Report to IDNR River Programs Interpretive and Informal Biological

Report to IDNR River Programs

Interpretive and Informal Biological Reconnaissance

Des Moines Metro Area Waterways

Submitted by:

James Pease, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Date Submitted: 27 October 2015 Dates Surveyed: August 3 and 5, 2015

River Segment: Raccoon River

Interpretive Theme(s) suggested for this river segment: The changing landscape of

Central Iowa—the impact on rivers and streams.

Stream Reach: Van Meter to Walnut Woods

UTM Beginning: 0419644 E – 4599161 N—Van Meter access (Two Rivers Alt. Access)

UTM End: 0437595 E – 4598783 N—Walnut Woods State Park ramp

Approximate mileage: 18.7 miles

CFS average during this time period: 1800 cfs

Description and interpretation of this section:

This section of the Raccoon River is an easily paddleable and mostly accessible section

of river. It meanders through a landscape that is changing rapidly due to anthropogenic

causes. It is a paddle that can reveal those changes and their challenges to the

observant paddler. As both agricultural cropping and urban development expand, they

collide on the watershed of the Raccoon River. The river becomes a reflection of those

changes. The challenges the river faces are many, and are largely the result of human

actions. While it can be argued that all rivers in the region have similar challenges, it

seems that the Raccoon is facing the changing landscape more imminently and the

results are more immediately obvious. Have we the will and the ability to alter these

changes and impact the river in more positive ways? Only multiple paddles over many

years will tell. But paddlers on the Raccoon should be aware of what they are paddling

through. It is a story that is told in the river.

Some areas of this stretch of the Raccoon contain evidence of the river’s distant past:

soft shale rock overlain by even softer mud stone; glacial till exposed at the base of a

river bank’s meander; iron concretions lying on a sandy beach; old mussel shells

bleaching high on a rocky shoreline. Other areas have evidence of the river’s more

recent past: cement chunks and smashed cars along its banks; corn and soybean rows

falling into its waters; steel barriers along the shoreline; an eroded storm sewer pipe

dipping into the water. The river records its history for all to see—at least for those

willing and able to read it.

The river wanders through a landscape that is both wild and tamed. In places, the

riparian corridor of trees is quite wide, though there is little public land along its length.

Hills and valleys, especially to the south of the river, are often heavily treed, apparently

too steep or too poor to be farmed. Thus far, the steady march of West Des Moines

housing has yet to show much impact in this area. Here, the woodlands are typical of

other Iowa rivers: lowland hardwoods near the water and upland hardwoods farther

up-slope. Many of the upland bur and white oaks and basswoods are quite large. The

oaks have likely been there at least since early Euro-American settlement. The

basswoods and some sugar maples portend what this woodland will become over the

next century: a maple/basswood forest, since oak seedlings cannot grow in the shade

of their parents. Near the water, silver maples, cottonwoods, and box elder tend to

dominate, tolerant of frequently wet roots and occasional inundation. Mulberries and

green ash sometimes join them and riverbank grape and poison ivy vines drape the

banks. Willows take a stand as “willow wedges” on the beaches found on the inside

bends of the river, their roots holding the slippery soil in place against the fickle river

currents. In between, red oaks, walnuts, ash, hackberries, and even some buckeyes and

shagbark hickories can be found, with some quite large and as old as the oaks found

above them. The buckeyes and hickories seem to be confined mostly to the large

wooded area to the southeast of Van Meter.

On the north side of the river, the story is different. There, the wooded riparian

corridor is often narrow—only a few trees wide—or completely absent. The scattering

of trees in a few areas may resemble a savannah to passing paddlers. In some brief

stretches, there is a buffer of grasses, usually brome grass. Often, however, there are

soybeans and corn grown to the edge of the river. There, the rapid rise of the river

during now frequent heavy rains scours the banks, causing rows of crop to fall into the

river. The banks along the entire distance reflect recent flooding: they are nearly

always steep, often vertical, unvegetated, and vary from 3-4 feet in height to 10-14 feet

in height above the water. Such scouring is not new, as human attempts to control the

river’s flow are easily visible. Just east of Van Meter, the river appears to have been

channelized at some time in the past. Rip rap is common along the river and cement

chunks and slabs, often with re-rod still imbedded, was dumped along the river’s edges,

along with clay bricks and tile and other assorted debris. The absence of large sections

of this rip rap is testimony to its being washed away, and to the ineffectiveness and the

casual disregard with which we once treated our rivers. Even flattened cars and other

machinery were used in the past—much to the chagrin of modern river-rats and

recyclers. More recently, large limestone rocks have been used. While these are placed

more strategically and effectively, the river sometimes has its way with them, as well.

