Here’s an update from the Polk County Conservation Board on projects ranging from improvements to Easter Lake to key trail extensions in the metropolitan area. These are the types of recreational offerings Greater Des Moines leaders mention when they talk about recreational projects helping the area attract and retain workers.

— The county has prepared for the 2016 dredging of Easter Lake in southeastern Des Moines by buying 248 acres of former gravel pits, where the dredged material will be deposited. Eventually, the area will become a park, county officials said.

Easter Lake has lost nearly one-third of its volume due to soil runoff and has high phosphorus levels that feed algae blooms. That led to a multiyear, multiagency effort to restore the lake, part of a broader plan to lure more people to the south side.

The lake will be lowered 4 feet over winter so workers can replace the spillway gate valve. Also, the county will be asking the public about support for a possible Easter Lake Lodge.

— The board is working with the Great Outdoors Foundation to prepare to raise money for a Jester Park Nature Center.

— An extension of the Great Western Trail joins the popular route with the Bill Riley Trail along an old rail line that is above flood levels. That eliminated a key gap in the metropolitan trail system.

— Another trail extension that opened this month connects Mally’s Park to the Chichaqua Valley Trail at Berwick. The work included the addition of a ramp that is accessible to people who use wheelchairs.

— A new Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt master plan to be considered in December would emphasize ecological restoration.

— Construction is underway at Fort Des Moines Park, where improvements