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Archive by tag: wildlifeReturn

Secluded Winford Wildlife Area supports quality deer and pheasant populations

• 9/19/2023 1:52:00 PM
• View Count 538

That narrow access lane off a dead-end road is the only way in and out of the Winford Wildlife Area, a 637-acre floodplain grassland, just north of Oskaloosa. 

Popular wildlife area emerges from historic ‘Flood of ‘93’

• 9/19/2023 1:50:00 PM
• View Count 548

West Fork Wildlife Area in Palo Alto County was developed after the historic flood of 1993, then expanded after the floods of 2018 and 2019 as landowners exited the floodplain.  

Experience the rugged beauty of the Loess Hills at Green Hollow and Blackburn areas

• 9/12/2023 1:30:00 PM
• View Count 1228

Tucked in to the southern end of the Loess Hills, within eyeshot of I-29 and nearly adjacent to Forney Lake, is the Green Hollow and Blackburn wildlife areas and state park complex in northwest Fremont County.

Brook trout thrive at South Pine Creek wildlife area

• 8/29/2023 2:08:00 PM
• View Count 1843

The brook trout in South Pine Creek might be the most well-known of the trout species in the Hawkeye State. And for good reason. This strain has been confirmed through two genetic assessments as unique to Iowa.

Open house to discuss Barber Creek and Wapsi Wildlife Areas forest wildlife stewardship plans

• 8/28/2023 9:43:00 PM
• View Count 1673

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold an open house on Sept. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Clinton County Conservation Board office.

Idlewild Wildlife Area forest management plan topic of Sept. 21 open house

• 8/28/2023 9:40:00 PM
• View Count 1609

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house for the neighbors of Idlewild Wildlife Area and others interested in the public area to discuss forest management plans.

Rugged and remote, Tubaugh Wildlife Area packs a lot into its 533 acres

• 8/22/2023 12:14:00 PM
• View Count 2083

Three wild turkeys disappeared quietly into the edge of the timber as Shane Frevert pulled his truck into the northeast parking lot at the Tubaugh Wildlife Area.

Riverton Wildlife Area wetland pumping delayed

• 8/18/2023 2:43:00 PM
• View Count 2362

Riverton, Iowa- A delay in the delivery of the precast concrete and new metal screw gate required to replace the failing Spring Creek outlet at the Riverton Wildlife Area will impact the ability for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to pump water on to the main marsh, north of county road J46.

Hawkeye shooting ranges to reopen Friday

• 8/18/2023 8:19:00 AM
• View Count 2511

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will reopen three shooting ranges at the Hawkeye Wildlife Area on Friday, August 18.

Hawkeye Wildlife Area to host 12th Annual Pelican Festival

• 8/16/2023 7:25:00 AM
• View Count 2508

SWISHER, Iowa - The public is invited to the 12th Annual Pelican Festival, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Hawkeye Wildlife Area, near Swisher.

High quality trout stream, timber make Big Mill Creek Wildlife Area popular year round

• 8/16/2023 7:19:00 AM
• View Count 2377

The parking lot at the northwest corner of the Big Mill Creek Wildlife Area provides a good spot to people watch, or more precisely, vehicle watch. Cars and trucks and SUVs coming and going, up and down the access lane to Mill Creek, where drivers try their luck with the local trout population.

Big Creek Wildlife Area is hidden in plain sight

• 8/9/2023 7:30:00 AM
• View Count 2705

Often overlooked for its similarly named state park or mistaken for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sprawling Saylorville Wildlife Area, Big Creek Wildlife Area is roughly 3,100-acre, one stop outdoor shop just 10 minutes from Ankeny.

Diverse and unique, Dugout Creek-Yager Slough wildlife area packs a lot into 1,600 acres

• 7/25/2023 11:40:00 AM
• View Count 2430

Dugout Creek-Yager Slough wildlife areas south of Lake Park, in western Dickinson County, is home to an array of marshes plus two unique and rare habitat types in the state - one of the largest and highest quality wetland fen complexes in Iowa and high-quality remnant prairie.

Swan Lake Road closed for road improvement project

• 7/18/2023 11:45:00 AM
• View Count 2319

SWISHER - A section of Swan Lake Road on the Hawkeye Wildlife Area west of Greencastle Road, will be closed for several weeks while a bridge is being replaced.

Central Iowa birding opportunities abound at Chichaqua - Neal Smith Bird Conservation Area

• 7/5/2023 12:08:00 PM
• View Count 2881

Dedicated in the spring of 2005, the Chichaqua-Neal Smith Grassland Bird Conservation Area (BCA) is an important stop along the bird migration. Based on weather radar, an estimated 800 million birds migrate through Iowa in the spring, and up to one billion in the fall, which puts Iowa in the top five states in the country for volume.

