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Trout in the Classroom

Trout in the Classroom

  • 1/27/2015 4:52:00 AM
  • View Count 6076
Some classes have a pet hamster or guinea pig. But some northeast Iowa classes have trout—and they’re raising them from eggs and releasing them in Iowa streams. A national Trout Unlimited program, Trout in the Classroom, allows students to raise fish and learn about their habitat and the importance of clean water.

Cooperation builds lasting results at North Bear Creek

  • 1/26/2015 5:48:00 AM
  • View Count 5611
When the hit film A River Runs Through It was released in 1992, it helped rejuvenate local economies and waterways in northeast Iowa, as the beauty and skill showcased so vividly in the film helped inspire more than half a million trips to trout streams, injecting more than $14 million into Iowa’s economy every year.
Tips for Better Winter Bird Feeding

Tips for Better Winter Bird Feeding

  • 1/15/2015 10:37:00 AM
  • View Count 18859
If winter cold and snow drive you indoors, open a colorful cold-weather window with hours of bird-watching entertainment. Iowans spend more than $300 million annually watching wildlife, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Much of that comes from feeding birds, especially through our cold weather months. Use these tips to attract the most birds.
Tips for Spotting Bald Eagles this Winter

Tips for Spotting Bald Eagles this Winter

  • 1/9/2015 10:18:00 AM
  • View Count 11057
Winter is the best time in Iowa to spot a majestic bald eagle soaring overhead or swooping down to the water to catch a fish.
Make Your Own Winter Survival Kit

Make Your Own Winter Survival Kit

  • 1/9/2015 9:58:00 AM
  • View Count 7890
Winter outdoor lovers should take extra travel precautions as rural and natural areas can put you alone against the elements during emergencies. A skid into a ditch, mechanical problems, black ice, drifting snow or sudden storms can lead to unplanned, dangerous situations in areas where passersby are rare.
What Do Snakes Do in the Winter?

What Do Snakes Do in the Winter?

  • 1/9/2015 5:43:00 AM
  • View Count 15852
Snakes, being cold-blooded, rely on their surroundings to regulate body temperature. Like other ectothermic animals, they bask in the sun to warm up, seek shade or water to cool down. So, when conditions are not conducive for temperature regulation, they brumate.
Cool Things You Should Know About Deer

Cool Things You Should Know About Deer

  • 1/9/2015 4:56:00 AM
  • View Count 21646
Even though the white-tailed deer is one of Iowa’s most well-known critters, here are some cool facts you may not know about deer.
Iowa Winter Treks and Trails to Test Those Fitness Trackers

Iowa Winter Treks and Trails to Test Those Fitness Trackers

  • 1/7/2015 8:59:00 AM
  • View Count 11409
If you’re looking for a way to put that new fitness tracker to the test and you’re sick of walking circles at the gym, take it outside and try some of these top winter trail activities in Iowa’s state parks, recreation areas and forests.
Four Animals You Didn’t Know Lived In Iowa

Four Animals You Didn’t Know Lived In Iowa

  • 1/7/2015 4:04:00 AM
  • View Count 81892
Before Europeans began settling in Iowa, our landscape looked much different – not just the vista views of prairies and oak savannas, but the wildlife that called it home. You’d be hard pressed to find many elk, bison, black bear or lynx in the Iowa wild today, but not that long ago, they roamed our state.
Myth Busters: Do Cold-blooded Animals Get Cancer?

Myth Busters: Do Cold-blooded Animals Get Cancer?

  • 1/6/2015 10:29:00 AM
  • View Count 8098
Cold-blooded animals like snakes, fish and sharks do get cancer, likely from polluted waters and foreign substances. While many questions still surround this issue, scientists hope the unique ways these animals deal with cancer might give hope for cancer treatments and possible cures in humans.
New Year's Iowa Checklist: Where to Go, What to Do Month By Month

New Year's Iowa Checklist: Where to Go, What to Do Month By Month

  • 1/6/2015 7:42:00 AM
  • View Count 22342
It’s a New Year. I don’t do resolutions. So, call this a New Year's Outdoor Checklist; places or events across Iowa for each month. Most are return trips for me; worth a second or seventieth visit. A couple, I haven’t taken the time yet to check out. Maybe it will remind you of a few special outdoor ports of call, in the months ahead.
Do you know Iowa's largest fish?

Do you know Iowa's largest fish?

