Iowa's Deer Seasons Approved for Public Comment 4/19/2016 7:49:00 AM View Count 5622 Iowa’s proposed 2016-17 deer hunting seasons were approved for public comment Thursday by the Natural Resource Commission of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The proposal included a status quo county antlerless license quota and maintained the buck only restriction for select counties in northwest Iowa during early muzzleloader season and first shotgun season.
Record Setting Spring Walleye Netting Season 4/19/2016 7:48:00 AM View Count 14907 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ spring fish spawning season is over and Iowa’s two walleye hatcheries are filled to capacity as netting crews collected enough walleye to produce 1,048 quarts of walleye eggs at the Spirit Lake hatchery and 846 quarts at the Rathbun hatchery.
Opportunity to Submit Air Quality Client Contact Meeting Agenda Items 4/15/2016 4:57:00 AM View Count 3946 The Air Quality Bureau is accepting agenda topics for the next Air Quality Client Contact Meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for May 12 at 10:00 a.m., at the DNR’s Air Quality Bureau Office. A conference call option is also available for the meeting.
DNR Enforcement Actions 4/14/2016 8:00:00 AM View Count 5721 DES MOINES – The DNR has taken the following enforcement actions.
Ammonia Levels and Amounts Updated on Recent Clark County Manure Release 4/14/2016 7:59:00 AM View Count 4204 MURRAY – The DNR received test results Wednesday from water samples taken during an investigation of a hog manure release in Clarke County April 4 to 8.
ePermitting Customer Workshops April 20-26 4/14/2016 4:13:00 AM View Count 4501 The DNR invites you to attend an upcoming eAirPermitting Customer Workshop. We need your help to develop a new online permit application and tracking replacement for the State Permitting & Air Reporting System (SPARS).
Osprey Nesting Underway 4/12/2016 7:39:00 AM View Count 4825 Iowa’s osprey population is inching higher with 22 known nesting attempts in 2015, including three new sites: near Colfax, Independence and the Wells Fargo West Des Moines Campus in West Des Moines.
Stockdale Gun Club Hosts Collegiate Trap Championship April 30 4/12/2016 7:37:00 AM View Count 4633 Ackley, Iowa – A dozen Iowa college teams will be gunning for the 2016 collegiate trap championship on April 30 at the Stockdale Gun Club near Ackley.
Trumpeter Swans to be Released at Wayne County's Coffey Marsh 4/12/2016 7:36:00 AM View Count 4712 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will release two trumpeter swans on Coffey Marsh rain or shine at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21. The release site is located 2-1/2 miles north of Promise City on blacktop S56 at the parking lot on the east side of the road,just south of the river bridge.
Food Plots for Pheasants and Quail Provide Needed Shelter 4/12/2016 7:35:00 AM View Count 10936 Boone – Each winter, food plots of corn, sorghum, or other grains are used by all kinds of wildlife for survival.
2016 DNR Sale Set for May 21 4/12/2016 7:33:00 AM View Count 10887 DES MOINES – The Iowa DNR will hold the 2016 spring auction on May 21, at Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines. Doors will open at 6:30 a.m., and the auction will begin at 8 a.m.
Don't Wait for Memorial Day Weekend 4/12/2016 7:29:00 AM View Count 6764 Don’t wait until the first big holiday of the season to get out and enjoy an Iowa State Park. There are some really cool things to see and do happening right now, before the end of April! Here are five to inspire a trip outdoors, sooner rather than later.
Fish Hatcheries Busy Netting Walleye 4/12/2016 7:28:00 AM View Count 4732 Spirit Lake – The late night, week-long annual walleye collection is underway at Rathbun Lake, Storm Lake, Clear Lake and the Iowa Great Lakes. Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Bureau have been setting gillnets at night looking for walleyes ready to spawn.
Road Closures at Big Creek State Park 4/11/2016 9:40:00 AM View Count 4435 Des Moines – The main road into Big Creek State Park will be closed beginning Tuesday, April 12.
Natural Resource Commission to Meet April 14 in Des Moines 4/11/2016 6:11:00 AM View Count 4300 Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will meet at 9:30 a.m., on April 14, in the fourth floor conference room, Wallace State Office Building, in Des Moines.
