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Media Note:
Alex Murphy, public information officer for the Iowa DNR, will not be available
from Sept. 1–4.
As the unofficial end
to summer approaches, boaters will experience high volumes of traffic on the
waterways and at the boat ramps this weekend.
DNR officials are
reminding anyone hitting the water this weekend to be aware of their
surroundings at all times and practice all common safety measures.
“With what appears to
be a very favorable forecast for the extended holiday weekend, we expect to see
many people out on the water enjoying some of the last nice weather of the
season,” said Susan Stocker, DNR boating law administrator and education coordinator.
DNR will have
enforcement officers on the lake monitoring all vessels and boaters to ensure
all safety precautions are being taken to prevent any crashes, injuries or
fatalities.
Last year over the
Labor Day weekend, there were a total of five boating incidents reported, two
involving property damage in excess of $2,000 and three incidents with personal
injuries. One individual was also
arrested for boating while intoxicated over the holiday weekend.
Officers remind boaters
to boat sober or have a designated driver of the boat.
“Boaters need to
remember that .08 limit in a vehicle is the same on the water. In fact,
drinking while driving a vessel can be more dangerous at times because of the
direct impact from the sun on your body temperature and the loud noise from the
boat motor,” said Jeff Swearngin, chief of the DNR’s Law Enforcement Bureau.
Be sure to have life
jackets on board for all boaters and ensure they fit properly, have all proper
equipment, including a working fire extinguisher, on board while on the
water.
“We want everyone to
have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend on the water, and that is only
possible with your help,” Stocker said.
Media Note: The following conservation
officers may be contacted to arrange for interviews or ride-alongs ahead of the
Labor Day weekend:
- Central Iowa:
Matt Bruner at (515) 290-0527
- Scott County:
Jeff Harrison at (563) 349-9418
- Northeast Iowa:
Andrew Keil at (563) 590-1945
- Clear Lake: Ben
Bergman at (641) 425-0828
- Great Lakes area:
Steve Reighard at (712) 260-1018
- Lake Manawa: Adam
Gacke at (712) 520-5570
Media Contact: Susan Stocker, Boating Law Administrator and
Education Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-313-6439.
The unofficial end of the summer holiday remains one of the more popular weekends during the peak camping season. Most of the campsites with electricity in Iowa state parks have been snapped up for weeks ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
“We expect our campgrounds to be near capacity for the Labor Day weekend,” said Todd Coffelt, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau. “It’s been a good summer, with some outstanding camping weather which looks to continue making for a great weekend.”
The few available campsites on the reservation system will likely fill quickly so campers making last minute plans should move now. Campgrounds with the most electrical sites available are Pilot Knob with 10, Honey Creek with four, Lake Anita and Lake Keomah with two each.
Go to www.iowadnr.gov and click on the reservation button at the bottom of the page, or go directly to http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/
After this Wednesday, all available sites for a Friday arrival will become first-come, first-served camping.
State park concessions
Don’t miss the opportunity to rent that paddleboard or fishing boat, grab a quick snack or a full-service restaurant meal, or camp with firewood close at hand. Some state park concessionaires will close for the season after this weekend. Others may remain open into the fall. Check out the state park concessions webpage to find out which parks have concessions, what they offer and other details at www.iowadnr.gov/concessions
Cabins still available Labor Day weekend
Not really a camper but think you might enjoy a weekend stay in a state park cabin? Five Iowa state parks currently have cabins available for the Labor Day weekend. Reservations must be made by contacting the park office directly.
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Black Hawk State Park, Sac County, Deluxe Family Cabin, 4-bedroom, $100/day 712-657-8712
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Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, Van Buren County, Studio Cabins, $50/day each 319-293-3502
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Lake Wapello State Park, Davis County, Family Cabins, $60/day each 641-722-3371
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Pine Lake State Park, Hardin County, Family Cabin, one-bedroom, $75/day 641-858-5832
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Waubonsie State Park, Fremont County, Studio Cabin #2, $60/day 712-382-2786
For details about the cabins visit http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/
During the peak reservation season (Memorial Day – Labor Day) most state park cabins rent for a minimum one-week stay (Friday to Friday). All state park cabins return to two-day minimum stays on Sept. 8, 2017.
