A series of monthly prairie walk beginning in May is another way to enjoy a progression of prairie plants blooming as spring turns to summer. Service outings, paddling at Ada Hayden Heritage Park, bike rides and more are listed below directly in this email and on the attached pdf file.
Monday, April 10, 2023 Landscaping for Wildlife Presentation Inviting wildlife into your yard can be a rewarding experience for you and the wildlife is presented by Story County Conservation at the Neveda library on 613 K Avenue, Nevada from 6:30 to 7:30 pm; Please register by April 9 with the Nevada Public Library.
Thursday, April 27, 2023 Spring Wildflower Walk We’ll start our walk at 1:30 from the the Robison Wildlife Acres parking lot at 29490 632nd Ave., Nevada. We plan to end our walk at 3:30. This event is free, registration is not required and is a rain or shine event. The walk is led by Outdoor Alliance volunteers and is cosponsored by Story County Conservation.
Saturday, April 29, 2023 Stash the Trash Stash the Trash is an annual volunteer community clean-up sponsored by the City of Ames and listed as a community service. More information will be posted at Stash the Trash.
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Evening Doolittle Prairie Walks Join Dr. Thomas Rosburg on the third Tuesday of the month prairie walks at the largest prairie remnant in Story County. See rare and common prairie flora that change each month and learn about the Central Iowa prairies. Long pants, long sleeves and closed-toe shoes are recommend. You may also want sunscreen, bug spray, hat and water.
Doolittle Prairie is at 14249 560th Ave., Story City, and begin at 7:00. The summer prairie walks are sponsored by Story County Conservation, Iowa Native Plant Society and are co-listed by the Outdoor Alliance of Story County. The walks are free. More information is available at Story County Conservation.
Saturday, May 20, 2023 Mayor and City Council's Bike Ride Ames Mayor John Haila and members of the Ames City Council invite the community to participate in a family-friendly bike ride around Ames, starting and ending at City Hall.
The ride will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 20, in the west parking lot at Ames City Hall, 515 Clark Ave. Bicyclists of all ages and experience levels are welcome to join the ride. There is no pre-registration necessary or cost to participate. Bike helmets are strongly encouraged. This event is sponsored by the City of Ames.
Wednesday Summer Evening Paddle at the Park Enjoy an evening paddling your canoe, kayak or stand up paddling (SUP) with other area paddlers beginning around 6:30 pm Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The Wednesday evening paddles are at Ada Hayden Heritage Park at 5205 Grand Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 and are listed by the Outdoor Alliance as a community service and as a service for our partners at the Skunk River Paddlers.
Thursday, June 1, 2023 Sleepy Hollow Cleanup is a volunteer supported effort of Story County Conservation and the Skunk River Paddlers. Sleepy Hollow is 646 W Riverside Road, Ames, Iowa just across the highway on Riverside. Join paddlers and their friends remove any litter.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Evening Doolittle Prairie Walks Join Dr. Thomas Rosburg on the third Tuesday of the month prairie walks. See Tuesday May 16 above for more details.
Sunday, Jun 25, 2023 Ames Triathlon Besides an athletic event, there are also opportunities for safety boating for the swimming event at Ada Hayden Heritage Park in Ames and other volunteer opportunities. More information is at Ames Triathlon.
Monday June 26 to Thursday June 29, 2023 North American Prairie Conference This event has field trips, symposia, keynote speakers and other events. Register for one or more days at North American Prairie Conference where you will also find more details about the conference. This event is co-hosted by our partners, Prairie Rivers of Iowa, and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tuesday, July 18, August 15, and September 19, 2023 Evening Doolittle Prairie Walks Join Dr. Thomas Rosburg on the third Tuesday of the month prairie walks. See Tuesday May 16 above for more details.
Friday July 28 through Saturday August 5, 2023 Rummage Rampage Volunteers This is a community garage sale that pairs unwanted items with others seeking low-cost options for furnishing a home and help keep useable items out of the landfill. Contact us by early July if you are interested in volunteering at the Rummage Rampage for The Outdoor Alliance. This event is sponsored by the City of Ames in partnership with the ISU Office of Sustainability host this event. For more information or to volunteer email .
EVENT UPDATES Other events are posted on this web page as the year unfolds and plans finalize. If you would like to receive a quarterly update about upcoming events, send us an email at info@oasco.org with your contact information. Your information will be used by Outdoor Alliance of Story County and will never be sold to others.
