Sand Creek Wildlife Area is a birder, hunters paradise 7/2/2024 12:34:00 PM View Count 143 Tucked in to the rolling hills of southern Iowa’s Decatur County is Sand Creek Wildlife Area, a 3,700-acre destination for deer hunters and bird watchers. Here, cell service disappears and nature’s sounds take over – this isn’t a white noise machine – it’s the real thing.
New Track Chair at Big Creek State Park opens doors to the outdoors 6/18/2024 12:04:00 PM View Count 1022 POLK CITY – Big Creek State Park has a new way to explore the outdoors through the addition of an Action Trackchair®.
Enjoy the buzz – support the local bees and butterflies by adding pollinator friendly plants around the house 6/11/2024 2:24:00 PM View Count 1280 If you enjoy eating apples, peaches, blueberries, tomatoes, squash and more, thank a bee. Or, better yet, plant some pollinator friendly native plants in a pot, or flower bed or garden and support the local bees and butterflies.
Help stop the spread of invasive species in your community 6/4/2024 11:36:00 AM View Count 1795 Governor Kim Reynolds recently proclaimed June as Invasive Species Awareness Month in Iowa.
Fawning season is here, deer are on the move 5/28/2024 2:16:00 PM View Count 1994 Fawning season traditionally begins during the last week of May, peaks in the first couple of weeks of June, before gradually tapering off. And that means deer are on the move.
Kirke Woods management topic of June 6 public meeting 5/20/2024 8:39:00 PM View Count 1824 BEVINGTON, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a public meeting to discuss past and future management of the 474-acre Kirke Woods Wildlife Area, on June 6, at 5:30 p.m., at the Bevington City Hall.
Forney Lake management is topic of June 4 public meeting 5/14/2024 9:46:00 AM View Count 1982 HAMBURG, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a public meeting to discuss past and future management of the 1,317-acre Forney Lake Wildlife Area.
World Migratory Bird Day is May 11 5/7/2024 12:05:00 PM View Count 1854 World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) has been raising awareness about the importance of migratory bird conservation since 1993. On May 11, WMBD is a chance to celebrate migratory birds across countries and continents. This year’s theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds."
Natural Resource Commission to meet May 9 5/6/2024 7:16:00 AM View Count 1569 Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet at 9:30 a.m., on May 9, at 6200 Park Ave., Suite 200, Pine Lake Conference Room, in Des Moines.
Leave wildlife babies where they belong --- In the wild 4/23/2024 12:16:00 PM View Count 2196 It's as predictable as May flowers - from border to border, the Wildlife Baby Season has arrived in Iowa. From now until at least mid-June, DNR field offices across the state will be inundated with hundreds of phone calls and scores of deliveries regarding "orphaned wildlife."
Celebrate Earth Day by connecting with Iowa's environment and help make a difference 4/18/2024 2:55:00 PM View Count 1805 DES MOINES – Monday, April 22 is Earth Day, offering another opportunity to connect to Iowa's environment and to give back to our natural resources.
2023 Nesting Report for Peregrine Falcon 4/8/2024 2:24:00 PM View Count 2245 Breeding Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) disappeared from Iowa in the mid-20th Century.
Natural Resource Commission to meet via teleconference April 11 4/5/2024 5:38:00 PM View Count 2221 Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet via teleconference at 9:30 a.m., on April 11.
Bumble Bee Atlas Seeks Volunteers to Search for Declining Iowa Bees 4/2/2024 11:47:00 AM View Count 3561 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University partner with national nonprofit to launch statewide effort to conserve Iowa’s pollinators
Iowa’s Prairie Chicken Festival is April 6 3/26/2024 11:34:00 AM View Count 3534 Kellerton, Iowa – The unique courtship of Iowa’s prairie chickens will be on full display at the Kellerton Grasslands Bird Conservation Area on April 6, during the annual Prairie Chicken Festival, in Ringgold County. The festival will be held at the Kellerton viewing platform, two miles west and one mile south of Kellerton. There is ample parking and the viewing platform is accessible for those with limited mobility.