The experimental September teal
hunting season begins Sept. 2, and based on a recently released population survey,
hunters can expect to find about the same amount of teal as they have over the
last five years.
Teal are early migrants and a
challenge to bag. Teal migrations are dependent upon weather patterns and most
of the teal that come through Iowa originate in Saskatchewan, Minnesota and
North Dakota.
“Watch the weather in the northern
prairies. If its cold up there, the birds will begin heading down,” said Orrin
Jones, waterfowl biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“This time of year is a great time to be on the marsh. Teal decoy very well, are
fun to hunt and provide a lot of excitement. It’s one of my favorite ducks to
eat.”
Teal prefer shallow water so hunting
is primarily done from shore. No special equipment is necessary – just standard
decoys, light loads and wide chokes.
Scouting wetland conditions is
important even during the best water years. In years when a good portion of the
state is experiencing a drought, scouting is more important.
The Iowa DNR will provide a wetland conditions
update in the evening on Aug. 31 at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Migratory-Game-Birds,
and then will update the wetland conditions before the regular duck season
opens. The Iowa DNR’s online hunting atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting
is a useful tool for identifying new places to hunt.
The season runs Sept. 2-10 in the
north zone and south zone and Sept. 2-17 in the Missouri river zone. Shooting
hours is sunrise to sunset, beginning one half our later than regular duck
season. Daily limit is six teal. Only blue-winged, green-winged and cinnamon
teal are legal. No other duck species may be taken.
This is the final year of the experimental
September teal only season. State wildlife experts will review hunter
participation, success and feedback, identification and compliance observation
surveys and management strategies before proposing the 2018 waterfowl hunting
season dates.
Special
September urban goose hunting season
The special September urban goose
hunting season surrounding Des Moines, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City and Cedar
Falls/Waterloo is Sept. 2-10, providing hunters an early opportunity to help
cities reduce the resident urban goose population.
Goose hunting is only allowed within
the special zones. Zones include a mix of public and private land and hunters
are required to secure permission before hunting on private land. Hunters may
harvest up to five Canada geese daily. Shooting hours are the same as during
regular goose seasons.
Goose zone maps are available online
at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting
then click on Migratory Game Birds in the left column and then on the Special
September Canada Goose Seasons drop down menu.
Media
Contact: Orrin Jones, Waterfowl Biologist,
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 641-357-3517.
Swisher, Iowa
- The wildlife refuge section of the Hawkeye Wildlife Area on the west side of
the Coralville Reservoir will be open to hunting until Sept. 20, to allow
hunters access to public hunting areas for the special September Canada goose
season for the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids zone as well as for the experimental
teal season.
“The purpose of the season is to
reduce the population of resident Canada geese in the corridor and the wildlife
refuge covers a sizable portion within the zone on the public area. By opening
the refuge, we can provide hunter access that we believe will help reduce the
number of local Canada geese,” said Tim Thompson, wildlife biologist for the
Iowa DNR.
The DNR has maps with the special
September Canada goose zone boundaries highlighted online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Migratory-Game-Birds.
Beginning Sept. 20, no hunting for any
species will be allowed in the refuge to allow waterfowl and other birds a
place to rest during the fall migration.
Media Contact: Tim Thompson, Wildlife
Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 319-330-7013.
Iowa
anglers have lots of opportunities to earn a Master Angler award this Labor Day
weekend. Finding places that have big fish is key to catching big fish.
Quickly
find the best spots to catch qualifying size fish with the electronic map on
the Master Angler website (https://programs.iowadnr.gov/masterangler/). Click on
"Map" above the photos or search for local hotspots by species or
location.
Try
these tips from DNR fisheries biologists to catch large bluegill, bass and catfish
during the summer heat (early morning and sunset are best).
Bluegills (10 inches to qualify)
- Farm
Ponds – drift or cast small jigs (1/32nd oz.) tipped with a 1-inch piece of
worm 6-to 8-feet down around weed edges and deep structure; make sure you get
permission from the landowner before entering.
