Home
About Us
News
Camping & River Accesses
Calendar of
Events
Parks
& General Rules
Woodlands
& Prairies
Starr's Cave Park & Preserve
Shooting Range Big Hollow
Big Hollow Development Project
Gahn Refuge &
Swans John H. Witte, Jr. Observatory
Career
Opportunities With Des Moines County - 2008
Starr's Cave Park and Preserve
(319) 753-5808
E-mail us at: starcave@co.des-moines.ia.us
Flint Creek Advisory
Committee
About Starr's Cave Park and Preserve
The Preserve:
Starr's Cave Park and Preserve was established in the
mid 70's. It is owned by the state
and managed by the Des Moines County Conservation
Board. The preserve is a 200 acre area just outside of Burlington,
Iowa. Features include an extensive trail system through mature woodlands, prairies
remnants and the limestone bluffs along Flint Creek. Three caves are also located within
the preserve. Hiking and caving are perhaps the most popular activities here.
Visitors are welcome to explore the caves on their own. The cave is accessible to wheelchairs. The limestone bluffs in
which the cave is located is a favorite place among geologists. The rock is composed
mainly of crinoid shells, a sea animal from the Mississippian Period 300 million years
ago. The bluffs are also home place of the internationally-known Starr's Cave Rock
Formation, a unique oolite limestone first discovered here. The lane to the preserve
is an excellent location for watching migrating warblers.
Staff:
The Nature Center is run by two county naturalists. They
offer a diverse selection of programming for schools, scouts, and other special interest
groups. In the summer, youths can enroll in one of the many day camps.
Hours: The Park and Preserve are open 6 a.m. to
10:30 p.m. daily. The Nature Center hours are
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
(April-October only).
Nature Center Rental: The Nature Center is available for rental. The fee is $50 for a half day, $100 for a full day.
Maps: Maps of the park can be located at the Des Moines County Conservation Board office, Starr's Cave Nature Center, or the Burlington Welcome Center. Click here for an image of SCNC map.
E-mail us at:
starcave@co.des-moines.ia.us
or call: 319-753-5808
How do I get to Starr's Cave?
Starr's Cave Park and Preserve is located outside of Burlington in southeastern Iowa. The preserve can be reached by Highway 61. Turn east on Sunnyside Road. Go one-half mile and turn north onto Irish Ridge Road. Go on half-mile and the entrance sign will be on your left. Just follow the brown signs with white arrowheads.
When is the preserve open?
The preserve is open daily from 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. The onsite nature center is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m., depending on staff limitations, and Saturdays 9:00 - 4:00 p.m. Hours will be extended during ski season.
What can I do there?
1. Over two miles of hiking trails (no bikes please), including a paved loop accessible to wheelchairs. Leashed pets are welcome.
2. Picnic shelter with barbecue grill.
3. Nature Center with interactive exhibits and library.
4. Three caves to explore.
5. Scenic overlook.
6. Cross-country ski rentals (when there is at least 4 inches of snow).
7. Monthly concerts during the academic year.
8. Naturalist-led programs for all ages.
9. Conference and meeting facilities.
What can't I do there?
No bikes or other vehicles on trails or off road. No rock climbing. No hunting or fishing. No mushroom or berry picking. No flower picking. No fossil or rock hunting. No camping. Playing in the creek is not recommended due to pollution.
What are the caves like?
The largest and only natural cave in the preserve, Starr's Cave, is open to the public from April 1 to October 1. It is locked during the winter to protect hibernating bats. Cave explorers for this cave will need a flashlight and clothing that can get muddy. The temperature within the cave stays at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The remaining two caves, Devil's Kitchen and Crinoid Cavern, are dynamited holes in the rock face and cave exploration gear is not needed.
What kinds of bats are in the caves?
Starr's Cave is the only onsite cave that bats use regularly. The other two are too exposed to offer the animals much protection. Little Brown Bats use Starr's Cave year-round, but are seldom seen during the hottest part of the summer. During the winter, Big Brown Bats, Eastern Pipistrelles will hibernate in the cave. It is possible that the cave is also used by the endangered Indiana Bat. Provided you leave the bats alone and keep noise to a minimum, the bats should not be disturbed.
What is the problem with Flint Creek?
Flint Creek, the river that runs through the preserve, is polluted. The Flint Creek Advisory Committee, a citizens' action group, is currently working on defining and remediating the problem. Most of the problem with the creek is the water contains high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. As long as the water is above freezing, the bacteria counts exceed national and state health standards. Although this bacteria is basically harmless, it is an indicator that other disease-causing bacteria could exist in the water.
This problem was first discovered in 1994 and high school students have been testing the creek on a regular basis to get baseline data. In addition, the Committee has been sponsoring riparian plantings along the creek to prevent erosion and to filter out possible contaminants. For more information on the problem, to help serve on the committee, or to borrow an informational video on Flint Creek, please contact the Nature Center staff.
Flint Creek Advisory Committee
Burlington Community High School students reported the results of their most recent water quality tests on Flint Creek in December 1998, and some of the results were disturbing. Fueled by heavy run-off after autumn rains, levels of fecal coliform bacteria in the creek soared, in some cases as much as 40 times the Iowa standard.
The water testing was done at 17 sites in Des Moines County by students in Sherman Lundy's AP Chemistry class, coordinated by Carrie Mittelstedter. Tests were run for ammonia nitrogen, macroinvertebrates, chlorine, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, fecal coliform, flow, discharge, nitrates, phosphates, pH, water and air temperature, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, and turbidity. Most of the results were fair to good, with only a handful of problem areas.
Dissolved oxygen, however, was dangerously low at most of the test sites. This indicates a high level of organic waste, possibly from leaking septic systems or agricultural waste. In 11 of the 17 test sites, oxygen levels were too low to support fish life.
Fecal coliform levels were equally bad. The best of the tested areas had 531 bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters of water; the EPA standard is 100 colonies, the Iowa standard is 200. The worst area, near the creek's headwaters, had 13,600 bacteria colonies. The students attributed the results to heavy rainfall, which sped the run-off from livestock fields and bad septic systems. "You probably don't want to go swimming in Flint Creek anytime soon," said one student.
Bat Conservation International, Inc.
Burlington Area Convention and Tourist Bureau
Geode State Park - Henry County, IA
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa State University Extension
Living Lands & Waters - Chad Pregracke
National Biological Information Infrastructure
The Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Network
United States Geological Survey Biological Resources