At their most recent meeting, the Washington County Conservation Board approved a grant proposal to be submitted to the Fish Habitat Stamp Fund to make improvements to the Foster Woods fishery. Foster Woods County Park is an 18 acre park near Wellman that has a one acre pond. According to Washington County Conservation Director Steve Anderson, the pond has had issues with its fishery in the past. The grant would help restore and enhance the pond to improve the habitat for fish. Anderson says the fishery project is part of a bigger project to make the whole park more usable. He explains the Fish Habitat Stamp Fund is an Iowa Department of Natural Resources program that provides a 90% cost share to the state’s conservation departments, and the money comes from all the fishermen in Iowa.

In the State of Iowa, when people over the age of 16 want to fish, they have to get licenses from the DNR. With every license, there’s a built-in fee for the Fish Habitat Stamp. Part of the money that goes into the fund is allocated specifically for projects such as the Foster Woods fishery restoration. Anderson says they won’t find out if they’re approved until February at the earliest, but feels confident the grant will be awarded.