How do fossils form? 5/13/2021 11:47:00 AM View Count 38472 A fossil’s creation can happen in many different ways, but all fossils come from things that lived in a past geological age. They can be as small as a single cell or as giant as a dinosaur skeleton or petrified tree.
Public invited to virtual trumpeter swan programs on May 15 5/11/2021 1:20:00 PM View Count 1671 As part of Wings and Wetlands Weekend, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is partnering with O'Brien County Conservation Board to give two virtual swan programs on May 15.
Midwest black bear population likely to expand into parts of Iowa in the not too distant future 5/11/2021 1:17:00 PM View Count 7003 There’s a pretty good chance that, in the next several weeks, Northeast Iowa will be visited by a few wandering black bears coming down from Minnesota and Wisconsin ahead of the breeding season. It’s been an annual occurrence in this region each spring since 2014.
Leave wildlife babies where they belong - In the wild 5/4/2021 2:39:00 PM View Count 3671 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."
Final Public Notice - FEMA Public Assistance 5/4/2021 10:44:00 AM View Count 2224 Iowa Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Bureau (Harrison County) has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Program funding through Iowa’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (IHSEMD) as a sub- recipient.
Backyard bird feeders encouraged to keep those feeders clean 4/27/2021 11:41:00 AM View Count 4440 Each year, especially during late winter, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) receives reports of sick or dead birds at feeder locations, particularly in the southern part of the state. Unsanitary conditions at bird feeders can lead to the spread of several diseases amongst birds that frequent these feeders.
Early childhood online outdoor education training scheduled this spring 4/20/2021 3:23:00 PM View Count 2038 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are launching an online training for the national award-winning Growing Up WILD activity guide.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning 3/6/2021 1:35:00 PM View Count 1814 Spirit Lake - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to conduct prescribed burns within the selected wildlife complexes in Dickinson, Cherokee, and O’Brien counties between April 1 and May 20 to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, and maintain native plant communities.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning 3/2/2021 11:02:00 AM View Count 1644 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Clear Lake Wildlife Unit in Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright counties.
Habitat is critical for pheasants during long, hard winters 2/24/2021 10:06:00 AM View Count 3053 Iowa’s run of mild winters is gone, buried under a head-high snowdrift and frozen from weeks of negative temperatures. This return to the extreme has some residents wanting to help the now highly visible pheasants and quail and calling the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about placing corn and other grains out for the birds to eat.
2021 winter has been tough on deer 2/24/2021 10:02:00 AM View Count 3328 For wildlife, surviving an average Iowa winter is challenging enough. When the winter includes consecutive days where temperatures don’t cross above zero and new snow arrives weekly, survival can become extremely difficult.
21 deer test positive for chronic wasting disease 2/24/2021 9:59:00 AM View Count 4266 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ 2020 surveillance of Iowa’s wild deer herd for the presence of chronic wasting disease has yielded 21 new positive deer, and has added two new counties to the list where positive deer have been found.
Chickadee tax check-off donations increased in 2019, but continues overall downward trend 1/26/2021 12:08:00 PM View Count 3673 Last year, a little over 7,200 Iowa taxpayers helped boost wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on their state tax form, representing about 0.5 percent of total taxpayers in Iowa.
Conservation Reserve Program general signup open through Feb. 12 1/12/2021 12:35:00 PM View Count 2527 Iowa has about 45,000 acres enrolled in general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts expiring this fall and all of it is eligible to reenroll as part of the recently opened 56th general CRP signup. The sign up is open through Feb. 12.
Research project tracks movement, survival of urban Canada geese 1/12/2021 12:29:00 PM View Count 3635 A recently completed three-year study to better understand how Canada geese utilize metro Des Moines will be used to revise the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Canada goose management plan.
DNR announces Food Storage Capacity Grant offering 11/12/2020 2:06:00 PM View Count 2482 DES MOINES — The DNR is offering a second round for applications for a grant opportunity to help address food waste, an issue that negatively impacts environmental, economic and social sustainability in Iowa and across the country.
