In 2024, the Mitchell County Conservation Board (MCCB) began fundraising to acquire a unique parcel of privately owned land a few miles northeast of Osage. This 63 acre property includes an established woodland and approximately 4,000 ft of Burr Oak Creek, a coldwater stream with naturally producing wild brown trout. Burr Oak Creek flows through this property and eventually into the Little Cedar River.
Many years ago, the Iowa DNR planted brown trout fingerlings in this stream as part of the Put & Grow Trout Program on private properties in northeast Iowa. This property, which is now owned and managed by the Mitchell County Conservation Board and named the Historic Oaks Wildlife Area, is open to the public in perpetuity.
ICC partnered with the MCCB, IA Driftless TU, Spring Creeks TU, North Bear TU, the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers to help make the acquisition of this unique, beautiful property possible for future generations of visitors to enjoy. ICC awarded a $1,000 grant in December 2024 to MCCB.
