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DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: Loess HillsReturn

DNR to host open house to discuss Loess Hills State Forest Wildfire Restoration Plans

• 9/19/2023 2:13:00 PM
• View Count 3678

PISGAH -- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public open house on Monday, Sept. 25, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Brent S. Olson Memorial Visitor Center.

Long-term project is bringing prairie back to hard to get to places of the Loess Hills

• 6/6/2023 2:13:00 PM
• View Count 2152

“Limb’n and chunk’n in pieces your swampers can move,” yelled Doug Chafa in what sounded like secret code known only to the 30 or so select people who happened to be dressed in chainsaw chaps, long sleeve shirts, hard hats and gloves.

DNR to host open house to discuss Loess Hills Wildlife Area forest wildlife stewardship plan

• 11/23/2021 2:30:00 PM
• View Count 1422

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public open house on Dec. 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Turin Community Center, at 310 Hwy 175, in Turin, to discuss a proposed forest wildlife stewardship plan at the Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

5 cool things you should know about Iowa State Forests

• 5/21/2020 2:28:00 PM
• View Count 12471

As some of Iowa’s most remote and peaceful areas, state forests are different from parks because their primary goal is management of woodland resources. Forests can be overlooked recreation destinations because of their rustic amenities, but nature lovers who visit will find countless opportunities for outdoor fun. Iowa forests offer hundreds of miles of hiking trails, bird watching, fishing, hunting and even primitive camping. 

Turin Wildlife Area is another Loess Hills treasure

• 10/15/2019 11:32:00 AM
• View Count 4097

Turin, Iowa - Just north of the small town of Turin in central Monona County is a place where the threatened plains pocket mouse lives with legendary Iowa stags, rare plants and animals can be found, and volunteers come to help restore the landscape to more closely resemble what was here when western Iowa was settled.

5 hidden surprises at Stone State Park

• 5/23/2019 11:45:00 AM
• View Count 9476

Nestled in the northern portion of Iowa’s Loess Hills overlooking the South Dakota and Iowa border, Stone State Park is rich in local history, diverse plant life and rugged terrain.

Meeting to discuss proposed bird conservation area in Lower Loess Hills set for Aug. 17

• 8/1/2017 11:46:00 AM
• View Count 3291

HAMBURG – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will discuss its proposed designation of the region that includes Waubonsie State Park and Riverton and Forney Lake wildlife areas as a state Bird Conservation Area (BCA) at a public meeting on Aug. 17. 

Loess Hills Visitors Center renamed for longtime forester

• 6/6/2017 11:34:00 AM
• View Count 3974

A dedication ceremony will be held at the Loess Hills State Forest Visitors’ Center this Thursday, June 8, 3-5 p.m. The center will be officially named the Brent S. Olson Memorial Visitor Center in recognition of Olson, forester for the area who died last December following a long battle with cancer.

Loess Hills Wildlife Area and State Forest Becoming a Bird Conservation Area

• 5/17/2016 12:21:00 PM
• View Count 7048

CASTANA, Iowa – A public ceremony to dedicate the Loess Hills Wildlife Area, Loess Hills State Forest, Preparation Canyon State Park, and a 42 mile section of the Loess Hills (including the Loess Hills National Natural Landmark) as Iowa’s newest Bird Conservation Area (BCA) will take place on Friday, June 3 at 3 pm. 

40th Annual Loess Hills Prairie Seminar - Fascinations of the Loess Hills

• 5/3/2016 1:32:00 PM
• View Count 5436

The Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, sponsored annually by the Northwest Area Education Agency, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Monona County Conservation, is June 3-5, beginning at West Monona High School, in Onawa, and then moving to the Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area campground, near Castana.

Meeting Set to Discuss Proposed Bird Conservation Area in Loess Hills

• 3/1/2016 9:31:00 AM
• View Count 4408

PISGAH, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will discuss the proposed designation of the region including Loess Hills State Forest, Preparation Canyon State Park, and Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area as a state Bird Conservation Area (BCA) at a public meeting on March 16. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Loess Hills State Forest Visitor Center in Pisgah, two blocks west of State Hwy. 183, at 206 Polk Street.

Go Afloat with the Corps of Discovery: Lewis and Clark State Park

• 6/10/2015 9:51:00 AM
• View Count 11119

“Cast away! Cast away!” With that resounding command, bellowed stem to stern o’er land and water, the stunning 55-foot reproduction of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s Missouri-wending keelboat, Discovery, gingerly takes leave of the shores at which the explorers’ expedition arrived on Aug. 10, 1804.

A Walk on the Wild Side: Preparation Canyon and Iowa's Loess Hills

• 6/3/2015 4:34:00 AM
• View Count 15663

Visiting western Iowa’s razor-ridged Loess Hills on a hot, breezy summer afternoon that eventually succumbs to the ruling grandeur of a moonlit night is surely as intense an experience today as it was for renowned naturalist and University of Iowa professor Bohumil Shimek as he describes it in a section of the 1909 Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report.

Great Escapes: 7 of Iowa’s Best Hikes

• 5/22/2015 7:55:00 AM
• View Count 103773

Whether you’re looking to get away from civilization for a weekend or just take in some beautiful scenery for an hour or two with the family, Iowa – yes, Iowa – offers some incredible hikes in our state parks and forests.