Bixby State Preserve is a
nature reserve located in southwestern
Clayton County, Iowa, in the
midwestern United States. It is located north of
Edgewood. It is operated by the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources as one of the
Iowa state preserves.
Bixby State Preserve is one of the few places in the world to contain
algific talus slope
Algific talus slopes comprise a very rare, fragile ecosystem and habitat initially stated to exist only in the Driftless Area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and especially, Iowa.+Algific
Taiga and boreal forests in the United States
Ecore ...
s and consequently has an ecosystem encountered in only a few other sites, all in the
Driftless Area. They are mainly elsewhere in Iowa, but also in southeastern
Minnesota, southwestern
Wisconsin and northwestern
Illinois.
In winter and early spring comparatively warm air rises from the elaborate system of
sinkholes, causing cold moist air to be drawn into the north-facing talus slopes and sent through fissures into
ice caves, where it turns to ice on the walls of the cave. In summer and fall, the system is reversed, with cool moist air venting to the talus slopes, creating a unique ecosystem.
The only road into the preserve is closed on both the north and south sides of the preserve as of June 7, 2013. The south entrance is open during the summer. Trout fishing is allowed.
Sources
Bowling Green State University: Bixby State Preserve
External links
U.S. Geological Survey Map
at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved December 6th, 2022.
Iowa state preserves
Algific talus slopes
Caves of Iowa
Driftless Area
Ice caves
Protected areas of Clayton County, Iowa
Landforms of Clayton County, Iowa
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