Decatur County Conservation Board

10/24/2026

The Savanna Hills Learning Center is OPEN today, 10/24 from 10am-2pm!

10/20/2026

Help the Leon Community Playground Committee reach their goal by the end of October to help match funds to purchase a new Pit Toilet for the Little River Lookout Community Playground!

10/19/2026

Who knew your everyday plastic grocery bags could become a place to sit, learn, and enjoy the great outdoors?!

Thanks to the Build With Bags Grant Program through the Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA), Decatur County Conservation was able to purchase FOUR recycled plastic picnic tables for the outdoor classroom and picnic area behind the Savanna Hills Learning Center!

These tables have been a wonderful addition to our outdoor space! They're more than just a place to sit. They're a great example of how recycling can give everyday materials a second life. Plus, they're durable, low maintenance, and built to withstand Iowa's unpredictable weather!

A HUGE thank you to the Build With Bags Program and the Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA) for helping us make our outdoor space even better for visitors, students, and future programs!

If you haven't checked out the outdoor area behind the Savanna Hills Learning Center yet, come take a look!

10/19/2026

Check out this awesome opportunity being offered at Graceland University this Thursday, October 22nd!

🎬 Join us Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Carol Hall at the Shaw Center for a special event exploring the legacy of Henry David Thoreau!

Graceland University’s Humanities Department, in collaboration with the Walden Woods Project, will welcome documentary film director Erik Ewers for a screening and discussion of a film exploring Henry David Thoreau’s legacy in the twenty-first century.

Whether you’re passionate about literature, the environment, or the ideas that continue to shape our world, we invite you to join us for this engaging evening at Graceland! Hope to see you then!

10/18/2026

What a perfect fall day to be outside! 🍁🍂

We had such a great time at Little River Primitive Day + Chili Cookoff today. We watched demonstrations and tested some primitive tools, used pump drills to make antler buttons, threw Atl Atls, looked for arrowheads in the rocks, and had some delicious chili. 🌶️

We can’t thank everyone enough who made this event happen, but we’ll try here!

THANK YOU to Mark and Joe for bringing their tools and expertise and coming up with the idea of Primitive Day! We were so amazed by their knowledge of primitive tools and the skills it takes to use them.

THANK YOU to Julia, Amanda, Aaron, Travis, Sandy, Michael, Kayla, and Amanda for entering the Chili Cookoff. And congrats to Michael for winning the Crowd Favorite chili!

THANK YOU to DCCB staff and board members (plus their spouses) for the time and effort it took to put on an event like this. From setting up to serving chili and more, it takes everyone and we appreciate it!

And finally, THANK YOU to everyone who came out today and checked out all of the fun activities! YOU all are why we do what we do and we love to see people enjoying our outdoor spaces 😄

10/14/2026

Join us on Halloween for Trick or Treating with our education animals at the Savanna Hills Learning Center! 🎃🐍🐸🐢🧙‍♀️

10/12/2026

DCCB is saddened to announce the passing of our Tiger Salamander, Sal, last week. 💔

He loved his worms and chasing after minnows. 🪱

He lived a very long life, and we will miss his presence here at the nature center.💚