Spring/Summer 2024

ISSN 2475-7128 Spring/Summer 2024

Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry

We are a team collectively driven to do our best.

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Editor’s Corner

In this issue Big Sand Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fairport Fish Hatchery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 River Mussels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Bosch Pest Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Dave Bakke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Muscatine Art Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 River, Prarie, and People. . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Iowa Archeological Timeline. . . . . . . . 22

On the Cover A dramatic sky sets the background behind Muscatine’s iconic Norbert F. Beckey Bridge.

Photo by Mark Washburn.

Featuring Big Sand Mound and the Fairport Fish Hatchery, this summer/ spring edition of Muscatine Magazine highlights some of Muscatine County’s conservation gems.

We are also wishing a Happy Retirement to Dave Bakke, a friendly and familiar face at the Muscatine County Conservation Board for over 35 years.

Rebecca Paulsen, Editor of

Muscatine Magazine Conservation efforts play a crucial role in preserving Muscatine’s natural heritage.

Thank you to those who have made conservation a priority in Muscatine to ensure the well-being of its ecosystems for generations to come.

— Rebecca Paulsen, Editor

Muscatine MAGAZINE

Mortgages Made

Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry 100 W. 2nd St. • Muscatine, Iowa 52761-4027 563-263-8895 Muscatine Magazine is published quarterly by: Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry 100 W. 2nd St. • Muscatine, Iowa 52761-4027 Email: chamber@muscatine.com

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ISSN 2475-7128 Editor: Rebecca Paulsen, GMCCI Creative Director: Mike Shield, Shield Design Contributors: Margaret Hurlbert, Jessica Hubbard, Virginia Cooper/Muscatine Art Center, Jim Elias, Sarah Marston For advertising info: Contact Rebecca Paulsen at (563) 263-8895 or rpaulsen@muscatine.com Muscatine Magazine is a quarterly publication focused on Muscatine, Iowa, and the surrounding area. The publisher reserves the right to refuse and/or edit any materials submitted for publication. Published articles and advertising do not constitute endorsement. ©2024

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Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 1

Big Sand Run N A little-known

By Margaret Hurlbert From the majesty and power of the Mississippi River to the wooded hollows of Wildcat Den State Park, visitors and residents consider natural beauty one of the Muscatine area’s defining features. While people often praise the region’s rolling hills and riverfront views, few know of one of its most stunning natural pearls, the Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve. Tucked between Bayer’s Muscatine facility and MidAmerican Energy’s Louisa County Generation Station, this ecological treasure protects unique habitats that

2 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

offer homes to diverse plants and animals found in few or no other places in the Midwest.

In its 510 acres, the Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve contains numerous habitats, including upland mixed hardwood forests, floodplains and shallow ponds, sand barrens, and its signature sand prairie. Once common in areas with sandy soils, such as Muscatine Island, sand prairies differ from people’s typical perception of prairies because they have dry sandy soil with limited nutrients, inviting hearty species like prickly pear cacti

and surprising animals to make it their home. At Big Sand Mound, more than 600 plant species inhabit this last remnant of local sand prairie, as do several endangered or threatened species of reptile found in few to no other parts of the state.

In the 1970s, as MidAmerican Energy prepared to construct the Louisa County Generation Station, an environmental review of their site revealed the rarity of the species inhabiting part of their property.

MidAmerican set aside 420 acres of land in 1977 to protect these animals

Nature Preserve: n natural pearl from harm. A few years later, in 1981, the nearby Bayer facility contributed another 90 acres to the preserve, bringing it up to its current size.

Today, MidAmerican Energy and Bayer continue maintaining the site to preserve its stunning biodiversity.

Since its creation, volunteers have worked tirelessly to protect Big Sand Mound’s rare species and ensure the preserve thrives for future generations to steward. Dr. Josh Otten, Don Becker, and Jim Scharosch have led the charge to maintain Big Sand Mond’s endangered and threatened species and keep its sand prairie habitat as healthy as possible. Sarah Marston, the health, safety, and environment management

systems lead for Bayer and a member of the Site Habitat Team, shared that Becker and Scharosch come out to the preserve, “nearly every day in the summer,” and that they have invested much time and effort into helping Big Sand Mound’s vulnerable species.

