| 2007 Park fees are: Gilbertson Conservation Area $12.00/night with electric hook up; $7.00/night without. Coupon Booklets available for 11 nights of camping - $120.00. Fayette County Season passes are available for $250.00 (good in all Fayette County Conservation Board camping area for the 2007 camping season.) All campers with a season pass may only camp at the same park for 14 consecutive days, after this time they must leave the park for 48 hours. "During the 48 hours you may occupy a different park with in the FCCB park system." OTHER FAYETTE COUNTY PARKS: Dutton's Cave Park - $8.00 night with electric hook up / $5.00 night without. Goeken Part, Twin Bridges Park, Echo Valley State Park - $5.00 per night. |
Gilbertson Conservation Education Area is located just east of Downtown Elgin on county road B64 or Agate Road. This 345 acre park packs lots of things to do in the country. You can have a picnic, stay at the campground, and enjoy fishing and canoeing at the river or the pond. The park features more than 5 miles of trails for hiking, walking, and horseback riding. The park is also open for public hunting. Non-motorized bikes are welcome and cross-country skiing is available on 5 miles of gorgeous trails. The park includes a nature center, two historical buildings, a petting zoo and even a Maize (Corn) Maze! For more information see below or contact: Dawn L. Amundson, Environmental Education Coordinator, Gilbertson Nature Center 22580 A Avenue Elgin, Iowa 52141, 563-426-5740 gncfccb@alpinecom.net ____________________________________ HOURS: _____________________________________ The Nature Center and Historical Buildings are open Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Wednesday - Sunday 11 AM - 7 PM and Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day 11 AM - 7 PM The Nature Center and Historical Buildings are open from the day after Labor Day until the Friday before Memorial Day weekend by appointment only. ___________________________________ The Petting Zoo is Open from May 1st to the Friday before Memorial Day weekend by appointment only. Open for the summer starting on Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day = Wednesday - Sunday 11 AM - 7 PM and Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor day 11 AM - 7 PM The day after Labor Day until May 1st the Petting Zoo is closed for the season. ___________________________________ Things to See and Do! ____________________________________ * Gilbertson Nature Center Come and explore this fun and exciting hands on nature center. You can see and touch many different wild animals that can be found in Iowa and other area's of our world. * Mavis & Conner Dummermuth Building This building is home to many different kinds of farm tools and antiques from over the last 150 years. * Hart Dummermuth Historical House This home is a showcase of interesting antiques that would have been found in a farm home between 1890's - 1900's. See furniture,household items, cooking utensils in a home setting that shows how a family lived at the turn of the last century. * Petting Zoo Meet a goat face to face, pet a calf and have some fun. You can even adopt a new cute and cuddly kittens, puppies and bunnies. * Trails There are more than 5 miles of trails throughout Gilbertson Park including easements on neighboring private property. You can walk, hike, run, bike and horse back ride. In the winter time you can even cross-country ski or snowshoe. Motorized vehicles are not permitted. All trails are closed to equestrian and bike riders during extreme wet conditions. Part of the GCEA are open to public hunting so please be careful, watch for hunters, and if possible wear blaze orange while you are on the trails during hunting season. * The Fishing Pond Originally stocked with large mouth bass, blue gill and channel catfish. This pond is a great place for all ages to just sit back and catch a few. * Campground This area provides a nice shelter house with 6 big picnic tables and a fire grill. You can put in or take out your canoe or tubes here, fish for a while, play on the playground, go potty in the pit toilets, and even pitch a tent on one of 8 great riverview tent camping sites. *Modern Camping This side of the campground features a handicapped accessible bathhouse with flush toilets, sinks, and showers. There are 28 electrical hook up sites, a dump station, and water fill up sites. _______________________________________ Fayette County Conservation Board’s Calendar of Events for 2008 For more information about the events listed below contact: Dawn L. Amundson, Environmental Education Coordinator, Gilbertson Nature Center, 22580 A Avenue, Elgin, Iowa 52141, Phone 563 – 426 – 5740, E-mail: gncfccb@alpinecom.net. January 2008: Saturday, January 5, 2008 = Cross-country Ski Clinic’s Volga River State Recreational Area, 10 AM - Noon and 1 - 3 PM, Participants must pre-register by calling 563 - 426 - 5740. Saturday, January 19, 2008 = Cross-country Ski Clinic’s Gilbertson Conservation Education Area 10 AM - Noon and 1 - 3 PM Participants must pre-register by calling 563 - 426 - 5740. February 2008: Saturday, February 2, 2008 = Cross-country Ski Clinic’s Osborne Nature Center – Clayton County Conservation Board 10 AM - Noon and 1 - 3 PM Participants must pre-register by calling 563 – 245 - 1516 Saturday, February 16, 2008 = Cross-country Ski Clinic’s Oelwein, location TBA 10 AM - Noon and 1 - 3 PM Participants must pre-register by calling 563 – 426-5740. March 2008: Hunter Safety Education Class at Gilbertson Nature Center will now be March 29 and 30, 2008. Please call 563 - 426 - 5740 for more information and/or to pre-register. April 2008: TBA = Hunter Safety Education Class May 2008: May 1, 2008 = Petting Zoo, Gilbertson Nature Center, Mavis and Conner Dummermuth Historical Building and Hart Dummermuth Historical House Open for scheduled field trip groups only. May 24, 2008 = Gilbertson Nature Center, Mavis and Conner Dummermuth Historical Building, Hart Dummermuth Historical House, and Petting Zoo open for the summer season, Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM August 2008: August 1, 2, and 3 = Shin Bone Valley Rendezvous September 2008: September 1, 2008 = The last day the Petting Zoo is open for the season. The last day the Gilbertson Nature Center, Mavis and Conner Dummermuth Historical Building and Hart Dummermuth Historical House are open for the season. The hours for the building will now be by appointment only. |
| Nature Center Building |
| Canoeing! |
Horseback Riding |
| Skiing! |
| Dummermuth Farm Museum Building |
| Biking! |
| Museum! |
| Modern Campground |
| Fun for the whole family! |
| Shelter House along the river |
| Hart Dummermuth House Museum |
| Modern Campground |
| Camping along the Turkey River |
| Corn Maze 2006 |
| Petting Zoo |
| Rustic camping area along the Turkey River |
Gilbertson Conservation Education Area - ELGIN, IOWA
Fayette County Conservation Board.
