Indian Creek Nature Center is hosting an event on Trumpeter Swans on Feb. 4, from 1 to 4 p.m., at Amazing Space at Indian Creek Nature Center, 5300 Otis Road SE, in Cedar Rapids.
The event is open to the public, but registration is required. Cost is $12 for adult members of Indian Creek Nature Center; $15 non-members; $5 per child; children aged 2 and under are free. For more information and tickets go to https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/trumpeter-swans-an-iowa-comeback-story/ Walk-in participants are not accepted.
Learn from experts in this area of conservation, and bring the kids along to participate in this family friendly event which includes several crafts and activities. Join in for a preview of “Return of the Trumpeter Swans” a North American film documentary produced by Steve Harryman
Hot cocoa and coffee will be provided. After the program, guests have the option to view a pair of trumpeter swans at Kirkwood Community College. Attendees are responsible for their own transportation.
As North America’s largest waterfowl species, these magnificent all-white birds can weigh up to 32 pounds with an eight-foot wingspan. Once common to Iowa, by the late 1880s they were gone from the state and, in the early 1930s, only 69 remained in the lower 48 states.
Beginning in 1993, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources developed a plan to restore trumpeter swans to the state. After 115 years of absence, the first modern day hatch of three wild trumpeter swan cygnets occurred in 1998 in Dubuque County. Additional nest attempts and successful broods have continued to occur and increase throughout Iowa since. More than 1,200 swans have been released as part of the program.
This event is sponsored by Indian Creek Nature Center, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Kirkwood Community College, Iowa Wildlife Federation and the Trumpeter Swan Society. Plan to dress for the weather, as some activities will take place outdoors.
For more information or questions, contact Andria Cossolotto, Indian Creek Nature Center Education Manager, (319) 362-0664 Ext. 306, or David Hoffman, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 641-425-0737 or David.Hoffman@dnr.iowa.gov.