Des Moines - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting public meetings on February 21 from 6 to 9 p.m., to listen to the public’s thoughts on the hunting and trapping regulations for this fall.
These meetings are part of the process for making rules in state government.
“Any rule changes must be discussed with Iowa’s citizens who might be impacted by the changes before the rule changes are proposed. The process helps ensure that rule changes serve the public’s wishes and do not impact Iowa’s economy,” said Todd Bishop, chief of the wildlife bureau.
At each meeting DNR staff will facilitate a discussion about what went well last fall, what didn’t, and what changes hunters and trappers would like to see for this fall.
These discussions along with the data that the wildlife bureau collects on harvest and population numbers will be used to develop recommendations for any rule changes. Any changes must be approved by the Natural Resource Commission and then go back to the public for further comment before taking effect next fall.
Meetings will be held in Atlantic, Boone, Burlington, Calmar, Chariton, Council Bluffs, Creston, DeWitt, Knoxville, Lake View, Ottumwa, Peosta, Sheldon, Solon, Spencer, Tripoli and Ventura.
Any person attending the public meeting and has special requirements such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments should contact the DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.
Feb. 21 wildlife listening session locations
- Atlantic, Iowa DNR office, 1401 Sunnyside Lane
- Boone, Iowa DNR research station, 1436 255th Street
- Burlington, Public Library, 210 Court St.
- Calmar, Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Education Center, 1527 Hwy. 150South, Site #1793 in Room 114
- Chariton, Iowa DNR research station, Red Haw State Park, 24570 Hwy. 34 (White building at the Red Hawk Lake Dam)
- Council Bluffs, Fish and Game Club, 531 Comanche Street
- Creston, Southwestern Community College, 1501 West Townline, Room 180
- DeWitt, Central High School, Room 311 (near the auditorium)
- Knoxville, Red Rock Army Corps of Engineers headquarters, 1105 N Hwy. T15
- Lake View, Iowa DNR wildlife office, 116 South State Road
- Ottumwa, Ottumwa High School, 501 Second St E, Room 157
- Peosta, Northeast Iowa Community College, 8342 NICC Drive, Room 203
- Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College, 603 W Park Street, Building H, Room 519
- Solon, Solon Middle School Media Center, 1775 Racine, Solon IA
- Spencer, Iowa Lakes Community College - Spencer Campus, 1900 Grand Ave., Room 108B
- Tripoli, Tripoli High School, 209 Eighth Ave SW, ICN Room
- Ventura, Iowa DNR wildlife office, 15326 Balsam Ave.