Shelby County Conservation Board

Shelby County Conservation Board Stay informed on different projects, news and events going on with the Shelby County Conservation Board's parks and recreation page.

Located in SW Iowa, the Shelby County Conservation Board manages a little over 600 acres of public recreation areas to include 10 parks and wildlife areas. We have 3 parks that have modern and primitive camping with a total of 66 campsites and 3 camping cabins. Modern shower and restroom facilities are available. Popular activities include hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing, hiking, and environme

ntal education programs held at various times and locations. Check back often to keep up to date on upcoming events!

Sunrises from the Nishna Bend cabins are amazing!
06/02/2026

Sunrises from the Nishna Bend cabins are amazing!

Public land spotlight:  Nulle Recreation Area is a beautiful area in the furthest Northeast corner of Shelby county off ...
05/29/2026

Public land spotlight: Nulle Recreation Area is a beautiful area in the furthest Northeast corner of Shelby county off of wildwood road. This area was created through a combination of a generous donation from the Nulle family, and some land purchases made possible through multiple local chapters of pheasants forever. Because of the hard work from many volunteers from the Shelby County chapter of pheasants forever and Shelby County Conservation this area features over 2 miles of public hiking trails, beautiful views of the nishnabotna river, and roughly 40 acres of public hunting!
It was also the home of a pair of bald eagles who raised multiple clutches of young in the heights of a large cottonwood tree. Unfortunately a windstorm sometime this week broke a branch from that cottonwood tree sending the nest plummeting to the ground. The picture of 2 juvenile bald eagles in their nest was taken just weeks before the nest fell. All of the rest of the pictures are from the aftermath of the nest falling. Because the 2 juvenile bald eagles did not have fully developed flight feathers they were unable to fend for themselves. The the help of Cassie from SOAR Rehabilitation Center we were able to find and catch both juvenile birds. They appear to be uninjured but in need of food and water! Cassie brought both birds back to SOAR where they will be cared for until they are ready to be released later this year!
We hope the adult eagles decide to rebuild their nest in the years to come, but hopefully in a more sturdy location. This is a great reminder to all users of this area to use nontoxic shot while hunting on county property’s in Shelby County. It is also important to do your best to remain 100 yards or further away from any active eagle nest.

Shelby County Upper Nish habitat area is freshly mowed for your equestrian enjoyment!! We hope to see you out hiking and...
05/29/2026

Shelby County Upper Nish habitat area is freshly mowed for your equestrian enjoyment!! We hope to see you out hiking and riding our trails this weekend! As always treat our public lands with respect and leave them cleaner than when you got there!

Great turn out and lots of fish caught at our annual Family Fishing for Fun event led by Shelby County Public Health Lea...
05/24/2026

Great turn out and lots of fish caught at our annual Family Fishing for Fun event led by Shelby County Public Health Learning for Life.

Memorial Day Weekend:Don't let a little rain keep your family from enjoying an awesome weekend in one of our parks! Be s...
05/22/2026

Memorial Day Weekend:

Don't let a little rain keep your family from enjoying an awesome weekend in one of our parks! Be sure to come check out one of our amazing campgrounds this weekend! If you aren't a camper we hope you join us in a park for some great fishing, hiking, and picnicking fun! The fishing at Manteno Park and Nishna Bend Park has been great!

Campsite availability as of Friday afternoon:

Manteno - still has 4 camper sites and 4 tent sites open on the south side of the park!
Nishna Bend - still has 5 camper sites left!
Elkhorn Creek - still has 4 camper sites and 3 tent sites left!

Memorial Day! The fun filled weekend we have all been waiting for is finally here! Known as the unofficial start of summ...
05/22/2026

Memorial Day! The fun filled weekend we have all been waiting for is finally here! Known as the unofficial start of summer, and one of the best weekends to be out with your camper or boat, but most of all it should be a day to remember all of our brave military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting all of our freedoms. All of us at Shelby County Conservation Board would like to extend our greatest THANKS to all of our amazing veterans!

If you are out enjoying the beauty of any of our recreation areas this weekend, be sure to thank a veteran for their sacrifices that provided all of us with these awesome areas in the first place. At the same time remember that all of our public land is here for all of us, and we ask that you treat it with the most respect possible this weekend!

Stay safe, respect the land, have fun, and thank a veteran!!

04/22/2026

All camps are full. Anybody that registers from now on is on the waiting list.

04/14/2026

Camp updates
5/6 year olds - 2 spots left on July 6
7/8 year old - all are full
9/10 year olds - 1 spot left on July 21
11 to 14 year olds - all are full
Kayak camp - 4 spots left on June 22 and 3 spots left on June 24

04/09/2026

Full camps
5/6-June 2 and June 23
7/8-July 13
9/10-June 17
11 to 14-June 15

Around half of the camps (or more) are full.   If you mark a full date, you will be on the waiting list.Summer camp regi...
04/09/2026

Around half of the camps (or more) are full. If you mark a full date, you will be on the waiting list.

Summer camp registration is now open!!!! Please put all kids on one form (unless you have more than 2 per category, then you will need a second one). You can skip sections (age groups) to get to the ones that you need. I will email you paperwork and let you know if you got into your first or second choice.

Shelby County Conservation Board Summer Camps. PLEASE DO NOT SELECT DATES THAT SAY FULL!!!! You will receive an email from Christina ([email protected]) with all of the paperwork you will need to fill out. Please print this paperwork and return with payment. PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 4 OR 5 BU...

Address

516 Maple Road
Harlan, IA
51537

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+17127443403

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