Ronda Long, HFFA workday coordinator and Dan Kirby, biologist with IDNR set up a combined effort to remove vegetation from a section of Big Mill Creek near Bellevue, Iowa that had major restoration several years ago.

On September 30, 2023 a persistent group of HFFA members and other volunteers armed with loppers and sturdy gloves, removed invasive multi-flora rose and other vegetation.

Previous improvements included relocating extremely high banks of soil that had washed down from the hillsides to the stream below. Rock weirs were designed in the streambed to cleanse sediment that would have prevented trout from spawning. The high banks downstream give a view of how much erosion was removed from the restored area.

More projects are planned to return Big Mill to what it once was.

Besides the hard work a good time was had by all!

Thanks to all who came out to help!