Sharing Spaces with Iowa’s Most Common Carnivore
Simple measures are effective in preventing conflicts with coyotes that can further reduce the chances for problem encounters with domestic animals.
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Iowa Nature Series Provides Fresh Look at Iowa's Outdoors
Explore Iowa's natural world through a series of new publications by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
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Keeping Bees in CRP
Over the past two decades, scientists and beekeepers alike observed drastic declines in bee populations. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) offered through the USDA offers a promising mitigation strategy related to establishing more nesting and foraging habitat for bees.
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An Ode to the Dickcissel: Rural Iowa's Most Unremarkable Remarkable Bird
Wild turkey. Ring-necked pheasant. Trumpeter swan. Turkey vulture. Northern bobwhite. These are the remarkable birds of Iowa's rural landscapes. They're large, conspicuous, and broadly recognized. These species, and a few more, are those most associated with rural life and synonymous with our experience on the farm. However, I submit that to the trained eye, and ear, the bird that most symbolizes Iowa's countryside is not these charismatic familiar species, but rather, the unremarkable yet fascinatingly remarkable Dickcissel.
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Woodworking for Wildlife
There seem to be no limits to the creative capacity of nature lovers, so one can find design specifications for structures for anything from a turtle to an osprey. Many different shapes, sizes, and designs are available for ‘bird houses’. Boxes for secondary cavity nesters also come in all shapes and sizes to target dozens of species in Iowa.
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A Conservationist's Christmas List
For many of us, conservation is our way of life. Finding ways to connect with and improve the land, the soil, the water, and wildlife consumes our thoughts and free time. If you have someone in your life that shares that same passion, here’s a few ideas for brightening their holiday season.
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Doing your Part in the Management of Iowa's White-tailed Deer and the CWD Threat
New challenges for deer management are on the horizon. Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD is a neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family.
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Making a Difference in the Fight Against Lead Poisoning in Iowa's Wildlife
In February of 2018, wildlife biologists and veterinarians investigated the suspicious death of 32 trumpeter swans in a Clinton County wetland. This incident, and others, has prompted interest in finding ways to reduce lead exposure and curtail these unnatural deaths.
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Wild Mammals of Iowa the Focus of New Free Online Book
Did you know that Iowa’s smallest mammal weighs less than a tablespoon of butter? Or that 9 species of bats call Iowa’s forest home during the summer? Or that river otters have been documented in every county in Iowa? These facts, and many more, are the subject of a new, freely available book from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach titled, “Mammals of Iowa.”
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Catch the Best Show in Iowa this Spring in a Local Young Forest
If this spring revitalization were a cast of characters, I think we’d agree that geese and robins play the leading role. But my favorite, and perhaps one of the most undervalued supporting characters in this annual revival, is the American Woodcock.
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