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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2018
 Prairie plants like mountain mint, rattlesnake master, wild strawberries, milkweeds and more have reappeared at Hooper Wildlife Management Area after sitting dormant for decades under a canopy of cedar trees and black locusts. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been mechanically removing the trees and using fire to open these ridgetops to create disturbed habitat once common to the area and preferred by quail and other wildlife. Photo by the Iowa DNR.
Indianola - The Hooper Wildlife Area is a highly popular place
to hunt deer and turkeys, but outside of those seasons, it doesn’t receive much
attention, save for the lake. But that quietness of the offseason could be
changing thanks to a series of old photos that are helping to transform the
area.
Wildlife management
biologist Todd Gosselink began using photos from the 1930s, 50s, 60s and 70s to
help identify old farm fields and existing tree lines to locate previously open
areas taken over by cedars, honeysuckle and black locust.
The 1950s to 70s is
also about the time, as the story goes, when pheasant and quail hunting at
Hooper was at its peak. Looking back, the area was mostly open with small farm
fields of various grains, fencerows and brushy areas and it’s that mixed open
habitat that Gosselink aims to return to the area.
“The area filled in
with undesirable species because the annual disturbance was gone. We’re doing
the annual disturbance now through fire, planting food plots and other
management techniques,” he said. The project began in the fall of 2014.
“We’re going to keep
doing management and keep doing quail surveys. We know they’re here but in
really low numbers. I want this to be a success story. Quail like broken and
fragmented habitat and that’s what we’re hoping to provide,” he said.
Reclaiming the lobes
Hooper is made up of
rugged terrain with lots of valleys. The relatively flatter hilltops have been
the focus of his search for remnant prairies.
“It’s a long process
– 5 to 10 years – we’re watching, waiting to see what comes back,” he said.
“Jury is still out. We’re seeing some good things – a species here and there,
but we’re also aggressive fighting invasive species like sericea lespedeza and
reeds canary grass.”
One reclaimed former
farm field in particular responded like Gosselink had hoped. Prairie plants
like mountain mint, rattlesnake master, wild strawberries, milkweeds and more, sitting
dormant for decades, have reappeared.
“We want to keep the
fire on these lobes to keep expanding the open areas,” he said. “Keep pushing
to get it back to the 50s.”
Birds-eye view today
Hooper has secluded and
rugged areas tucked in to its 482 acres five miles south of Indianola. A view
from above shows several small sediment collection impoundments that would
provide opportunities to catch bullfrogs or harvest wood ducks. The largest is
a short hike above the upper end of Hooper Lake.
A vacant osprey
platform overlooks this quiet pond that offers kayakers, bird watchers or
anglers a new experience away from the crowds. Hikers can explore the network
of expanding open areas planted in clover, winter wheat, soybeans, grass and
re-emerging prairie.
Hooper Wildlife
Management Area has limited facilities, primarily focused on the lower end of
the lake. There is a parking lot, boat ramp and courtesy dock.
Partnership with Pheasants Forever
Tackling an
improvement project of this size and scale is a little easier when it’s
supported by partners and the Warren County Chapter of Pheasants Forever has
been a strong partner.
Julie Stanley, of
Lacona, who recently stepped down after nine years as the Warren County chapter
president, said Hooper is an important area for hunting and water activities
for families because of its proximity to Indianola.
She said their
chapter has helped the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at Hooper by purchasing
equipment and hiring contractors to spray for invasive species and plant clover
and dove plots. She said it’s important to take care of these existing public
places.
“Our mission is to
make all those areas more accessible to families, be it hunting or fishing,”
she said.
With their help,
Hooper is on the path back to the good old days.
Bobcat study
Hooper WMA played an
important role in the study of Iowa’s bobcat population that eventually led to
the re-opening of the secretive feline to being trapped.
In 2003, Gosselink
was the forest wildlife species research biologist and in the first year of a six
year bobcat study. As part of that study, he had trapped a female bobcat and
fitter her with a radio collar to study her travel patterns.
After a few years,
the battery on the radio collar was reaching its life expectancy so she was
re-captured in the spring on the area. Researchers knew she had litter nearby
and were hoping to capture a few kittens to examine. They waited to see if any
would come to her but no luck.
The female, called 000
for the telemetry frequency, had some biological data collected, was outfitted
with a new collar and released.
She never left that
general area.
Media Contact:
Todd Gosselink, Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources,
515-238-6936.
Cedar Falls
–
Iowa’s Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) state trapshooting championship
event begins June 6 at the Iowa State Trapshooting Association home grounds
just north of Cedar Falls.
Middle
school and elementary aged athletes will begin the competition on Wednesday with
high school athletes competing Thursday through Sunday. More than 630,000 clay
targets will be fired at during the five days of competition by more than 2,600
youth from 117 Iowa teams.
This
week’s trap championship event is the first culminating event to a season of
trap, skeet and sporting clays competitions that started last fall where Iowa teams
logged 800 competition events from Sept. 1 through the end of May. Iowa youth have
fired at nearly 1.7 million clay targets in these local competitions alone.