They can be seen along the section of the river where seven pumping station structures

have been built, the rocks protecting them from being overtaken by a flooding river’s

current. Farther downstream, mostly east of I-35, a more expensive and extreme form

of river control can be seen: walls of steel, set with deep pilings pounded into the river

bottom, have been used to attempt to keep the river from meandering into human

structures and infrastructure. Rivers tend to eventually ignore our attempts.

As one paddles the Raccoon, large new homes are visible on the north side of the river,

evidence of the march of development to the west of Iowa’s capital city in the last 30

years. The march will not likely stop soon. It raises land prices in the area and

challenges the rural character of the watershed. Development adds a more

impermeable surface to the land, as roofs, roads, and parking lots are paved and the

water from them cannot be absorbed by the land beneath. At the same time, the

agricultural land that once supported water-absorbing prairie and 7-8 percent organic

matter, now supports row-crops in soils reduced to 1-2 percent organic matter,

decreasing the soils’ water-holding capacity. The river’s peak flows increase under both

uses, and the power of flowing water challenges our attempts to keep the river within

its current banks. What will be demanded of the river in the future?

Where the river makes a horseshoe bend, the land on the inside of the bend is often

wooded, providing habitat for woodland creatures and a respite from agricultural

crops. These areas and higher wooded areas on the south side of the river, together

with the river itself, produce a variety of wildlife in this stretch. Families of Canada

geese nest on the sand and rock bars in the river and graze on the grasses and crops

nearby. Killdeer and spotted sandpipers use those same beaches, running and stopping

to grab an insect meal. Bank, tree, rough-winged, and cliff swallows make sharp turns

in their passes over the water, catching their insect dinners on the wing, while phoebes,

eastern kingbirds, and great crested flycatchers wait on branches overhanging the river

for their insect dinners to fly close to them. Kingfishers do the same, waiting patiently

for a fish dinner direct from the river. Bald eagles, from young of the year through sub-

adults to adults, watch the river from tree snags—often above riffles—their keen

eyesight spotting fish to grab from the river. At least one eagle nest can be seen from

the river in this stretch. Great blue herons use their stealth to wade in shallows to grab

fish or frogs. Oriole nests hang from branches over the water, their owners betting on

their engineering skills to hold their young safe, 20 to 30 feet above the river’s flow.

Song sparrows, gold finches, yellowthroats, cardinals, catbirds, red-winged blackbirds,

mourning doves and others nest in young trees, shrubs, and grasses along the shore.

Red-headed and red-bellied woodpeckers, and northern flickers make use of the

abundant dead snags along the river to build nests and find meals. Chickadees,

nuthatches, squirrels and raccoons make their homes in the hollows of the old growth

trees found along the river. White-tailed deer emerge from the woodlands to drink

from the river, cautious of passing paddlers. Beavers are seldom seen, but evidence of

their activities is common in willow thickets and cottonwoods felled into the river. Red-

tailed hawks and turkey vultures soar over the river, taking advantage of the thermal

air currents that rise above the valley.

In the Raccoon’s water, mussels cling to the rocky bottom found in some sections, free

to filter the plankton from the waters flowing by. At least four live mussel species can

be found in the Raccoon in this stretch: heal splitter, pimpleback, plain pocketbook, and

even the rare pistolgrip. While old mussel shells can be found on the beaches of many

Iowa rivers, the Raccoon still supports some sections where live mussels can be found.

Their fate, however, depends on how we treat this river now and in the future, and how

that affects its turbiditiy. Our past attempts to manage the river’s flow, and the rapidly

changing landscape that surrounds it, are all reflected in the river and the creatures it

does—and does not—support.

