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Karl W. Behrens Memorial Ponds and Woodland



 		 Behrens Preserve Image
Salamander Pond at Behrens Ponds ©

 
 

Directions

From the intersection of I-80 and I-380 near Iowa City:

Take I-380 north to exit 28 (to Toddville).

Travel west on County Home Road 1.2 miles into Toddville.

Take 1st Street west and continue on Toddville Road 0.3 mile to Feather Ridge Road (at a T-intersection).

Go north 1.3 miles to Ponds Lane.

Go west 0.4 mile to preserve (sign: Karl W. Behrens Memorial Ponds and Woodland).

 

 

Behrens Ponds and Woodland is one of the only places that the blue-spotted salamander has been found. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources considers this salamander endangered, making this site very important

Why You Should Visit
Behrens Ponds and Woodland Preserve features gently rolling sand dunes, with a series of sandy ponds that are surrounded by marshy grasslands, oak-hickory woods, thickets and sand prairie. The ponds have exceptionally clear water and support a variety of freshwater sponges, bryozoans (moss animals), insects and crustaceans. The ponds and surrounding habitats are home to 345 species of vascular plants and 17 species of amphibians and reptiles.

Location
Six miles northwest of Cedar Rapids, in Linn County

Size
31 acres

Conditions
For best viewing, visit in the spring. The ponds dry up during the hot Iowa summer.

Preserve Visitation Guidelines

What to See: Plants
There are 345 plant species at this preserve, including: arrowhead, blue flag, hackberry, hazelnut, hoary puccoon, little bluestem, New England aster, northern red oak, pale touch-me-not, river birch, rushes, shagbark hickory, slough grass, spike rushes, spotted horsemint, white oak, white sage, white trout-lily and wild plum.

What to See: Animals
Spring peeper, green frog, cricket frog, ribbon snake, Dekays snake and the rare blue-spotted salamander are among the species found here.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site  
Behrens Ponds and Woodland was deeded to the Conservancy by Karl W. Behrens in 1977. It was dedicated as a biological State Preserve in 1982.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Coe College uses the preserve for education and research.