Iowa Strategic Goals Workshop: "The Clean Power Plan, TRI Reporting & Indoor Air Quality" 4/7/2016 4:54:00 AM View Count 3988 Join us at the Iowa Strategic Goals Program (ISGP) 1-day workshop on May 3, 2016 where regulators would provide hints and tips to help you better understand what is required of your business! This workshop will provide the opportunity to meet with regulators and industry experts in a small setting where questions are welcome!
April Showers Bring May Flowers in the Latest State Forest Nursery Packet 4/5/2016 6:36:00 AM View Count 4582 DES MOINES – The Iowa DNR State Forest Nursery’s latest seedling packet, aptly called April Showers Bring May Flowers, is a mix of three water-loving tree species and two flowering species.
Iowa Boat Registrations Due April 30 4/5/2016 6:33:00 AM View Count 5104 2016 is a boat registration year and Iowans will be registering about 235,000 boats before April 30.
Many Iowa Evergreens Showing Signs of Winter Burn 4/5/2016 6:32:00 AM View Count 5913 Conifers, or evergreen trees, provide color and wind protection to the Iowa landscape during the winter months. However, this year, many of these trees are showing signs of winter desiccation, also known as winter burn.
Boater Reminder, Pull the Drain Plugs 4/5/2016 6:31:00 AM View Count 5080 Anglers and boaters are reminded to make sure to pull the drain plug as a boat leaves a ramp to avoid spreading unwanted plants or animals to other water bodies.
Air Quality Bureau Title V Workshop - April 20th and 21st 4/5/2016 5:09:00 AM View Count 3842 The Title V section of the Air Quality Bureau will be holding two sessions of a training workshop on the Title V permitting process. One session will be geared toward customers that are new to the Title V program and one will be more in depth targeting customers that are familiar with Title V. All customers are welcomed to attend either session.
Family Trout Fishing Event This Saturday at Banner Lake 4/4/2016 11:30:00 AM View Count 4605 INDIANOLA – A family trout fishing event will be held at Banner Lake South at Summerset Park, north of Indianola, this Saturday, April 9 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will release 1,400 rainbow trout around noon.
Clarke County Manure Spill Reaches Thompson River 4/4/2016 11:28:00 AM View Count 4085 MURRAY – The DNR is investigating a discharge of swine manure from a confinement sow operation in Clarke County that reached the Thompson River.
FY 2016 Fourth Quarter SRF Intended Use Plan Approved 4/1/2016 11:08:00 AM View Count 4149 The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission approved the Fourth Quarter Updates to the Intended Use Plans for fiscal year 2016. The Commission took the action on March 15 at their meeting in Ankeny, Iowa. The updates included a proposal for offering loan forgiveness to Drinking Water SRF projects involving public health impacts, water and energy efficiency, emergency generation, and disadvantaged communities. In the next couple of weeks we will prepare a fact sheet on eligibility and send out a project solicitati...
Renewal of Permit Requirements for Aquatic Pesticide Applicators 4/1/2016 11:07:00 AM View Count 3968 The DNR will hold a public hearing on the renewal of a general permit for people who apply pesticides to Iowa waters April 5th in Des Moines.
Renewal of Permit Requirements for Discharges from Mining and Processing Facilities 4/1/2016 11:06:00 AM View Count 3713 The DNR will hold a public hearing on April 7 on the renewal of a general permit for operators of mining and processing facilities that discharge wastewater.
Flood Loss Avoidance Benefits of Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management 4/1/2016 11:04:00 AM View Count 3857 This US Environmental Protection Agency modeling study estimates the flood loss avoidance benefits from application of small storm retention practices for new development and redevelopment nationwide. Twenty HUC8 watersheds were modeled in areas where significant growth is expected between 2020 and 2040, using the FEMA Hazus model and national-scale datasets. The area of the watersheds ranges between 500 and 3,000 square miles. The study was conducted in consultation with other federal agencies including the US Arm...
Storm Lake Working to Locate Source of Dredge Leak 3/31/2016 6:38:00 AM View Count 4648 STORM LAKE – Storm Lake officials are working to determine the cause of a leak in dredge equipment at the Storm Lake marina.
Public Meeting To Discuss Permit Requirements for Mining and Processing Facilities 3/31/2016 6:36:00 AM View Count 4347 DES MOINES—The DNR will hold a public hearing April 7 in Des Moines on renewing a general permit for mining and processing facilities that discharge wastewater.
Environmental Protection Meeting in Williamsburg 3/31/2016 6:35:00 AM View Count 4195 WILLIAMSBURG – Drinking water and water monitoring contracts head up the April 19 meeting of the Environmental Protection Commission in Williamsburg.
Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards Application Deadline Extended 3/31/2016 6:33:00 AM View Count 4346 DES MOINES – Iowa businesses, organizations and citizens will have additional time to apply for the Governor’s Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards.
Fishing Regulations to be Relaxed at Three-Mile Lake 3/31/2016 4:41:00 AM View Count 9770 AFTON - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will relax fishing regulations at Three-Mile Lake in Union County starting on April 1st, to allow anglers to more freely harvest game fish before the lake is renovated this fall.
Natural Resource Commission Approves New Concession Agreement At Honey Creek Resort 3/30/2016 11:54:00 AM View Count 5429 DES MOINES – A new concession agreement for Honey Creek Resort State Park was unanimously approved Wednesday by the Iowa Natural Resource Commission.
Project AWARE Cleanup to Take On Lower Des Moines River 3/29/2016 7:37:00 AM View Count 5227 KEOSAUQUA – Volunteers will have an opportunity this summer to spend their vacations cleaning up, learning about and exploring 53 miles of the Lower Des Moines River between Eldon and Farmington from July 11 to 15.
Fish Barrier Research Project Begins at Big Creek Lake & Brushy Creek Lake Spillways 3/29/2016 7:36:00 AM View Count 7648 A physical fish barrier fence, made of horizontal bars, was installed in 2012 at the Big Creek spillway to reduce adult walleye and muskellunge escapement from Big Creek Lake. The barrier was a collaborative project between the Central Iowa Anglers, Recycled Fish, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Spring Turkey Seasons 3/29/2016 7:35:00 AM View Count 7689 Iowa’s spring season begins April 9 with an Iowa youth only hunting season that covers two weekends and allows hunters younger than 16 when they buy the turkey license to participate.
Online Hunting Atlas Offers Hunters Places to Go 3/29/2016 7:34:00 AM View Count 17126 Des Moines – Iowa hunters have been using the interactive Iowa hunting atlas to find new places to go hunting. The hunting atlas features more than 600,000 acres of public hunting land that is owned by the state, county or federal governments. It’s available online.
Spit'n, Strutt'n and Drumm'n - Iowa Spring Turkey Season is Right Around the Corner 3/29/2016 7:32:00 AM View Count 6146 Iowa’s premier spring hunting season is quickly approaching and hunters will be going through their equipment, patterning their guns and securing vacation days to pursue the elusive Eastern wild turkey.
Natural Resources Commission to Consider New Management Agreement at Honey Creek Resort 3/28/2016 6:55:00 AM View Count 4150 DES MOINES – A new management agreement for Honey Creek Resort State Park will be considered during a special meeting of the Natural Resources Commission at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 30th in the Fifth Floor Conference Room at the Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines.
Spill Had Negligible Impact to Storm lake 3/28/2016 6:33:00 AM View Count 4026 STORM LAKE – Water testing found that a small amount of industrial cleaner that reached a storm sewer had little if any negative impact on Storm Lake.
DNR Investigating Discolored Water in Fairfield Creek 3/28/2016 6:32:00 AM View Count 4737 FAIRFIELD – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a black substance found in a tributary of Cedar Creek in Fairfield.
DNR Investigates Small Spill into Storm Lake 3/25/2016 11:36:00 AM View Count 4028 STORM LAKE – A small amount of industrial cleaner at the Tyson-Hillshire plant reached a storm sewer that flows to Storm Lake after a pump failure.
Take A Quick Spring Cabin Getaway 3/24/2016 11:36:00 AM View Count 7784 Shake off the winter blues by renting a cabin for a couple of days. Take a spring hike or bike ride. Grab some binoculars and do a little wildlife watching. Birding is great during this peak migration time. And, of course, there is always fishing – spring offers some of the best!
Plant.Grow.Fly. and Mayor Cownie Encourage Iowa’s Mayors to Sign Monarch Pledge 3/24/2016 8:50:00 AM View Count 12022 DES MOINES, Iowa (March 23, 2016) – Des Moines’ Mayor, Frank Cownie, became the first mayor in Iowa to take the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.
Meeting to Discuss Windmill Lake Water Quality Improvement Plan 3/24/2016 7:22:00 AM View Count 4663 BEDFORD – Iowans interested in the results of a DNR study to improve water quality in Windmill Lake in Taylor County can attend a meeting April 7. Citizens are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to improve the lake to the meeting for discussion.