Trumpeter swan study following young for first year of life 10/20/2020 12:56:00 PM View Count 4668 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking Iowans to help with a research project designed to learn more about trumpeter swan survival during the cygnets’ first year of life that will help to better manage and conserve this species.
Enrollment open for popular Iowa Habitat and Access Program 10/13/2020 12:41:00 PM View Count 3271 The popular Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) is accepting applications from landowners interested in receiving technical assistance and financial incentives in exchange for allowing hunters to access the improved area.
DNR names new Conservation and Recreation Division Administrator 10/12/2020 10:57:00 AM View Count 4135 DES MOINES, Iowa – On Monday, October 12, 2020, DNR Director Kayla Lyon named Pete Hildreth of the DNR’s Wildlife Bureau the next Conservation and Recreation Division Administrator.
She Goes Outdoors releases birding box 10/6/2020 1:39:00 PM View Count 2113 She Goes Outdoors has partnered with the Audubon Society, Kansas Ornithological Society, and The Wild Bird Habitat Store for this month's release – a birding box.
Natural Resource Commission to meet via teleconference on Oct. 8 10/2/2020 1:59:00 PM View Count 2418 Polk City, Iowa – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold its monthly meeting via teleconference at 9 a.m., on Oct. 8.
Vern and Wilmer Petersen Wildlife Area is bringing in visitors year-round 9/29/2020 1:12:00 PM View Count 3087 Manilla, Iowa – Just southwest of Manilla on the Crawford-Shelby County line is a 450-acre gift to Iowans who love to be outdoors.
Quality habitat and location make Cone Marsh a birding, duck hunting hot spot 9/22/2020 2:08:00 PM View Count 2797 CONESVILLE, Iowa - Cone Marsh is the most diverse wetland in Southeast Iowa. It’s part of the first in the nation Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area and has a history of waterfowl hunting that dates back to the late 19th Century.
Union Hills checks all the boxes as a destination area 9/8/2020 3:09:00 PM View Count 3911 Union Hills Wildlife Area’s network of wetlands and prairie has that been-here-forever kind of feel to it.
Shorebirds flocking to mudflats at Lake Red Rock 8/25/2020 1:14:00 PM View Count 3288 Birdwatchers know that heading north out of Pleasantville on North State Street, will lead them to a dead end at Lake Red Rock, near the impoundment that holds the greatest number of shorebirds available to birdwatchers without a boat.
Maturing prairie, improving wetlands make Kiowa Marsh popular for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, and out of state pheasant hunters 8/25/2020 1:12:00 PM View Count 3466 Rich Feilmeier traces his family connection to Kiowa Marsh back to before WWII when his father purchased the land to farm and have a small cow calf operation. As a kid, he recalls hunting ducks and geese off the pond where they watered their cattle.
Recent habitat improvements at Hendrickson Marsh will be on display this fall 8/19/2020 6:54:00 AM View Count 2515 Sitting smack in the middle between Marshalltown and Ames, the 850-acre Hendrickson Marsh Wildlife Area is a get-away-from-the-crowd kind of place, enjoyed by kayakers and bird watchers, and outside of opening weekend of duck season, by hunters.
Iowa Outdoors magazine AND a t-shirt for just $20! 8/19/2020 6:47:00 AM View Count 2624 Since we won't see you at the Iowa State Fair this year, we're bringing the popular "state fair" magazine special to your door!
Renovation of Dan Green Slough and Burr Oak Lake to last through summer 8/4/2020 9:04:00 PM View Count 1953 The water level at Dan Green Slough and Burr Oak Lake will be held down through the summer’s growing season to eliminate rough fish that had reentered the systems and to reestablish emergent vegetation that had been lost after years of high water.
Get the State Fair Special delivered to your home! 8/4/2020 11:47:00 AM View Count 1979 Since we won't see you at the Iowa State Fair this year, we're bringing the popular "state fair" magazine special to your door!
