Hunting with Hawkeyes
Sharpshooters on the court and with a shotgun, see how the University of Iowa women’s basketball team got adopted and turned into outdoors lovers by a southeast Iowa couple at their nature Shangri-la.
Story and Photos by Liz Jacavino, DNR intern
Working Dogs for Conservation
Go afield with two trained canines as they cover dozens of miles daily to smell out a harmful invasive plant for removal at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.
Story and Photos by Kristie Burns
Rattlesnake Roundup
Timber rattlesnakes are beautiful, over-feared animals that are surprisingly docile, timid and non-aggressive. Tag along for the search for the largest of Iowa’s four species of venomous snakes as wildlife biologists work to keep one population safe from harm.
Story and Photos by Brian Button
The Hunt for the Purple Wartyback
Wartyback
Thought extinct in Iowa, this mussel species has biologists hopeful after finding a shell. Get your feet wet and come along for the swim, as researchers take to the rivers in search for this and other mussel species—all critical indicators of local water quality.
Story by Haley Knudsen, DNR intern and Photos by Clay Smith
Counting the Wild Things
These seasonal summer staff know their stuff—from damselflies and dragonflies to snakes and butterflies and mammals—they are charged with counting them all in wild places to survey the life found in Iowa.
Story and Photos by Mick Klemesrud
Outdoor Skills
Learn an effective remedy to repel pesky gnats, impress your friends with tadpole knowledge and learn how to best handle largemouth bass without causing jaw injury.
Together
From outdoor concerts lakeside to lifesaving tips for water safety, we’ve got summer covered, including a place to stay cool on an outdoor floating waterpark.
Lost in Iowa
Adventure awaits in Iowa’s rugged state forests—home to ultra quiet, serene and scenic backcountry campsites.
Notes from the Field
Earlier this year, flooding devastated the extreme southwest Iowa town of Hamburg. Find out what impressed the DNR’s boots-on-the ground about the resiliency of these Iowans