August is like
the Sunday of summer.


Cicadas chirping in the trees, a gentle summer evening breeze, late-blooming flowers provide for bees—the last signs of summer, you must seize! Fight off those "summer scaries" by visiting your favorite county park today.

Don't forget: The Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation's annual fundraiser is Thursday, September 29th. Get your tickets online or explore sponsorship opportunities and help protect public land and recreation opportunities for generations to come.
Perseids Shower Night Sky Event is this Friday
Explore the wonders of the night sky at Mt. Crescent Ski Area!
Please note: This year's viewing is likely to be impaired by a full moon that will rise on August 11th. The bright light from the moon will light up the sky, making it more difficult to see the shower.
Get a close-up view of the full moon and other celestial bodies in the night sky with the Omaha Astronomical Society at Mt. Crescent Ski Area.

  • Where: Mt. Crescent Ski Area | 17026 Snowhill Ln Honey Creek, IA 51542
  • When: Friday, August 12th | 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
  • Parking: Vehicles will be permitted into the park from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (spaces permitting) | Vehicles must exit the park by 12:00 a.m.
  • Cost: $5 per vehicle, cash or checks made to Pottawattamie Conservation; No cards

Join us for Hunter Education Field Day on 8/27
Learn hunting basics, survival skills, safety, and how to identify wildlife.
Join us at Hitchcock Nature Center on Saturday, August 27th for an Iowa DNR-certified Hunter Education Field Day course where students will learn the vital basics of hunting including wildlife identification, first aid, firearm and archery safety, and more. Free to attend with $5 per vehicle park entry or membership. Pre-registration is required.
The Grass is Always Greener...
...when you know how to identify it!
Join us for our Grass Identification Workshop with Tom Rosburg.

Grasses, in the family Poaceae, are arguably the most important plant family due to their evolution (5th largest family), their ecology (dominance and function in the world’s ecosystems), and their ethnobotany (use as food, forage, and fiber by humans). Whether you're a conservation professional, a graduate student, or a curious lover of the outdoors, you're welcome to join us for this educational, hands-on, three-day workshop.
August 16th to August 18th | 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | $125 per person, $50 for students
Looking for the perfect match? Join our team!
Build your conservation career with Pottawattamie Conservation.
We are currently looking to fill three different positions and are searching for the right team members who will uphold our values, stay true to our mission, and work hard to serve the residents of Pottawattamie County and park visitors from near and far.

Who here loves homemade syrup??
Join us for our Botna Bend Pancake Feed on September 3rd!
Upcoming Programs
Little Tike Hike
Hitchcock Nature Center | through August 14th during park hours
Botna Bend Park | through August 31st during park hours
Free with park entry | All ages; Best for ages 3 to 5

Enjoy sights & sounds along the trail as you spot activities along your route that are designed to help learners ages 3 to 5 experience nature in a new way. While it is designed for young learners, any age can learn something new and have fun, too!
Learn Archery
Narrows River Park | Thursday, August 11th | 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
$5 per person | Ages 8+
REGISTER HERE (registration closes tonight at 11:59 p.m.)

We provide the guidance, bows, arrows, and targets, you provide the energy and enthusiasm! Learn the basics of archery, a sport that anyone can enjoy! Another great reason to get outside and a perfect learning opportunity for beginning archers.
Perseids Shower Night Sky Event
Mt. Crescent Ski Area | Friday, August 12th | 8:00 p.m. to Midnight
$5 per vehicle; Cash only | All Ages

Take in the beauty of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower and explore the wonders to be found in the night sky at Pottawattamie County's newly acquired Mt. Crescent Ski Area! Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, binoculars, and telescopes to view nature's fireworks.