Remnant prairie is the jewel of Blackmun Prairie 8/4/2020 11:38:00 AM View Count 2608 Ackley, Iowa - Two miles northeast of Ackley off 320th Street blacktop is one of the rarest of Iowa’s habitat - roughly 60 acres of high-quality remnant prairie that is part of the Blackmun Prairie Wildlife Area – and is a popular site for prairie enthusiasts.
Dewey’s Pasture Wildlife Complex is a bucket list destination 7/28/2020 12:24:00 PM View Count 3414 The 8,000-acre Dewey’s Pasture complex, in northwest Iowa, is one of the best representatives of pre-settlement grassland-wetland ecosystems in the state and one of Iowa’s premier public areas.
Simply put, Cayler Prairie has it all 7/21/2020 12:34:00 PM View Count 4153 Standing on a vista overlooking the expansive Cayler Prairie, it’s easy to imagine bison - the icon of the open prairie - at home on this historic area.
Hawthorn Wildlife Area is emerging as a must visit place for birders, hunters, anglers 7/14/2020 12:33:00 PM View Count 5735 Barnes City, Iowa - The change going on at Hawthorn Wildlife Area has been nothing short of extraordinary. Gone are hundreds of acres of non-native invasive brush and in its place is reconstructed prairie using local native prairie grass and wildflowers.
A quiet wild place 6/30/2020 2:42:00 PM View Count 3354 Mt. Sterling, Iowa - The Fox River Wildlife Area is about as far off the beaten path as person can get without getting totally lost. The public hunting area in southern Van Buren County is on the way to nowhere and except for some nonresidents who show up each deer season, it doesn’t get too many visitors.
Counting turkeys 6/30/2020 2:32:00 PM View Count 2797 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for help with its annual turkey population estimates in July and August.
Meet Phyllis Kimball, a Monarch Champion 6/22/2020 2:33:00 PM View Count 5904 Phyllis Kimball, of Creston, enrolled 160 acres in CRP pollinator mix in Ringgold County. Kimball had been away from the farm for more than two decades but returned to manage the day to day operations after an agreement with a local farmer was voided. What she found upon returning was failing terraces and trees that had taken over the valley. She stopped on the gravel road and cried at seeing what had happened to her land.
Heritage Hills is developing into a destination public area 45 miles south of Des Moines 6/16/2020 1:47:00 PM View Count 5497 It’s not often that the opportunity to build a large wildlife area from the ground up comes along, but that’s what’s happening right now at Heritage Hills Wildlife Area on the Madison and Clarke County line.
Bat Survey Looking for Volunteers 6/9/2020 3:23:00 PM View Count 3136 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers interested in performing night time surveys for bats in Hamilton and Marshall counties.
Acoustic Monitoring Survey for Iowa's Nine Bat Species 6/8/2020 11:05:00 AM View Count 2510 The survey monitors bat occurrence in key areas of the state. It began in response to declining bat populations from White Nose Syndrome, among other challenges.
Iowa DNR to track sandhill cranes as part of pilot study 6/2/2020 11:40:00 AM View Count 6783 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has outfitted a greater sandhill crane with a GPS transmitter as part of a small pilot study to learn more about this unique species that is increasingly calling Iowa’s wetlands home.
Spring Gardening For Pollinators, Beauty And Much More 5/28/2020 2:00:00 PM View Count 6157 Early spring is the time to plan a pollinator garden to turn desolate lawns into gorgeous habitat havens.
Fawning season is underway, watch for deer to be on the move 5/26/2020 1:12:00 PM View Count 4228 Fawning season is here which means car deer collisions will likely tick up and calls to conservation groups about abandoned fawns will begin.
New virus strain impacting rabbit populations 5/19/2020 1:27:00 PM View Count 3027 State wildlife experts are on the lookout for a new virus impacting the native rabbit and hare populations in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, California and New Mexico.
Webinar Series to Discuss Forest Management for Bats 5/12/2020 6:39:00 PM View Count 2806 AMES, Iowa – Longer daylight hours and the warmth of spring evenings mean insects are back in the Iowa skies, along with the birds and bats that eat them.