AMES, Iowa -- A workshop that will help the state’s wildlife professionals manage Iowa’s wildlife is planned Nov. 5 near Cedar Rapids. It is part of the NatureMapping Program established by Iowa State University Extension. Started in 1999, the program teaches citizens how to collect information on common wildlife species.
“There are not enough professionals, time or funding to conduct an inventory of all the nation’s flora and fauna,” says Jason O’Brien, coordinator of Iowa NatureMapping. “One way to achieve the needed inventory is to involve an interested public in helping us.” Wildlife professionals use the information to establish management plans for the state’s wildlife. By the end of 2005, NatureMapping information will help guide the state’s new Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan, which lays out visions and strategies to conserve wildlife over the next 25 years.
The plan identifies 999 different species. Currently, Iowa NatureMapping is keeping track of part of these species, the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and has collected tens of thousands of observations representing more than 350 species. “Using trained NatureMapping citizen volunteers will go far in closing the information gap and allow us to make more well-informed wildlife management decisions,” says Doug Harr, Iowa DNR Wildlife Diversity Program coordinator.
Workshops are being held throughout Iowa this year. The next will workshop will be Nov. 5 at Linn County Conservation Department’s Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center near Toddville, north of Cedar Rapids. Contact Gail Barels at (319) 892-6485 for more information or log on to www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping for registration details.
The program provides hands-on environmental education. “Involving the public in ‘finding the pieces of the puzzle’ is what NatureMapping is all about,” says Jim Pease, ISU Extension wildlife specialist and director, Iowa NatureMapping. “Trained NatureMapping volunteers are a vital link in wildlife management efforts in Iowa.” He added that the goal is “to keep common wildlife common.”
“Citizen involvement to date shows that Iowans are dedicated to protecting and enhancing our state’s wildlife,” O’Brien says. Since its inception, hundreds of people representing schools, businesses, agencies and other community groups have been trained.
“Volunteers can provide much needed data by recording wildlife observations around their home and feeders, when hiking, canoeing, or doing other wildlife-related activities. School participation can vary depending on the size and scope of the projects chosen,” Pease adds. “It can fulfill a valuable service to their community, while meeting teaching and learning standards in science, math and other subjects.”
For registration information, contact O’Brien at (515) 294-6440 or jpobrien@iastate.edu or visit the NatureMapping Web site at www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping. There is a $20 fee for each workshop, which includes materials and lunch.
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