Jones

This large scenic tract of 525 acres along the Maquoketa River is within ¼ mile of the IDNR’s Indian Bluffs/Pictured Rocks Wildlife Management Areas.

Eby's Mill, Pictured Rocks, Indian Bluffs Map

Eby's Mill Wildlife Area Map and Site History

Location

West of Hwy 136 on Eby's Mill Rd.  East of Pictured Rocks and the Indian Bluffs Wildlife Area.

Features

This beautiful tract of land was previously owned by the Arnie Bruggeman family. Through a donation/purchase agreement, the land was sold to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at a bargain price. After the initial sale to the INHF, Mary Ellen and Mark Stinski, made a very generous donation to buy down the purchase price even further, making it available for public use through a REAP grant.

A big THANK YOU to Pack 66, all of the project donors and supporters, and Eagle Scout Michael Rechkemmer, who helped orchestrate a tree and shrub planting. Look for the new sign across the road from the main Eby's Mill Wildlife Area parking lot. 

Dolomite rock outcrops, bluffs, and scenic river views dominate this predominately wooded area. Over the years, the Bruggeman family used timber stand improvement management on this site, encouraging a high quality woodland community dominated by oak, hickory, and walnut.  One 18 acre walnut planting was added in 1989.  Some areas of the woodlands include hard maples and linden trees.    The area is open to hunting, hiking, bird watching and cross country skiing.  Eby's Mill Wildlife Area  

What's been happening at Eby's Mill Wildlife Area? Timber Stand Improvement, or TSI.  TSI occured as part of an ongoing management plan to promote the healthy growth and regeneration of a hardwood forest. Jones County Conservation is specifically working to provide relief to valuable species including oak, hickory, and walnut by removing shade tolerant understory trees, such as maple, hackberry, aspen, and basswood. Thinning and removing these species frees up resources in the soil and sunlight real estate in the canopy for the more desirable black walnut, white oak, and shagbark hickory, for example. This process is similar to pulling weeds from your garden; removing competition from around the vegetation that you want to grow and produce as much as possible. And much like a garden, in several years when the trees have fully matured, they too can be harvested.

Eby's Mill Wildlife Area Rules and Regulations

Operating Hours & Seasons

4:30 am - 10:30 pm daily.

Closures