Becker even moved to Muscatine to make it easier for him to work at the preserve regularly.

Ritter, and Dr. Thomas Rosberg also lent their expertise to assist in preservation initiatives, which have required sustained efforts since 2021 to remove red cedar and black locust trees inappropriate to the area and reduce the number of raccoons on the preserve, which often eat immature reptile eggs before they have the chance to hatch.

Researchers and volunteers from the Bur Oak Land Trust, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Muscatine and Louisa County Conservation Boards, United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as individuals Dr. Paul Mayes, Kelly McKay, Brian

Volunteers from MidAmerican Energy, Bayer’s habitat team of 100 members contribute to efforts to keep the preserve clean and free of invasive species. “It’s outstanding to have so many employees so committed to conservation,” Marston observed, adding that Bayer’s volunteers’ work Photos by Sarah Marston

Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 3

“

If you can get kids to care, that’s what secures the future of the preserve.

”

led to the Muscatine site receiving gold certification, the highest honor possible, from the Wildlife Habitat Council since 2021, along with several conservation awards and nominations.

work with longtime volunteers and

Together, these efforts have realized profound results, with the number of endangered and threatened reptiles born annually increasing since restoration efforts began. “My favorite thing about this is the people who are involved with it,” she said. “There are so many people who put in an effort to preserve this place.”

Center: Students looking at three species of turtle hatchlings.

Volunteers share the beauty and importance of Big Sand Mound Preserve with budding and seasoned naturalists through varied educational opportunities. Each year, fourth-grade students from Columbus Junction, Louisa-Muscatine, and Wapello Community School Districts visit to hike and participate in hands-on learning experiences. Older students enjoy discovering the preserve too, with visitors from Susan Clark Junior High School and Muscatine Community College occasionally 4 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

Left: Katie Hammond, now of Muscatine County Conservation, Dale Maxson of the Nature Conservancy, and Jamie Farmer of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service conducting a controlled burn.

coming to see the concepts they learned about in the classroom in action. In partnership with area conservation districts, birding groups and guests from the Iowa Naturalist Association have toured the preserve, seeing their interests in action in Big Sand Mound’s varied and unusual habitats.

Every three years, Bayer and MidAmerican Energy host a field day for the general public, allowing them to glimpse the treasures the preserve holds. The next field day will happen in 2026, and Marston encourages people to get it on their radar early so they do not miss the one-day event.

In the future, Marston shared that the preserve may hold bio blitzes, where volunteers from the community

Right: A student thank you note to Big Sand Mound volunteers.

scientists to identify as many different species inside the preserve as possible, helping its stewards track how various populations have increased or declined.

Marston considers all these education efforts vital to the work of Big Sand Mound, as they ensure people from the wider Muscatine area, especially youths, will continue to care about the preserve and lovingly maintain it. “We really want the community to recognize this special place and support it,” she emphasized. “If you can get kids to care, that’s what secures the future of the preserve.” n

Our roots

run deep

Chances are, you’ve seen us around the house, or around the yard. In the store, or even out in the field. In fact, families and farmers have turned to Bayer for six generations and counting.

Because for over 150 years, we’ve been right by your side. Advancing the health of the people, plants and pets you love.

Thank you for trusting us, then and now.

2500 Wiggins Road, Muscatine, IA 52761 For more information or request a tour of the Muscatine site call 563-262-7533 or email christina.boar@bayer.com

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Muscatine Magazine • Spring 2023 5

The most important researchers in the early 1900s lived and worked at the Historic Fairport Fish Hatchery

By Jim Elias By an act of Congress in 1908, the Fairport Federal Biologic Station was established.

Known today as the Fairport Fish Hatchery, this historic research station was created to investigate fresh-water mussel propagation in the Mississippi River to build sustainability for the pearl button industry.

One hundred fifteen years ago, pearl buttons not only were driving the economy in Muscatine, but the industry was undoubtedly one of the most important to the entire United States. So important, the federal government built the first inland research center dedicated to study a little aquatic animal and its importance to the U.S. economy.

6 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

In a report to the 60th Congress, House of Representatives, dated February 22, 1908, the establishment of the Fairport Federal Biological Station was explained as such: “A bill to establish a biological station in the Upper Mississippi River Valley in the State of Iowa.

