"The closer children are kept to nature, the better men and women they will become." - John Hartman
Hartman Reserve Nature Center is a 340 acre wooded isle located in the heart of metropolitan Black Hawk County. Hartman lies in the center of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. It offers many activities and experiences to all its visitors. Hartman Reserve Nature Center is an entity of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board.
Hartman History
In 1938, John C. Hartman of the Waterloo Daily Courier helped the local YMCA purchase 56 acres of forested land. Camp Hartman Reserve was used for residential camping and other programs until the early 1970s. In 1976, the Black Hawk County Conservation Board purchased the land in order to establish an environmental education center.
Since our creation in 1976 Hartman Reserve Nature Center has been designated as an Iowa Watchable Wildlife Site and an Important Bird Area. Deer, otter turkeys, pileated woodpeckers, red shouldered hawks, foxes, vultures, and bald eagles are some of the wildlife you might see. We are a partner site of Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area. Hartman Bluff State Preserve is certified by the Iowa DNR Preserves Board to recognize the significance of a 46 acre tract of upland and lowland forest within the Nature Center.
The Interpretive Center houses displays and exhibits which help explain the local environment and is easily accessed from the parking lot using the paved entrance trail. Connection to the American Discovery Trail is also nearby. The new Cedar Valley Paddlers Trail includes the lakes of Hartman and provides water connection through the Cedar River, George Wyth State Park, and Hartman Reserve Nature Center. Click to see the map.
Enjoy the beauty of a diverse environment by stepping outside the interpretive center onto one of the many connecting paths and trails. Paved and unpaved, these trails offer you a way to interact with the local environment and wildlife. Come with your sense of adventure and enjoy what this eco-friendly area has to offer. Click to view a map of the entire Cedar Trails system.
Natural History
Hartman Reserve Nature Center is a 308.9 acre wooded isle surrounded by metropolitan Black Hawk County. Within the property are three habitats -- forest, wetland and prairie.
The majority of the land within Hartman Reserve Nature Center is covered with forest. This is the largest tract of undisturbed upland forest in Black Hawk County. One hundred year old White Oaks, Red Oaks, and Bur Oaks can be found in the upland forest.
The Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow Lady Slipper, and the Indian Pipe are a few of the unusual animals and plants found in this mature forest.
The rest of the Hartman forest grows on the floodplain of the Cedar River. This lowland forest is composed of hackberries, walnuts, silver maples and other trees tolerative of flooding.
Deer are the largest mammal found in Iowa and they are very common in both the upland and lowland forests. To manage the urban deer population, bow hunters harvest deer in Hartman Reserve Nature Center and George Wyth State Park.
The Cedar River, it's backwaters, and two old gravel pits are found in the North Unit and provide a variety of aquatic habitat for geese, wood ducks, mallards, and red shouldered hawks. Hartman Reserve has released river otters and osprey into the Hartman Reserve wetlands.
There is one small native tall grass prairie remnant hidden in the South Unit. Prairie plants have been restored in front of the Hartman Interpretive Center to create a prairie butterfly garden. Prairie plants have also been planted along the Prairie Trail and near the parking lot in the North Unit.
Hartman History
In 1938, John C. Hartman of the Waterloo Daily Courier helped the local YMCA purchase 56 acres of forested land. Camp Hartman Reserve was used for residential camping and other programs until the early 1970s. In 1976, the Black Hawk County Conservation Board purchased the land in order to establish an environmental education center.
Since our creation in 1976 Hartman Reserve Nature Center has been designated as an Iowa Watchable Wildlife Site and an Important Bird Area. Deer, otter turkeys, pileated woodpeckers, red shouldered hawks, foxes, vultures, and bald eagles are some of the wildlife you might see. We are a partner site of Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area. Hartman Bluff State Preserve is certified by the Iowa DNR Preserves Board to recognize the significance of a 46 acre tract of upland and lowland forest within the Nature Center.
The Interpretive Center houses displays and exhibits which help explain the local environment and is easily accessed from the parking lot using the paved entrance trail. Connection to the American Discovery Trail is also nearby. The new Cedar Valley Paddlers Trail includes the lakes of Hartman and provides water connection through the Cedar River, George Wyth State Park, and Hartman Reserve Nature Center. Click to see the map.
Enjoy the beauty of a diverse environment by stepping outside the interpretive center onto one of the many connecting paths and trails. Paved and unpaved, these trails offer you a way to interact with the local environment and wildlife. Come with your sense of adventure and enjoy what this eco-friendly area has to offer. Click to view a map of the entire Cedar Trails system.
Natural History
Hartman Reserve Nature Center is a 308.9 acre wooded isle surrounded by metropolitan Black Hawk County. Within the property are three habitats -- forest, wetland and prairie.
The majority of the land within Hartman Reserve Nature Center is covered with forest. This is the largest tract of undisturbed upland forest in Black Hawk County. One hundred year old White Oaks, Red Oaks, and Bur Oaks can be found in the upland forest.
The Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow Lady Slipper, and the Indian Pipe are a few of the unusual animals and plants found in this mature forest.
The rest of the Hartman forest grows on the floodplain of the Cedar River. This lowland forest is composed of hackberries, walnuts, silver maples and other trees tolerative of flooding.
Deer are the largest mammal found in Iowa and they are very common in both the upland and lowland forests. To manage the urban deer population, bow hunters harvest deer in Hartman Reserve Nature Center and George Wyth State Park.
The Cedar River, it's backwaters, and two old gravel pits are found in the North Unit and provide a variety of aquatic habitat for geese, wood ducks, mallards, and red shouldered hawks. Hartman Reserve has released river otters and osprey into the Hartman Reserve wetlands.
There is one small native tall grass prairie remnant hidden in the South Unit. Prairie plants have been restored in front of the Hartman Interpretive Center to create a prairie butterfly garden. Prairie plants have also been planted along the Prairie Trail and near the parking lot in the North Unit.
The YMCA Lodge in the mid 1940's. It is now the Interpretive Center.