DNR News Releases

Search for a News Release

Press/Media inquiries: PIO@dnr.iowa.gov

DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: damReturn

Homeowners may notice spring frost damage as trees start to bud

• 4/9/2024 12:42:00 PM
• View Count 840

Iowa’s early spring warm up followed by the return of below freezing evening temperatures were a shock to many trees. Some trees experienced frost damage to their newly emerging blooms or shoots.

Derecho-damaged trees focus of salvage timber sale at Pilot Knob State Park

• 9/26/2023 1:02:00 PM
• View Count 3636

FOREST CITY – A portion of Pilot Knob State Park will close Sept. 26 to allow for removal of trees in the southeast portion of the park. Visitors are asked to avoid the area east of the tower and south of the road, which will be closed for public use.

Public meeting to discuss removing Steamboat Rock Dam on Iowa River

• 7/5/2023 12:14:00 PM
• View Count 3427

STEAMBOAT ROCK - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Hardin County Conservation, the City of Steamboat Rock, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m., July 13, at the Iowa River Conservation Club Building near Pine Ridge Park.

Black Bass catch and release regulations on upper boundary of the Middle Raccoon River moved upstream

• 2/21/2023 12:02:00 PM
• View Count 4815

The Lenon Mills Dam has served as the upper boundary to the Black Bass, both smallmouth and largemouth bass, catch and release regulation in the Middle Raccoon River since it was established more than 35 years ago.

Caution urged as Iowans clean up storm damaged trees

• 7/6/2022 10:11:00 AM
• View Count 5133

State forestry experts are encouraging Iowans to proceed with caution as they are cleaning up the tree damage from Tuesday’s storms.

Round Lake Wildlife Area is a gem hidden in plain sight

• 6/28/2022 3:11:00 PM
• View Count 3680

MONDAMIN - Round Lake has to be the easiest wildlife area to get to in the state. Sitting one mile east off of I-29 at the Hwy. 127 Mondamin exit, is the 430-acre mix of wetlands, timber and prairie in western Harrison County.

Southwest Iowa's Lake Icaria offers year-round outdoor recreation

• 6/21/2022 12:44:00 PM
• View Count 3199

Corning, Iowa - Lake Icaria is a popular fishing lake in southwest Iowa’s Adams County. It’s also has a popular campground. And a popular swimming beach, and is popular for boating and for deer hunting. In fact, Lake Icaria offers year-round outdoor recreation attracting visitors from Des Moines to Council Bluffs and all across the region.

Stay Safe during storm cleanup—separate woody debris, asbestos-containing materials, trash

• 3/9/2022 3:07:00 PM
• View Count 1118

DES MOINES—Sorting disaster debris after Saturday’s tornadoes is important—both to keep cleanup teams safe and to ensure debris is disposed of properly.

Caution urged as Iowans cleanup tornado damaged trees

• 3/8/2022 1:37:00 PM
• View Count 1595

State forestry experts are encouraging Iowans to proceed with caution as they clean up tree damage from Saturday’s tornadoes.

Red Haw State Park closed due to storm damage

• 3/6/2022 1:03:00 PM
• View Count 2840

CHARITON, Iowa -- Due to extensive damage from the storm on March 5th, Red Haw State Park in Chariton will be closed until further notice. Extensive damage was sustained to the campground, where there was one fatality and one injury. Additionally, there are significant damages to the beach area, including the boat docks, the Bait House, beach shelters and a storage building.

Caution urged as Iowans cleanup damaged trees

• 12/16/2021 9:16:00 AM
• View Count 3234

State forestry experts are encouraging Iowans to proceed with caution as they begin cleaning up the tree damage from Wednesday’s storm.

Lake Macbride State Park to host meeting recapping the derecho salvage timber sale

• 5/18/2021 1:54:00 PM
• View Count 2234

SOLON - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a virtual public meeting on May 26, at 7 p.m., to discuss the sale of 58 hardwood logs salvaged from trees at Lake Macbride State Park damaged from the August 2020 derecho.

Geode State Park restoration project starts next phase

• 3/30/2021 12:44:00 PM
• View Count 1856

DANVILLE – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) closed the gate valve on the Lake Geode Dam on March 29.

Derecho damaged trees focus of proposed salvage timber sale at Walnut Woods State Park

• 2/10/2021 6:47:00 AM
• View Count 2281

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a virtual public meeting to outline a proposed salvage timber sale in Walnut Woods State Park on Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. The salvage timber sale involves trees damaged from the derecho winds in August 2020. Derecho winds damaged multiple trees within the park, which now pose a risk to park users. Each tree was evaluated according to the Iowa DNR tree risk assessment procedure.

DNR state parks making progress with derecho damage

• 9/1/2020 1:20:00 PM
• View Count 4463

Three weeks after a devastating derecho tore through a large portion of Iowa, and left major damage to residential neighborhoods, farms and cities, state parks across Iowa continue their clean-up efforts.