Rugged and wild, Kirke Woods Wildlife Area is central Iowa’s newest public wilderness

• 6/13/2023 1:10:00 PM
• View Count 2364

Kirke Woods Wildlife Area, north of Bevington in northeast Madison County, is a new 240-acre mix of oak and hickory timber, and maple and cottonwood bottomlands, a reconstructed prairie and a 30-acre wetland that is open to the public.

Different habitats on the Upper Wapsi Wildlife Area attracts and supports diverse wildlife

• 5/30/2023 11:48:00 AM
• View Count 4662

The Upper Wapsi Wildlife Area is returning to a mix of wetlands, timber, and prairie that traditionally would make up this area, hosting various wildlife from sandhill cranes, Canada geese, red-shouldered hawks, bobolinks, pheasants, to wild turkeys, blandings turtles, smooth green snakes and white-tailed deer.

Leave wildlife babies where they belong --- In the wild

• 4/18/2023 4:11:00 PM
• View Count 2660

It's as predictable as May flowers - from border to border, the Wildlife Baby Season has arrived in Iowa. From now until at least mid-June, DNR field offices across the state will be inundated with hundreds of phone calls and scores of deliveries regarding "orphaned wildlife."

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning, Iowa River Wildlife Unit

• 3/30/2023 1:45:00 PM
• View Count 2804

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Iowa River Wildlife Unit, and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Cedar, Linn, Johnson, Benton, Iowa, Tama, and Mahaska counties.

Annual spring wildlife spotlight survey underway

• 3/28/2023 11:37:00 AM
• View Count 2595

Staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are currently conducting their annual nighttime spring spotlight surveys across the state, collecting information on Iowa’s deer and furbearer populations.

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning, Cedar Wapsi Wildlife Unit

• 3/27/2023 3:51:00 PM
• View Count 2227

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Cedar Wapsi Wildlife Unit in Floyd, Chickasaw, Butler, Bremer and Buchanan counties.

Martens Lake project delayed, construction expected for fall

• 3/21/2023 11:40:00 AM
• View Count 2428

The project planned for Martens Lake in Sweet Marsh Wildlife Area has been delayed due to site conditions not progressing as expected.

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning, Black Hawk Wildlife Unit

• 3/20/2023 4:18:00 PM
• View Count 1838

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Black Hawk Wildlife Unit, and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Sac, Calhoun, Crawford, Cherokee, Buena Vista, and Pocahontas counties.

Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning, Clear Lake Wildlife Unit

• 3/20/2023 3:52:00 PM
• View Count 1677

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Clear Lake Wildlife Unit in Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Franklin, Winnebago, Worth and Wright counties.

Annual Prairie Chicken Day Set for April 1, in Kellerton

• 3/14/2023 2:20:00 PM
• View Count 3223

Kellerton, Iowa - The first rhythmic and haunting cooing begins as the night sky fades and sunrise begins. The short grass prairie booming grounds prepares for a display found nowhere else in Iowa.

DNR to host open house to discuss Boone Forks Wildlife Area forest wildlife stewardship plan

• 3/7/2023 12:19:00 PM
• View Count 2051

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public open house on March 23, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Hamilton County Conservation Board, 2490 Briggs Woods Trail, south of Webster City, to discuss a proposed forest wildlife stewardship plan at the Boone Forks Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

Black-capped chickadees astonishing secrets

• 2/14/2023 11:58:00 AM
• View Count 5680

Black-capped chickadees survive the harshest winters with amazing adaptive behaviors and abilities. From adjusting their core body temperatures to shedding and adding brain cells to memorizing hundreds of locales of stashed foods, these tiny wonders have astonishing secrets.

Oxbow restoration project returns unique ecosystem to Cedar Rock Wildlife Area

• 2/13/2023 9:45:00 AM
• View Count 5599

Staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Cedar Wapsi Wildlife Unit were working to install wetlands on the Cedar Rock Wildlife Area when the opportunity to restore an oxbow on the Wapsipinicon River came along.

Harsh winter across North Iowa is reminder habitat is critical for wildlife survival

• 2/7/2023 8:24:00 PM
• View Count 5785

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) is a nationwide Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practice within the continuous sign-up administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Number of donors to the Chickadee Check-off continues to decline

• 1/24/2023 11:57:00 AM
• View Count 9841

Last year, more than 6,200 Iowa taxpayers helped wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on their state tax form, which is nearly 1,000 fewer than who donated in 2020.  and represents about 0.4 percent of total taxpayers in Iowa.

