Join us Saturday at Milkweed & Cookies

Join us Saturday for the PATH - Pollinator Alliance of the Heartland annual Milkweed & Cookies event!

A Vendor fair with local non-profits and businesses (including Golden Hills), a raffle, a cookie decorating station, and three speaker presentations will all be available during this event.

Speakers / Presentations:

1) 12:00PM - 12:20PM - Award for Elizabeth Hilkemann for Nebraska moth discovery and short presentation about Nebraska Lepidoptera website

2) 12:30PM - 1:15PM - Lance Brisbois, Golden Hills RC&D

3) 1:30PM - 2:15PM - Michelle Brannen, Benson Bounty

4) 2:30PM - 3:15PM - Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society

This event is in the basement of the John. B Muller Administrative Services Building at Bellevue University. Please park in Parking Lot E.

Now through October is the peak of the prairie seed harvest season, and Golden Hills has numerous volunteer opportunities scheduled throughout the Loess Hills. Our Pony Creek event from August 31 was rescheduled to September 7 due to wet weather.

Our next seed harvest events are:

• Wednesday, September 10 at Green Hill Wildlife Area, 6:00-7:30pm
• Monday, September 15 at Hitchcock Nature Center, 5:30-7pm
• Tuesday, September 16 at Five Ridge Prairie, 5:30-7pm

Full schedule and details at

goldenhillsrcd.org/prairieseed

Golden Hills sponsoring PFI Field Day at Long Walk Farm on September 18

Golden Hills is sponsoring a Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day at Long Walk Farm in Council Bluffs on Thursday, September 18, from 3 to 5pm.



See & Discuss:

• Managing production in 14 (and counting) growing structures, including nine caterpillar tunnels, two 30-by-120-foot high tunnels and three 30-by-50-foot tunnels
• Maximizing grant opportunities to increase infrastructure
• Collaborations with farmers, restaurants, chefs and other businesses
• Bringing people to the farm for events and farm store sales

Details & registration.

Golden Hills receives Gilchrist Foundation grant to celebrate the Loess Hills

We are grateful for the Gilchrist Foundation's support of our work to celebrate our unique Loess Hills through stewardship and outdoor recreation!

This grant is funding some of our prairie seed harvests this fall.

We're also creating a new, printed, pocket-guide version of the Loess Hills Hiking Guide! Additionally, we'll be adding 360-degree imagery to Google Street View of all the public hiking trails in the Loess Hills region.

We'll be developing a new Loess Hills Birding guide, too, and have two public meetings to get insight from local birders!

Goldfinch Room in the Loess Hills Lodge at Hitchcock Nature Center (Honey Creek)

Tuesday, September 16 from 7-8pm

and

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center (Sioux City, IA)

Monday, October 6 from 7-8pm

Both of these meetings follow prairie seed harvest volunteer opportunities.

Veterans Hike at Old Town on October 12

Golden Hills RC&D and Operation 22 Til Freedom are excited to partner on a hiking event for local veterans in the greater Omaha-Council Bluffs region. Operation 22 Til Freedom is a 501c3 nonprofit working to lower the veteran suicide rate to zero.

​Our goal is to help create a sense of community, get veterans outdoors in nature, and help veterans improve their mental health. Hikers will also have the chance to learn about the unique Loess Hills landform, Iowa's prairies, and related conservation issues.

Join us for a hike at Old Town Conservation Area in the Loess Hills of Harrison County on Sunday, October 12 at 3pm.

The event is free to all military veterans and their families.

Details at goldenhillsrcd.org/ottf

An optional addition is a prairie seed harvest at Old Town following the hike at 5:30pm.

2025 Local Foods Summit November 14 in Logan

Save the date!

Join us for the third annual Southwest Iowa Local Foods Summit featuring educational sessions from regional speakers, small businesses, locally sourced food, and networking opportunities.

Session topics will include:

-Farm to school

-Grants and funds available for local foods & farmers

-Rural grocery store initiatives

-Farmers market and farm stories

-Farm production, and more

This FREE summit will include exhibitor booths and farm stands for community members to gather resources and shop. Breakfast and lunch are included with your free registration.

Location: Logan Community Center, 108 W 4th St, Logan, IA

Registration is required by Nov. 7.

Learn more at www.cfra.org/2025LocalFoodsSummit

Consider a Gift of Grain during this year's harvest

Farmers can support Golden Hills' work in the Nishnabotna watershed by donating the value of any amount of grain at their local NEW Co-op elevator.

Contact us to learn how!

2024 Annual Report available now

2024 was a busy year for Golden Hills! Learn about what we accomplished in our Annual Report.