♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Head into Maquoketa for a different view of nature at the Hurstville Interpretive Center.

Headquarters to the Jackson County Conservation team, Hurstville tells the story of the area's natural history through exhibits and activities.

[Jessica Wagner] So, here at the Interpretive Center our goal is to really educate people about Iowa's natural resources.

And so, we have a lot of displays here in our indoor space that depict the prairies, the wetlands and the woodlands of Iowa.

So, those are our three major ecosystems in our area.

And so, we really want people to learn about that natural environment.

And then we really encourage people after spending some time indoors, go outside, go explore.

People can explore and wander through a reconstructed prairie.

We have a pollinator garden.

And so, kind of educating about planting native species, whether that is trees, shrubs or wildflowers and grasses and sedges.

We also have a small frog pond.

You will often see in the summertime kids taking off their shoes and socks, wading right in there.

Yep, it's a leopard frog.

[Jessica Wagner] We are actively encouraging people, get out and discover what is out here.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] A busy roadside may be an unusual location for a nature center.

But for Hurstville's restored prairie and wetlands, the blacktop is where it all began.

[Jessica Wagner] In the late 1990s, early 2000s, Highway 61 was being turned into a four-lane highway.

They had to mitigate wetlands and so they turned to the county to say hey, would the county like to manage these wetlands?

And it was kind of an opportunity for the conservation department to step in and say hey, this would be a good opportunity for an educational center with access to the highway, visible for people to stop.

[Kohlsdorf] Opened in 2004, the center welcomes between 7,000 and 10,000 visitors annually and sits proudly on the Grant Wood Scenic Byway.

♪♪ [Jessica Wagner] What I really like about the Grant Wood Scenic Byway is the scenic part.

And I really think the Hurstville Interpretive Center fits in that really nicely.

Visit on a summer day when the prairie is in full bloom and just really enjoy the natural landscapes that inspired Grant Wood.

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