The purpose of this bill is to make possible the perpetuation of the supply of raw material for the growing American industry of manufacturing pearl buttons from the shells of freshwater mussels and the industries collateral to it. By reason of the growth and development of this industry the supply of mussel shells is threatened

with exhaustion. By establishing the station proposed in this bill it is believed that the question of artificial propagation will be completely solved, and that the supply of these shells will be perpetuated by propagation which can henceforth be carried on without material additional expense to the Government.”

“Construction was begun in the late fall of 1909; with temporary equipment,

Fairport Biological Station. Ironically, while working at the station, Mr. Boepple stepped on a mussel shell, cut his foot and died from blood poisoning.

Throughout the storied life of the Fairport Fish Hatchery on the shores of the Mississippi River, the Station has seen much of America’s history flow by. The original laboratory burned to the ground in 1917 to be rebuilt as a three-story, stateof-the-art research center in 1920.

Research at the Station determined fresh-water mussels could not be propagated fast enough to sustain the pearl button industry.

Research ended in the early 1930’s.

The country experienced the Great Depression. The Fairport Fish Hatchery helped raised fish to feed the country. World War II saw the shuttered three-story, brick laboratory building turned into a barracks for German prisoners of war. In the 1950’s the building was used as a home for the destitute by — Continued on next page the station began operations in the investigation of mussel problems in June, 1910; the propagation of musses on a practical scale was entered upon in 1912; the main laboratory building was constructed in 1912 and 1913, and opened for general investigations June 15,1914,” wrote Robert E. Coker, Ph. D., first Director of the Station in his 1914 report entitled: THE FAIRPORT FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL STATION: ITS EQUIPMENT. ORGANIZATION. AND FUNCTIONS. The original station laboratory building was opened in 1914 along with a small village of cottages across the road (State Highway 22).

business owners and laborers from the pearl button industry.

The cottages at the Station provided housing for some of the country’s most renown scientists, like Dr. Coker, and industry experts. The village provided cottages for the Station’s Director, Scientific Assistant, Foreman, Superintendent, and Shell Expert.

Although John Boepple, founder of the pearl button industry never occupied the Shell Expert’s Cottage, he did serve in that role at the

According to Dr. Coker and newspaper reports from the time, over 5,000 people attended the dedication ceremony for the station laboratory on August 4, 1914. Governors, Senators, Congressmen, even the United States Secretary of Commerce celebrated the occasion along with Muscatine Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 7

Continued from previous page — Glad Tidings Church. Staff cottages were abandoned, razed, and some even sold and moved. The Director’s Cottage continues today as a private home down the road in Fairport and the Isaac Walton League is the Station’s former boat house. The Federal Government sold the facility to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources which today continues to operate it as a state fish hatchery. Fresh-water mussel research and propagation is now again happening at the Fairport Fish Hatchery. (see side-bar article)

Fast forward to 2024

The Fairport Fish Hatchery is Muscatine County’s newest property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Driven by the Friends of Fairport Fish Hatchery, the historic Fairport Federal Biological Station, now features an extensive Interpretive Trail System telling the history of the site through educational sign panels,

a timeline, trail maps and videos accessible by QR Codes to YouTube, the Iowa DNR, and Friends websites.

Archaeological surveys, brush clearing, research and attractive graphics help the Interpretive Trails deliver a wonderfully enriching and leisurely walk through over 100 years of history.

A fantastic pedestrian bridge was even constructed using salvage roof trusses from the Station’s original pumphouse that couldn’t be saved and was razed in 2021.

The work completed by the Friends group has been made possible through grants from the REAP Conservation Education Program, Muscatine County Historic Preservation Commission (MCHPC), the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, the Toyota Corporation and the National Scenic By-way Foundation, the Iowa State Historical Society for the Historical Marker Program, Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, Kent Corporation Foundation, as well as the efforts of

For additional information about mussels, visit the National Pearl Button Museum’s new mussel exhibit. This display, which opened in 2022 with the help of agenerous grant from The Carver Trust, is interactive and offers examples of various mussels used in button manufacturing and an enlarged model of mussel anatomy.

