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DNR News Releases

5 cool things you should know about walleye

• 6/23/2020 3:06:00 PM
• View Count 15716

With their slender bodies and sharp teeth, walleye are an angler’s favorite. Here are five cool facts about these gilled guys:

Meet Phyllis Kimball, a Monarch Champion

• 6/22/2020 2:33:00 PM
• View Count 6544

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.

DNR responds to fertilizer spill in Dubuque

• 6/18/2020 12:07:00 PM
• View Count 3948

DUBUQUE—DNR staff are investigating a large fertilizer spill on the east side of Dubuque.

Public comment period for proposed rulemaking for aquatic life water quality criteria

• 6/18/2020 12:06:00 PM
• View Count 2860

DES MOINES - A public comment period will be closing June 23, 2020 for a proposed amendment that updates the current aquatic life water quality criteria with the latest scientific information on metal toxicity.

Safety tips to enjoy fireworks, protect sensitive people

• 6/18/2020 12:05:00 PM
• View Count 3616

As much as we love fireworks displays, drifting smoke can cause breathing problems for some and large crowds may pose a risk this year.

DNR enforcement actions

• 6/18/2020 12:04:00 PM
• View Count 1749

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions.

Heritage Hills is developing into a destination public area 45 miles south of Des Moines

• 6/16/2020 1:47:00 PM
• View Count 5889

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. 

Road construction project to begin at Big Creek State Park

• 6/16/2020 1:45:00 PM
• View Count 2574

A new road construction project at Big Creek State Park will begin this week, according to DNR park staff.

Iowa’s 2020 pheasant nesting outlook positive after mild winter

• 6/16/2020 1:42:00 PM
• View Count 7726

Iowa’s recent mild winter and dryer than normal April and May could lead to positive results for pheasant hunters this fall. Hen survival increases during mild winters, and more hens mean more nests and more nests typically means more pheasants in the fall.

Field to Fork program accepting applications for deer hunting workshop

• 6/16/2020 1:41:00 PM
• View Count 4485

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to hunt, butcher and cook wild deer to individuals who have little to no deer hunting experience.

Iowa fisheries biologist selected for Award of Merit

• 6/16/2020 1:32:00 PM
• View Count 2983

Iowa fisheries biologist Ben Wallace recently received the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Management Section Award of Merit for his efforts in community based watershed management and lake restoration projects.

DNR conservation officer and park ranger help rescue stranded boaters at Big Creek

• 6/16/2020 1:30:00 PM
• View Count 2677

POLK CITY, Iowa – On Sunday, June 14, a DNR conservation officer and a DNR park ranger responded to a group of three stranded boaters at Big Creek. 

DNR officers help overturned personal watercraft on Lake Manawa

• 6/16/2020 1:28:00 PM
• View Count 2312

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The DNR and Council Bluffs Fire Department were notified of a personal watercraft that had overturned on Lake Manawa, Sunday, June 14. 

DNR park manager and rescue crews locate deaf woman missing in state park

• 6/11/2020 1:45:00 PM
• View Count 4696

MCGREGOR, Iowa -- On Saturday, June 6, around 3:30pm, Iowa DNR Parks staff received a report of a deaf woman that was lost and possibly injured at Pikes Peak State Park.

DNR announces food storage capacity grant offering

• 6/11/2020 1:27:00 PM
• View Count 2751

DES MOINES — The DNR is offering a new grant opportunity to help address food waste, an issue that negatively impacts environmental, economic and social sustainability in Iowa and across the country.

DNR enforcement actions

• 6/11/2020 1:26:00 PM
• View Count 2316

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. The following list summarizes recent enforcement actions.

New opportunities encourage Iowans to visit state parks, support local tourism this summer

• 6/11/2020 9:33:00 AM
• View Count 5573

The Iowa Tourism Office and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources today announced two new opportunities for Iowans to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowa state parks and also to support tourism attractions and businesses impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

Skip the Paperwork by using DNR Payment Portal for Title V Emissions Fees

• 6/11/2020 9:31:00 AM
• View Count 2378

For your convenience, DNR launched a new online payment portal for facilities to pay annual Title V fees. Go to https://programs.iowadnr.gov/payments/ and search for the facility by emission inventory questionnaire (EIQ) number, facility identification number, or facility name as it appears in the State & Local Emissions Inventory System (SLEIS).

DNR urges caution, safety on Iowa waters and beaches

• 6/10/2020 10:51:00 AM
• View Count 16770

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is urging everyone on Iowa waterways or at public beaches to use caution and exercise all safety measures to ensure a safe and enjoyable time.

Bat Survey Looking for Volunteers

• 6/9/2020 3:23:00 PM
• View Count 3311

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers interested in performing night time surveys for bats in Hamilton and Marshall counties. 

Forney Lake Wildlife Area offers outdoor recreation all year long

• 6/9/2020 3:21:00 PM
• View Count 6053

Thurman, Iowa - Sitting 30 miles south of Council Bluffs is a been-here-forever, old school kind of place that has been attracting duck hunters from across southwest Iowa for more than 100 years. Forney Lake Wildlife Area, acquired by the State of Iowa from the Forney family in 1943, has become a 1,317-acre public land mix of natural wetlands and Loess Hills bluffs, bisected by Bluff Road, in northwest Fremont County.

Acoustic Monitoring Survey for Iowa's Nine Bat Species

• 6/8/2020 11:05:00 AM
• View Count 2658

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.

Natural Resource Commission to meet via teleconference on June 11

• 6/5/2020 1:36:00 PM
• View Count 2221

Des Moines, Iowa – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold its monthly meeting via teleconference at 8:30 a.m., on June 11.