Mitigation project addresses former strip mine sites on Pella Wildlife Area

• 11/22/2022 11:43:00 AM
• View Count 5071

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will begin a project to restore a 165-acre portion of the Pella Wildlife Management Area that was previously used as a strip mine.

Mitigation project addresses former strip mine sites on Pella Wildlife Area

• 11/18/2022 12:55:00 PM
• View Count 4441

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will begin a project to restore a portion of the Pella Wildlife Management Area that was previously used as a strip mine.

Restoration efforts bring life back to Mill Creek

• 11/4/2022 4:29:00 PM
• View Count 3462

DES MOINES — Once squeezed between two tall embankments, Mill Creek inside of the Big Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area now has room to meander and expand — and more space to fish.      

Oxbow restoration project returns unique ecosystem to Cedar Rock Wildlife Area

• 10/25/2022 11:32:00 AM
• View Count 2245

Staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Cedar Wapsi Wildlife Unit were working to install wetlands on the Cedar Rock Wildlife Area when the opportunity to restore an oxbow on the Wapsipinicon River came along.

Diverse, untamed landscapes make Clear Creek one wild place

• 10/11/2022 11:57:00 AM
• View Count 2722

Golden Ridge Road winds through the valley in scenery-rich Allamakee County, leading to Clear Creek Wildlife Area; a 950-acre public area that is a mix of timbered hills, a fen and a cold-water trout stream that are linked by three connected parcels.

DeVoss-Foster Wildlife Area offers visitors a unique, solitary experience in southern Van Buren County

• 10/5/2022 6:49:00 AM
• View Count 2385

Just north of Cantril in southcentral Van Buren County, is the DeVoss-Foster Wildlife Area, a 330-acre mix of grassland, wetland and timber.

Boone Forks Wildlife Area offers rugged outdoor experience in north central Iowa

• 9/27/2022 2:16:00 PM
• View Count 3065

The confluence of the Des Moines and Boone rivers has been attracting visitors since before Iowa was a state. Today, its home to the 4,600-acre Boone Forks Wildlife Area – a popular spot for hunting, hiking, paddling, fishing and birding in Webster and Hamilton counties.

Series of islands in Mississippi River pools 16, 17 and 18 are public wildlife areas offering visitors rugged, solitary experience

• 9/20/2022 11:36:00 AM
• View Count 4000

Situated between the Quad Cities on the north and Burlington to the south is a number of islands that many Iowans may not know are open for public use.

Habitat work continues on prairie, timber at Miami Lake Wildlife Area

• 9/13/2022 12:16:00 PM
• View Count 2449

Lovilia, Iowa - Month by month, year by year, change is coming to Miami Lake Wildlife Area.

Chain O Lakes Wildlife Area recovering two years after derecho

• 8/23/2022 11:50:00 AM
• View Count 2873

The lingering effects of the historic 2020 derecho that cut a destructive path through Iowa can be seen at the Chain O Lakes Wildlife Area in northern Linn County.

Refuge portion of the Hawkeye Wildlife Area changes designation to waterfowl refuge, restricting access until after duck season

• 8/15/2022 2:03:00 PM
• View Count 3045

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has changed the designation for the existing refuge on the southeast section of the Hawkeye Wildlife Area, in Johnson County, from a “Wildlife Refuge” to a “Waterfowl Refuge.”

Road work to close James Avenue beginning August 1

• 8/1/2022 3:03:00 PM
• View Count 2854

SWISHER - James Avenue that runs north along the southeast side of the Hawkeye Wildlife Unit and Babcock Access will be closed for road work beginning Aug. 1.

Martens Lake not open to boat traffic for hunting this fall

• 7/26/2022 12:49:00 PM
• View Count 3623

Tripoli, Iowa - Waterfowl hunters scouting shallow lakes and marshes ahead of the season should be aware that Martens Lake on the Sweet Marsh Wildlife Area is in the process of a dike repair and channel excavation project and will not be open to boat traffic for hunting this fall.

Grasslands, wetlands showcased at Lower Morse Wildlife Area

• 7/19/2022 12:22:00 PM
• View Count 3449

Walking south past the sunflower field to the crest of the gently rolling hill provides visitors of a view with a diverse 1,850-acre wetland and rolling prairie complex in northern Wright County. As far as the eye can see, its rolling hills, prairie and small wetlands that make up the popular Lower Morse Wildlife Area.

Elk Lake Wildlife Area renovation is already paying dividends

• 7/12/2022 1:41:00 PM
• View Count 3220

Ruthven, Iowa – Rolling in to the parking lot on this early July morning, Elk Lake is barely recognizable from the brown, open water shallow lake that it was just two short years ago.

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