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DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: wildlife areaReturn

Bell Branch likely to be a popular place this fall

• 10/15/2024 1:17:00 PM
• View Count 1418

Iowa’s newest wildlife area is open for visitors.

Mine reclamation project to reshape Pella Wildlife Area

• 10/8/2024 11:51:00 AM
• View Count 2101

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is in the early stages of a two-year project that will completely change the Pella Wildlife Area, thanks to $4 million in funding from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) Mine Reclamation program.

Mix of habitats attract wildlife diversity at Big Marsh Wildlife Area, near Dumont

• 10/8/2024 11:49:00 AM
• View Count 1985

Dumont has a front row view of the 614-acre northern section of Big Marsh Wildlife Area and the pheasants, turkeys, ducks, geese, eagles and more wildlife that call the area home.

Pella Wildlife Area to be closed for mine reclamation work

• 9/26/2024 1:39:00 PM
• View Count 3416

PELLA, Iowa - 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 Area that was previously used as a strip mine, starting Oct. 1. 

Low key Tuttle Lake Wildlife Area offers a little bit of everything for the outdoors

• 9/24/2024 2:35:00 PM
• View Count 3415

Tuttle Lake Wildlife Area is an out-of-the-way kind of place known locally for its pheasant hunting and, recently, sneaky good walleye fishing. Its 1,500 plus acres is part lake, part wetland, part prairie, part floodplain, and part small savanna on the Iowa Minnesota border in Emmet County.

Mix of short and tallgrass prairie increases species diversity at Heritage Hills in Clarke County

• 9/17/2024 11:34:00 AM
• View Count 4251

The Heritage Hills tract in Clarke County is not easy to find, but for anyone willing to put in the effort, the 595-acre public wildlife area offers views of an emerging remnant prairie, sounds of quail whistling on a picturesque southern Iowa landscape.

Habitat variety attracts birds and birders to Iowa River Bird Conservation Area

• 9/10/2024 12:17:00 PM
• View Count 4702

Driving slowly along the two-track, generously labeled “340th Street” by Google Maps, Anna Buckardt Thomas has her windows down and is identifying each bird by its call. “House wren, red-winged blackbird, killdeer, goldfinch, catbird, flicker, cardinal, Eurasian tree sparrow, common yellowthroat,” the state avian ecologist said.

Iowa DNR to host an open house on the Rolling Hills Wildlife Area

• 8/13/2024 2:46:00 PM
• View Count 4972

Truro, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house on Aug. 27, at 5:30 p.m., at the Community Building in Truro, to discuss the past and future management, recreation use, wildlife populations and other topics of interest for the Rolling Hills Wildlife Area.

Rosenow Timber management topic of Aug. 22 public meeting

• 8/2/2024 4:25:00 PM
• View Count 4821

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house to discuss the habitat management, recreation use, wildlife populations and other topics of interest for the Rosenow Timber Wildlife Area.

Final preparations underway for waterfowl hunting season and fish restocking at Martens Lake

• 7/30/2024 2:17:00 PM
• View Count 4642

TRIPOLI - A project at Martens Lake in Sweet Marsh Wildlife Area that created boating channels and repaired a portion of the dike network has been completed.

Habitat diversity draws bird watchers, hunters to Copeland Bend

• 7/16/2024 12:14:00 PM
• View Count 3516

Forty miles south of Council Bluffs on the Missouri River is the 3,500-plus-acre Copeland Bend Wildlife Area, an expansive mix of grasslands and high-quality wetlands constructed after the extensive flooding in 2011, when the big river was closed to boating, and levees up and down the Big Muddy were breached.

Kirke Woods management topic of June 6 public meeting

• 5/20/2024 8:39:00 PM
• View Count 2146

BEVINGTON, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a public meeting to discuss past and future management of the 474-acre Kirke Woods Wildlife Area, on June 6, at 5:30 p.m., at the Bevington City Hall.

Forney Lake management is topic of June 4 public meeting

• 5/14/2024 9:46:00 AM
• View Count 2262

HAMBURG, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a public meeting to discuss past and future management of the 1,317-acre Forney Lake Wildlife Area.

DNR to host an open house on the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area

• 12/14/2023 2:07:00 PM
• View Count 4873

Fonda, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house on Jan. 4, 2024, from 4 - 7 p.m. to discuss the habitat management, recreation use, wildlife populations and other topics of interest for the Towhead Lake Wildlife Area.

Illinois man fatally shot while waterfowl hunting on Saturday

• 11/13/2023 2:37:00 PM
• View Count 4817

PANORA - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating a fatal hunting incident that occurred Saturday in Guthrie County.

Spirit Lake man identified as victim of Saturday’s hunting incident

• 10/23/2023 1:18:00 PM
• View Count 6665

MILFORD - Joseph Salmon, 18, of Spirit Lake, was injured Saturday morning while waterfowl hunting along the shore of a slough at the Spring Run Wildlife Area, in Dickinson County.

Oxbow Bottoms Wildlife Area won't remain a secret for long

• 10/10/2023 12:13:00 PM
• View Count 4940

Bordered by the Iowa River to the east and U.S. Hwy. 30 to the north is one of the newest public areas in Central Iowa - the 260-acre Oxbow Bottoms Wildlife Area – a floodplain grassland-wetland complex in Tama County.

Harmon Lake Wildlife Area ready for a busy fall

• 10/3/2023 12:38:00 PM
• View Count 3990

Standing at the gravel boat ramp on the middle pool of Harmon Lake, among a dense stand of bur-reed full of seeds, four noisy trumpeter swans appeared over the trees then banked west at the sight of unwelcomed visitors.

For those willing to hike, South Skunk Wildlife Area offers off-the-beaten-path experience

• 9/26/2023 12:54:00 PM
• View Count 4418

A 40-foot strip of wild plum-lined land leads from the one-and-only parking lot on the north end of the South Skunk Wildlife Area, to a large remote floodplain grassland in southern Jasper County.

Secluded Winford Wildlife Area supports quality deer and pheasant populations

• 9/19/2023 1:52:00 PM
• View Count 4128

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 4028

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 3595

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 3694

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.

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

• 8/28/2023 9:40:00 PM
• View Count 2512

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 3074

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 3017

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 3775

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 3162

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 3405

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 4211

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 2886

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 2886

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.

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

• 6/13/2023 1:10:00 PM
• View Count 3320

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 5493

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.

Martens Lake project delayed, construction expected for fall

• 3/21/2023 11:40:00 AM
• View Count 3053

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

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

• 3/7/2023 12:19:00 PM
• View Count 2676

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).

Oxbow restoration project returns unique ecosystem to Cedar Rock Wildlife Area

• 2/13/2023 9:45:00 AM
• View Count 6130

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.

Oxbow restoration project returns unique ecosystem to Cedar Rock Wildlife Area

• 10/25/2022 11:32:00 AM
• View Count 2830

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 3588

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 3101

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 3990

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 6057

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 2785

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 3526

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 3725

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.”

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