This page is dedicated to the work this class does at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt. This class has 2 ongoing projects: Reptile & amphibian survey and a dragonfly survey. The majority of this project is accomplished during the Summer and early Fall.

We work with Loren Lown and Doug Sheeley of the Polk County Conservation Board (PCCB) to coordinate our research efforts. They provide us with access and information and we collect the database that will be used by this class as well as PCCB and the DNR (Department of Natural Resources).

The purpose of the surveys is to provide baseline data of the kinds of organisms present at Chichaqua and to provide a sense of how that fauna changes over time. As a result this project will span classes year after year and you are a part of that long term project.

We will also occasionally work with ISU cooperatively on this project. Dr. Frederic Janzen and I will coordinate efforts between our classes to utilize the same materials and to collect data that is complimentary.