Accessing the river to the west of Van Meter can be a challenge. Directional signs to the

access within Van Meter are lacking, and the Pleasant St. surface is gravel and dirt that

may be a challenge in wet weather. At its end, there is a locked gate that prevents

access into the Two Rivers area. That hasn’t stopped idiots with guns from shooting up

the Water Trails sign, of course. Navigating boats over the fence is doable, but, even if

the gate was opened, the “road” to the access—about ½ mile long—is not driveable for

most of its length, being heavily rutted and gouged. We chose to walk in about ¼ mile

to an alternate put-in and carefully pick our way down a steep slope to the riverside,

putting in on flat rocks on the river’s edge. No access is possible closer to the gate, as

the bank is steeper and even more formidable. Improvement of this access and/or

creating an access on the SE side of the R16 bridge (between the bridge and the USGS

gauging station in Van Meter) is needed if families and novice paddlers are expected to

use it—especially if return visits are desired.

The other two accesses on this stretch are good and reasonably well-maintained. The

access ramp at Booneville (Access #26), like many Iowa accesses, accumulates sand and

must be dug out regularly. The Walnut Woods access ramp faces similar challenges but

is usually maintained. The distance to the access at Walnut Woods (12+ river miles)

may be a bit long for novice or young paddlers. An additional access should be

considered somewhere near the bend in the river at the “proposed road” to the south of

360

St. in West Des Moines (see UTM location below). That would make an access

available approximately every 6 miles.

Major vegetation groups along the reach:

Where woodlands are present, silver maple, box elder, cottonwood and willow

dominate areas closest to the water. Some ash and mulberry are often interspersed. On

benches above, walnut, ash, hackberry, buckeye, and shagbark hickory can be found.

On hills above the river, red, white and bur oaks can be seen, often large and old. They

are being gradually replaced by more shade-tolerant species, including sugar maples

and basswoods. Riverbank grape and poison ivy vines commonly overhang the banks.

Where banks are grassed, it usually consists of brome grass with a few areas of Reed’s

canary grass.

Notable hazards and locations:

0422927 E – 4597661 N—High voltage transmission line crosses river

0425885 E – 4596855 N—High voltage transmission lines cross river

0436208 E – 4598615 N—Riffle in front of steel armored bank

0436703 E – 4598583 N—Riffle, may be bad in lower water

Notable landmarks and locations:

0420159 E – 4598886 N—SE end of public land (?) at Two Rivers Access

0424224 E – 4597660 N—Adult bald eagle

0424562 E – 4598259 N—2 juvenile bald eagles YOY

0424684 E – 4598222 N—Eagle nest on river right

0425730 E – 4597053 N—Booneville Access

0427487 E – 4596427 N—Adult bald eagle

0430870 E – 4596792 N—Proposed access point (steep bank) near “Proposed Road” in

West Des Moines

0433415 E – 4597940 N—Pump house (sewer lift station?) along river

0434058 E – 4598492 N—Sub-adult bald eagle, 3.5 years old

0436328 E – 4598510 N—2 adult bald eagles

Interpretive sub-themes: Where mussels dare; Time and the river; Rivers and the

rural/urban interface.

Recommended Experience Classification: Recreational

Stream Reach: Walnut Woods State Park to Principal Park (confluence with the Des

Moines River)

UTM Beginning: 0437595 E – 4598783 N—Walnut Woods State Park ramp

UTM End: 0448858 E – 4603298 N—Access at Principal Park, under bike/pedestrian

bridge

Approximate mileage: 12.2 miles

CFS average during this time period: 2350 cfs.

Description and interpretation of this section:

Like the country mouse that moves to the city, the Raccoon River achieves full

urbanization in this stretch. It begins in Walnut Woods State Park, where the trees are

big. The banks are rip-rapped largely with cement and bricks, especially in the outside

bends of the river. That such waste is missing in some areas is a testimony to the river’s

power. The river has roamed through this park several times in recent years, so the

trees left are those well-rooted and accustomed to inundation. But the river continues

to erode the banks, throwing many trees into the water. These pile up in the bends of

rivers and on the pilings of bridges downstream. In an attempt to divert the current

away from places like Brown’s Woods, rock diverters have been created, a larger

version of the “wing dams” of the 20

Century. Even these piles are further armored

with cement, but the river has reclaimed some of them anyway. Behind them, in the

eddies, the water slows and particles drop out, creating new sand and silt beaches and,

perhaps, new habitat for some species. West Des Moines’ Raccoon River Valley Park,

too, is an overflow area, a creation of the river as it flows across the landscape. A small

stream flowing out of the south end of the park creates an important quiet backwater

nursery area for aquatic life, and a respite for many other species from the river’s

current. A quiet paddle into the creek reveals the footprints and signs of many

riverbottom critters.