DNR investigating wastewater discharge in Fort Dodge

• 6/5/2020 9:14:00 AM
• View Count 2645

FORT DODGE, Iowa - DNR environmental specialists responded to a wastewater discharge to surface water between the Fort Dodge Industrial Park and the City of Fort Dodge on Thursday.

Air Quality permits under review

• 6/4/2020 12:46:00 PM
• View Count 2020

DES MOINES – The DNR Air Quality Bureau has the following draft permits up for review. The permits help protect Iowans’ health and air quality. DNR’s permitting staff review each permit application to ensure facilities comply with state and federal air quality requirements.

DNR enforcement actions

• 6/4/2020 12:45:00 PM
• View Count 2579

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. The following list summarizes recent enforcement actions.

Water Summary Update: May rainfall about normal for Iowa

• 6/4/2020 12:43:00 PM
• View Count 2478

DES MOINES — While rainfall was about normal in May for the state, on average, a wide band across the central part of the state was drier than normal, while the north, south, and eastern edges were wetter, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Contracts dominate Environmental Protection Commission June meeting

• 6/4/2020 12:42:00 PM
• View Count 2013

DES MOINES – June is always the contract meeting for the Environmental Protection Commission, and this year is no exception.

Air Toxics Update: Vegetable Oil Production

• 6/4/2020 8:44:00 AM
• View Count 2658

EPA recently updated several federal regulations for hazardous air pollutants (also known as HAP or air toxics). EPA’s actions address the Risk and Technology Review (RTR) required under the U.S. Clean Air Act.

Celebrate a child’s first fish

• 6/2/2020 12:52:00 PM
• View Count 4530

Preserve the memory of your child or grandchild hooking their first fish this summer with a special certificate. Print the certificate yourself from an electronic file posted online or request a printed certificate.

Take a walk in Iowa State Parks: 20 Walks in 2020

• 6/2/2020 11:46:00 AM
• View Count 7638

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowa state parks, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources DNR partnered with three organizations, the Iowa Walking Club, the Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers, and Iowa Parklands, to create 5k and 10k walking routes in 20 Iowa state parks.

DNR conservation officers to host inspection day in eastern Iowa

• 6/2/2020 11:45:00 AM
• View Count 2423

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Iowa Department of Natural Resources conservation officers will host an inspection day this weekend for anyone unable to get inspections completed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Iowa State Parks open more facilities across the state

• 6/2/2020 11:43:00 AM
• View Count 4780

DES MOINES, IA – This week, more facilities are open in Iowa state parks according to the Governor’s proclamation.

Lost Grove Wildlife Area is living up to high expectations

• 6/2/2020 11:42:00 AM
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Eastern Iowa’s newest public wildlife area is also one of its most popular.

Iowa DNR to track sandhill cranes as part of pilot study

• 6/2/2020 11:40:00 AM
• View Count 7109

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.

New DNR Payment Portal for Title V Emission Fees

• 6/1/2020 9:19:00 AM
• View Count 2861

For your convenience, DNR launched a new online payment portal for facilities to pay annual Title V fees.

Spring Gardening For Pollinators, Beauty And Much More

• 5/28/2020 2:00:00 PM
• View Count 6490

Early spring is the time to plan a pollinator garden to turn desolate lawns into gorgeous habitat havens.

DNR Derelict Building Grant Program awards funding to 12 rural Iowa communities

• 5/28/2020 12:20:00 PM
• View Count 3496

DES MOINES – Twelve small, rural Iowa communities have received grants from the DNR’s Derelict Building Grant Program to help deconstruct or renovate abandoned structures, remove asbestos and limit construction and demolition materials going to the landfill.

Join in on the family fun of fishing during free fishing weekend

• 5/26/2020 1:14:00 PM
• View Count 19190

Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license on June 5, 6 and 7 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place.

Fawning season is underway, watch for deer to be on the move

• 5/26/2020 1:12:00 PM
• View Count 4472

Fawning season is here which means car deer collisions will likely tick up and calls to conservation groups about abandoned fawns will begin.

Fogle Lake Wildlife Area is Southern Iowa’s outdoor recreation secret

• 5/26/2020 1:11:00 PM
• View Count 7566

Diagonal, Iowa - Tucked away on the northwest corner of the small town of Diagonal, sits a nearly 400-acre recreation destination that is part lake, part park and a whole lot of wildlife area.

DNR investigating boat explosion at Saylorville Lake

• 5/26/2020 1:08:00 PM
• View Count 2638

JOHNSTON, Iowa – At approximately 4:45pm on Monday, May 25, DNR conservation officers responded to a boat explosion on Saylorville Lake. 

Sycamore Boat Ramp closed due dangerous current

• 5/24/2020 12:37:00 PM
• View Count 3055

JOHNSTON, Iowa – High waters and construction around the Sycamore Boat Ramp near the I-80 bridge is forcing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the ramp until construction is complete.

DNR investigating death at Palisades-Kepler State Park

• 5/24/2020 12:34:00 PM
• View Count 3335

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - On Friday, May 22, around 3:45pm, the DNR was notified of a person who had fallen on a trail at Palisades-Kepler State Park and had lacerations to his head.

Personal watercrafts collide on Mississippi River causing injury

• 5/22/2020 8:48:00 AM
• View Count 2556

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, Iowa – On May 20, 2020 at approximately 4:50pm, Lansing first responders were dispatched to collision between two personal watercrafts (PWC) in the main channel on the Mississippi River, just north of Lansing.

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