OTHER EVENTS: Story County Conservation sponsors other events not listed above that you might be interested in as well. The Outdoor Alliance also partners with Prairie Rivers of Iowa and the Skunk River Paddlers. Links to these and other local, regional, statewide and national outdoor groups are on our website.
RECAP: March 2023 Ames Reads Leopold at Ames Public Library
Ames has annually celebrated Aldo Leopold's contributions to American conservation through reading his essays in a community event since 2008. Aldo Leopold is widely acknowledged as one of the early advocate of wildlife conservation and a strong advocate for a "Land Ethic” in America. Although Leopold's A Sand County Almanac was first published in 1949, his words continue to be as poignant today as then.
This year’s speakers included Erv Klaas, founder of the event; Mike Meetz, well-known local conservationist; Vivian Todd, an Ames student; Michael Cook and Gabriel Johnson, ISU Sustainable Agriculture graduate students; and Zoe Stonetree, English Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Environment graduate student. Neil Hamilton, emeritus professor of law and the former director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, was the featured speaker discussing “The Land, The River and Nature.” Bruce Wight, Outdoor Alliance of Story County, was the moderator.
Partners for Ames Reads Leopold included Ames Public Library; Aldo Leopold Foundation; Creative Writing & Environment at ISU; ISU Bioethics Program; The Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park; Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Office of Sustainability/Live Green! Initiative; Outdoor Alliance of Story County; Prairie Rivers of Iowa; Story County Conservation; The Sustainable Agriculture Student Association (SASA) at ISU; The Community Academy.
MEMBERSHIP The Outdoor Alliance Membership is on a calendar basis. A membership donation can be made at on our website at Donation. Your membership donation allows us to assist Story County Conservation and our other partners make the investments in the community that make the community a place we would want to live, work and enjoy the outdoors.
OUTDOOR ALLIANCE The Outdoor Alliance of Story County is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our focus is enhancing outdoor recreation, education and conservation in Story County. The Outdoor Alliance of Story County mailing address is P.O. Box 1863 Ames, IA 50010 and email is info@oasco.org.
A series of monthly prairie walk beginning in May is another way to enjoy a progression of prairie plants blooming as spring turns to summer. Service outings, paddling at Ada Hayden Heritage Park, bike rides and more are listed below directly in this email and on the attached pdf file.
Monday, April 10, 2023 Landscaping for Wildlife Presentation Inviting wildlife into your yard can be a rewarding experience for you and the wildlife is presented by Story County Conservation at the Neveda library on 613 K Avenue, Nevada from 6:30 to 7:30 pm; Please register by April 9 with the Nevada Public Library.
Thursday, April 27, 2023 Spring Wildflower Walk We’ll start our walk at 1:30 from the the Robison Wildlife Acres parking lot at 29490 632nd Ave., Nevada. We plan to end our walk at 3:30. This event is free, registration is not required and is a rain or shine event. The walk is led by Outdoor Alliance volunteers and is cosponsored by Story County Conservation.
Saturday, April 29, 2023 Stash the Trash Stash the Trash is an annual volunteer community clean-up sponsored by the City of Ames and listed as a community service. More information will be posted at Stash the Trash.
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Evening Doolittle Prairie Walks Join Dr. Thomas Rosburg on the third Tuesday of the month prairie walks at the largest prairie remnant in Story County. See rare and common prairie flora that change each month and learn about the Central Iowa prairies. Long pants, long sleeves and closed-toe shoes are recommend. You may also want sunscreen, bug spray, hat and water.
Doolittle Prairie is at 14249 560th Ave., Story City, and begin at 7:00. The summer prairie walks are sponsored by Story County Conservation, Iowa Native Plant Society and are co-listed by the Outdoor Alliance of Story County. The walks are free. More information is available at Story County Conservation.
Saturday, May 20, 2023 Mayor and City Council's Bike Ride Ames Mayor John Haila and members of the Ames City Council invite the community to participate in a family-friendly bike ride around Ames, starting and ending at City Hall.
The ride will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 20, in the west parking lot at Ames City Hall, 515 Clark Ave. Bicyclists of all ages and experience levels are welcome to join the ride. There is no pre-registration necessary or cost to participate. Bike helmets are strongly encouraged. This event is sponsored by the City of Ames.
