A 1980s DOT and DNR partnership put nesting boxes on the backs of Iowa highway signs. Now, they are being taken down
116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
A 1980s DOT and DNR partnership put nesting boxes on the backs of Iowa highway signs. Now, they are being taken down
This year, Iowa is seeing an increase in fireflies, but the species’ future remains uncertain. There are more than 200 firefly — or lightning bug — species across North America and over 2,000 worldwide, but scientists say the firefly population has been declining for decades due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticides and droughts.
As cities, farmers and businesses plan for an uncertain future, researchers are attempting to determine how much weather history should be included when we’re assessing what constitutes drought.
Plant hardiness zones are shifting northward nationwide as the country continues to warm, affecting farmers, gardeners and producers across the country. The biggest changes in the coming decades are predicted to be in the Upper Midwest.
Asked about protesters who attended a Thursday groundbreaking in Des Moines, demanding action on agricultural pollution and linking it to high cancer rates in the state, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters that “regulation is hardly ever the answer” and “is a killer in most instances — it takes out innovation.”
Wild Side column: Gnats may be more annoying than flies
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has announced proposed rules that remove the category of “special concern” species from its rule on threatened and endangered species. The move is part of the DNR’s adherence to the governor’s executive order to simplify administrative rules across agencies.
Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa and head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 12 years, said Thursday that Iowa leaders need to look toward “and” conversations rather than “or” discussions to solve some of the state’s biggest issues.
The University of Iowa will exit its 66-year lease of the 485-acre Macbride Nature Recreation Area when it expires July 1, 2029 after an in-depth review found maintaining the historic land will cost an immediate $14.8 million in repairs and upgrades.
Over the past 200 years, Iowa last lost 99 percent of its prairie land, 75 percent of its woodlands and forests and about 260 plant species are considered endangered and threatened. A new report says implementation of “connectivity corridors” would help protect Iowa wildlife from extinction.
The chicks — which have grown into small, squawking balls of feathers — are well on their way to adolescence in a survival story that is not only a remarkable example of individual resilience, but also that of the species at large.
More than two decades after it was started, the river cleanup effort Iowa Project AWARE, is about to hit a major milestone: 1 million pounds of trash removed from Iowa’s rivers.
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