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Water pump repairs underway at Riverton Wildlife Area

Water pump repairs underway at Riverton Wildlife Area

  • 8/27/2019 11:54:00 AM
  • View Count 2565
Riverton, Iowa - Hunters planning to go to the Riverton Wildlife Area for the September teal season will need to adjust the way they plan to hunt. The main pump used to flood the wetland has been offline for the past two weeks.
History, habitat and location collide to make Waterman Prairie a true Iowa treasure

History, habitat and location collide to make Waterman Prairie a true Iowa treasure

  • 8/13/2019 4:02:00 PM
  • View Count 3470
Sutherland, Iowa - The area that has become Waterman Prairie has been important for people and wildlife for more than 1,000 years. It’s an area that native tribes called home and where Inkpaduta, Wahpekute Dakota Indian chief of the Spirit Lake massacre and Little Big Horn fame, hid from the military on his way west.
6 cool things you should know about snapping turtles

6 cool things you should know about snapping turtles

  • 8/8/2019 3:20:00 PM
  • View Count 26837
Snapping turtles are Iowa’s largest turtle species, but they’re so much more than their tough demeanor. Here are some things you should know about these awesome reptiles: 
Visit the DNR at the 2019 Iowa State Fair!

Visit the DNR at the 2019 Iowa State Fair!

  • 8/7/2019 3:03:00 PM
  • View Count 2294
DES MOINES, Iowa – Making your way to the 2019 Iowa State Fair? Be sure to stop by the DNR building on the west end of grand concourse of the fairgrounds, August 8 - 18, to learn everything conservation, recreation and environment.
Natural Resource Commission to meet Aug. 8 in Des Moines

Natural Resource Commission to meet Aug. 8 in Des Moines

  • 8/2/2019 2:20:00 PM
  • View Count 2504
Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will meet at 9:30 a.m., Aug. 8, in Conference Room 2 North, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines.
Southwest Iowa hidden treasure boasts nature

Southwest Iowa hidden treasure boasts nature

  • 7/10/2019 11:26:00 AM
  • View Count 3982
Hamburg, Iowa –Eli Slusher Wildlife Area, south of Waubonsie State Park in Fremont County, offers a wild and rugged get-away-from-it-all kind of experience.
6 ways to help monarchs in your own backyard

6 ways to help monarchs in your own backyard

  • 7/5/2019 4:52:00 PM
  • View Count 11308
One of the most recognized pollinators, monarchs travel more than 3,000 miles each year to come visit Iowa for the summer. With declining numbers over the last decade, here are some ways you can help these beautiful orange and black butterflies:
Habitat rich Cardinal Marsh offers visitors year round outdoor fun

Habitat rich Cardinal Marsh offers visitors year round outdoor fun

  • 7/2/2019 11:37:00 AM
  • View Count 4710
Cardinal Marsh Wildlife Area checks a lot of the outdoor recreation boxes in its nearly 1,200 acres. With its mix of hardwood timber, native prairie, network of marshes and a winding river, this public area on the west edge of Winneshiek County offers a high quality natural getaway away from the crowds.
Zebra mussels found in Crystal Lake

Zebra mussels found in Crystal Lake

  • 6/25/2019 12:49:00 PM
  • View Count 3173
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is closely monitoring Crystal Lake for zebra mussels after recent discoveries of juveniles in a water sample and two individuals on a sampling plate used to monitor for zebra mussels. No adult zebra mussels were found during a follow-up survey.
Opportunity in Linn County to get acquainted with the rusty-patched bumblebee

Opportunity in Linn County to get acquainted with the rusty-patched bumblebee

  • 6/4/2019 2:06:00 PM
  • View Count 5947
Cedar Rapids – Iowa is one of the few states remaining that is home to the rusty-patched bumblebee, the first bee to be listed as federally endangered in the United States. Biologists have been working to identify the species’ status in the state and on August 3rd, they are asking for the public’s help.
Public wildlife areas add to recreation options at Three Mile and Twelve Mile lakes

Public wildlife areas add to recreation options at Three Mile and Twelve Mile lakes

  • 6/4/2019 2:05:00 PM
  • View Count 3315
The reputation of Three Mile Lake and Twelve Mile Lake as a fishing destination is well known around the Midwest – and beyond. These two lakes, separated by two miles, are panfish and walleye heavyweights that draw anglers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Missouri and Nebraska eager for a chance to fill their bag limits.
Fawning season is here, deer are on the move

Fawning season is here, deer are on the move

  • 5/28/2019 12:23:00 PM
  • View Count 4769
The calls have been coming in to field offices and conservation officers for the past few weeks and will only increase as the calendar flips to June - the peak fawning season is right around the corner.
Is it okay to look in a bird's nest?

Is it okay to look in a bird's nest?