117 W. 2nd Street • 563-263-1052

muscatinehistory.org 8 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

hundreds of volunteers assisting with expertise and manual labor for cleanup and construction projects.

Next up for the Fairport Hatchery is the completion of an Educational Pavilion.

Its design hopes pay tribute to the history of the Station by incorporating stones and other materials from the Pumphouse.

Friends of Fairport Fish Hatchery (FFFH) was established in November 2020 as a 501(c)(3) organization to share the stories of the Historic Fairport Biological Station. The goals of FFFH are to preserve historic resources at the Fairport Fish Hatchery, support its historical and scientific research, and educate students and the public about conservation efforts (both past and present) to protect mussels and fish from impacts due to pollution, siltation, and overfishing. FFFH has a charitable fund established with the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine and is associated with the Muscatine County Historic Preservation Commission. n

We need a little

mussel Mussels and Host Fish

Mussels are being restored across the United States, including in the main reservoir at the Fairport Fish Hatchery. The Fairport Biological Station was the first attempt by the federal government to restore mussel populations to pre-1900 levels. While the techniques and equipment have changed over the last hundred years, the goal is the same: to return the resource to traditional levels, or as close as possible.

Freshwater mussels have a complex reproduction cycle, which includes a brief stage as a parasite on a fish.

Fertilized mussel eggs develop into larvae known as glochidia. The female mussel needs to “infect” a host fish with the glochidia to complete her reproductive process. Glochidia attaches to the gills of the host fish to get its nutrition to grow. When microscopic juvenile mussels reach about .25 millimeter long, they drop off the host fish. If the fish is in suitable habitat for the mussel species, then a new mussel bed is created or enlarged.

to keep our rivers clean

representing dozens of species, all living harmoniously in one place. Together they filter suspended particles in the water.

Historic mussel beds had the capacity to filter hundreds of millions of gallons (or more) each day. The historical mussel bed could have 100 mussels in one square meter of substrate. Using a conservative estimate of ten gallons of filtered water per day, 1,000 gallons of water were filtered each day from that one square meter of a mussel bed. Historically, and to a lesser extent today, mussel beds covered acres and acres (4,047 sq m = 1 acre) of river bottom.

Today, if you drive by the Fairport Fish Hatchery and see yellow totes floating in the main reservoir, that means those little mussels are growing up. They will soon be planted into a Mississippi River mussel bed under restoration just off the river bank from the hatchery. n

Mussels: Nature’s Water Filter Mussels constantly pump water to feed and breathe.

Since they live on the stream bottom, they often completely bury themselves in the substrate, leaving only their siphons exposed. In a healthy river system, mussel beds consist of thousands of individuals

Watch the Iowa Freshwater Mussels & Water Quality Timelapse video produced for Iowa Land and Sky by Iowa PBS.

Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 9

Us vs. Nature:

The River, The Prairie The People Mississippi River Resources: US Geological Survey, National Park Service, National Geographic, Office of the State Archaeologist

The current form of the Mississippi River basin in the northern United States, was largely shaped during the most recent Ice Age. Rivers are subject to constant change and the Mississippi has experienced many alterations to its main course. Tributaries, seeking more direct routes to flow as the old routes became elevated and clogged with silt, created new landforms.

The river reflects altered water circulation in the earth’s atmosphere, sediment conditions caused by the regulated flows through man-made navigation dams, constructed agricultural levees, altered land use in the watershed, and human-induced climate change. More frequent storms and dry spells are affecting the river’s flow, and warmer temperatures are leaving it unfrozen for longer periods of time. This not only affects the wildlife, but the humans living near the river as well.

10 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

Prarie Prairies are enormous stretches of flat grassland with moderate temperatures and rainfall and few trees. The prairies in North America formed as the Rocky Mountains grew taller, due to the shifting of plates on the Earth’s crust. Once the mountains got tall enough, they blocked significant amounts of rain from falling on the east side of the mountains, which prevented trees from growing extensively east of the mountains and created the prairie landscape.