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West Okoboji
Lake,
Dickinson County – jig live bait (small crayfish, Belgium worms, piece of night
crawler or leech) with a split shot 8-10 inches above the hook in shallow areas
around weed lines.
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Yellow
Smoke Park Lake, Crawford County – look for bluegills in 5- to
10-feet of water near the arm north of the swim beach, the flooded timber near
the southwest shoreline, and the coves on the south shore; use a 1/32 ounce to
1/64 ounce black hair jig tipped with a waxworm.
Largemouth Bass (20 inches to qualify)
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Brushy Creek
Lake,
Webster County – throw topwater lures, weedless baits, spinners and plastic
worms along weed lines, near cover and wood structure.
- Farm
Ponds – use top water lures at the edge of aquatic plants early and late in the
day when the air is still; switch to a spinner bait or plastic worm later in
the morning or late afternoon next to the weed line or around brush piles; make
sure you get permission from the landowner before entering.
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Lake Sugema, Van Buren
County – try spinnerbaits or crawdad imitating baits along the shorelines,
among vegetation and around the jetties.
Channel Catfish (30 inches to qualify)
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Des Moines
River (Saylorville to Red Rock), Polk and Marion counties – use stink
baits and cut baits.
- Farm
Ponds – try cut bait or prepared baits around structure and vegetation edge; make
sure you get permission from the landowner before entering.
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Red Rock
Reservoir,
Marion County – drift cut creek chubs or shad above the mile long bridge in
6-12 feet of water.
The Master
Angler program celebrates angler success for catching quality sized fish. Master
anglers can track the number of species they submit and see where they “rank” among
fellow master anglers.
The list of eligible fish species, complete rules and
registration form is available in the Iowa Fishing Regulations or online at fishing.iowadnr.gov.
Steps to
submit a state record fish entry
If you believe you have caught an all-time state record fish in
Iowa, follow these steps.
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Look up the size of the current state
record in the Iowa Fishing Regulations or
on the DNR webpage to see if your fish is larger
than the current record. Your fish must weigh one ounce or more than the
current state record fish.
- Weigh your fish on a scale certified
for trade (like at a grocery store, meat locker and some bait shops),
preferably while it is still alive. The fish will start to lose weight the
longer you keep it. The DNR will not accept the weight of a frozen
fish. If you need to freeze the fish before you can get it weighed,
you must thaw it out before you weigh it. The fish will be lighter after it is
frozen and then thawed. A witness must attest to the weight of the fish to the
nearest ounce.
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Contact your local conservation officer
or fisheries biologist. The fisheries biologist must examine and verify the
fish. If you cannot reach the biologist, the conservation officer
will contact someone who can help. Contact information for the local
conservation officers and fisheries biologist is listed on the DNR’s webpage.
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Submit your record fish online through
the Master Angler system.
Media
Contact: Jeff Kopaska, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of
Natural Resources, 515-432-2823 ext. 109.
 Tieville Bend has a high level of plant diversity including prairie mint, rattlesnake master, partridge pea, purple coneflower, wild licorice (pictured) and wild grapes. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.
The
parking lot of the Super 8 at I-29 and Hwy. 175 fills each fall with trucks
pulling boats covered with duck blinds. For hunters, the bread and butter at
Tieville Bend is the fall duck migration and if you want to know how the
hunting is, go to Onawa and stop in Dave’s World Truck Stop and Restaurant,
Suds and Jugs, or Millers Kitchen.
What
draws the hunters here is the same thing that draws the ducks – a silty, sticky
gumbo. But not the eating kind.
“The
sticky gumbo is unique here; it covers the farm fields and holds sheets of
water. The number of ducks we get here can be insane,” said Doug Chafa,
wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The
4,500-acre Tieville Bend connects with Ivy Island and Blackbird Wildlife Area
to the north which provides about 3 1/2 miles of riverfront for public
recreation. Its varying landscapes of prairie, riverine, upland and wetlands is
large enough to offer a 2-1/2 mile hike-in solitary experience or a sunflower
plot with hunters every 20 yards a stone’s throw from the parking lot.
This
diversity is also reflected in a unique plant and animal community.
Tieville
Bend is home to deer, turkey, pheasants and ducks, but also to short-eared
owls, northern harriers, northern and southern leopard frogs, woodhouse toads,
sand toads and tiger salamanders.