  • 12/26/2014 9:58:00 AM
  • View Count 20737
While Iowa anglers have reeled in a 93-pound bighead carp and a 101-pound blue catfish, neither of those can dethrone Iowa’s largest official state record fish.
Mush your way through Iowa with dogsledding this winter

Mush your way through Iowa with dogsledding this winter

  • 12/23/2014 7:31:00 AM
  • View Count 12306
Grab a pair of mukluks and hit the trails, towed by a team of hard-working huskies. Hunkered down under a toasty pile of blankets provided by avid musher Ginger Plummer, families can taste travel adventure at its best with a 3-mile jaunt down the Great Western Trail in Warren County.
Explore Iowa's Palaces on Ice - Ice Fishing Shacks

Explore Iowa's Palaces on Ice - Ice Fishing Shacks

  • 12/19/2014 5:22:00 AM
  • View Count 29847
For these ice anglers, the best way to beat cabin fever just means getting to their own cabin of sorts – the ice shack. And today’s ice shacks are swank ways to get away in the winter.
What's the Best Iowa Fish for the Dinner Plate?

What's the Best Iowa Fish for the Dinner Plate?

  • 12/18/2014 10:53:00 AM
  • View Count 13872
For many anglers, there’s nothing better than a shore lunch or a good old-fashioned fish fry. But as to which fish are the best to eat, as opposed to the most fun to catch, is another debate altogether. Here are some facts and recipes for three of Iowa’s favorite fish to grace the dining table.
Create Your Own Gift Bags from Stunning Iowa Outdoors Photos

Create Your Own Gift Bags from Stunning Iowa Outdoors Photos

  • 12/12/2014 10:22:00 AM
  • View Count 8085
Expert crafter Shelene Codner wanted a way to show off the fantastic nature photography featured in the calendar issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine - so she turned the pages of last year's calendar into reusable gift bags, perfect for the holidays or any gift-giving occasion.
Four Creative Ways to Use Venison

Four Creative Ways to Use Venison

  • 12/10/2014 8:24:00 AM
  • View Count 15668
If you harvested your first deer this season or maybe are just looking for new ideas to put on the table, try our time-tested favorite recipes, pulled from the pages of Iowa Outdoors magazine and the Iowa Game Wardens’ Cookbook.
Take a Winter Getaway in an Iowa State Park Cabin

Take a Winter Getaway in an Iowa State Park Cabin

  • 12/5/2014 9:11:00 AM
  • View Count 6356
From November through April, you can rent cabins at state parks for two-day minimums (instead of the week-long requirement during peak season). And you’ll still get to take advantage of hiking trails (many allow cross-country skiing and snowmobiling), wildlife watching (deer and birds aplenty!), ice fishing and more.
Why Don’t Fish Freeze in the Winter?

Why Don’t Fish Freeze in the Winter?

  • 12/5/2014 8:40:00 AM
  • View Count 27154
Stepping out into the deep freeze that is Iowa in the winter, it can be hard to believe that much can make it in the often below-zero temperatures. And with ice so thick that heavy-duty trucks can drive out on a lake, how can a fish possibly survive below?
Take a Winter Getaway in an Iowa State Park Cabin

Take a Winter Getaway in an Iowa State Park Cabin

  • 12/5/2014 5:16:00 AM
  • View Count 10759
From November through April, you can rent cabins at state parks for two-day minimums (instead of the week-long requirement during peak season). And you’ll still get to take advantage of hiking trails (many allow cross-country skiing and snowmobiling), wildlife watching (deer and birds aplenty!), ice fishing and more.
Four tips for calling geese

Four tips for calling geese

  • 12/3/2014 10:00:00 AM
  • View Count 5901
If you’re looking for ways to improve your goose calling before the season ends, check out these tips.
Six tips for cold-weather trout fishing

Six tips for cold-weather trout fishing

  • 12/3/2014 9:29:00 AM
  • View Count 34806
If you want to fish this winter in Iowa without stepping out on the ice, check out northeast Iowa’s trout streams, which rarely freeze and are open for fishing year-round. Or if you’re not able to make the trip, we stock a number of urban lakes statewide with trout for a new fishing experience through the ice.
Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Otters

Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Otters

  • 11/26/2014 6:42:00 AM
  • View Count 23271
They may look cute and cuddly, but don’t let the playfulness of Iowa’s river otters trick you. Otters are serious swimmers and fearless, voracious predators. Here are some cool facts you may not have known about Iowa’s swimming weasels.
Get Creative This Thanksgiving with Wild Game

