DNR News Releases

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DNR News Releases

Volunteers muscle 28 tons of trash from the Upper Cedar River

• 7/25/2017 1:20:00 PM
• View Count 9306

CEDAR RIVER – The upper stretch of the Cedar River in north-central Iowa is now 28 tons of trash lighter, thanks to the efforts of 469 volunteers.

Oct. 6-8 Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop now accepting registrations

• 7/25/2017 1:17:00 PM
• View Count 4910

Registration is now open for the Oct. 6-8 Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop at Dolliver Memorial State Park, near Otho.

Look for expanded waterfowl zone and deer hunting options in 2017-18 Iowa hunting regulations

• 7/25/2017 1:15:00 PM
• View Count 4427

The 2017-18 Iowa Hunting, Trapping and Migratory Game Bird Regulations will be arriving at license vendors across the state in the next few weeks.

Why you should wash your car on the lawn

• 7/21/2017 10:42:00 AM
• View Count 18926

If you’re looking for a creative way to spend a hot summer afternoon with your kids and be productive, consider washing your car on the front lawn. Washing the car on the lawn instead of the driveway may look odd to the neighbors, but it conserves water and helps preserve the ecosystem in your community.

DNR launches new, locally-led water quality monitoring program

• 7/20/2017 12:20:00 PM
• View Count 4880

DES MOINES — The DNR is launching a new, locally-led volunteer water monitoring program to help Iowans better understand their local water quality. 

Two men charged for illegal netting

• 7/19/2017 1:19:00 PM
• View Count 13657

MUSCATINE COUNTY, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources law enforcement conservation officers have charged two men after an investigation of illegal netting in an Iowa river.

Public meeting to discuss Kent Park Lake improvement plan

• 7/18/2017 3:04:00 PM
• View Count 3869

OXFORD- The Johnson County Conservation Board (JCCB) will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m., July 25, at the Conservation Education Center at F.W. Kent Park, to discuss plans for improving water quality and recreational opportunities at Kent Park Lake, in Johnson County.

Three Rivers Wildlife Area is beginning to blossom

• 7/18/2017 3:01:00 PM
• View Count 7133

Thor, Iowa - Brothers Roger and Palmer Larson had a vision of what their farm could be in 2001 when they invited the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in for a visit.

Avenson Archery Range Dedicated Today

• 7/18/2017 3:00:00 PM
• View Count 4779

The archery range at Volga River State Recreation Area, in Fayette County, will be dedicated Avenson Archery Range July 18, at 4 p.m.

Wildland fire suppression grants available to rural fire departments

• 7/18/2017 2:59:00 PM
• View Count 4165

AMES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources forestry section’s fire program, working in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service has grant money available for Iowa’s rural fire departments to help battle wildfires.

Backyard forest invasive species field day

• 7/18/2017 2:57:00 PM
• View Count 3783

Registration is now open for an educational forest field day taking place at Hickory Hill Park in Iowa City, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Backyard Forest Invasive Species Field Day will cover issues related to invasive species including identification and management, as well as the establishment of healthy native habitat.  

DNR enforcement actions

• 7/13/2017 1:06:00 PM
• View Count 4305

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses, and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions.

Water Summary Update shows expanding dry areas in Iowa

• 7/13/2017 1:05:00 PM
• View Count 4073

DES MOINES – Despite some rainfall across the state and local flooding in northeast Iowa, there is a growing area of dry conditions now covering almost half the state.

Derelict building grants, water and air quality on July EPC agenda

• 7/13/2017 1:03:00 PM
• View Count 3244

WINDSOR HEIGHTS – Contracts, grants and rule changes are up for approval at the July 18meeting of the Environmental Protection Commission.

Take someone hunting, fishing or target shooting and enter a chance to win NASCAR or Ultimate Outdoor Experience

• 7/12/2017 1:28:00 PM
• View Count 3491

Join Richard Childress, honorary chair for National Hunting and Fishing Day, in creating the next generation of conservationists

Gone fishing for summer

• 7/11/2017 1:33:00 PM
• View Count 6695

Making plans for summer getaways with family and friends? Add fishing to your list. Plan a day trip or bring along fishing gear on your next weekend or camping trip.

