CAMANCHE, Iowa – The Clinton County Conservation Foundation will mark its 25th anniversary – and a quarter of a century of environmental education – with its annual Fundraising Banquet on Saturday, Nov. 4.
Open to board members, donors and the public, it includes a ham and roast beef dinner, live auction and raffles. The banquet will be held in Haring Hall at the Rock Creek Eco Tourism Center on the Mississippi River near Camanche.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are limited; and reservations are $30 per person.
The foundation resumed its annual fundraiser in 2022 after a COVID-19-related hiatus.
To attend the foundation’s 25th celebration, banquet tickets are available at the Rock Creek Marina and Campground Store, and through Venmo: @ClintonCounty-ConservationFoun or PayPal: @ClintonCCF.
“We are excited and proud to celebrate 25 years of support to environmental education and the projects of Clinton County Conservation,” Dave Stedwell, the foundation’s board chairman, told the QCBJ.
“The Clinton County Conservation Foundation has carried out its mission – from our original $2 million fundraising effort for the building of the Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center at Rock Creek Park to the annual funding of transportation costs to bring school groups to our parks for field trips,” he said.
Banquet promotes conservation
Proceeds from the banquet will go toward the foundation’s continuing efforts to support the Clinton County Conservation’s programs and facilities as well as a new project to remodel the Eden Valley Nature Center.
The all-volunteer board includes community leaders, Conservation Board staff and board members.
Future initiatives for Clinton County Conservation and the foundation, Mr. Stedwell said, include fundraising efforts to build an addition to the Eden Valley Nature Center – a multi-purpose room for meeting and indoor classroom space, as well as a remodeling of the original Eden Valley Nature Center display area.
“Where we have seen an opportunity to support conservation and environmental education, we have been there with the needed funding,” he said.
The foundation’s significant accomplishments in its 25 years include:
- The board was instrumental in raising more than $2 million through donations, grants and fundraisers to build the ecotourism center at Rock Creek Marina and Campground.
- In addition, its fundraising has supported the creation of an educational Turtle Island area with live animal displays, interactive nature experiences, and murals celebrating the diversity of Iowa’s natural environment.
- Launching a busing scholarship program, which began in 2009 and continues, to cover transportation costs to make it possible for school field trips to travel to Clinton County’s parks and nature centers for day-long, outdoor environmental education experiences.
- In 2002, the Foundation was instrumental in raising funds for the purchase of a Blue Heron Eco Cruise pontoon boat. The 24-passenger boat continues to offer free weekly cruises to the public during the cruise season – exploring the Mississippi backwaters and main channel. Special cruises are offered for bird watching, learning the history of the river through music, and sunset and fall foliage tours. All cruises are led by a CCC naturalist who provides a narrative of wildlife and river features.
IF YOU GO
Who: Clinton County Conservation Foundation
What: 25th Anniversary Fundraising Banquet
When: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 4
To register: Banquet tickets are available at the Rock Creek Marina and Campground Store, and through Venmo: @ClintonCounty-ConservationFoun or PayPal: @ClintonCCF.
