Webster City- A longtime staff member with the Hamilton County Conservation Department submitted his retirement to the Hamilton County Conservation Board at their meeting Monday morning. John Laird has been with the department for 30 years. He has also been responsible as a conservation educator and naturalist hosting programs with the great outdoors such as Boone River clean ups, the making of maple syrup, star gazing and more. Laird will officially retire January 6,2027. An open house honoring Laird will be announced in the new year. The Hamilton County Conservation Board thanked Laird for his years of service.
The two weekends of Halloween family fun was a huge success. Hamilton County Conservation director Brian Lammers said 800 people experienced the ghoulish good time last Saturday evening with games, people mover rides and decorating the campers with a Halloween theme at Briggs Woods Park south of Webster City. A similar Halloween event was held at Little Wall Lake south of Jewell on October 10th with 800 people in attendance. Lammers said there will be a similar Halloween event at both parks in 2027.
The Hamilton County Conservation Board learned Monday morning that they did not receive the grant for $750,000 for the Jewellsworth trail expansion project from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. This was to have extended the trail from Jewell south to Little Wall Lake. There are plans to reapply for a grant next year.
The season at Briggs Woods Golf Course is beginning to wind down. A Chili Dipper is set for this Saturday, October 24th at the course south of Webster City. The golf simulator will return to the Briggs Woods Golf Course clubhouse for the golfers sometime in November for the rest of the fall, winter and early spring of 2027.
No action was taken Monday with the contract with Bolton and Menk on conservation projects and with McCullough Creative of Dubuque with the Nature Center study for Briggs Woods Park.
There are plans for a hunting blind to be built in the Brandrup Timber area north of Webster City on 190th Street. Hunters would like to reserve the hunting blind may go online to the My County Parks website.
The next meeting of the Hamilton County Conservation Board will be held Thursday, November 19th at 9:30 at the conservation office at Briggs Woods Park.