DNR completes Operation Dry Water campaign

• 7/11/2017 1:32:00 PM
• View Count 10048

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau participated in the national Operation Dry Water campaign June 30 – July 2.

EMS in depth: Nonconformity & transitioning to the 2015 standard

• 7/11/2017 10:08:00 AM
• View Count 3055

Since 2014, Pollution Prevention Services has hosted one-day “EMS In Depth” workshops for Iowa environmental professionals. Due to popular demand, this workshop series continues and offers another step in the development of your environmental management system.

DNR checking runoff from fire in Des Moines

• 7/11/2017 8:23:00 AM
• View Count 3535

DES MOINES – DNR environmental specialists checked dark, soot-smelling runoff in Walfley Creek near the Firestone plant on Second Avenue late Sunday and again this morning.

Fish kill investigated in Dubuque County stream

• 7/10/2017 5:25:00 PM
• View Count 2912

DUBUQUE COUNTY, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources investigated a fish kill July 5 through 7 in and near the east side of White Pine Hollow State Preserve in the northwest corner of Dubuque County.

Natural Resource Commission to meet July 13 in Des Moines

• 7/10/2017 9:39:00 AM
• View Count 3143

Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will meet at 9:30 a.m., July 13, in the fourth floor conference room, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines.

Rock the Rapids: turning dangerous dams into places for family fun draws crowds to communities

• 7/6/2017 2:57:00 PM
• View Count 17628

The mist burns off of a cozy Sunday morning as I sit, watching a flock of geese trade honks with a train. They’re preening in the calm water above the first drop of the Manchester Whitewater Park, and occasionally a brave one floats down the chute before flapping back up to its friends. Tucked between industrial buildings and Main Street, the park is already humming with cyclists, dog walkers and photographers doing portrait shoots. The structured banks of ochre boulders look amazingly inviting, and upstream, a to...

DNR enforcement actions

• 7/6/2017 2:53:00 PM
• View Count 3368

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. The following list summarizes recent enforcement actions.

Opportunity to Submit Air Quality Client Contact Meeting Agenda Items

• 7/6/2017 12:45:00 PM
• View Count 3189

The Air Quality Bureau is accepting agenda topics for the next Air Quality Client Contact Meeting.  The next meeting is scheduled for August 17 at 1:00 p.m., at the DNR’s Air Quality Bureau Office.  A conference call option is also available for the meeting. 

Blue bullfrogs spotted in Iowa

• 7/5/2017 2:14:00 PM
• View Count 36667

There are several genes that make a frog green or brown, and these genes result in various structures being created in the frog’s skin layers.

Smoke lingers from Fourth of July celebrations in Polk County

• 7/5/2017 1:10:00 PM
• View Count 3544

Yesterday an air monitor recorded elevated levels of fine particle pollution in Des Moines. An increase in fine particle pollution levels began around dusk on Independence Day and persisted overnight. 

Red Rock’s wild side

• 7/3/2017 11:23:00 AM
• View Count 8079

The evidence was easy to see that hunters had found the recently mowed 10-acre sunflower field at the Red Rock Wildlife Area on the first day of dove season – 25-30 vehicles were parked along the road whose drivers had abandoned their bucket seats for real buckets set few rows deep in the remaining sunflowers waiting for the nation’s most popular game bird to come rocketing through.

All Star team announced for Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program

• 7/3/2017 11:20:00 AM
• View Count 4097

Competitors from 166 Iowa high school and 12 collegiate teams have competed for state championships in June in American trap, doubles trap, handicap trap, sporting clays, skeet and international trap and skeet.

McIntosh State Park boat ramp reopens

• 7/3/2017 11:19:00 AM
• View Count 3756

The McIntosh State Park boat ramp, one of Clear Lake's busiest accesses, is now open for use.

Space available in upcoming hunter education classes

• 7/3/2017 11:18:00 AM
• View Count 4292

Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam.

EMS in depth: Nonconformity & transitioning to the 2015 standard

• 6/30/2017 10:45:00 AM
• View Count 3256

Since 2014, Pollution Prevention Services has hosted one-day “EMS In Depth” workshops for Iowa environmental professionals. Due to popular demand, this workshop series continues and offers another step in the development of your environmental management system.

