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Below, take a moment to meet Pottawattamie County Conservation volunteer, Glenn:
Glenn has been a proud volunteer at Hitchcock Nature Center since 1991. He is one of the longest-running volunteers at the park, having shared 33 years of his time and talent (and counting!). Glenn initially heard about Hitchcock from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and came out to see what it was all about. From that visit grew a love for what the Pottawattamie County Conservation team is doing to preserve and study the Loess Hills and environmental history.
Glenn remains a very active volunteer and most recently installed an interactive display in the gallery that the public can use to view Motus Wildlife Tracking System data from migrating birds, insects, and bats that are flying through the area.
After meeting our current Natural Resource Specialist Chad Graeve in the 1990s, Glenn began helping with prescribed fire efforts, plant surveys, educational hikes, park seminars, park programming, and equipment maintenance—radios in particular. No matter the need, Glenn made the time to be there to help.
More recently, Glenn has been raising money and rolling up his sleeves to construct Motus tracking stations across Iowa and Nebraska, which use radio telemetry to track migrating birds, bats, and insects. So far he has played an integral role in establishing six towers in the area.
Glenn's expertise and passion were also instrumental in the preservation of Vincent Bluff Nature Preserve in Council Bluffs.
"People need green space to survive. The Loess Hills are a very important part of the natural world's history, as is preserving it for future generations to enjoy and study."
Glenn also shared that volunteering is a great outlet for socializing with other like-minded people and that he's made many lifelong friendships while volunteering here.
"Good and dedicated land management has helped preserve and bring back an ecosystem that may not have survived without intervention. We need to continue to let people know to be respectful of what we have here and what everyone has done to protect it."
Glenn is from Vail, Iowa where he grew up farming with his family. He has a biomedical engineering degree, holds a level four pilot's license, and is an avid HAM radio operator—he's made friends all over the world through his radio! Glenn also likes to travel and has been to Australia four times and to Europe three times.
Volunteers like Glenn make a huge difference for our small organization by keeping our parks beautiful, providing a great experience for visitors, and supporting local conservation efforts that protect wildlife, pollinators, and us humans, too! His dedication, along with all of our other amazing volunteers, allows us to reach more people about the importance of natural spaces and be good stewards of the land. We truly couldn't do it without our passionate volunteers and can't thank them enough for everything they do to support conservation work.
We are always looking for new faces to help us keep Pottawattamie Conservation parks beautiful and educate the public. Whether you prefer outdoors or indoors, our volunteer opportunities provide impactful ways for you to make a difference, connect with nature and support our community.
Regular volunteers have the option of setting their own schedule and are rewarded with educational opportunities and other benefits. Volunteers also receive an annual park permit and a discount on gift shop merchandise as a thank you for their efforts.
For more information on volunteer opportunities or to schedule a private volunteer project please contact Dana Kruse, Volunteer and Facilities Coordinator at (712) 545-3283 or email him at dana.kruse@pottcounty-ia.gov.
