The entrance to Columbia Wildlife Area located southeast of Tama pictured in early spring 2022. Columbia is one of 14 public parks or wildlife areas managed by Tama County Conservation; the department is currently understaffed and facing significant budget cuts. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

OTTER CREEK LAKE – Fallout from Tama County’s general fund shortfall has now cut deeper into the Conservation budget.

During the Thursday, March 13, meeting of the Tama County Board of Conservation, director Curtis Behrens told board members that in addition to the $100,000 the Board of Supervisors recently cut from Conservation’s current fiscal year budget (FY2025), a further $150,000 must be cut from next fiscal year’s budget – equating to a roughly 17.5% cut, he said, leaving the department with just over $731,000 for FY2026.

One of the main areas affected would be the annual hiring of three to four seasonal workers: the new FY2026 budget proposal only includes hiring one position for the upcoming summer months.

“It’s sad that we made it through the lake restoration and all the other things we’ve been through the last three years. We get to this point, now all of a sudden we have these budget cuts and we might have to let two-thirds of the parks go to weeds because we just don’t have the manpower,” Chairman Bryan Wacha said during the meeting held inside the nature center at Otter Creek Lake and Park. He went on to add that while he knows Conservation staff – which, at that point, only included two people, Director Behrens and maintenance supervisor Dustin Horne – would keep Otter Creek Lake and Park maintained “the best, the longest,” other properties would more than likely not receive much attention due to budget cuts.

“It’s things people take for granted until they see them not happening. And then that’s the phone call [from the public],” Wacha continued. “And I don’t know what to do about that. There’s only so many hours in the day for one-two-three people. If you lose two or three or four seasonals throughout the summer … that’s where the tough decisions start to happen. … We’re going to mow the camping at T.F. (Clark Park), we’re going to mow the camping here, and we’re going to let two-thirds of the regular mowing spaces go wild. We’re going to have to make some of those decisions – it sounds like sooner (rather) than later. We start to really hit the wall when we’re working with the next fiscal cycle to reduce the budget.”

Tama County Conservation currently maintains 14 public parks/wildlife areas occupying well over 1,000 acres including Columbia Wildlife Area (160 acres) southeast of Tama, Duffus Landing along the Iowa River in rural Chelsea, Heritage Wetlands Wildlife Area (77 acres) southeast of Vining in rural Elberon, Iowa River Natural Heritage Area (100 acres) along the Iowa River adjacent to Duffus Landing, Izaak Walton Shooting Facility (17 acres) in rural Toledo, Lohberger Memorial Park (5 acres) northwest of Toledo, Longpoing Landing (3 acres) between Tama and Chelsea along the Iowa River, Manatt’s Landing (7 acres) on the south edge of Tama, McCoy Landing (3 acres) north of Montour along the Iowa River, Otter Creek Lake and Park (529 acres), Oxbow Bottoms, Reinig Wildlife Refuge and Nature Study Area (46 acres) north of Toledo, T.F. Clark Park (79 acres) northeast of Traer, and Wolf Creek Trail (12 acres) – a bike/hiking trail that runs northwest out of Gladbrook.

“I think all the spots get utilized,” Wacha said while also admitting that Otter Creek Lake and Park was the “target spot.” Before discussion ended he lamented, “What projects and what things don’t get taken care of?”

“Hopefully people’s memories stay intact and they remember why it is this way,” Director Behrens said in reference to possible park property maintenance issues.

“It’s going to be a rough patch for a while,” Wacha added.

Park officer resigns

During an abbreviated Conservation Board meeting held on Wednesday, March 5, now-former Park Officer Riley Conrad’s resignation was acknowledged. Conrad was first appointed to the position on June 1, 2022, by then-Director Stephen Mayne after graduating from Iowa State University with a B.A. in animal ecology and a minor in agronomy.

In the spring of 2023, he graduated from Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.

“He took a position over in Belle Plaine [with the police department]. They poached him from us, I guess, with a pretty good offer. I’m certainly sad to see him go. You’ve done a fantastic job with us here,” Director Behrens said as Conrad sat next to him.

For his part, Conrad, who lives in Belle Plaine with his family, said he had not been on the hunt for a new job and that the Belle Plaine offer had kept him up at night.

“I like it here. I liked all of our parks. I really didn’t want to leave. It was not my first choice. It was a very difficult decision, but one that was made more out of necessity than anything else,” Conrad explained. “I will definitely still be using the parks. I told Dustin [Horne], he’ll find me here in the spring turkey hunting and deer hunting in the fall. I like it out here.”