  • 5/8/2019 12:46:00 PM
  • View Count 6104
This time of year is very busy outdoors. Birds are in the process of building and rebuilding nests, sitting on eggs or taking care of their young. Not all birds nest at the same time. Some start as early as mid-February, such as great horned owls. And some as late as August, such as the American goldfinch.
Dudgeon Lake wildlife area remains popular despite 2011 storm

Dudgeon Lake wildlife area remains popular despite 2011 storm

  • 5/7/2019 2:34:00 PM
  • View Count 3099
It’s been nearly eight years since the Derecho blew through Benton County, but the impact of that storm on Dudgeon Lake Wildlife Area is still easily visible off Hwy. 150. The popular 1,800-acre public area on the north edge of Vinton was in the path of the powerful storm packing 110-130 mile per hour winds, knocking down buildings, powerlines and trees on July 11, 2011.
Leave wildlife babies where they belong --- In the wild

Leave wildlife babies where they belong --- In the wild

  • 4/30/2019 11:44:00 AM
  • View Count 6384
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."
Bat survey looking for volunteers

Bat survey looking for volunteers

  • 4/23/2019 3:19:00 PM
  • View Count 2639
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers interested in performing night time surveys for bats in Dubuque, Lucas, Jackson, Warren and Clayton counties. 
May is Invasive Species Awareness Month

May is Invasive Species Awareness Month

  • 4/23/2019 3:11:00 PM
  • View Count 4400
In an effort to increase awareness of invasive species and the impact they have on Iowa’s ecosystems and economy, Governor Kim Reynolds recently proclaimed May as Invasive Species Awareness Month in Iowa.
Acoustic Monitoring Survey for Iowa's Nine Bat Species

Acoustic Monitoring Survey for Iowa's Nine Bat Species

  • 4/23/2019 8:45:00 AM
  • View Count 6210
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers interested in performing night time surveys for bats in Dubuque, Lucas, Jackson, Warren and Clayton counties
Southwest Iowa will be home to 14 new trumpeter swans on May 9 and 10

Southwest Iowa will be home to 14 new trumpeter swans on May 9 and 10

  • 4/16/2019 2:53:00 PM
  • View Count 2851
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will release 14 trumpeter swans at three locations in southwest Iowa as part of the effort to create a self-sustaining population of swans south of Interstate 80. All releases will occur rain or shine.
Annual spring wildlife survey underway

Annual spring wildlife survey underway

  • 4/9/2019 12:07:00 PM
  • View Count 3117
Ordinarily, a slow moving vehicle at night in the Iowa countryside spotlighting deer, raccoons or coyotes would send Iowans to their phone, speed-dialing their local conservation officer, but in this case, it may be the officer doing the shining.
Prairie Chicken Restoration Efforts in Iowa

Prairie Chicken Restoration Efforts in Iowa

  • 4/2/2019 2:03:00 PM
  • View Count 9129
Greater Prairie Chickens (Tympancichus cupido pinnatus) commonly nested in Iowa until about 1900. In the 1880s prairie chickens were the most abundant gamebird on Iowa’s prairies.
Prairie Chicken Day is April 6

Prairie Chicken Day is April 6

  • 3/19/2019 11:50:00 AM
  • View Count 3197
Kellerton, Iowa - The first rhythmic and haunting cooing begins as the night sky fades and sunrise begins. The short grass prairie booming grounds prepares for a display found nowhere else in Iowa.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

  • 3/18/2019 12:42:00 PM
  • View Count 2624
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Black Hawk Wildlife Unit in Sac, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Crawford and Ida counties.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning

  • 3/18/2019 8:31:00 AM
  • View Count 3042
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 Buena Vista, Clay, Emmet, Palo Alto and Kossuth counties.
How to identify Iowa's eagles

How to identify Iowa's eagles

  • 3/5/2019 10:38:00 AM
  • View Count 14677
Eagles are essentially massive hawks that are often seen perched in the open or soaring on very long broad wings.
Cool things you should know about jackrabbits

Cool things you should know about jackrabbits

  • 3/5/2019 9:29:00 AM
  • View Count 20329
Once a well-known resident of Iowa’s grasslands, the white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) calls Iowa home in much lower numbers today due to loss of habitat. However, they still remain one of Iowa’s most interesting mammals!
Wildlife in the Wood Shop

Wildlife in the Wood Shop

  • 2/26/2019 9:39:00 AM
  • View Count 6457
No, not the occasional rogue chipmunk that finds a way in and runs amok. We’re referring to building projects that help wildlife and which you can undertake in the coziness of your heated wood shop, while the snow flies outside.
Sport the plates that support the resources

Sport the plates that support the resources

  • 2/20/2019 7:58:00 AM
  • View Count 3919
Iowans can put their support for conservation on cruise control by purchasing a natural resources license plate when it’s time to renew their vehicle registration.
Bald Eagle Midwinter Survey results are in

Bald Eagle Midwinter Survey results are in

  • 2/7/2019 4:19:00 PM
  • View Count 6121
Iowa is one of the most important wintering grounds for Bald Eagles with thousands of the huge raptors moving into the state from the north to join our resident breeding birds.  Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan all have some of the highest densities of nesting Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states and many of those eagles, especially from MN and WI move into Iowa during the winter months and frequently gather in large numbers around areas of open water to feed and roost. 
How Iowa's wildlife deals with extreme cold

How Iowa's wildlife deals with extreme cold

  • 1/29/2019 10:34:00 AM
  • View Count 12920
When wind chills dip so low that they can lead to frostbite in just minutes - you might be wondering how Iowa’s wildlife survives such brutal cold. Step back from the bread, eggs and milk aisles to learn how everything from mice to deer ride out the storm!
Iowa citizens playing key role in tracking bald eagle nests and frog and toad populations

Iowa citizens playing key role in tracking bald eagle nests and frog and toad populations

  • 1/22/2019 11:40:00 AM
  • View Count 4378
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. A volunteer stands clipboard in hand, ear cocked, mentally sorting out each of the calling species which are using this seemingly ordinary pond. 
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