The GREENBELT

The Iowa River Greenbelt is less than a mile wide in most places, a slender green thread in America's breadbasket, but the presence of this place is much larger. The lush line of trees rises suddenly from the cornfields; a walk into the tree line takes you quickly back in time. You are suddenly transported to the Iowa of centuries past, the Iowa known by settlers and Native Americans.

The Greenbelt region is rich with relics of our history: traces of prehistoric cultures and remnants of 19th Century Iowa farmsteads. It is a roosting area for Bald Eagles, and a home for the rare Northern Monkshood plant and three endangered or threatened species of freshwater mussel.

In the noise and hurry of our modern society, the Greenbelt is a quiet, tranquil retreat enjoyed by hikers, campers and canoeists. Residents of the communities along the Iowa River Greenbelt appreciate this precious resource and support its preservation.