Get Creative This Thanksgiving with Wild Game

  • 11/19/2014 5:49:00 AM
  • View Count 12637
Not all Thanksgiving turkeys come from the grocery store. If you’re preparing your own wild turkey this Thanksgiving – or living on the extra wild side and trying goose, duck or other wild game instead – you’ll want to check out these recipes, favorites of DNR staff.
Tips for Cold Weather Paddling in Iowa

Tips for Cold Weather Paddling in Iowa

  • 11/18/2014 6:47:00 AM
  • View Count 30123
Not even cold temperatures are enough to keep the hardiest kayakers and canoers inside. If you can find open water, use these tips for safe cold-weather paddling to enjoy a trip on the water any time of year.
Best Iowa State Parks for Fall and Winter Wildlife Viewing

Best Iowa State Parks for Fall and Winter Wildlife Viewing

  • 11/14/2014 9:18:00 AM
  • View Count 7918
Cooler temperatures in Iowa don’t have to mean hibernation – if you like watching Iowa’s wildlife, there are still sights to be seen in late fall and winter! Grab the binoculars and camera and get ready for a quiet drive or crisp hike to watch birds, waterfowl, deer and turkey.
Tips for Selecting the Right Bow

Tips for Selecting the Right Bow

  • 11/13/2014 3:39:00 AM
  • View Count 14213
If you’ve decided to take up bowhunting or bowfishing – or maybe you’ve been inspired by Katniss Everdeen to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow – you’ll need to have the right equipment. If you’re just starting, the best way to find a bow is to take an experienced archer or hunter with you to an experienced archery shop. Use these tips to find the right bow for you.
6 Cool Things You Should Know About Spiders

6 Cool Things You Should Know About Spiders

  • 10/30/2014 9:05:00 AM
  • View Count 30684
Possibly the creepiest and crawliest of all Iowa’s critters, spiders are an often misunderstood and undervalued part of nature in Iowa.
6 Cool Things You Should Know About Bats in Iowa

6 Cool Things You Should Know About Bats in Iowa

  • 10/28/2014 10:39:00 AM
  • View Count 37091
Bats show up everywhere this time of year as people decorate for Halloween, but bats are nothing to be afraid of. Really, we just think they’re scary cool, and here’s why.
6 Cool Things You Should Know About Snakes

6 Cool Things You Should Know About Snakes

  • 10/28/2014 8:37:00 AM
  • View Count 31295
One of Iowa’s most misunderstood creatures, snakes are a vital part of our ecosystem. Undeserving of a reputation as one of Iowa’s scariest critters, snakes serve an important role in nature.
Tips and Tricks for Making the Most of Fall Fishing in Iowa

Tips and Tricks for Making the Most of Fall Fishing in Iowa

  • 10/10/2014 10:36:00 AM
  • View Count 15223
As we creep further into autumn, fish are going on a feeding frenzy to prepare for winter and next spring’s spawn. Fish get into predictable patterns, making them easier to locate. For anglers, that means some of the best fishing of the year –second only to spring – and a great chance at hooking a trophy fish.
Six Fish You Didn’t Know Existed in Iowa

Six Fish You Didn’t Know Existed in Iowa

  • 9/19/2014 4:26:00 PM
  • View Count 21231
You might know a largemouth bass from a smallmouth bass, a crappie from a bluegill – but how about a pirate perch and a trout-perch? What is a slimy sculpin anyway? Read on to learn about Iowa’s lesser-known and rarely seen fish.
6 Tips for Geocaching Newbies

6 Tips for Geocaching Newbies

  • 9/5/2014 4:01:00 AM
  • View Count 10747
If a high-tech treasure hunt in the great outdoors sounds fun to you, it’s time to try geocaching, and what better place to start than an Iowa state park?
Five water trails to explore this fall

Five water trails to explore this fall

  • 9/4/2014 10:11:00 AM
  • View Count 7468
If you’re looking to blaze a new trail this fall, consider hitting the water for something different. Iowa boasts a number of water trails, which offer a unique perspective on Iowa in autumn, from changing fall colors to wildlife.
How to Build Your Own Rain Barrel, Step-by-Step

How to Build Your Own Rain Barrel, Step-by-Step

  • 9/2/2014 8:14:00 AM
  • View Count 92767
If you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective way to water your plants and garden without connecting the hose to the tap, a rain barrel can help you collect and recycle rainwater.
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