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Finch Memorial Forest

   
 

Closed to public
 

Finch Memorial Forest occupies a three-quarters-mile stretch along the Upper Iowa River containing several algific talus slopes and a maderate cliff. It is home to rare and endangered species.
 

Locations
 

Mountain Maple Hollow
 

Retz Memorial Forest
 

Roggman Boreal Slopes
 

Bluebell Hollow Preserve

Much of this preserve is on the Upper Iowa River. It is home to delicate and threatened animals and is therefore closed to the public.

Location
Winneshiek County

Size
175 acres

What to See: Plants
Rare plant species include golden saxifrage and balsam fir.

What to See: Animals
There are several rare land snail species. The site has also been used by nesting bald eagles.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Finch Memorial Forest in part consists of several algific (cold-producing) talus slopes—small ice caves where the core ice is believed to be more than 10,000 years old are tucked away behind steep slopes of limestone scattered with loose (talus) rock. During the spring and summer the air in the ice caves is colder than the outside air. Warm air drawn down into the sinkholes is cooled as it flows over ice, and then escapes through vents in the slopes keeping them at a temperature between 37 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, air in the ice caves is warmer than the outside air, reversing the airflow. As the warm air rises and exits through the sinkholes, the cold air is drawn through vents, freezing the ground water. This makes for a variety of microclimates that support diverse communities and species that were long thought extinct.

There is also a maderate (cold water) cliff at Finch Memorial Forest—essentially an algific talus slope in which the talus layer has eroded away, leaving a cliff face. Unlike algific talus slopes, maderate cliffs provide cold, dry conditions. Several rare plants and landsnails depend on these special habitats for their survival.