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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2022
 DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation declaring the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day on April 29. It is estimated that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska City, Neb., on the first Arbor Day in 1872.
Every Arbor Day, Iowans pay special attention to the benefits of our trees and dedicate themselves to planting and managing Iowa’s trees and forests.
Trees are one of Iowa’s most valuable natural resources. They clean our air and water, conserve our soil and energy resources, provide critical wildlife habitat, provide outdoor recreation and make our communities a more pleasant place to live and work.
Iowa’s trees and forests are a sustainable-working natural resource that provide economic development opportunities for our 158,000 private woodland owners and more than 18,000 wood-based industries.
Communities across Iowa will be celebrating Arbor Day with various events including tree plantings, nature walks, and more. Tree City USA Communities across Iowa will host events as well. Attend an Arbor Day event near you.
Media contact: Emma Hanigan, Urban Forestry Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-249-1732.
This year’s unusual cold, late spring delayed the start of walleye collection efforts.
“Mother Nature presented many challenges this year, including cooler than normal temperatures, high winds, sleet and snow, as well as tornadoes,” said Jay Rudacille, supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Warm and Coolwater Fish Culture section. “Despite these less than ideal conditions, we still met our walleye egg collection goal thanks to the dedication, passion, and adaptability of our fisheries staff.”
Walleyes were caught at Clear, East Okoboji, Rathbun, Spirit, and Storm lakes from April 5-14. Netting crews collected enough walleyes to produce 796 quarts of eggs at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery and 900 quarts at the Rathbun Fish Hatchery. Crews at Storm Lake spawned enough females to produce 205 quarts of walleye eggs while efforts at Clear Lake produced 292 quarts of eggs. The Clear Lake and Storm Lake satellite hatcheries transferred their eggs to the Rathbun and Spirit Lake Fish hatcheries to be incubated and hatched.
“Our goal was to collect 1,600 quarts of walleye eggs to produce 145.3 million walleye fry (newly hatched fish) that we can stock in Iowa lakes or raise to a larger size in hatcheries before being released,” said Rudacille. “In total, 1,696 quarts of walleye eggs are being incubated.”
2022 was one of the best walleye collection seasons in more than a decade, netting 531 female walleyes from Rathbun Lake.
“We knew we would have a new year class of fish become vulnerable to our nets this year,” said Mark Flammang, fisheries biologist at Rathbun Lake. “This is very good news for anglers and the Iowa DNR.”
Five nights of walleye netting at Clear Lake produced its best year since 2015.
“We collected more than 700 fish that produced just short of 300 quarts of walleye eggs,” said Scott Grummer, fisheries biologist at Clear Lake. “The outlook looks great for future hatchery operations and angling opportunities at Clear Lake.”
New egg incubators at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery replaced the old system that used lake water to hatch the eggs.
“The new recirculating incubators use dechlorinated city water to provide clean, aquatic invasive species-free water for our eggs to hatch,” said Kim Hawkins, hatchery manager for the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery. “The new system is running great. Diseases that could affect the hatch rate of the eggs are greatly reduced and heat pumps help to control water temperature.”
Iowa is one of the top producers of walleye fry in the United States, second only to Minnesota. While the majority of walleyes are stocked as fry, some are cultured in Iowa DNR hatcheries and stocked at different sizes. More than 1.2 million two-inch walleyes are expected to be stocked into lakes, rivers, and streams across the state this summer. The DNR plans to grow more than 311,000 walleyes to 6-9-inch fingerlings that will be stocked in lakes later this fall.
With little natural reproduction in most Iowa lakes and rivers, Iowa’s walleye populations rely heavily upon stockings. Walleyes are stocked throughout Iowa into natural lakes, interior rivers, flood control reservoirs and selected larger man-made lakes.
While the sole focus at Rathbun Fish Hatchery in the spring is collecting and producing walleye, crews at Spirit Lake collected 195 northern pike that produced more than 1.6 million northern pike fry, and 93 muskellunge which are currently being held in the hatchery waiting to be spawned.