However, after the river flows through these state, city, and county parks, it passes

beneath the 63

Street bridge. It is a steel girder structure and only the cement deck

provides surfaces for cliff swallow nests to cling to. And, while the river still flows

through Des Moines’ Water Works Park, it is increasingly tamed and subject to the

restrictive structures demanded of it by city life. It has a more industrialized look. The

banks are increasingly armored, sometimes carefully with constructed gabions and

limestone rock, but most often with the city’s waste of cement, brick and tile. The

cement often has been carelessly discarded, with re-rod and steel cable still attached,

hazards to paddlers and other boaters and anglers, and an eyesore to all. But the city

remembers the destructive power of the Raccoon and the chaos it imposed in 1993, so

it tries to restrict where the river is allowed to flow.

As it flows toward its confluence with the Des Moines River, the city uses increasingly

restrictive methods to attempt to control the Raccoon and to protect the considerable

investment in infrastructure. With high built-up banks, armored with rock and steel,

and, finally, cement walls to contain its flow for its final ¾ mile after Gray’s Lake—the

Raccoon is directly and restricted. But the river reminds us that, though citified, it still

has its wild streak. Battered steel walls, missing rip rap, failing banks, crumbling

cement, piles of huge trees on bridges—all are reminders that the river is still fully

capable of exerting its power whenever the rains on its watershed allow. It has moved

into the city, but it still has its wild side!

The wooded riparian corridor is wide compared to the stretch of river farther west,

aided by the presence of Walnut Woods State Park, West Des Moines’ Raccoon River

Valley Park, and Polk County’s Browns Woods Park. Trees are more scattered and the

resulting landscape more savannah-like in Des Moines Water Works Park. These parks,

however, serve as a well-protected corridor for the river and provide habitat for river

wildlife, in the midst of an urban area. White-tailed deer come to the banks to drink

while rough-winged and cliff swallows and chimney swifts catch insects in the air above

them. Great blue herons, killdeer, and spotted sandpipers probe the beaches and

shallows for fish and insect prey. While old mussel shells can be found on some of those

beaches, live mussels in this section are few. Canada geese graze the meadows of Water

Works Park and loaf on the Raccoon’s beaches. Mallard hens, successfully bringing off

late nests, lead ducklings to the comparative safety of the river. A bald-faced hornets’

nest, basketball sized, hangs hidden in the leafy branches over the river. Song

sparrows, house wrens, catbirds, and indigo buntings all sing their praises of the habitat

along the river. Cedar waxwings hawk for insects from the branches of a silver maple

snag that has fallen into the water. Tracks in the mud and fresh-chewed sticks of willow

and cottonwood serve as evidence of the presence of turtles, raccoons, and beavers.

Holes in standing tree snags and distant calls reveal the presence of downy, red-headed,

and red-bellied woodpeckers and flickers. A bald eagle, perched on a dead cottonwood

near the 63

Street Bridge identifies the Raccoon as fit for fishing, despite its urban

character. A fisherman, still in hospital scrubs, confirms it, fishing the river beside

Grays Lake over his lunch hour. Red-tailed hawks scream, declaring that it is good for

rabbits, too. A barred owl can be seen as close to downtown as the edge of Grays Lake

Downtown, beside the busy parking lot of Principal Park, a woodchuck has taken up

residence in the unmowed bank. While not as abundant, perhaps, as they are farther

upstream, these wildlife species share the river with us and make a paddle on the

Raccoon more enjoyable and eventful. Like the river, they have adapted their wildness

to the city.