Come Join the Frog and Toad Call Survey! 3/22/2024 6:02:00 PM View Count 2611 Calling all wildlife watchers! The Iowa DNR will be hosting two more frog and toad call survey training workshops in 2024.
Opportunity to help track frog and toad populations in Iowa 3/19/2024 2:27:00 PM View Count 2552 It’s 10 o’clock on a summer night along a gravel road anywhere in Iowa. In the farm pond next to the road, a raucous chorus of male frogs are making themselves heard as they vie for mates.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning 3/12/2024 2:40:00 PM View Count 2060 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Black Hawk Wildlife Unit and Waterfowl Production Areas managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sac, Calhoun, Crawford, Buena Vista and Pocahontas counties.Areas scheduled for burns are Black Hawk Marsh Complex, Burrows Pond Complex, Tomahawk Marsh, Whitehorse Complex and Kiowa Marsh Complex in Sac County; South Twin Lake and Towhead Lake in Calhoun County; Schrad...
USDA announces Conservation Reserve Program general signup for 2024 3/5/2024 12:02:00 PM View Count 2279 DES MOINES, Iowa – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting March 4 and running through March 29, 2024.
Gray wolf found dead on the northwest edge of Davenport 2/23/2024 3:50:00 PM View Count 3281 A large canine found lying in the median of I-80 in Scott County Monday morning has been identified as a young adult male gray wolf.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning 2/23/2024 9:05:00 AM View Count 2610 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Prairie Lakes Wildlife Unit in Clay, Palo Alto, Emmet and Kossuth counties.
DNR enforcement actions, published 2/22/2024 2/23/2024 9:03:00 AM View Count 2471 DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws
Iowa DNR planning annual spring prescribed burns in the Iowa Great Lakes region 2/16/2024 10:21:00 AM View Count 2516 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be conducting prescribed burns within selected wildlife complexes in Dickinson, O’Brien, Lyon and Sioux counties between March 1 and May 20.
Natural Resource Commission to meet Feb. 14 2/7/2024 9:36:00 AM View Count 3089 Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet at 9:30 a.m., Feb. 14, in the Wallace State Office Building, Conference Room 2 North, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines. The meeting is open to the public.
Number of donors to the Chickadee Tax Check-off continues to decline 1/23/2024 12:40:00 PM View Count 3351 Last year, more than 5,800 Iowa taxpayers helped boost wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on their state tax form.
Natural Resource Commission to meet Jan. 10 1/3/2024 11:17:00 AM View Count 3247 Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet at 10 a.m., Jan. 10, in the Wallace State Office Building, Conference Room 2 North, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines. The meeting is open to the public.
DNR to host an open house on the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area 12/14/2023 2:07:00 PM View Count 4758 Fonda, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house on Jan. 4, 2024, from 4 - 7 p.m. to discuss the habitat management, recreation use, wildlife populations and other topics of interest for the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area.
Donations allow DNR to complete wildlife tracking system to monitor migration 12/12/2023 12:00:00 PM View Count 3723 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has received two $60,000 donations that will allow it to complete its Motus Wildlife Tracking System Network across the state within the next five years.
Natural Resource Commission to meet Dec. 14 12/8/2023 1:48:00 PM View Count 3679 Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will meet at 9:30 a.m., Dec. 14, in the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines. The meeting is open to the public.
Status of Iowa Bald Eagles in 2023 12/8/2023 10:48:00 AM View Count 5622 Every year over a hundred volunteers and DNR staff head out to spy on Iowa's Bald Eagles.
Iowa DNR to host virtual public meeting on Chronic Wasting Disease 11/14/2023 11:45:00 AM View Count 5384 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has scheduled a virtual public meeting to update the public on statewide Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance and management efforts.