Event Details
June
6 – Rookie and Intermediate Divisions (Grades 8 and under)
June
7 – Doubles and Handicap (i.e. added distance) Events, All Ages
June
8 through Sunday June 10 – High School Divisions
Iowa
State Trapshooting Association Home Grounds
6138
W Cedar Wapsi Road, Cedar Falls
Event Program, Schedules and Results
Complete
event program can be found at
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Law%20Enforcement/2018eprogram.pdf
Interactive
squad schedules may be viewed by going to http://shot.sssfonline.com/shot/bin/comp/report/schedule.asp?id=1724 then
navigating to the event you would like to see the squad schedule for.
Results
leaderboards can be found at http://shot.sssfonline.com/shot/bin/comp/report/leaderboard.asp?id=1724
Scheduled Teams and Athlete Hometown
List:
https://sssfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Iowa_State_Trapshoot_AthleteList_2018.xlsx
https://sssfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Iowa_State_Trapshoot_AthleteList_2018.pdf
The
event is hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State
Trapshooting Association.
How the Event Works
On
each trapshooting field, athletes line up 16 yards away from a concrete house
containing a mechanical clay target thrower. Clay targets flying about 42 mph
are launched from the house at random angles when each competitor calls “Pull!”.
Competitors fire one shot at each target and targets are scored “dead” (hit) or
“lost” (missed). The competitor with the most “dead” targets wins. In SCTP
competition there are both individual and team awards presented. Additional
events include doubles trap where two targets are presented simultaneously and
handicap trap where shooters fire at targets further away from the clay target
thrower.
Most
teams in Iowa begin practices in March and compete in dual, triangular and
invitational meets throughout the spring. Teams are coached by adult volunteers
who are certified through the Iowa DNR Basic Shotgun Coach certification
program.
Why So Popular?
The
Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program has grown from about 400 athletes in 2007
to nearly 4,000 today. Iowa’s program is the largest of the 42 participating states
around country. There is no “bench” in the shooting sports - everyone gets to
play regardless of athletic ability. The
sport is also co-gender and accommodating to those with disabilities. Many Iowa
schools offer varsity letters for trapshooting athletes requiring shooters to
follow the same academic standards and good conduct policies as other
student-athletes.
Are the Shooting Sports Safe?
According
to the American Sports Data, Inc., shooting sports have some of the lowest
occurrences of injury compared to other forms of recreation including all
popular sports offered in schools today.
All
youth athletes involved in SCTP competitions have been provided with extensive
coaching in the safe and responsible use of firearms. During all practices and
competitions, all firearms must be completely unloaded and carried with the
action open unless the athlete is on the firing line and it is their turn to
shoot. All activities are closely supervised by trained and responsible adult
volunteer coaches.
Shooting
sports and firearms safety education replaces curiosity and promotes respect
and responsibility in the handling and use of firearms.
Media Contact: Chris
VanGorp, Shooting Sports Coordinator, Iowa DNR, 515-313-8048 or Chris.VanGorp@dnr.iowa.gov
Hunter
Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified
volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation
Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held
over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must
attend all sessions and pass the final exam.
Iowa
law requires that anyone born after January 1, 1972 must be certified in hunter
education before they are eligible to purchase an Iowa hunting license.
Upcoming
Hunter Education Classes
June 11, Elkader, Osborne Nature Center
June 21, Knoxville, Marion County Sportsman Club
July 7, Sioux City, Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
July 12, Dysart, Union Middle School
July 16, Atlantic, Iowa DNR Environmental Services
Field Office
July 16, Homestead, Amana Sportsmans Club
July 24, West Chester, West Chester Heritage
Building
Aug. 2, Indianola, Izaak Walton League - Indianola
Aug. 3, Nashua, Nashua Fish and Game Club
Aug. 11, Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College -
Waterloo
Aug. 14, Hawarden, Sioux County Conservation Board,
Oak Grove Park
Aug. 16, Columbus Junction, American Legion
Aug. 18, Stratford, Izaak Walton League – Boone Valley
Aug. 20, Polk City, Butch Olofson Shooting Range
Aug. 21, Ames, Izaak Walton League – Ames
Aug. 21, Clinton, Izaak Walton League – Clinton
Aug. 23, Rockford, Floyd County Conservation Board,
Fossil & Prairie Center
Aug. 25, Aurelia, Aurelia Shelter House
Aug. 25, Vinton, Izaak Walton League – Vinton
Aug. 25, Fairbank, Fairbank Gun Club
Aug. 25, Muscatine, Muscatine County Conservation
Board, Environmental Learning Center
Aug. 26, Aurelia, Aurelia Shelter House
Aug. 27, Cherokee, Little Sioux Wildlife
Association
Sept. 6, New Hampton, Fredericksburg Sportsmans
Club
Sept. 6, Knoxville, Marion County Sportsman Club
Sept. 8, Swisher, America Legion
Sept. 8, Muscatine, Muscatine County Conservation
Board, Environmental Learning Center
Sept. 10, Polk City, Butch Olofson Shooting Range
Sept. 11, Marcus, Grace Methodist Church
Sept. 15, Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College –
Waterloo
Sept. 19, Exira, Audubon County Conservation Board
Sept. 20, Dubuque, EB Lyons Interpretive Center - Mines
of Spain
For
more information on these and other hunter education opportunities, go to www.iowadnr.gov/huntered
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