Green Valley State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

Union County, Iowa Union County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,138. The county seat is Creston. Organized at a time of tensions before the Civil War, the county was named in 1853 ...

, in the United States. The park is composed of Green Valley Lake and land around it, approximately north of the town of Creston. Green Valley Lake is an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, one of a number of such lakes in southwest Iowa created after a special legislation appropriation in 1947.Caskey, Denise (December 7, 2018)
Green Valley State Park: a year in review
, ''Creston News Advertiser'' The park was dedicated on September 20, 1953.

History

The area used to be filled with

tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroach ...

, but much of that was gone by the time the

Iowa Department of Natural Resources The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR or IA DNR) is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa formed in 1986, charged with maintaining state parks and forests, protecting the environment of Iowa, and managing energy, fish, wild ...

(IDNR) bought the land in 1950. Due to a drought in the 1930s, Summit Lake in Creston had no water in 1934 which led to Green Valley Lake being constructed in 1950. The man-made lake was meant to be used for recreation and for the Southwestern Federal Power Cooperative. The recreation area and Green Valley Lake was dedicated as a state park on September 20, 1953. The lake was renovated in 1974 with

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...

, and

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

being added to it. In the 1980s, a

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

was constructed over the northernmost part of Green Valley Lake to help improve the water's quality. the IDNR started a departmental committee in 1994 to create a framework for all Iowa state parks, with Green Valley State Park being chosen as the first one to implement the changes. A 1994 plan by the

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners an ...

, private individuals, and park visitors created nine separate areas for management to protect the state park as well as its lake.

Resources

Green Valley State Park has nearly 10 miles of hiking trails that go through wetlands, woodlands, prairie remnants, and near Green Valley Lake. Fishing and boating are offered, including fishing on two piers that are accessible for people with disabilities. There are three cabins and a campground. The flora and fauna include shrubs, wildflowers,

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

s, deer, beavers, and various birds. The state park is near the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the long route from Illinois to Utah that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon ...

References

External links

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Green Valley Lake State Park
{{authority control State parks of Iowa Green Valley Lake Protected areas of Union County, Iowa Landforms of Union County, Iowa Artificial lakes of the United States