It’s
home to the plains spadefoot toad which lives underground for years at a time
only coming out during thunderstorms to mate. It’s rare and secretive and looks
more like a frog than a toad.
Plant
community includes prairie mint, rattlesnake master, partridge pea, purple coneflower, wild licorice, wild
grapes and a lot of poison ivy.
Taming old man river
The
Missouri River ran wide and shallow while Iowa was being settled. As modern
modes of transportation crossed the state, an effort led by the federal
government was initiated in the late 1930s to narrow the river channel to
promote barge traffic.
The
project constructed a series of wing dikes extending from shore to harness the
river’s energy to deposit silt behind the wing dikes. Once the area would silt
in, a new series of wing dikes would be built, slowly narrowing the river channel.
One
area resident has dedicated his spare time to looking for sunken steamboats
where the Missouri River’s channel was decades ago, which is now on land.
In
1943, the project was halted while the nation went to war and there was a
compact between Iowa and Nebraska that the river’s location in 1943 would be
the border for the two states. When the project resumed after the war, the
river channel had moved west creating an oxbow and an island of Nebraska land on
the east side of the river.
“Hunters
need to be aware where they are when hunting in this area to know which set of
hunting laws that they need to comply,” Chafa said. There is one area in
particular has been good for turkey hunters from both states that is right on
the state line near a break in the dogwoods on Ivy Island Wildlife Area.
The
Missouri River continues to exert its influence with occasional floods and sand
deposits that manipulate the tree and plant makeup, and wildlife that call it
home.
Flood 2011
The
flood of 2011 damaged the Decatur Bridge toll bridge on Hwy. 175 over the
Missouri River, killed cottonwood and oak trees on Tieville Bend and deposed
enough sand to cover 80 acres. Gold flakes have been found attached to sand
found on the area that has spawned recreational gold prospecting.
During
the high watermark, the DNR was launching boats off an agriculture access lane
more than a mile from the river.
However,
not all news was bad. The flood gave the cottonwoods a significant regeneration
event for the first time since the flood of 1952. The sand dunes slowly began
to vegetate with switch grass and prickly pear, giving a savannah-like
appearance.
Woodpeckers
benefited from flood-killed trees, orioles are building basket nests and the
spring and fall bird migration fills the area. The DNR had re-seeded 500-600
acres that was flooded out which is now experiencing a honeymoon phase where “pheasants
are going bonkers,” he said.
The
flood allowed fisheries staff to document the grass pickerel and confirmed paddlefish
reproduction at the area.
Some
oak trees have returned and a lot of milkweeds along with it. Last year it was
full of monarchs late in the day during the annual migration.
Partners
The
Iowa DNR works with a lot of partners for the benefit of the area, including the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Monona County Pheasants Forever, the Iowa DOT and
the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. It is in the early stages of working with
the Omaha band and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to partner on projects like
prescribed fire.
Media Contact: Doug Chafa,
Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-420-2437.
The Friends of the Pine Creek Grist
Mill at Wildcat Den State Park will be honored at the Governor’s Volunteer
Awards, Aug. 30, in Cedar Rapids.
The group will be recognized for
their long-term commitment and service to Wildcat Den, preserving, maintaining
and interpreting the historic Pine Creek Grist Mill within the park.
Organized in 1996, the group has
collectively donated more than 60,000 volunteer hours to restore the mill to
operational condition, making it one of the oldest working mills of its kind
between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains.
“The group continues to raise thousands of
dollars each year to maintain the mill and staff it with interpreters five days
of week during the recreational season,” says Gwen Prentice, DNR park ranger
for Wildcat Den. “These volunteers are Wildcat Den's frontline who share their
knowledge of and enthusiasm for the mill and the state park each day.”
According to Prentice, the mill is
one of Muscatine County's top tourist destinations.
In addition to annual maintenance and
seasonal staffing, each spring the Friends of Pine Creek Grist Mill hosts as average
of 15 school groups for field trips to teach educational programs to young
Iowans.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) discovered
26, 3- to 5-inch gizzard shad, in East Okoboji Lake on August 11 as part of
routine sampling.