The access at Walnut Woods is very adequate for paddlers. Due to the load of silt the

river carries, it must be regularly cleared, however. So, too, the ramp at Water Works

Park, just above the first rock dam, must be regularly cleared. Paddlers there should be

especially wary of the re-rod sticking out of cement rip-rap near that ramp. Another

ramp, about 2.5 miles upriver from that one, is proposed for western Water Works. It is

possible to put a ramp there, as a road is very near. The bank is vertical, however, so

grading would have to be done and a small parking lot created. Trees do tend to

accumulate in that bank, so careful planning and design must be done. The access at

Principal Park below the pedestrian/bike bridge is problematic. It is well-marked for

paddlers and the trail leading down to it is in good condition, however, getting out of a

watercraft at that point takes considerable effort. The broken and thrown concrete

present challenges to those in kayaks and, in lower water, even canoes. More careful

design and strong construction methods must be employed to make this access safe and

welcoming. In any case, a portage of a couple of hundred yards is necessary to the

parking lot at Principal Park and the Ft. Des Moines cabin, just south of MLKing.

There are two potential portages in this stretch. The rock dam at Water Works Park

must be portaged around at water levels lower than 2350 cfs. Experienced paddlers

can easily and safely run it, however, at that level and above. The lower portage trail

around the dam, however, needs to be better designated than it currently is. The

second dam, labeled a “lowhead dam” is also runnable at 2350 cfs by experienced

paddlers. The portage around it is well-marked on the river. However, the ramps at

both ends are badly silted-in and the portage trail is lacking. A single mower-width cut

through the grass would be sufficient to mark this trail. Through-paddlers should

never, of course, attempt to run the dam below the confluence of the Raccoon with the

Des Moines River. When the exit is rebuilt at Principal Park, signs indicating the

portage route across the pedestrian bridge to the put-in below the dam should be

indicated for such paddlers.

Major vegetation groups along the reach:

In the lowlands, bottomland hardwoods dominate: silver maples, cottonwoods, and box

elders grow on the river’s edge, while willows dominate on the beaches. A few river

birches are also found in this stretch, especially near Grays Lake Park. Walnuts are

well-established on benches slightly higher above the water, mixed with ash, honey

locust, and some hackberry. Basswoods and red and white oaks grow on hills above the

river, especially in Brown’s Woods. That park also has some honeysuckle shrubs and

oriental bittersweet vines along the river, both invasive species that they should deal

with very soon, before they spread throughout this and other parks. Curtains of

grapevines and wild cucumber hang down along many banks of this river, draping over

branches of bottomland hardwoods and elderberry. After the 63

Street bridge, more

mowed areas are common, particularly in parts of Water Works and Grays Lake parks.

Still, areas of unmowed brome, barnyard grass, and sedges persist, especially along the

Fleur Drive lowhead dam portage. The area above the cement walls of Principal Park is

a mix of unmowed grasses and forbs that provide some habitat. They could be

replanted, however, with a mix of pollinator-friendly forbs and be both attractive and

better habitat.

Notable hazards and locations:

0439152 E – 4599202 N—High voltage transmission lines across river

0445899 E – 4603236 N—High voltage transmission lines across river ~1/4 mile up

river from Fleur Dr.

0447458 E – 4602555 N—High voltage transmission lines across river

Notable landmarks and locations:

0440475 E – 4600790 N—Mouth of stream coming out of RacRivVal Park, quiet

backwater

0441157 E – 4601417 N—Adult bald eagle on cottonwood snag

0442663 E – 4601568 N—Potential location for access, WW Park

0443687 E – 4601983 N—Mouth of Walnut Creek entering Raccoon River

0445288 E – 4601994 N—Water Works Park Access ramp

0446496 E – 4603295 N—Upstream portage trail above 2

rock dam, beside Fleur Dr.

0446400 E – 4603223 N—Downstream end of portage trail around Fleur Dr. rock dam

Interpretive sub-themes: Rural river moves to the city.

Recommended Experience Classification: Recreational

Photos and descriptions: Two folders, one for each river segment, totaling 114 photos.

Recommendation on how/where interpretive information could be shared with the

public:

Maps and interpretive information regarding paddling the Raccoon River should be on the

websites of County Conservation Boards, DNR, Chambers of Commerce, Dept. of Natural

Resources, canoe liveries and other paddling related businesses in Dallas and Polk

counties. Brochures regarding the water trails should be in offices and kiosks of those, as

well. Consideration should be given to placing interpretive signs at accesses and in parks

along the way in locations that are not too remote, as vandalism can be a problem. Cell

phone reception appears to be good throughout the length of the river in these counties so

consideration should be given to using that technology to provide interpretative info to

paddlers in cell-compatible formats and include links to maps.