2020 | Boone River Watershed

FY20 | Restoring Habitat, Advancing Science

Location: Boone River Watershed, Iowa (Wright County)
Partners: The Nature Conservancy, Iowa DNR, Iowa State University, Iowa Soybean Association, USFWS
Project Lead: Karen Wilke, The Nature Conservancy 

Oxbow Restoration & Monitoring Project

This project exceeded its goals by restoring three oxbows and developing plans for a fourth: 

1. Rogers Oxbow – Restored in July 2021, this site now holds water year-round and treats runoff from 13 acres of farmland. It created 0.5 acres of wetland and 1 acre of prairie habitat. 
2. Asche Oxbow – Completed in June 2022, this oxbow treats runoff from a 10-acre watershed and provides 0.5 acres of wetland and 0.5 acres of prairie habitat. 
3. Wilhite Oxbow – Restored in May 2022, this site captures runoff from 2 acres and adds 0.25 acres of wetland habitat. 
4. Voss Oxbow – Restoration plans were completed; implementation is pending future funding. 

Each site is located in areas with known Topeka shiner populations and was designed to improve habitat connectivity, water quality, and flood resilience. 

 Project Outcomes 

The FY20 project delivered significant ecological and strategic outcomes: 

• Restored 3 oxbows, creating 1.25 acres of wetland and 1.5 acres of prairie habitat. 
• Developed 4 restoration plans, exceeding the original goal of 2. 
• Monitored oxbow quality using a new Oxbow Quality Index (OQI) developed by Iowa State University to assess habitat suitability for Topeka shiners. 
• Confirmed habitat improvements in areas with known Topeka shiner populations. 
• Advanced watershed-wide conservation, contributing to a total of 32 restored oxbows in the Boone River Watershed. 
• Promoted oxbows as a best management practice (BMP) for nitrate reduction, with each site estimated to remove ~42% of incoming nitrates. 

These outcomes support the Mississippi River Basin Initiative, Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy, and recovery efforts for Species of Greatest Conservation Need. 

Outreach & Engagement

• Presented at 2 virtual field days hosted by Iowa Learning Farms, reaching over 200 participants. 
• Featured in national media, including The Furrow (John Deere) and WHO 1040’s The Big Show. 
• Published a newsletter distributed to over 650 landowners and stakeholders. 
• Conducted outreach to 18 landowners, identifying 36 potential oxbow projects—8 of which secured NRCS funding. 

 Monitoring & Research

• Iowa State University developed and tested the Oxbow Quality Index (OQI), a tool to evaluate habitat quality based on fish community metrics. 
• Iowa Geological Survey and Iowa Soybean Association continued monitoring nitrate reduction and water storage benefits. 
• USFWS identified fish passage barriers to prioritize future connectivity improvements.