Wednesday Summer Evening Paddle at the Park Enjoy an evening paddling your canoe, kayak or stand up paddling (SUP) with other area paddlers beginning around 6:30 pm Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The Wednesday evening paddles are at Ada Hayden Heritage Park at 5205 Grand Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 and are listed by the Outdoor Alliance as a community service and as a service for our partners at the Skunk River Paddlers.
Thursday, June 1, 2023 Sleepy Hollow Cleanup is a volunteer supported effort of Story County Conservation and the Skunk River Paddlers. Sleepy Hollow is 646 W Riverside Road, Ames, Iowa just across the highway on Riverside. Join paddlers and their friends remove any litter.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Evening Doolittle Prairie Walks Join Dr. Thomas Rosburg on the third Tuesday of the month prairie walks. See Tuesday May 16 above for more details.
Sunday, Jun 25, 2023 Ames Triathlon Besides an athletic event, there are also opportunities for safety boating for the swimming event at Ada Hayden Heritage Park in Ames and other volunteer opportunities. More information is at Ames Triathlon.
Monday June 26 to Thursday June 29, 2023 North American Prairie Conference This event has field trips, symposia, keynote speakers and other events. Register for one or more days at North American Prairie Conference where you will also find more details about the conference. This event is co-hosted by our partners, Prairie Rivers of Iowa, and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tuesday, July 18, August 15, and September 19, 2023 Evening Doolittle Prairie Walks Join Dr. Thomas Rosburg on the third Tuesday of the month prairie walks. See Tuesday May 16 above for more details.
Friday July 28 through Saturday August 5, 2023 Rummage Rampage Volunteers This is a community garage sale that pairs unwanted items with others seeking low-cost options for furnishing a home and help keep useable items out of the landfill. Contact us by early July if you are interested in volunteering at the Rummage Rampage for The Outdoor Alliance. This event is sponsored by the City of Ames in partnership with the ISU Office of Sustainability host this event. For more information or to volunteer email .
EVENT UPDATES Other events are posted on this web page as the year unfolds and plans finalize. If you would like to receive a quarterly update about upcoming events, send us an email at info@oasco.org with your contact information. Your information will be used by Outdoor Alliance of Story County and will never be sold to others.
OTHER EVENTS: Story County Conservation sponsors other events not listed above that you might be interested in as well. The Outdoor Alliance also partners with Prairie Rivers of Iowa and the Skunk River Paddlers. Links to these and other local, regional, statewide and national outdoor groups are on our website.
RECAP: March 2023 Ames Reads Leopold at Ames Public Library
Ames has annually celebrated Aldo Leopold's contributions to American conservation through reading his essays in a community event since 2008. Aldo Leopold is widely acknowledged as one of the early advocate of wildlife conservation and a strong advocate for a "Land Ethic” in America. Although Leopold's A Sand County Almanac was first published in 1949, his words continue to be as poignant today as then.
This year’s speakers included Erv Klaas, founder of the event; Mike Meetz, well-known local conservationist; Vivian Todd, an Ames student; Michael Cook and Gabriel Johnson, ISU Sustainable Agriculture graduate students; and Zoe Stonetree, English Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Environment graduate student. Neil Hamilton, emeritus professor of law and the former director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, was the featured speaker discussing “The Land, The River and Nature.” Bruce Wight, Outdoor Alliance of Story County, was the moderator.
Partners for Ames Reads Leopold included Ames Public Library; Aldo Leopold Foundation; Creative Writing & Environment at ISU; ISU Bioethics Program; The Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park; Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Office of Sustainability/Live Green! Initiative; Outdoor Alliance of Story County; Prairie Rivers of Iowa; Story County Conservation; The Sustainable Agriculture Student Association (SASA) at ISU; The Community Academy.
MEMBERSHIP The Outdoor Alliance Membership is on a calendar basis. A membership donation can be made at on our website at Donation. Your membership donation allows us to assist Story County Conservation and our other partners make the investments in the community that make the community a place we would want to live, work and enjoy the outdoors.
OUTDOOR ALLIANCE The Outdoor Alliance of Story County is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our focus is enhancing outdoor recreation, education and conservation in Story County. The Outdoor Alliance of Story County mailing address is P.O. Box 1863 Ames, IA 50010 and email is info@oasco.org.
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Enhancing outdoor recreation, education and conservation in Story County. Outdoor Alliance of Story County P.O. Box 1863 Ames, IA 50010 Info@oasco.org |
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