Clive Greenbelt oxbows get new life
Thousands of people regularly use the Clive Greenbelt Trail, which is popular for its winding, creekside trip through woods, literally hundreds of feet from busy suburban streets that are out of sight for parts of the route.
But few bicyclists, runners and walkers probably stopped to notice that the oxbows — cut off sections of creek that act as a natural fish hatchery, flood-fighting mechanism and pollution filter — were getting filled in and a bit ratty, biologically speaking.
The Nature Conservancy’s Iowa branch teamed with the city of Clive, corporate partners including Vermeer, Meredith Corp. and Wells Fargo, the local soil district and others to do something about that. And one day last week, while others were busy toiling away at their desks, a bunch of us took a stroll to check out two restored oxbows not far from the Clive Aquatic Center.
Local Nature Conservancy Philanthropy Coordinator Molly Bonnstetter, board chair Bob Riley and others walked us through how the oxbows were restored, which included digging them down to the water table and clearing brush and trash, for example. The University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory had three scientists on hand to net fish as part of an inventory after flooding in July sent Walnut Creek over the top of the oxbows’ banks.
Clive Mayor Scott Cirksena said Vermeer and the city helped clean the two oxbows. Two others were restored in Urbandale. More will be fixed around Iowa later.
When Walnut Creek floods, it pours into the oxbows, which normally rise and fall at the level of the creek.
“Ten or 15 years ago, we weren’t doing these kinds of things in the greenbelt,” Cirksena said of the restoration. “We just left it alone and let it take care of itself. We have learned to do better.”
Part of that new approach came when the city developed a new master plan for the greenbelt a few years ago. But documents that go back decades already envisioned working on the oxbows at some point, Cirksena noted.
Kristin Aschenbrenner, state director of the Nature Conservancy in Iowa, said the work is part of a multifaceted water quality effort that includes wetlands restorations upstream designed to filter pollution and reduce flooding. Nature Conservancy also is reviewing dam operations, and encouraging the planting of cover crops on cropland. The Clive project is part of a plan to restore four oxbows in Greater Des Moines, among a dozen restorations planned statewide.
Aschenbrenner added that the oxbows in Clive can hold 2 million gallons of water that otherwise would have rushed to streams, some of which, including the Des Moines River, are running much faster than they used to, increasing flood risks.
The greenbelt is a 500-acre area with a mile-wide greenbelt that includes meandering Walnut Creek. The creek often is 43 feet wide, but can balloon to 1,600 feet wide when heavy rain spikes creek levels, said Doug Ollendike, Clive community development director.
Ollendike said Clive spanned 2 square miles and had 700 residents when it was incorporated in 1956 as one of the younger cities in the area. Now the city covers 7.7 square miles and its population is north of 17,000. But through the changes one thing has remained: “Walnut Creek is the main spine of the community,” Ollendike said. “If we want the greenbelt to remain the jewel of the community, we have to keep working on it.”
But few bicyclists, runners and walkers probably stopped to notice that the oxbows — cut off sections of creek that act as a natural fish hatchery, flood-fighting mechanism and pollution filter — were getting filled in and a bit ratty, biologically speaking.
The Nature Conservancy’s Iowa branch teamed with the city of Clive, corporate partners including Vermeer, Meredith Corp. and Wells Fargo, the local soil district and others to do something about that. And one day last week, while others were busy toiling away at their desks, a bunch of us took a stroll to check out two restored oxbows not far from the Clive Aquatic Center.
Local Nature Conservancy Philanthropy Coordinator Molly Bonnstetter, board chair Bob Riley and others walked us through how the oxbows were restored, which included digging them down to the water table and clearing brush and trash, for example. The University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory had three scientists on hand to net fish as part of an inventory after flooding in July sent Walnut Creek over the top of the oxbows’ banks.
Clive Mayor Scott Cirksena said Vermeer and the city helped clean the two oxbows. Two others were restored in Urbandale. More will be fixed around Iowa later.
When Walnut Creek floods, it pours into the oxbows, which normally rise and fall at the level of the creek.
“Ten or 15 years ago, we weren’t doing these kinds of things in the greenbelt,” Cirksena said of the restoration. “We just left it alone and let it take care of itself. We have learned to do better.”
Part of that new approach came when the city developed a new master plan for the greenbelt a few years ago. But documents that go back decades already envisioned working on the oxbows at some point, Cirksena noted.
Kristin Aschenbrenner, state director of the Nature Conservancy in Iowa, said the work is part of a multifaceted water quality effort that includes wetlands restorations upstream designed to filter pollution and reduce flooding. Nature Conservancy also is reviewing dam operations, and encouraging the planting of cover crops on cropland. The Clive project is part of a plan to restore four oxbows in Greater Des Moines, among a dozen restorations planned statewide.
Aschenbrenner added that the oxbows in Clive can hold 2 million gallons of water that otherwise would have rushed to streams, some of which, including the Des Moines River, are running much faster than they used to, increasing flood risks.
The greenbelt is a 500-acre area with a mile-wide greenbelt that includes meandering Walnut Creek. The creek often is 43 feet wide, but can balloon to 1,600 feet wide when heavy rain spikes creek levels, said Doug Ollendike, Clive community development director.
Ollendike said Clive spanned 2 square miles and had 700 residents when it was incorporated in 1956 as one of the younger cities in the area. Now the city covers 7.7 square miles and its population is north of 17,000. But through the changes one thing has remained: “Walnut Creek is the main spine of the community,” Ollendike said. “If we want the greenbelt to remain the jewel of the community, we have to keep working on it.”
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