The extensive root system of prairie grasses held the soil firmly in place, but with moderate weather and no trees, large, open fields were created and the North American prairies became ideal for agriculture. By the middle of the twentieth century, nearly all of the North American prairie grasslands had been destroyed due to extensive farming. The result was miles and miles of soil with no strong prairie grass to hold it in place and few trees to block the wind. When drought struck the prairie in the 1930s, high winds blew the dry soil, devastating the Great Plains.

Today, only one percent of the 2 million acres of North American prairie, is NOT used for agricultural development. Although many row crops are still grown in the Midwest, the prairie grassland is perfect for growing grains like wheat, rye, and oats, which have a substantial grass-like root system.

Top photo: Bloomington, Iowa John Caspar Wild Hand colored lithograph, 1845 Gift of Marianna Bishop

People

Left: Prairie on Fire, Henry Lewis Chromolithograph, 1857 Gift of E. Bradford Burns

Native Americans have lived in Iowa for more than 11,000 years. Prehistoric Native Americans depended on geologic materials for survival. However, their use of various minerals, deposits, and landscape elements did not alter these materials to the extent that modern technology has and does.

The Mississippi River Valley was inhabited by Sac and Fox tribes long before Europeans arrived in the area. Marquette and Joliet explored the Iowa territory in 1673. Two years after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, Zebulon Pike mapped the upper Mississippi. Westward expansion brought settlers to the eastern shores of the Mississippi River in 1818, and the settlement of Iowa began in 1833 on land known as the Black Hawk Purchase.

Right: Scenery of the Upper Mississippi Currier & Ives Chromolithograph, c1866

In the past 170 years, the city of Muscatine has grown from a trading-post to an agricultural and industrial center with the river being a transportation and distribution hub. n Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 11

12 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 13

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Bosch Pest Control: Built on a Trailblazer’s Legacy Celebrating 75 years in business, Muscatine’s Bosch Pest Control honors its founder, Robert D. Bosch, and the values he cultivated for more than half a century.

“Bob Bosch was just a trailblazer,” said Jeff Cochran, Owner of Bosch Pet Control. “He was one of the first pest control guys in Muscatine and someone who was on the cutting edge of everything he did.”

Having worked in the grain processing industry, Mr. Bosch saw a tremendous

Jeff Cochran – Current Owner

need for pest management in agricultural operations and founded Bosch Pest Control on January 8, 1949.

He formulated and patented extraordinarily successful rodenticides, which resulted in the establishment of several Muscatine companies, including American Chemical/Rid-A-Bird Inc. In

75

TH

1974, Mr. Bosch sold his rodent cake patent to Malcolm Stack, the founder of Bell Laboratories. Bell Laboratories is now the world’s leading manufacturer of rodenticide products.

But success in the world of pest management is only part of Mr. Bosch’s legacy.

“Bob was a driven person,” Mr. Cochran said. “He certainly was driven to serve.”

Mr. Bosch served two terms as a Muscatine Alderman and was Mayor from 1961 to 1966. He was a devoted supporter of First Baptist and Hillcrest Baptist churches in Muscatine. Bosch was also an avid bowler and local sports patron having sponsored countless bowling and softball league teams through his business.

In addition to his volunteerism and support throughout the community, Bosch was a real estate developer who owned and developed Muscatine’s Houser Hill from Lucas Street to Grandview Avenue. He served his industry as one of the first Presidents of the Iowa Pest Management Association,

Left to Right: LeMar and Kenlyn Miller, Karol and Jeff Cochran

16 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

and the company has long been a member of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and National Pest Management Association, as well.

would share his knowledge of the industry and how they provided value-added service to the company’s customers.”

Active Chamber Members for 60 Years

That “customer-service, history training” played a key role in teaching new team members how best to take care of each other and customers.

As Mr. Cochran explains, the real legacy of Bob Bosch and the 75-year-old company he founded is having built the business on family values and taking care of people. Bob passed the company on to his daughter and son-in-law, Mike and Amy Rudolph, in 1985. The couple successfully operated the business for 23 years before deciding to sell. Mr. Cochran acquired the company in 2008 with his wife Karol along with LaMar and Kenlyn Miller. The new owners often invited Mr. Bosch to speak to their staff.

