Pottawattamie County Parks Highlight Natural Beauty and Community Engagement

The parks of Pottawattamie County continue to demonstrate their value as destinations for

recreation, education, and conservation. Under the leadership of Executive Director Jeff Franco, the

county has worked to preserve unique natural areas, provide diverse recreational opportunities, and

create meaningful community events.

Franco emphasized that many of the county’s facilities remain undiscovered by residents and

visitors alike. "I will take your thanks and I will pass that along. I wish I could say that I was a bigger

part of that out there. But we’ve got a couple of campground rangers, seasonal staff, and volunteers

that keep all of our parks in just such phenomenal condition," Franco said. "I kind of think all of our

parks are these undiscovered gems, kind of these diamonds in the rough. For a lot of people when

they finally discover them, they say, we had no idea this was here and that the quality of this park

was this high."

Botna Bend Park, known for its bison and elk enclosure, continues to provide memorable

experiences for campers and hikers. Franco reminded visitors that the animals command respect.

"It really is a pretty humbling experience to be next to them, given their size. You really want to

respect the power that comes with these animals. And it also helps you respect the makers of that

fence as well," he said.

Earlier this month, Hitchcock Nature Center hosted an evening for the annual Perseid meteor

shower at Crescent Hill, formerly known as Mount Crescent. The event featured food vendors, live

music, and an opportunity for families to gather outdoors and enjoy one of the most prominent

meteor showers of the year.

"The Perseid meteor shower is considered the premier meteor shower of the year. When the

conditions line up, this is a spectacular meteor shower," Franco said ahead of the event. "It’s one of

the better locations in the metro area to view because you are far enough from the city to have dark

skies, but not so far that you have to travel for hours."

The county’s conservation team reimagined the program this year to include more than stargazing.

"We did it a little differently. In the past, it’s been show up, throw your blanket out on the grass, and

get ready for the meteor shower. You could still do that, but we also made it more of a festival-style

event with food trucks and music," Franco explained.

Despite uncertainty about weather conditions, the gathering still drew residents who came to enjoy

the atmosphere. "We are at the mercy of the weather there. Even if it’s a relatively cloudy night,

people still make it out there and just enjoy the atmosphere. The meteors are certainly why they

come, but even if they don’t see many, it’s really enjoyable," Franco said.

Maintaining and expanding Pottawattamie County’s park system requires significant resources.

Franco pointed to the county’s dedicated foundation as an essential partner. "We’ve got a

foundation that formed a few decades ago that is solely dedicated to supporting Pottawattamie

Conservation and the county parks. We understand that when it comes to running our parks, it

takes tax dollars, and we try to limit the number of tax dollars used every chance we get," Franco

said. "One of those ways is having a foundation to help raise money for us, to provide money for

some of the projects that we get done."

This year’s annual fundraiser is scheduled for September 11 at The Landing in Council Bluffs. The

event, themed around first responders, will feature food, drinks, and both silent and live auctions.

Franco noted the significance of the venue. "It’s always a good time, and if you’ve never been down

there in the evening, it’s such a beautiful setting," he said. "It’s a really enjoyable evening and an

opportunity to support parks and conservation in Pottawattamie County."

The county is also developing a master plan for Crescent Hill to ensure it becomes a four-season

regional destination. "At this point it is pretty well defined. We had the release of the draft version for

public comment, and we accepted comments for 30 days. For the most part, people said well

done," Franco explained. "So as it’s looking right now, it’s not totally finalized, but I don’t see the

plans changing too much. We’ll look to wrap that up and formally finalize it in the next couple of

weeks."

Franco stressed that each of Pottawattamie County’s parks protects part of Iowa’s heritage.

"People get out to a place like Hitchcock Nature Center and they confuse it fairly frequently for a

national park. That’s the caliber of that park," he said. "Each one of our parks preserves a little bit of

Iowa’s natural heritage. And there’s not a whole lot of that left."

From the rustic campsites of Botna Bend to the prairie landscapes of Hitchcock and the historical

character of Old Town, Pottawattamie County’s park system offers opportunities to experience the

outdoors while preserving critical landscapes. Franco credited both past and current staff with

laying the groundwork for these accomplishments. "My predecessor Mark Shoemaker and the staff

that have been working on this for so long really set such an amazing groundwork before us here,"

he said. "It’s something that everybody should get out and experience at least a little bit."

With an ambitious vision for the future and a commitment to stewardship, Pottawattamie County

Conservation continues to balance recreation, conservation, and community engagement.