Whispering Meadows Wetlands: The Sycamore Greenway's (Slightly) Older Cousin

 I ventured away from the Greenway trail recently to visit another natural space just a bit to the north and east: Whispering Meadows Wetlands, visible from Lakeside Drive directly across from The Quarters apartments as an unprepossessing pond marked by old-style wooden signage. 

Like the Sycamore Greenway, this 18-acre park was established in 1994 as a natural space with wetland and prairie areas, and a gravel trail around its perimeter. An aerial view shows a neat circle of water south of the larger pond, with a wooden boardwalk jutting over its perimeter. Lon Drake, the visionary behind the Sycamore Greenway stormwater management system, was also involved in the initial concept for this much smaller wetlands space. 

Though parking is not handy on Lakeside Drive, there are several access points in the neighborhood cul-de-sacs just south of the pond off Whispering Prairie Avenue. The pond itself is currently in a state of neglect, the shore littered with trash, tires, and a jaunty traffic cone. But the smooth water is also dotted with tiny turtle heads as they float in the sun, and rambunctious fish thrash just beneath the surface. Dragonflies zip past, alighting for a moment on whatever piece of wood or greenery is handy before zipping off again. 

The trail around the park offers a curious mix of an occasionally secluded walk that sometimes rambles fairly close to the backyards of adjacent housing. Several benches are available along the gravelly trail, and the boardwalk was a particular treat. Water lilies were blooming, and a family of ducks traipsed nervously out from the shade under the boardwalk, muttering as I passed over.

If it seems like this area could use a little attention and care...it will! The city has received a REAP grant of over $90,000 to restore and enhance this natural space in our neighborhood. Let's hear it for our amazing Parks and Recreation Department that does so much to preserve and maintain our natural spaces while making them accessible to residents, as well as for Iowa's REAP program that has funded so many amazing projects over the past 30 years!

 
 

 

Resources/Additional Information:

• Iowa City Natural Areas Report 2016 (PDF)