During the subsequent March 13 meeting, Conrad’s salary was addressed with Director Behrens telling the board he had been the lowest paid member of Conservation staff but that his skill set including his law enforcement badge was invaluable to the department. The board then briefly discussed possibly combining the naturalist with ranger duties but when asked for their opinion, Director Behrens and Horne seemed to balk at the idea.

“I think we are under the consensus that a (park) tech-focused ranger is the highest need at the moment … Having the exact same set of arrangements (as Conrad) … a tech and patrol during the busy times, would be ideal,” Director Behrens said.

Discussion also took place as to whether Conservation even needed a park officer with board member Jim Allen asking at one point, “How many times have we needed a law enforcement officer out here in the length that this place has been here? How many times have they been called out here?”

“I think there’s something to prevention,” Director Behrens responded, in part.

Board members also discussed the possibility of contracting with area law enforcement agencies for coverage but Director Behrens seemed hesitant due to the fact most law enforcement agencies are struggling to recruit and retain staff.

“We lost ours (officer) at an inconvenient time while everybody else is losing their ability to help each other,” he said.

Wacha, too, expressed trepidation about contracting out for rural coverage.

“My fear would be with budget cuts and everything else … when we call, we would not be first on every list. I mean, obviously, if there’s life or death or any of those things, obviously, they’re going to [respond]. But if two drunk guys are having an argument in the campground, it’s quick and easy to have our staff … get their butt down there and take care of it.”

No action on how to advertise the park officer vacancy was taken during the meeting.

Director Behrens said he planned to speak to the Board of Supervisors in the near future in regard to a possible hiring exemption for the position.

New naturalist, old trailer

During the March 13 meeting, Director Behrens told the board that on Monday, March 10, the Board of Supervisors had approved Conservation’s hiring exemption request for a new naturalist and that he planned to offer the position to Angela Tague to replace Raina Genaw who was terminated last December and received a severance package.

Tague is an Iowa native who most recently lived and worked in Alaska.

Previously, the Conservation board had agreed to set the new naturalist’s salary at $26 per hour due to experience.

The board also discussed at length a proposal by Director Behrens to allow Tague to live free of charge for a year in the Conservation-owned trailer located at Otter Creek Lake and Park.

Board members Danielle Dunning and Jim Allen both pushed back on the idea with Dunning asking that Tague sign a “very minimal rental agreement” and/or pay utilities.

“[T]hat would show integrity and that we are being mindful of costs. … Everybody else in America has to pay their bills,” she said to which Director Behrens pointed out that when he accepted his own position in late 2023 he was allowed to stay in the trailer while selling his home (located in Jones County at the time) before relocating.

“But if we weren’t in a (budget) crisis, I probably wouldn’t think twice about it,” Dunning responded before later stating, “Also, for other positions, we don’t have that to offer to people that start next month.”

“If anybody wants to stay in that trailer, more power to them,” Wacha said in regard to the poor conditions of the trailer.

“I’m going to make a motion to allow her to live there rent free and not pay utilities,” newly-installed board member Chris Behrens said a few moments later; discussion then continued with Director Behrens stating, “It currently rains in the living room if the rain is a particular direction so it is certainly not the nicest … it’s just this giant trade-off of, ‘Hey, here you go, it’s a piece of sh**, hope you’re ok with that’.”

He also said that Tague had a service dog that would be living in the trailer with her.

Allen then asked board member Steve Kenkel, a retired attorney, what the rent was for an efficiency apartment in Toledo to which Kenkel responded $650 monthly.

The board eventually approved the motion 3-2 with Chris Behrens and Kenkel voting in favor of allowing the naturalist to live in the trailer rent-free, Dunning and Allen voting against, and Chairman Wacha voting to break the tie.

Following further discussion on the conditions of the trailer and the service dog (used as part of Tague’s “cadaver” business, Director Behrens indicated), Kenkel made a motion to “allow the new naturalist to live in the trailer house on the premises rent-free or up until Nov 30, 2025, and only longer if extended by the board. But in the event substantial repairs are needed or there is a termination of employment, the lease ends 30 days later.”

The motion received a second from Chris Behrens and subsequently passed 3-2 with Chris Behrens and Kenkel voting in favor, Allen and Dunning voting against, and Chairman Wacha again breaking the tie.

Following the meeting, the newspaper asked Director Behrens when Dague’s start date would be; he replied he was unsure at that point due to the need for Kenkel to draw up a lease for the trailer.