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Deer hunters participating in the first
weekend of the nine day scientific collection effort in the surveillance zones
in Allamakee and Clayton counties provided 54 tissue samples to state officials
that will be tested for the presence of chronic wasting disease.
Chronic wasting disease is a
neurologic disease of deer, moose and elk, belonging to the family of diseases
known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases.
Though it shares certain features with other TSEs like bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (“Mad Cow Disease”) or scrapie in sheep, it is a distinct
disease apparently affecting only deer, moose and elk. It is always fatal.
The disease first appeared in Iowa’s
wild deer herd in 2013 and each year since, the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) has placed extra emphasis on tracking the movement of the
disease with the cooperation of successful hunters.
The scientific collection effort was outcome
of meetings in Harpers Ferry and Elkader on Jan. 18 that drew more than 125 attendees.
Terry Haindfield, wildlife biologist
with the Iowa DNR, who is coordinating the effort to contain and limit the
spread of the fatal deer disease, led those meetings.
“Our hope with this effort is to
collect samples from specific sections in these zones where we don’t have much data,
from adult animals which are those more likely to have picked the disease, and
if we can, to remove additional positive deer that will no longer be spreading
this disease on the environment for others to become infected,” Haindfield
said.
“We are doing everything we can to try
to contain or slow the spread of this disease until science can catch up and
give us some tools to fight it. We can’t do this alone and are grateful for the
cooperation for the hunters and landowners,” he said. “We want the tradition of
hunting to continue.”
The collection effort ends Jan. 28.
Permits to participate in the
collection effort are available at the DNR office in Harpers Ferry or the
Clayton County Conservation Osborne Nature Center, which will serve as the
designated check stations. Permits will be available at the check stations
daily during the Jan. 20-28 collecting period, starting at 8
a.m. on weekends and noon on the weekdays.
Scientific collection
effort weekend results
Allamakee County Surveillance Zone
- 41 deer collected: 34 sampled, 7 fawns not sampled
- 264 collectors operating under 64 permits
- Goal: 300 samples, not more than 75 from Yellow
River State Forest
Clayton County Surveillance Zone
- 26 deer collected: 20 sampled, 6 fawns not sampled
- 198 collectors operating under 50 permits
- Goal: 300 samples
The collection effort ends Jan. 28.
Deer tissue
test kits available, results coming in
Iowa has two deer confirmed positive for
chronic wasting disease from the 2017 season – one each from the Allamakee and
Clayton County surveillance zones – and five suspected positives.
The five suspected positive are all in
the Allamakee County surveillance zone and are going through a second
confirmation test.
Labs at Colorado State University and
Iowa State University continue to process tissue samples and report the results
to the Iowa DNR.
Media
Contact: Terry Haindfield, Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of
Natural Resources, 563-546-7960.
The paddlefish fishing season is open from sunrise
to sunset from Feb. 4 to April 30 on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. Anglers
fishing for paddlefish must have a valid Iowa fishing license, along with a
special paddlefish license and unused transportation tag(s).
Please keep track of your catch and effort and
return the survey card after the paddlefish season whether you harvested a fish
or not. The information collected will help the Iowa DNR evaluate the success
of the season and determine what potential changes/modifications may be needed.
Recent changes to the season were mostly guided by your comments and are much
appreciated.
If
you catch a jaw-tagged fish (numbered band in the lower jaw), call the phone number on the tag and report the tag number, date of capture,
capture location and eye-to-fork length. The Iowa DNR and other state fisheries
agencies tag paddlefish to better understand and manage populations. Tagging
provides valuable information to estimate population size, fish movement and
growth.
For more
information about Iowa’s special paddlefish season, visit the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/paddlefish.
Media Contact: Ryan Hupfeld, Fisheries Management
Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, ryan.hupfeld@dnr.iowa.gov or 712-249-1997.
OTTUMWA– A
public ceremony to dedicate Soap Creek and Eldon Wildlife Areas, Stephens State
Forest Unionville Unit, Lake Wapello State Park and a portion of the Soap Creek
watershed as Iowa’s newest Bird Conservation Area (BCA) will take place on Feb.
8 at 1:30 p.m.