“We don’t know how gizzard shad got into the lake,” said
Mike Hawkins, fisheries biologist for the Iowa DNR at Spirit Lake. “It is possible
that someone intentionally put them in the lake.”
This is the first time gizzard shad have been found in the
Iowa Great Lakes. Gizzard shad were not sampled in West Okoboji Lake or Spirit Lake.
“The Iowa Great Lakes are at the northern edge of this
species’ range,” Hawkins said. They do
not tolerate long winters and are usually found in southern Iowa lakes and
streams. “Mild winters the past few years may have allowed them to survive
further to the north.”
Gizzard shad are known to disrupt fisheries and compete with
native fish like bluegill and yellow perch.
“We can’t predict their impact in the Iowa Great Lakes at this
point. Because we are at the northern
edge of their range our winters should hold their numbers in check. Gizzard shad can reproduce in large numbers
and our continued mild seasons could favor this species,” said Hawkins.
It is very important to never transport and release any fish
species into any public water body. Introducing species like yellow bass,
common carp and gizzard shad can reduce native fish populations, decrease water
quality, and limit fishing.
Iowa DNR fisheries teams will monitor the population in the
coming years to determine changes and impacts. “There is no way to eliminate
gizzard shad from a lake without completely renovating and restocking the
lake,” Hawkins said.
Iowa law makes it illegal to possess live gizzard shad. It is also illegal to stock fish in any
public water of the state, including game fish.
The public is asked to report any of this illegal activity to their
local conservation officer or by calling the Turn-in-Poachers (TIP) hotline
1-800-532-2020. Callers can remain
anonymous.
Media Contact:
Mike Hawkins, Fisheries Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources,
712-336-1840.
The
Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received a report of dead fish
floating in Cedar Lake, an impoundment on the Cedar River near Nashua on Aug.
19th.
A
DNR investigation found several dead channel catfish. A natural algae bloom was occurring in the
lake at the time. Mid-day dissolved
oxygen readings were extremely high (over 18 mg/l), typical of algal blooms;
however, no elevated ammonia levels were documented.
Algae
blooms can produce very high oxygen levels during the day, but rapidly deplete
dissolved oxygen levels at night as the algae die, suffocating bottom-dwelling
fish such as catfish.
“Recent
cloudy, cool weather combined with low river levels have extended the natural
algae die-off,” said Mike Siepker, DNR fisheries
management biologist.
“Lake users may continue to occasionally see dead or stressed fish.”
Fish
caught from the lake are still safe to eat.
If you see dead fish when you are at a lake or
river, call the DNR’s 24-hour spill line at 515-725-8694 as soon as possible.
Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of a fish kill and
potentially stop a fish kill in progress.
For
more information, contact the Decorah Fisheries Management Office at 563-382-8324
or the Environmental Protection Field Office in Mason City at 641-424-4073.
NEVADA –The Iowa Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) and the Story County Conservation Board (SCCB) will host a public meeting
at 6:30 p.m., Sept. 12th, at the Oriole Shelter in Hickory Grove
Park, to discuss plans for improving water quality and recreational
opportunities at Hickory Grove Lake in Story County.
Restoration activities planned for the park will
be presented at the meeting, along with an opportunity for the public to
express their comments and ask questions about the long term management and
improvement plan.
Construction planned for the lake includes in-park
watershed improvements to stabilize areas that are actively eroding within the
park and rehabilitate existing sediment catch basins to prevent nutrient and
sediment pollution from entering the lake.
Planned in-lake restoration work includes removing
excess sediment from arms of the lake, shoreline stabilization fish habitat improvements,
and updating the lake’s outlet infrastructure.
Work is slated to begin this fall and will likely be completed in the
next 2-4 years.
Hickory Grove Lake is currently listed on the
State’s list of Impaired Waters due to high levels of indicator bacteria
(E.coli) and algae. The overall goal of this restoration project is to improve
water quality and recreational opportunities at the lake and remove the lake
from the Impaired Waters List.
Any person attending the public meeting and has
special requirements such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments
should contact the DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service
800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.
Media
Contact – George Antoniou, Lake Restoration Program
Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-725-8449.
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