Iowa State scientists are concerned that a proposed road through a rare prairie pothole may have an adverse effect on the diversity of life there.

The prairie pothole, which is on the property of Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, is a pristine wetland area, and it is one of the southernmost areas of its kind. It has been in existence for about 11,000 years and is an area of growing interest to scientists researching wetland ecosystems.

The road development plan was proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to complete an extension of 86th Street that comes through Johnston, said Mary Jones, environmental specialist at Camp Dodge, the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. If it is built, the road will pass between the wetland and adjacent Beaver Creek.

Jones said Camp Dodge did not have an official position on the proposed road. However, according to a memorandum last year from the National Guard written by a facilities management officer at Camp Dodge, Lennie Jave, the National Guard preferred that the road not be built.

The Guard said it would have “negative environmental effects on the natural communities in this location including wetland and riparian areas.”

“In addition, the corridors proposed will have negative impacts on [military] training activities because of the destruction of contiguous training lanes,” the memorandum stated.

The memorandum also stated a different road development option that did not affect Camp Dodge would be more beneficial as far as economic and property development.

The road proposal, which has minimal impact on training at Camp Dodge, is the building of a road between Beaver Creek and the pristine wetland, according to the memorandum from the Guard.

The ACE has performed an environmental assessment and determined that their proposal complies with all federal environmental laws. Jones said the ACE believes the road will have no adverse effects on the wetland.

Scientists are concerned about the proposal because the creek and the pothole are important breeding grounds for a variety of amphibians and other animals.

“What we find so good about the place is that it is such a good breeding ground for animals that are becoming less common in Iowa,” said Eugenia Farrar, a professor of zoology and genetics at ISU. “The cricket frog, which is common in this pothole, has disappeared from the top two tiers of counties in Iowa and we are not sure why.”

She said the cricket frog is quite common in the Camp Dodge pristine wetland.

“This pothole is an important [refugee] for breeding amphibians,” she said. “It has minimal agricultural runoff and no roads in the vicinity, so it is relatively protected.”

One of Farrar’s major concerns is that amphibians which migrate between Beaver Creek and the pothole wetland will have to cross the road, where they may be hit by cars.

She said amphibian numbers are declining in Iowa and around the world, and some are being found with various limb abnormalities. However, this does not seem to be the case at the Camp Dodge wetland, she said.

“We have never seen an abnormal frog there, yet,” she said. “[The Army Corps of Engineers] needs to realize that this is a wetland that is the southernmost prairie pothole in the state. It is one of the few remaining wetlands of this type in central Iowa. It has the most diversity of any place I’ve seen in Iowa.”

Glen Fuchs, a graduate student in botany at ISU, is concerned about things like chlorides from salts used in winterizing roads that may drain into the wetland, in addition to possible pollutants released during the construction of the road.

James Dinsmore, professor of animal ecology at ISU, said he is also concerned about drainage and the effects this might have on bird populations.

“Birds are dependent on vegetation, so anything that affects vegetation will affect birds,” Dinsmore said.

Most scientists admit they don’t know how the road will affect the wetland, but because of its uniqueness they don’t think it is worth the risk.

Farrar and several other Iowa State scientists concerned with the wetland area will be meeting today to discuss plans to formally object to the road proposal.

Jones said the ACE will take all of the comments that the public offers and make a determination whether further study is needed or whether to go ahead with the project. The funding for the road has not yet been approved.