GREEN ISLAND BOTTOMS

 We felt the need to take advantage of the beautiful afternoon on Thursday


So, Mart and I loaded up the fishing gear and headed down south to the Green Island Bottoms

 Green Island slough is a restored wetland complex on the upper Mississippi River floodplain near Dubuque, Iowa. Since 1993, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation service , along with partners such as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, have purchased and restored over 2,000 acres of flood prone agricultural lands through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program.





 Today, the majority of these acres are open to the public and are easy accessible through maintained gravel roads. Roadside viewing of plants and animals, such as birds and dragonflies, is excellent throughout the complex. Foot exploration of the complex's levees offers a more in depth experience and views of some of the areas more secretive wildlife.

 They had recently mowed the dike so walking out to see the marsh was really pleasant.

 We got some fishing in and I caught a few small, Smallies.

 Lot's of birding in the marsh.  Who knows what you'll see around the next bend in the river.