“It was less training and more of a history lesson,” said Mr. Cochran. “Bob

Although both Mr. and Mrs. Miller passed away in 2020, Mr. Cochran believes it is important to recognize them for the continued success of Bosch Pest Control and for helping maintain the company’s family atmosphere.

“We did life together for 12 years,” said

Mr. Cochran about the Millers. “Karol and I miss them very much.”

Serving the Community for 75 Years Serving Muscatine for 75 years is an important milestone the company wishes to celebrate with its family of customers, present and former employees, and the community. To recognize its anniversary, Bosch Pest Control will sponsor a Chamber of Commerce event on June 18, 2024, and will host a customer appreciation celebration later this summer. n

Learn More! To learn more about Bosch Pest Control services and their 75

years of serving the community, reach out to us by calling our office at 563-263-7965, go to our website at boschpestcontrol.com, stop by our office at 1103 Grandview Ave, Muscatine, send us an email at boschpc@machlink.com, or follow us on Facebook.

Robert Bosch 1980

Muscatine Magazine • Spring Summer 2024 17

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Dave Bakke:

A 35 Year Career Came Naturally

By Jessica Hubbard For naturalist and park officer Dave Bakke, the outdoors has been an integral part of his life since he can remember. Playing night time games outside as a kid, fishing, and riding bikes to a local state park as a teen, Bakke was destined to follow a career path that offered the opportunity to do what he loved most - spend time in nature.

As a young adult, Bakke attended Luther College in Decorah, where he delved into limnology, biostatistics, and fieldwork and obtained a degree in biology. He went on to grad school at Minnesota State University Mankato. Bakke said he had to laugh though because initially he wasn’t anticipating attending that university.

A friend of his from Luther had actually suggested it, and after consideration, Bakke, along with three of his classmates, enrolled at MSU Mankato.

“This step really kind of cemented things,” says Bakke. He knew moving

20 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

forward that working in the conservation field would be the path he followed.

As Bakke was wrapping up his thesis for grad school, his wife, Amy was working to help support them, and Bakke wanted to do his part. He decided to put in a cold call to Hamilton County Conservation to inquire about seasonal work. He was immediately patched through to upper management and they offered him a job. His work consisted of planting 42,000 trees on a farmstead over a course of 6 weeks. Bakke was interested in staying on afterwards and secured work through the winter. He did a variety of tasks including cleaning bathrooms, grooming trails, and general maintenance. He didn’t mind any of it though because it got him outside. His time with Hamilton County also presented the opportunity to attend conferences centered around conservation. This would eventually lay the groundwork for his career

with Muscatine County Conservation.

During one of the conferences, Bakke connected with a staff member from Henry County Conservation and eventually applied for the position of naturalist and park officer with their department. While Bakke thoroughly enjoyed the work, he was looking to incorporate more of the naturalist piece of the job into his position.

That’s where Muscatine County Conservation came in. With plans to hire a new staff member, Muscatine put out the call for a new naturalist and park officer. Bakke connected with Curt Weiss, the current naturalist for the county at the time. Bakke was excited to take on this role knowing there would be more focus on the naturalist piece of this position. Bakke felt Muscatine County was the perfect fit and applied for the job. Starting with Muscatine County Conservation in May of 1998 was just the beginning of his 35 year career as their naturalist and park officer.

Bakke recalls one of his first outings on the job. He was asked to give a presentation to a group of kindergartners in Tipton. Imagining it would be a small group, Bakke was prepped and ready to go, or so he thought. As the first school bus arrived, Bakke was excited at the prospect of giving his first presentation as the new naturalist for Muscatine County. But then, as the next bus rolled in, Bakke wondered how prepared he really was. “With a total of 104 students,” Bakke recalls, “it was a much bigger group than I had anticipated.” But it all worked out in the end.

With the help of school staff and the conservation’s office manager, they were able to pull off a successful presentation and the rest is history. Bakke went on to provide programming in all sorts of settings.

From Musser Public Library, to the Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve, to schools, and local organizations such as Kiwanis and Rotary along with countless other venues, Bakke was well known for his role in the outdoor education community.

Sarah Marston, HSE Management Systems Lead, Bayer Muscatine, who partnered with Bakke through Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve says,

“Dave’s knowledge and kindness have touched so many in the community and his impact will be felt in the lasting conservation mindset of everyone he met.”

