Why Did Pottawattamie County Purchase A Ski Hill?

Pottawattamie County purchased the area in December 2021 as part of a long-term vision set in 1997 to expand Hitchcock Nature Center and create one of the largest nature preserves in Iowa’s globally significant Loess Hills. 

The land known by our community as Crescent Hill at Hitchcock (previously Mt. Crescent Ski Area) happened to come with a ski operation atop it, and county leadership felt that continuing to run the ski area business without interruption was important to our community. As one of three ski areas in Iowa, and the only one in close proximity to the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, it offers a unique form of winter recreation that locals are very passionate about. 

The ski operation covers about 35 acres, or one-third, of the 106-acre property which sits within the 1,500-acre Hitchcock Nature Center.  

Why is expanding public land in the county, especially in the Loess Hills, a priority for Pottawattamie Conservation? 

Public land is land that is owned collectively by YOU, the public, and maintained for your recreational use by government entities.  

The state of public land in Iowa is dire. When it comes to outdoor spaces that residents can use for recreation, hunting, camping, fishing and more, Iowa and Pottawattamie County are severely underserving our constituents: 

Iowa ranks 49th out of 50 states for public land. 

For context: Much smaller states including New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Hawaii all have more public land than Iowa. All three states could also fit comfortably within Iowa’s borders, with plenty of room to spare! 

Less than 3% of the state is public land, and half of that is road right-of-ways. 

A road right-of-way is all of the land that is reserved for the operation and maintenance of a legal roadway, including the road, shoulder, and ditch/buffer. Unless you consider an afternoon stroll along I-29 to be a lovely nature experience, it’s fair to say that closer to 1% of land in Iowa is available for recreational use. 

Just 0.8% of land in Pottawattamie County is public-owned. 

This is despite Pottawattamie being the 2nd largest county (by acreage) in the state and serving the 10th largest population. More than 91% of Pottawattamie County is farmland (including ranches). In comparison, 84% of Iowa is farmland (including ranches). According to “Pottawattamie County, IA Comprehensive Plan 2030” the county is 616,448 acres. 

Roughly 85% of Iowa was once covered in tallgrass prairie. Today, less than 0.1% of remnant prairie remains in the state. 

A significant portion of what’s left can be found in the globally significant Loess Hills which cut through the western edge of the county. This is due to the area’s steep topography, which generally make it unsuitable for development. The Loess Hills formation is found in only two places in the world: along the western edge of Iowa and along the Yellow River in China. China’s loess has been severely degraded from agricultural practices, making Iowa’s Loess Hills the only landform on the planet that still contains some of its natural characteristics.  

Pottawattamie County purchased the land, but why does it also manage the operation? 

The county decided to manage the operation for two main reasons: 

1. In order to protect the fragile Loess Hills ecosystem, and  

1. To set a higher standard for visitor experience to match what is provided at Pottawattamie County’s other parks. 

County and Conservation staff have a long history of successfully managing a variety of activities and services to the public. While managing the area’s day-to-day operations has presented unique challenges to overcome, county staff have developed creative solutions to improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, and land management practices. 

Crescent Hill at Hitchcock, previously Mt. Crescent Ski Area, has been a designated enterprise fund since the 2023-2024 ski season and is currently managed by the county’s conservation department.