Iowa DNR to host open house on Backbone State Park forest stewardship plans 11/7/2023 11:58:00 AM View Count 4006 MANCHESTER -- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting an open house to discuss forest stewardship plans for Backbone State Park and Forest, from 6 to 7 p.m., Nov. 15, at the Environmental Field Office, in Manchester. The public is invited to attend.
DNR looking for gray fox as part of a research project 10/31/2023 11:36:00 AM View Count 6045 The Iowa DNR is asking trappers for help with a study on Iowa’s gray fox population.
In the week leading up to Halloween, let's celebrate Bats! 10/24/2023 3:11:00 PM View Count 4878 In popular culture, bats are creatures to be feared, especially this time of year with their association with Halloween and all things spooky.
Oxbow Bottoms Wildlife Area won't remain a secret for long 10/10/2023 12:13:00 PM View Count 4740 Bordered by the Iowa River to the east and U.S. Hwy. 30 to the north is one of the newest public areas in Central Iowa - the 260-acre Oxbow Bottoms Wildlife Area – a floodplain grassland-wetland complex in Tama County.
Birds and birders flock to the Boone Forks Bird Conservation Area for the fall migration 10/10/2023 12:06:00 PM View Count 4089 The confluence of the Boone and Des Moines rivers forms the heart of the Boone Forks Bird Conservation Area (BCA) – 80,000-acres of well managed public and private land in Webster and Hamilton counties, home to more than 130 nesting bird species and a stop-over site for another 115 migrating species.
Harmon Lake Wildlife Area ready for a busy fall 10/3/2023 12:38:00 PM View Count 3790 Standing at the gravel boat ramp on the middle pool of Harmon Lake, among a dense stand of bur-reed full of seeds, four noisy trumpeter swans appeared over the trees then banked west at the sight of unwelcomed visitors.
For those willing to hike, South Skunk Wildlife Area offers off-the-beaten-path experience 9/26/2023 12:54:00 PM View Count 4190 A 40-foot strip of wild plum-lined land leads from the one-and-only parking lot on the north end of the South Skunk Wildlife Area, to a large remote floodplain grassland in southern Jasper County.
Secluded Winford Wildlife Area supports quality deer and pheasant populations 9/19/2023 1:52:00 PM View Count 3968 That narrow access lane off a dead-end road is the only way in and out of the Winford Wildlife Area, a 637-acre floodplain grassland, just north of Oskaloosa.
Popular wildlife area emerges from historic ‘Flood of ‘93’ 9/19/2023 1:50:00 PM View Count 3863 West Fork Wildlife Area in Palo Alto County was developed after the historic flood of 1993, then expanded after the floods of 2018 and 2019 as landowners exited the floodplain.
REAP builds communities – how do you want to build yours? 9/15/2023 10:22:00 AM View Count 3298 Iowa’s Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) assemblies begin tomorrow, giving all Iowans an opportunity to share and discuss their visions for Iowa’s outdoor recreation, soil and water enhancement, historical resources and land management and more.
Experience the rugged beauty of the Loess Hills at Green Hollow and Blackburn areas 9/12/2023 1:30:00 PM View Count 3363 Tucked in to the southern end of the Loess Hills, within eyeshot of I-29 and nearly adjacent to Forney Lake, is the Green Hollow and Blackburn wildlife areas and state park complex in northwest Fremont County.
Pheasant survey results highest in eight years 8/29/2023 2:12:00 PM View Count 13719 The 2023 August pheasant population survey had the highest statewide counts since 2015, with the biggest increases coming from southwest, northwest and northeast regions. The statewide average was nearly 23 birds per route; a 15 percent increase over 2022.
Brook trout thrive at South Pine Creek wildlife area 8/29/2023 2:08:00 PM View Count 3346 The brook trout in South Pine Creek might be the most well-known of the trout species in the Hawkeye State. And for good reason. This strain has been confirmed through two genetic assessments as unique to Iowa.
Open house to discuss Barber Creek and Wapsi Wildlife Areas forest wildlife stewardship plans 8/28/2023 9:43:00 PM View Count 2384 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold an open house on Sept. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Clinton County Conservation Board office.