DNR State Forest Nursery offers options to replace derecho damaged trees

• 9/1/2020 1:13:00 PM
• View Count 4962

AMES, Iowa -- As clean-up efforts are well underway and even nearing completion in some areas following the derecho that tore through Iowa in early August, the DNR State Forest Nursery is working with customers to select the proper trees to replant in areas completely leveled by the storm.

Asbestos guidelines to follow during storm cleanup to ensure safety

• 8/21/2020 1:35:00 PM
• View Count 2249

In the aftermath of last week’s derecho, many Iowans are dealing with the clean-up of storm-damaged buildings. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides guidance related to waterfowl hunting in damaged crop fields

• 8/19/2020 7:17:00 AM
• View Count 5719

Hunters planning to hunt waterfowl in fields damaged by the derecho storm on Aug. 10 need to be aware of what has taken place in the field after the fact to stay in compliance with the regulations.

State Parks continue to assess damage, some closed indefinitely following Monday’s storm

• 8/13/2020 5:19:00 PM
• View Count 8207

The derecho that hit a large portion of Iowa on Monday, August 10 left several state parks with significant damage forcing some closures due to unsafe conditions.

Caution urged as Iowans cleanup damaged trees

• 8/13/2020 4:14:00 PM
• View Count 4024

State forestry experts are encouraging Iowans to proceed with caution as they begin cleaning up the extensive tree damage from Monday’s historic storm.

DNR to host a series of dam safety webinars

• 4/23/2020 2:17:00 PM
• View Count 2619

DES MOINES - In May, the DNR’s Dam Safety program will host four free webinars covering how dams work, how to design and maintain a dam, and more.

DNR investigating drowning on Mississippi River

• 3/23/2020 8:46:00 AM
• View Count 2565

GUTTENBERG, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a drowning that happened on March 21, around 1:30pm, near the spillway of Lock and Dam #10 on the Mississippi River.

Gates removed on Upper Iowa River dam

• 1/7/2020 12:41:00 PM
• View Count 3410

An emergency project to remove damaged gates from the southern segment of Lower Dam on the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek County is underway. The $60,000 project restores flow to nearly a mile of the Upper Iowa River that was dewatered after the dam was built.

Public invited to discuss future options for the Mon-Maq Dam on the Maquoketa River

• 3/29/2019 10:58:00 AM
• View Count 3090

Monticello – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a public open house and meeting from 6 to 8:30 p.m., April 4, at the Durgin Pavilion at Camp Courageous, near Monticello, to discuss the future of the Mon-Maq Dam and Maquoketa River.

Boaters warned to avoid the hydroelectric dam on the Des Moines River

• 3/26/2019 1:06:00 PM
• View Count 2426

Fort Dodge - The Fort Dodge Hydroelectric Dam, formerly a 16-feet high dam, has been partially removed to about five feet high.

2018 Iowa mussel blitz on the Iowa River

• 9/11/2018 1:10:00 PM
• View Count 7053

The Iowa River, from the Coralville Dam to Hills, was the focus of this year’s annual research project to inventory and map the distribution of Iowa’s mussels, often called clams. 

Rainfall, high lake water levels causing lakeshore to collapse into Iowa’s Great Lakes

• 6/26/2018 11:54:00 AM
• View Count 9351

LAKE OKOBOJI -- Due to the tremendous amounts of rainfall that have inundated Dickinson County, the Iowa Great Lakes and surrounding lakes are experiencing rising lake levels. With these rising lake levels, property owners are reporting erosion damage to shorelines.

Creston and Southern Iowa Rural Water Association customers advised to boil water

• 6/1/2018 9:56:00 AM
• View Count 6814

CRESTON - A boil advisory has been issued by the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) and Creston Water Works following issues with the filtration system at the Creston Water Treatment Plant. The SIRWA and Creston Water Works is issuing this drinking water warning to all of their customers.

PLANT SOME SHADE® tree distribution scheduled for Fort Dodge

• 5/3/2018 8:15:00 AM
• View Count 7376

FORT DODGE – Order forms are now online for MidAmerican Energy Company residential customers in the Fort Dodge area to purchase discounted trees.

Bellevue: A winter escape between the bluffs

• 2/3/2017 2:22:00 PM
• View Count 16012

Think there’s nothing to do in Iowa in deep winter? Bellevue’s abundant bald eagles, active main street and quirky lodging may change your mind.

Southern Iowa wildlife areas beginning annual fall burns to benefit wildlife

• 10/20/2016 8:27:00 AM
• View Count 4200

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to conduct prescribed burns on select wildlife areas in Ringgold, Union, Decatur, Adair, and Adams counties between October and December to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, and restore and maintain native plant communities. 

Boone Man Injured While Snowmobiling Sunday

• 2/15/2016 2:25:00 AM
• View Count 4490

BOONE – A Grand Junction man was seriously injured Sunday afternoon while snowmobiling west of Boone along U.S. Highway 30.

7 Iowa Fish With Open State Records: How to Catch a Record Fish

• 6/9/2015 10:51:00 AM
• View Count 11756

Put your name as the first entry in the history books by catching one of these seven fish species we added to the eligible State Record Fish species list in 2013. With no records for these fish currently,you can be the first to set the record! Try these tips to help you catch a record fish.