This event is $5 per vehicle, cash only (checks will also be accepted). Please note that parking is limited. Vehicles will be permitted into the park, spaces permitting, until 10:00 p.m. All vehicles will need to exit the park by 12:00 a.m.
A Land Ethic Workshop: A Chorus of Insects
Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, August 13th | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
$15 per person | Ages 14+

Program participants will enjoy a full morning of instruction & learning led by celebrated educator Ron Cisar, including:
  • An introduction to common insects of the Midwest
  • Continued instruction on nature journaling
  • A reading & discussion of Aldo Leopold's essay "The Green Pasture"
  • Life on the Forest Floor-A Quadrat Study
  • August Nature Calendar (phenology)
Grass Identification Workshop with Tom Rosburg
Hitchcock Nature Center | Tuesday, August 16th to Thursday, August 18th
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | $125 per person, $50 for students

Learn to ID grasses in the family Poaceae during this three-day workshop with Drake University professor Tom Rosburg. The course offers an advanced curriculum for professional conservationists (CCB, DNR, NRCS, FWS, NPS, ACE), graduate students, and avid amateurs and will enhance participants’ grass identification skills and understanding of grass morphology and terminology.
August Hitch Hike | Hohneke Pond
Hitchcock Nature Center | Tuesday, August 16th | 7:00 p.m.
Free with park entry or membership | All Ages

Join us for the fourth hike of the 2022 Hitch Hike series! Meet up with the group at the Old Lincoln Highway Deck at the Hitchcock Nature Center Campground to begin this walk down Hohneke Trail to Oak Avenue and the Bunker Hill Loop. Explore the northern section of the park and view a remnant of the original Old Lincoln Highway.
Insect Club: Ants, Little Creatures Who Run the World
Hitchcock Nature Center | Thursday, August 25th | 5:30 p.m.
Free with park entry or membership | Ages 14+

Hitchcock Insect Club is a grassroots club made up of local individuals who are passionate about bugs, and they want YOU to join in the fun! Watch and discuss "Ants: Little Creatures Who Run the World" featuring naturalist Edward O. Wilson and learn about these curious creatures that put their colony's survival over everything else.
Hunter Education Field Day
Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, August 27th | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Free with park entry or membership | Ages 12+

Join the Iowa DNR and learn the vital basics of hunting including wildlife identification, first aid, and firearm and archery safety. Hunter Education Field Day courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Conservation Officers. Advance registration is required to attend this Field Day.
Homeschool in the Hills: Summer Survival
Hitchcock Nature Center | Wednesday, August 31st | 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
$4 per child | All ages, designed for K-5
1:00 P.M. REGISTRATION (waitlist only)

Explore plants and animals now that they’ve grown strong through the summer. Be a detective to find out what they’ve been up to! Come learn some of the tactics and talents that plants and animals, including humans, use to thrive during the growing season.
Botna Bend Pancake Feed
Botna Bend Park | Saturday, September 3rd | 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Free with park entry or membership | All ages, come hungry!

Every spring Botna Bend park rangers Jon Fenner and Cory Thomas and their staff tap the silver maple trees that call the park home and collect their sweet sap to make homemade maple syrup. You can taste the delicious fruits of their labor by joining us for our annual Pancake Feed breakfast on Saturday, September 3rd!
A Land Ethic Workshop: Ornithology 101
Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, September 10th | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
$15 per person | Ages 14+

Program participants will enjoy a full morning of instruction & learning led by celebrated educator Ron Cisar, including:
  • An introduction to common raptor species
  • A look at the annual raptor migration through the Missouri River valley
  • A study of lead poisoning & its effect on Bald Eagles
  • A reading & discussion of Aldo Leopold's essay "The Choral Copse"
  • Ornithology 101-Bird Characteristics and Identification
  • September Nature Calendar (phenology)
Monarch Tagging
Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, September 10th | Various time slots
$5 per person | All ages

The monarch butterflies are on their way! Every year in late summer, the super-generation of monarchs make their way to overwintering grounds in Mexico. Come learn about monarch butterflies, their life cycle, and their miraculous migration to Mexico as we teach you how we catch, handle, and tag monarchs for research.
Subscribe to the UNleashCB Bulletin to keep up-to-date with upcoming events in Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County. Every Thursday, you'll receive a list of events happening that week, from concerts to family-friendly activities to community events and more!
Stay in the loop. Click on an individual park below to learn more or follow its Facebook page.

Pottawattamie Conservation | pottconservation.com | (712)-328-5638