Shorebirds, rails, herons

Although the red barn is gone, this is a nice area to access the wetlands. Take County E66 south and east of Highway 30 towards Chelsea. At the Otter Creek Marsh headquarters, which is recognized by a large garage and office building, turn south on the minimum maintenance road and follow it to the parking area at the end. 

This area is a large cooperative restoration project of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and several other groups. This area consists of both public and private land, and the area that has been or is being restored to grassland, wetland, shrub, or wooded habitat is around 15,000 acres. The Iowa River Corridor supports breeding populations of many grassland and wetland species including Northern Harriers.

Along Iowa River between Tama/Toledo and Amana Colonies.