Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Natural Resources

The Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Iowa DNR teamed up Monday to host a youth fishing event at Robbins Lake in Cedar Rapids.

Wood thrush is considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Iowa and in 25 other states because the population has declined across North America by more than 50 percent in the past 50 years.

Pheasant harvest data for the fall season released by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources shows an estimated 460,000 roosters were bagged in the 2024 season, making it the second-best pheasant season in nearly two decades. Populations have struggled since 1995, due to weather and fewer acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.

A 1980s DOT and DNR partnership put nesting boxes on the backs of Iowa highway signs. Now, they are being taken down

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.

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 population of each Iowa furbearer species — coyotes, foxes, bears, beavers, raccoons, minks and bobcats — is different and nuanced, but expert say some — like bocats — are in “expansion mode.”

Release linked to a previous complaint at the same site

Iowa’s Forest Reserve Program, which provides a tax incentive for property owners to maintain woodlands, remains intact after this year’s legislative session, but the Iowa Woodland Owners Association anticipates the fight to keep the program to continue.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was unable to determine the cause of the 2024 fire, or whether it was set intentionally. A park manager and his wife saved the tree with buckets of water from a creek.

Summer is a popular time for fishing trips across Iowa, but how can anglers be sure they’ll catch fish? And how does the state maintain a fish population that allows for fishing? Those questions can be answered by Iowa’s fish hatcheries, which fertilize, rear and stock fish species across the state each year.

A construction site near Swisher along Interstate 380 had insufficient erosion controls that led sediment to flow into a tributary of McAllister Creek.

A portion of eastern and northeast Iowa has “unhealthy” air quality Wednesday, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Iowa DNR on Tuesday issued a statewide Air Quality Alert through 6 a.m. Thursday. The agency warned that the Air Quality Index may reach the red or unhealthy category in affected areas.

Michele Smith aids the Iowa’s never-ending quest to ensure bacteria are efficiently munching on contaminants in wastewater, in an effort to protect the environment.