The meeting
will be held at the Pioneer Ridge Nature Center; located about six miles south
of Ottumwa on the east side of Hwy. 63 at the Wapello County Conservation Board
headquarters.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is
hosting the dedication that will include brief presentations and the unveiling
of a special Bird Conservation Area sign.
This unique area is one of southeastern Iowa’s most species-rich grassland/savanna/forest
habitats.
“Designating this complex as a Bird Conservation
Area will add to its recognition by indicating its importance for nesting and
migratory grassland, savanna, and forest birds,” said Bruce Ehresman, wildlife biologist
with the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Diversity Program. “It provides important nesting
habitat for declining grassland birds, such as meadowlarks, state threatened
Henslow’s sparrows and northern bobwhites, for declining savanna birds like red-headed
woodpeckers and state endangered barn owls, and for declining forest birds like
Kentucky warblers, wood thrushes and Acadian flycatchers; plus this BCA provides
migration stopover habitat for a large number of other bird species suffering
nationwide declines.”
This area also is rich in cultural history, including
thousands of years when it was inhabited by Native Americans and the time-period
when Euro-American settlers first arrived and benefitted from the Native people
who already were present.
This new
BCA will likely attract bird enthusiasts from throughout the region and beyond,
Ehresman said. “Watching wildlife is a $350 million industry in Iowa, and
more birders visiting this area will support the growing local tourism economy
and encourage investment in local bird conservation,” he said.
“The
designation of the Soap Creek-Stephens Forest Bird Conservation Area serves to
recognize the excellent teamwork of many partners, cooperating to emphasize the
importance of habitat for birds and other wildlife. State, federal, and county
conservation agencies, working together with private conservation organizations
and citizens have made this possible,” said Jeff Glaw, wildlife biologist with
the Iowa DNR managing the Sugema Wildlife Unit.
For more information, contact Bruce Ehresman, Wildlife Biologist, Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, at 515-432-2823 or Jeff Glaw, Wildlife
Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, at 319-293-7185.
Des Moines
- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting public meetings on February
21 from 6 to 9 p.m., to listen to the public’s thoughts on the hunting and
trapping regulations for this fall.
These
meetings are part of the process for making rules in state government.
“Any
rule changes must be discussed with Iowa’s citizens who might be impacted by
the changes before the rule changes are proposed. The process helps ensure that
rule changes serve the public’s wishes and do not impact Iowa’s economy,” said Todd
Bishop, chief of the wildlife bureau.
At
each meeting DNR staff will facilitate a discussion about what went well last
fall, what didn’t, and what changes hunters and trappers would like to see for
this fall.
These
discussions along with the data that the wildlife bureau collects on harvest
and population numbers will be used to develop recommendations for any rule
changes. Any changes must be approved by the Natural Resource Commission and
then go back to the public for further comment before taking effect next fall.
Meetings
will be held in Atlantic, Boone, Burlington, Calmar, Chariton, Council Bluffs,
Creston, DeWitt, Knoxville, Lake View, Ottumwa, Peosta, Sheldon, Solon, Spencer,
Tripoli and Ventura.
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.
Feb. 21 wildlife
listening session locations
- Atlantic, Iowa DNR office, 1401 Sunnyside Lane
- Boone, Iowa DNR research station, 1436 255th Street
- Burlington, Public Library, 210 Court St.
- Calmar, Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Education
Center, 1527 Hwy. 150 South, Site #1793 in Room 114
- Chariton, Iowa DNR research station, Red Haw State Park,
24570 Hwy. 34 (White building at the Red Hawk Lake Dam)
- Council Bluffs, Fish and Game Club, 531 Comanche Street
- Creston, Southwestern Community College, 1501 West Townline,
Room 180
- DeWitt, Central High School, Room 311 (near the auditorium)
- Knoxville, Red Rock Army Corps of Engineers headquarters,
1105 N Hwy. T15
- Lake View, Iowa DNR wildlife office, 116 South State Road
- Ottumwa, Ottumwa High School, 501 Second St E, Room 157
- Peosta, Northeast Iowa Community College, 8342 NICC Drive,
Room 203
- Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College, 603 W Park Street,
Building H, Room 519
- Solon, Solon Middle School Media Center, 1775 Racine, Solon IA
- Spencer, Iowa Lakes Community College - Spencer Campus, 1900
Grand Ave., Room 108B
- Tripoli, Tripoli High School, 209 Eighth Ave SW, ICN Room
- Ventura, Iowa DNR wildlife office, 15326 Balsam Ave.
