Heritage Wetlands Wildlife Area

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LocationThe property is located immediately west of Salt Creek in eastern Tama County and is located in Section 26, York Township (T83N, R13W). The property lies 12 miles east of Tama, 2.2 mi south of Elberon, 5.0 miles NE of Chelsea, and 5.3 miles NW of Belle Plaine.

Operating Hours & Seasons The Heritage Wetlands Wildlife Area is open for public use year round.

Discover Heritage Wetlands Wildlife Area in Elberon

This 76.91 acre tract, purchased in December, 2014, houses 35.5 acres of emergent wetland, 16.0 acres of forested wetland, 1.5 acres mature woodland, 3.0 ac of native grass buffer, and 20.9 acres of upland (which was planted into pollinator habitat in 2018.

The area is managed first for wildlife and second for human recreational activities. The tract supports activities such as hunting, trapping, hiking, and nature observation, to name a few. It is relatively undeveloped and is planned to remain that way. The area was purchased with funding assistance from the Wildlife Habitat Stamp Fund. This fund receives moneys collected from the wildlife habitat fee. By law, each hunter is required to pay this fee when purchasing a hunting license. Fifty percent of these funds are used for county wildlife habitat projects.