Fayette County Conservation Board.
| Fishing Pond |
Maps of
Gilbertson Conservation Area
Gilbertson Conservation Area
| Building Locations At Gilberston Area. Map Below. 1. Nature Center Building 2. Dummermuth Building 3. Hart Dummermuth House 4. Administration Building 5. Petting Zoo 6. West Pond 7. East Pond 8. Parking Areas 9. ??? |
| Gilbertson Conservation Area Full area map |
The Elgin City Website Presents:
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| Entire Property Map. Gilbertson Conservation Area Map at Right - 1. Paved Trail - A quarter-mile cement trail located along the scenic Turkey River. 2. Turkey River Canoe Access - A canoe launch, shelter house, pit toilets, a water fill up site, primitive camping area, and playground equipment are in this area. 3. Gilbertson Campground - 28 electrical hook up gravel pad sites, dump station, water fill up sites, a bathhouse with sinks, showers, and flush toilets. 4. Demonstration Plots - A joint effort with the Iowa State University Extension, these plots show different methods of conservation tillage. 5. Historic House - This brick home was build in 1878. 6. Historical Area - This site contains a saw mill built in the 1930's. 7. Petting Zoo - This handicap accessible zoo contains domestic and farm animals for everyone to pet. 8. Visitor Centers - The Gilbertson Nature Center features many different displays to help explain our natural world. The Nature Center has many different touchable items and several live animals to meet. The Mavis & Conner Dummermuth Historical Building has a wonderful collection of farm and home antiques for all ages to see. The Hart Dummermuth Historical House has been set up to depict a farm home between 1890 - 1900's. The Nature Center and two historical buildings are handicap accessible. 9. Park Ranger's Residents - A Fayette County Conservation Board Park Ranger lives on site to help with the maintenance and protection of the area. 10. Wetland - These wetlands provide excellent habitat for area and migrating wildlife. 11. Pond - This pond contains largemouth bass, bluegill, and channel catfish. All state fishing regulations apply and bass must be 15" or larger to keep. 12. Wildlife Food Plot. 13. River Access - There is a parking area and many people find it a great place to fish along the Turkey River |
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| East End of Gilbertson Conservation Education Area - Map at Right - 1. Gilbertson Nature Center. 2. Mavis & Conner Dummermuth Historical Building. 3. Hart Dummermuth Historical House. 4. Park Ranger's Residence. 5. Petting Zoo. 6. Wetland. 7. Pond. 8. Parking Lots. 9. Maintenance Buildings = DO NOT ENTER! 10. Maize Maze |
East side
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| The Gilbertson Conservation Education Area is now part of the National Park Service Visitor Program!!!! The GCEA is a place where you can collect a National Park Service (NPS) Passport Cancellation Stamp. The GCEA joins 15 other Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) partner sites that have a NPS Passport Cancellation Stamp available. So come to the Gilbertson Nature Center during regular hours or by appointment to collect your NPS Passport Cancellation Stamp. The NPS Passport Cancellation Stamp is a voluntary program that nearly all parks within the NPS participate. Visitors can purchase their official NPS Passport and start recording their visit to a NPS site by stamping their passport with a rubber cancellation stamp. The cancellations, similar to those received in an international passport, record the name of the park and the date it was visited. There are currently 507 sites within the NPS that participate in the NPS Passport Program. Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 27 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. The Heritage Area covers 37 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. Interstate 80 borders it on the south and Interstate 35 borders it on the west. Through a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA interprets farm life, agribusiness, and rural communities – past and present. |
| The Park with something for everyone! |
| Special LINKS for you: |
| SPECIAL EVENT LECTURE Wild Edibles 101 Presented by Sam Thayer - Author of "Forager's Harvest" Saturday, May 24th - 9 AM - 3 PM at the Echo Valley State Park Learn from a wild foods expert what is edible on the forest floor and along rivers in Iowa. This 6 hour class is a great introduction into wild cuisine and is sure to send your taste buds into delight. Meet at the smaller shelter at Echo Valley State Park. Remember to bring water and a sack lunch. Appetizers provided along the trail. Cost: $5.00/person Pre-registration is required call: 563-245-1516 Sponsored by the Fayette County Conservation Board and the Clayton County Conservation Board. |