Description of the Raccoon River Greenbelt

The Raccoon River Greenbelt is an environmental corridor including three branches of the Raccoon River System in Dallas County, Iowa.  In 1989, the Dallas County Conservation Board began development of the Raccoon River Greenbelt Plan.  The Board’s focus on the Raccoon river corridor and watershed stems from five main reasons.

1. The river corridor and associated lands contain the largest, most diverse and most restorable concentration of natural and cultural resources within Dallas County.
2. The corridor is the primary area of outdoor recreation in Dallas County.
3. The Raccoon River System has been identified as one of the highest quality river systems in the State by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Open Space Plan.
4. Protecting areas adjacent to the river will improve water quality.
5. The continuing population growth and westward expansion of the Des Moines suburbs into Dallas County has increased demands on natural resources for development and recreation.

A Greenbelt Advisory Committee, comprised of residents and professionals representing municipalities and natural and cultural resource related organizations established goals and objectives for the plan.  Through the planning process six public meetings were held to allow landowners and the general public an opportunity for input.  Goals prepared by the Greenbelt Advisory Committee include the following.

1. Build consensus and support for the Raccoon River Greenbelt with citizen and organizations throughout Dallas and Guthrie Counties.
2. Sustain the quantity, enhance the quality, and protect from damage the many and varied natural resources of the Raccoon River Greenbelt Area.
3. Identify, protect and interpret the prehistoric and historic cultural resources of the valley.
4. Protect the valley’s scenic characteristics and remove its visual blight and distractions.
5. Use the natural and cultural resources of the valley to promote and develop lands and facilities for a variety of planned public recreation uses.
6. Encourage and control a mix of land uses and land developments in the valley which are compatible with other goals for the greenbelt and locate land developments away from areas which are prone to environmental damage.
7. Reduce existing levels of pollution in the valley and prevent new forms of pollution from occurring.
8. Integrate the environmental and recreational resources of the Raccoon River Valley with economic development planning and programs for the County and State.
9. Develop and maintain a record of data and information about the greenbelt which may be used for planning and assessing the attainment of goals an objectives.
10. Involve all levels of government, the schools, private organizations, business entities and the citizens of Dallas County in all phases of the Greenbelt planning, protection and development.
11. Secure and maintain adequate levels of funding for the implementation of Raccoon Valley Greenbelt projects and programs.

The Land Use Analysis Laboratory and Landscape Architecture Department at Iowa State University assists with identification and inventory of natural, cultural and historical resources within a 137,000 acre study area.  The identification and documentation of resource sites within the Greenbelt is an on-going process.  Additional layers of information and data are continually added to the system. Many layers were mapped through use of a Geographic Information System (GIS).  Data and information mapped includes the following:

1. Soils.
2. Native Vegetation.
3. Hydrology, drainage patterns, water quality and flooding patterns.
4. Wildlife and wildlife habitat.
5. Surface and subsurface geology.
6. Topography.
7. Existing vegetation patterns.
8. Land use and development patterns.
9. Population and demographic data.
10. Cultural settlement patterns and cultural/historic sites.
11. Zoning and development controls.
12. Transportation and utility systems.
13. Pubic lands.
14. Special  and significant features