Glanz Honored with Delaware County PF Conservation Award

Delaware County’s Conservation Director was recently honored with a special award.

Garlyn Glanz of Earlville was presented the 2023 Conservation Award by the Delaware County Pheasants Forever Board (PF).

Glanz started as Executive Director for the Delaware County Conservation Board (CCB) in 1979. Over the years in cooperation with the CCB, staff and other partners they have developed a diverse conservation and recreation program for the people of Delaware County.

In 1984 the CCB constructed the conservation center building at Baileys Ford Park. Today the CCB manages over 2,265 acres. This includes 28 parks and wildlife areas, with developed campgrounds in four of the parks, two trout streams, four public boat ramps, and numerous canoe and kayak river accesses throughout the county.

Over the years, Glanz and the CCB have developed a valuable partnership with the Delaware County Pheasants Forever Chapter.

One of their first projects together was to acquire two new tree planters to meet the public demand for the thousands of trees that were being planted annually for wildlife habitat improvement.

One of the biggest projects over the years has been the acquisition of four new wildlife areas totaling over four hundred acres for public use. The first parcel, Silver Creek Wildlife Area, was purchased in 1993, with the Garner tract purchased in 2002. These two parcels managed by the CCD became the catalyst for the Iowa DNR to purchase over 1000 acres of additional areas, in which the PF chapter assisted with over 500 acres of acquisition. Together this complex forms the Buffalo Creek Wildlife area totaling almost 1200 acres in Delaware County for public use and recreation – one of the most diverse wildlife areas in northeast Iowa.

In 2001, Glanz contacted PF for assistance in acquiring 258 acres at the Retz Wildlife Area. Together they were able to purchase this area that connected Retz Wildlife Area with Shear Wildlife Area, making it a 583-acre complex and a greenbelt corridor along the scenic Maquoketa River.

In the early 1990’s when the demand from landowners to plant native grass for CRP was overwhelming, Glanz and PF once again partnered to purchase their first Truax native grass drill. Today, the CCB maintains four Truax drills that are available for the landowners to rent out to plant wildlife habitat. Thanks to partners such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Delaware SWCD, Secondary Roads Dept., Dyersville Sportsman’s Club, Delaware County Supervisors, Whitetails Unlimited, the REAP program, and the CCB staff, these four drills have planted thousands of acres of wildlife habitat around the county.

Glanz and his staff have been a tremendous help to landowners by assisting the PF chapter with their food plot program. Glanz and the CCB allow them to store their food plot seed at the conservation center. This allows landowners a place to go to pick up whatever they need as far as corn, soybeans, sorghum, or sunflowers for their food plots. Together they distribute enough seed to plant over 200 acres of food plots each year.

Over the years, they have enhanced wildlife habitat on over a dozen of the county wildlife areas. This has ranged from tree plantings, switch grass, native grass planting and pollinator plantings.

Glanz has also partnered with the Iowa DNR for forestry management, wildlife management, and fisheries management.

Working with the DNR fisheries biologist, Glanz has secured grants and cost share to improve our trout streams to some of the best in the state.

This conservation ethic has also carried over to his own 76-acre farm in section 17 of Oneida township. In 2015, Glanz, his wife, Kathy, their son, Andrew, and daughter, Sara, along with their families, planted all 76 acres to a CRP native grass and pollinator mix. This mix, along with some controlled burning, has provided some excellent cover for wildlife and a place for all the family to enjoy.

photo courtesy of Delaware County Conservation