Last year, more than 7,800 of Iowa’s 1.6 million taxpayers helped
boost wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on
their state income tax form – an increase of nearly 300 contributors over 2016.
“We are appreciative for the increase in contributors, and are hopeful
that more Iowans see the benefit that their donations goes directly to habitat
development and restoration programs for some of Iowa’s most vulnerable animal
species,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist for the Wildlife Diversity
Program in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Iowans donated roughly $147,000 last spring when completing their
2016 tax forms, which translates to an average gift of $18.73 per donor. While
the rise in the number of contributors is welcome, it represents only 0.4% of
total tax payers in Iowa.
The Fish and Wildlife Fund, known popularly as the “Chickadee
Check-off,” is a mechanism the Iowa Legislature created in the 1980s for Iowa
citizens to donate to wildlife conservation on the Iowa state tax form. Prior
to its establishment, the so called non-game wildlife had no dedicated
funding.
At its height, Iowans donated more than $200,000 annually to the
fund. While the main reasons for the decline in donations are unknown, Shepherd
said tax payers need to be alert when filling out their form or working with a
tax preparer.
“The chickadee check-off is an inconspicuous line that is easy to
pass over or forget, and many tax preparers may not remember to ask whether a
client wants to donate,” she said. “It may be up to the taxpayer to remind
their preparer, or make a point of looking for it whether they are doing their
form on paper or electronically.”
According to Shepherd, donating on the tax form is easy: simply
write the amount to donate next to the Fish and Wildlife Check-Off, line 57 on Form
1040, and the sum is either automatically deducted from the refund or added to
the amount owed. As with all charitable contributions, the amount is deductible
from next year’s taxes.
“Currently only about half a percent of Iowans donate,” said
Shepherd. “If every Iowa taxpayer donated just $1, it would mean $1.5 million
for wildlife and natural resource conservation.”
Proceeds from the check-off are one of the few means of support for
the Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Diversity Program, responsible
for protecting more than 1,000 fish and wildlife species in the state. Money
from the check-off helps improve wildlife habit, restore native wildlife, provide
opportunities for citizens to learn about our natural resources and much more.
Media Contact: Stephanie Shepherd, Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of
Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program, 515-432-2823 ext. 102 or stephanie.shepherd@dnr.iowa.gov
Registration is now open for the April 27-29 Becoming an
Outdoors Woman workshop at Honey Creek Resort on Lake
Rathbun.
While the focus of BOW is primarily for women, the
workshop is an opportunity for anyone 18 years or older to learn outdoor
skills.
“This workshop is all about introducing
new participants to the outdoors and building social support networks so skills
learned can be applied to other outdoor opportunities throughout the year,” said Rachel Ladd,
with the Iowa Departments of Natural Resources.
Workshop courses include off-highway
vehicle safety and awareness, shotgun shooting, turkey hunting and mentored
turkey hunt, explore bowfishing, canning and preserving, firearm cleaning, pan
fishing, Dutch oven cooking, kayaking, foraged flavors, meat smoking and more.
The cost of the workshop is $215
(double occupancy) before March 23, and $200 (no lodging) beginning March
23. The fee includes program materials, equipment, lodging and meals. Enrollment is limited to
120 participants. A limited number of scholarships are available that can
reduce the fee by $130.
“This workshop is an excellent
opportunity to try activities under the guidance of our top-notch instructors,”
Ladd said. “Our workshop is popular because we keep our class sizes small and
the setting at Honey Creek Resort is beautiful, particularly in the spring.”
Participates
will experience an improved registration process that will build their workshop
schedule as they make their selections. “Make
sure to choose one class for each session, each class will show the number of seats
still available and once a class has filled, it will be closed. Attendees will know what sessions they are in
at the completion of the registration process,” Ladd said.
Part of the registration process
includes the options for lodging. Based on participant feedback, options now
include both hotel rooms and cabins.
Early
registration is encouraged as enrollment is limited and workshop spaces and
lodging fill quickly. Go to www.iowadnr.gov/bow to download a registration form, select classes and for
more information on applying for a scholarship.
For more information, contact Rachel Ladd at
515-729-6037 or Rachel.Ladd@dnr.iowa.gov.
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