Tama County Conservation’s new park ranger/conservation tech Owen Eli, right, smiles while being introduced by Director Curtis Behrens, left, during the Wednesday, Oct. 15 Conservation board meeting held at Otter Creek Lake & Park Nature Center in rural Toledo. Eli’s first day on the job was Sept. 15. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

OTTER CREEK LAKE & PARK – Tama County has a new park ranger.

During the monthly meeting of the Tama County Board of Conservation that took place on Wednesday, Oct. 15, Director Curtis Behrens introduced Owen Eli as the department’s new park ranger/conservation tech. Eli’s first day on the job was Sept. 15.

“I’m excited to be part of the team. You have a very beautiful county,” Eli said before providing his first official staff report.

Eli is currently finishing up a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences with a minor in rangeland ecology and management through South Dakota State University. He has one (1) online semester remaining before graduation, he told the newspaper. He graduated high school from Sioux City Community School District in 2022 after spending a significant number of years in Texas near Dallas. Eli said he initially was only interested in studying fisheries biology but an internship with Plymouth County Conservation “broadened my horizons.”

Eli takes over for former park officer Riley Conrad who resigned this past March to take a job with the Belle Plaine Police Department. Conrad was first hired by Conservation in June 2022.

Plans call for Eli to attend Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in January of next year. He joins Director Behrens, naturalist Angela Tague, and maintenance supervisor Dustin Horne as full-time Tama County Conservation staff members.

Other business

-Board member Chris Behrens was absent.

-A motion made by vice chair Steve Kenkel to approve the August minutes was seconded by Danielle Dunning; the motion passed with Jim Allen voting against.

-A motion by Kenkel to approve the July minutes received no second and the motion died.

-A motion made by Kenkel to approve the September minutes was seconded by Dunning; the motion passed with Allen voting against.

-The board approved the monthly bills.

-A motion was made by chair Bryan Wacha to open up T.F. Clark Park (northeast of Traer) again this season to archery-only deer and turkey hunting for the next three years; Kenkel provided a second but asked for clarification on where in the park hunters could hunt. Wacha clarified only the northern section – not the campground – across the easement. Allen then asked about specific dates. Horne said previously the board opened up such hunting during the Iowa DNR’s archery season dates. Wacha restated his motion to include the north section only to which Kenkel provided a second. There was then discussion about the park historically being a wildlife refuge. The park was opened last season to bow hunting due to chatter that deer coming out of the park were consuming corn in area fields. The motion passed with only Allen voting against.

Allen then asked if they could amend the motion to include all legal game. Wacha said they would amend the motion to include “archery only for any legal game” and the board would revisit the policy if there was a complaint. On revote, the motion passed unanimously.

-Roughly 45 minutes into the meeting, the board addressed a closed session action item.

“First of all, we’re evaluating you. Is that right?” Kenkel asked Director Behrens.

“That’s my understanding,” Director Behrens replied.

“Okay, so you have to request a closed session,” Kenkel replied.

Director Behrens indicated he wanted the session to be closed; the board unanimously approved entering into closed session. The board remained in closed session for roughly one hour and 13 minutes.

After entering back into open session around 8:35 p.m., the board agreed to add three action items to the December (or January) agendas. The three items, as stated by Kenkel, include:

*whether or not a car will be provided to the director

*setting policy with regard to animals in the nature center and potentially other facilities

*expectations regarding ongoing care of the inventory animals

During the previous meeting held in September, an action item titled “Director Review” was removed prior to the start of the meeting as it lacked the option to enter into closed session as required by Iowa Code. When asked by the newspaper following the Oct. 15 meeting if the “evaluation” that took place that evening during closed session was a standard annual director review, both Director Behrens and Tama County’s HR administrator Paul Greufe, who attended the closed session, confirmed it was not a routine and/or yearly evaluation.