IOWANS FLOCK TO THE STATE’S LAKES
New Survey Results Show 6 in 10 Iowans Visited a Lake During the Course of a Year
By Juli Probasco-Sowers
A new survey indicates Iowans are flocking to the state’s lakes in greater numbers, showing an increasing desire for outdoor recreational opportunities.
The survey, recently released by the Iowa State University Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, shows that in 2009, Iowans’ recreational use of the state’s lakes was up by 26.6 percent when compared to the average visitation rates from 2002-2005.
“I think it is a combination of things, from the economy and people wanting to stay closer to home, to doing a better job of getting the word out about what we have, to interest in the urban fisheries,” said Mike McGhee, lake restoration program manager with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
McGhee said the survey shows that Iowans value water quality and desire safe healthy lakes that provide aesthetic, ecological and recreational benefits. Lakes where the fishing stock has been restored and fishing access beefed up rack up the highest number of visits which is an economic boost to the surrounding areas.
The survey found that in 2009 there were 11,977,623 trips to Iowa lakes, with visitors spending on the average $49.60 per household on single-day trips and $262.96 per household on multiple-day trips. That means Iowans are spending $1.6 billion per year on lake recreation around the state.
McGhee noted that those figures translate to six of 10 Iowans visiting Iowa’s lakes multiple times each year to take advantage of water-based recreational activities including fishing, boating, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, and swimming.
“We are looking at patterns in usage to help us make good decisions in the future,” McGhee said. “While it can’t drive all decisions, this survey reinforces some of the decisions we make – that it makes good sense to spend money on lakes and related outdoor recreation.”
He noted that the six out of 10 Iowans recreating on the state’s lakes represents a majority of Iowans, and shows that lakes are very important to the state’s residents.
While the rate of visitations to Iowa’s lakes is increasing, fishing license sales fell during 2010, most likely due to the rain-soaked summer, flooding and high lake and river levels. There was a stretch of time this summer when boats couldn’t be launched on Lake Rathbun in southern Iowa because the water was so high.
“That’s one of our major crappie and walleye lakes, and to not be able to launch boats there was huge,” said Mick Klemesrud, spokesman for the DNR.
However, 2010 fishing license sales, at 346,910, were not down tremendously from the record 400,000 fishing licenses sold in 2009, particularly when factoring in the poor summer weather. “Fishing license numbers fluctuate every year,” Klemesrud said. On average about 40 percent of Iowa’s anglers buy a fishing license every year, and 60 percent buy them sporadically.
Urban trout fisheries have become very popular and provide one example of how the DNR is expanding lake-related opportunities, said Joe Larscheid, DNR’s Fisheries Bureau chief. Several urban fisheries, which are stocked in the fall, winter and spring when the water is cool enough to support the trout, have been added over the last few years. “We started growing that program so we could create some excitement and more recreational possibilities,” he said.
Prairie Park in Cedar Rapids is one urban trout fishery added in 2010, with a trout stocking in November. There also are urban trout fisheries at North Ada Hayden in the Ames area; Wilson Lake in the Burlington/Fort Madison areas; North Prairie Lake in Cedar Falls; West Lake at Big Lake Park in Council Bluffs; Lake of the Hills in Davenport; Banner Lake South between Des Moines and Indianola; DMACC Pond in Ankeny; Heritage Pond in Dubuque; Blue Pit in Mason City; Discovery Park in Muscatine; Bacon Creek Lake in Sioux City; and Schamberg Pond in Spencer.
In January or February, urban trout stocking is planned for the lakes in Ames, Council Bluffs, Ankeny, Dubuque, Mason City, Sioux City and Spencer. A March stocking is planned for Davenport. April stocking is planned for Cedar Falls; Banner Lake between Des Moines and Indianola; and Dubuque. For a complete listing of locations and stocking information visit http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/news/stockrep/urban.html.