Avoid areas of heavy smoke near fireworks activities and displays

• 6/29/2017 1:51:00 PM
• View Count 3167

WINDSOR HEIGHTS – Whether attending a spectacular Fourth of July celebration or a picnic with backyard fireworks, the aftermath of drifting smoke can cause breathing problems for some. If the air is stagnant, fine particles can be trapped near the ground and build to unhealthy levels. 

DNR encourages safe storage, disposal of fireworks at home

• 6/29/2017 1:50:00 PM
• View Count 4104

DES MOINES — Iowans using fireworks at home this summer should take precautions to make sure they are stored and disposed of properly, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 

Iowa DNR law enforcement conducting special boating while intoxicated enforcement project

• 6/29/2017 10:50:00 AM
• View Count 15056

DES MOINES, Iowa -- As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, the Iowa DNR law enforcement officers will be focusing on keeping boaters safe by cracking down on boating under the influence. The DNR will be conducting heightened awareness and enforcement of boating under the influence laws as part of the national Operation Dry Water campaign in hopes to decrease the number of crashes and deaths.

DNR advises caution for paddlers, boaters on Iowa’s rivers this weekend

• 6/28/2017 3:38:00 PM
• View Count 10269

DES MOINES — The approaching Fourth of July weekend usually sees thousands of paddlers hitting Iowa’s waters.  With heavy rains in the forecast, the DNR is advising paddlers and boaters to carefully watch water levels and increased traffic.

Iowans creating connections with creeks with signs

• 6/28/2017 2:39:00 PM
• View Count 11053

Thousands of motorists drive over Iowa’s waterways, big and small, each day. But unless it’s a major river, most people are crossing these streams unaware of what’s below. 

Boone man killed in ATV crash at park

• 6/28/2017 10:39:00 AM
• View Count 3884

FORT DODGE, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Park Bureau is investigating a death at an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) park in north central Iowa.

Mountain lion killed Tuesday in Ida County

• 6/27/2017 1:03:00 PM
• View Count 7399

Today, officers with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were called to dispatch a mountain lion from a farm near Galva, in northeast Ida County. 

Iowa fisheries biologist recognized for excellence in fish management techniques

• 6/27/2017 1:02:00 PM
• View Count 4717

Iowa fisheries management biologist Mark Flammang was recognized as the Fisheries Biologist of the Year by the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) at their annual meeting, June 26 in Ashland, Nebraska.

Lake Sugema Wildlife Area offers year round recreation

• 6/27/2017 12:59:00 PM
• View Count 9200

Van Buren County historian Ralph Arnold is the person responsible for naming Lake Sugema and in a twist of mystery, he refused to say what the name meant. Only upon his death in 2002 did a letter show up in the local newspaper, the Van Buren County Register, ending the mystery – according to Arnold, Sugema is a Native American word for Mosquito.

Now available: Iowa deer hunting draw results

• 6/26/2017 8:34:00 AM
• View Count 14125

Hunters who applied for the 2017 draw can now view results online by logging into the DNR purchasing system and choosing "View Application Status." 

Osprey: fishing perfection in feathers

• 6/23/2017 2:30:00 PM
• View Count 14363

From a hundred feet in the air, a hovering angler folds its wings, silently slipping downward like lightning from the sky, careening until a four-foot portion of the lake thunders into plumes of diamondized water droplets.

Flathead catfish: Iowa's Dracula of the Deep

• 6/22/2017 3:24:00 PM
• View Count 27858

They are the aquatic version of Count Dracula, quietly resting in the same dark, hidden location by day, and prowling for living prey by night. And like a vampire, they are legendary for both their great physical strength and ability to achieve a ripe old age.

DNR enforcement actions

• 6/22/2017 12:05:00 PM
• View Count 3900

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses, and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions.

Meeting to discuss Lake Rathbun water quality improvement plan

• 6/22/2017 12:03:00 PM
• View Count 3947

CHARITON – Iowans interested in the results of a DNR study to improve water quality in Lake Rathbun in south-central Iowa can attend a meeting July 6. Citizens are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to improve the lake to the meeting for discussion. 

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