Olivia Cohen

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.

Alliant Energy is planning to add roughly 1,000 megawatts of wind energy to help boost Iowa’s electric grid and further diversify its energy portfolio. The project — estimated to cost more than $3 billion — would increase the company’s wind energy production by more than 50 percent.

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.

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.

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.”

Iowa has recorded just seven confirmed tornadoes in the first six months of 2025, partly due to jet streams from the Gulf hitting neighboring states.

Nitrate levels in the Cedar River, which supplies drinking water for Cedar Rapids, have increased in recent days, but remain below the limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The disease, which can be fatal, is spread through a parasite in Asian Longhorned Ticks, a new invasive tick only recently found in Iowa.

Researchers from Iowa State University say that the over application of fertilizer can be harmful, but under-applying can be too.

The reason poison hemlock is becoming more prevalent in Eastern Iowa may be the result of a number of factors, but experts say tree loss as a result of the 2020 derecho likely contributed.

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.

Mary Seely joined the Cedar Rapids-based Freedom Foundation last month, but she has been working with veterans for years.

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.

The seed library is a partnership between the Linn County ISU Extension & Outreach Master Gardeners and the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program.

Although no cancer cluster was found in a 2023 probe, a second more targeted study was requested of a neighborhood.