Living and working out of Saulsbury Bridge Recreation Area in Muscatine County was just one of the many perks of Bakke’s job and also where a good portion of the park officer role came into play.. He was responsible for monitoring the campgrounds located at Saulsbury as well as the lakes and beaches of Deep Lakes Park, making sure visitors followed the rules and felt safe. Bakke says for the most part everyone was friendly and wanted to have a relaxing time at the recreation areas. He recalls though there was an instance that occurred one summer while he was on an evening patrol along the Cedar River. He found a car completely engulfed in flames. The authorities were called and the fire was put out.

Luckily no one was in the vehicle and damage to the area was minimal.

Bakke says they were never able to figure out what happened exactly and it remains a mystery to this day.

When Bakke thinks of his role as naturalist and park officer, he feels one of the most rewarding pieces of his job was working with kids.

Their excitement and wonder of the outdoors made his job all that much more fun. “For some kids, it’s a whole other world,” he remarks. Says Betty Collins, Children’s Librarian at Musser Public Library, “Like many others, it is hard for me to imagine local educational programming without the wit and wisdom of Dave Bakke.

Dave has been a program partner with the Musser Library for decades.

I would call Dave up with a library program idea and he would usually pause to think, then answer, “Sure, I think we can do that.” For that and so many other reasons, Musser Library remains indebted to Dave and Muscatine County Conservation.”

Bakke’s last day with Muscatine County Conservation was June 30, 2023. Feeling uncertain initially about when retirement would look right for him, he was able to finally pick a day.

While it’s not easy to leave behind a job that’s brought him so much joy, Bakke is looking forward to moving to Illinois to be closer to his family, including his grandchildren. As he looks to the future and reflects on the past Bakke knows one thing for sure, nature just has a way of creating a bond between people. n

Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 21

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22 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Details about programs and exhibitions are posted on muscatineartcenter.org. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free of charge.

February 24 - June 16, 2024

Animals in Art

Man’s best friend, barnyard creatures, playful kittens, circus animals, and bucking broncos are among the animals portrayed in the Animals in Art exhibition. The exhibition combines the paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures from the Muscatine Art Center’s permanent collection with selections of art pottery on loan from Mark and Marie Latta. Featured are works by Grant Wood, John Steuart Curry, Marc Chagall, George Braque, Virginia Myers, Nathanial Currier, and many others. n

Special Events Kuniko Yamamoto, who uses traditional Japanese music, handcrafted masks, stylized movement, and a touch of magic to bring to life myths and fables from ancient and modern Japan. The performance is presented as part of the Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series.

Admission is free of charge.

For the Love of Art: A Tea Party Celebrating Women

Japanese Garden Celebration Thursday, May 2, 5 p.m. ribbon cutting followed by performance at 5:15 p.m.

The historic Japanese Garden was installed by Laura Musser McColm in 1930. In 2023, the Muscatine Art Center completed a multi-year project to rehabilitate the garden. Following the 5 p.m. ribbon cutting, attendees will be enchanted by Japanese storyteller,

Saturday, May 11, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25/$20 Members Reservations Required This fundraiser for Friends of the Muscatine Art Center includes tea (or coffee) with both savory and sweet treats. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Tables of two, four, six, and eight can be booked. Call 563-263-8282 to reserve your spot before seats sell out.

Friends Annual Ice Cream Social Sunday, June 30, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Summer would not be the same without the Annual Ice Cream Social! Enjoy live music, play some games with the family, explore the exhibitions, join the family bike ride to the event, and purchase some ice cream and pie to support Friends of the Muscatine Art Center. Admission is free of charge.

Classes The Muscatine Art Center offers an array of classes and programs. Find the current schedule at muscatineartcenter. org. Popular classes include Mini Masters for young learners on Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, Workshops for Kids and Teens on select Saturday afternoons, and Adult Studio on select Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Classes for students are often free of charge. Studio classes for adults are typically $15 or less and include supplies. n Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024 23

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READING ADVENTURE June 10th -July 26th Kids and Teens

LOG THEIR READING and outdoor minutes Earn prizes and

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24 Muscatine Magazine • Spring/Summer 2024

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