Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Natural Resources

A reader from Tama County wondered about mowing Iowa roadsides. We look into why Iowa’s mowing law was put in place, what it aims to protect and the requirements for haying roadside grasses.

As plans to replace the Burlington Street Bridge progress, the entities involved in the project are determining how to balance different community priorities for the main connection between the west side of Iowa City and downtown.

Less than a year after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added segments of five Iowa rivers to the impaired waters list for nitrate, the same agency — now operating under the Trump administration — has rescinded the decision.

Air quality tests conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have identified the source of an odor that some Iowa City residents feared was causing harm to their health.

Government data, collected by the Iowa Environmental Council, shows some parts of Iowa are at higher risk of seeing wildfires — and they could see that risk increase in times of drought. What is the risk? And how can Iowans mitigate it?

Also, Fairfield becomes Iowa’s newest Main Street Community

Warnings about bacteria in the water are posted at 13 Iowa beaches this week. Water samples from Backbone State Park in Delaware County, in particular, show exceptionally high E. coli levels.

The discovery of dozens of temporary, unpermitted wells on a Cedar Rapids construction site has set off a flurry of public confusion and regulatory response across several governmental bodies over the last month.

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.”