After being closed for the past two spawning seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rathbun and Spirit Lake fish hatcheries are open and ready for visitors. Contact the hatchery you plan to visit for visitor hours.
Media Contact: Jay Rudacille, DNR Warm and Coolwater Fish Culture Supervisor, 641-647-2406.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout at North Prairie Lake, in Cedar Falls, as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer.
“We encourage anglers to get out, enjoy the warmer weather and catch some trout,” said Mike Steuck, Iowa DNR regional fisheries supervisor. “All eighteen community trout ponds are now stocked with rainbow trout. They are easy to catch using basic fishing gear that everyone has.”
The popular community trout stocking program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10.
Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.
Find more information about trout fishing in Iowa on the DNR trout fishing webpage.
Media Contact: Mike Steuck, Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Northeast Iowa, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 563-927-3276.
DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a free kayak fishing basics webinar on May 16, from 6 - 7 p.m., via Zoom, for those who have little or no experience and want to learn more about how to get started.
“Fishing from a kayak or canoe gets you where the fish are,” said Barb Gigar, Fish Iowa! coordinator with the Iowa DNR. “Especially later in the summer on smaller lakes where vegetation makes it harder to fish from shore, or on waters with limited shoreline access.”
Join the online event to learn about basic gear needed, tips for a successful outing, and basic safety considerations. The general presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
The webinar is geared to adults, so youth should have an adult register and participate as well. Space is limited, so register right away at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1qFwk68FTVmCCL3mXjGtqg
Media Contact: Barb Gigar, Fish Iowa! Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-494-3891 or Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov.
Iowa Western dominated the 2022 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Junior College Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays Championships held April 23-24, at the Iowa State Trapshooting Association Homegrounds, near Cedar Falls.
Iowa Western Shotgun Sports took home first place team in each discipline, while Iowa Central Community College took second in each competition. The Hawkeye Redtails Sports Shooting Team finished third in all three disciplines.
Top individual honors in American Singles Trap went to Carson Feeney, of Iowa Central Community College, and Allison Jensen, of Iowa Central Community College. Top individual honors in skeet went to Shane Manyik, of Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, and Reegan Filip, of Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, and in sporting clays to Devan Myers, of the Hawkeye Redtail Sports Shooting, and Meagan Werth, of Iowa Western Shotgun Sports. Nearly 140 athletes from 10 Iowa community colleges braved the cold and wind to participate. The final results for both events are below.
American Singles Trap
Men’s Individual Singles Trap
- Carson Feeney, Iowa Central Community College
- Andrew Mount, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- John DeFord, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Mitchell Germany, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Jake Maakestad, Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting
Women’s Individual Singles Trap
- Allison Jensen, Iowa Central Community College
- Maddy DeRochie, Iowa Lakes Community College
- Anna Schroder, Southeastern Blackhawks Sports Shooting
- Sarah Sundene, Iowa Central Community College
- Alexis Teribury, Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting
Singles Trap Teams
- Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, 978 points (won by shootoff)
- Iowa Central Community College, 978 points
- Hawkeye Redtails Sports Shooting, 967 points
Skeet Championship
Men’s Individual Skeet
- Shane Manyik, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Nathan Schulte, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Sam Gammon, Iowa Central Community College
- Tevin Statzer, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Gage O’Connor, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
Women's Individual Skeet
- Reegan Filip, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Meagan Werth, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Grace Eisenbarth, Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting
- Allison Jensen, Iowa Central Community College
- Elizabeth Eisenbarth, Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting
Skeet Teams
- Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, 487 points
- Iowa Central Community College, 457 points
- Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting, 443 points
Sporting Clays Championship
Men’s Individual Sporting Clays
- Devan Myers, Hawkeye RedTail Sports Shooting
- Carson Feeney, Iowa Central Community College
- Blake Steuben, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Shane Manyik, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Nathan Schulte, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
Women's Individual Sporting Clays
- Meagan Werth, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Alexis Teribury, Hawkeye Redtails Sports Shooting
- Grace Eisenbarth, Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting
- Reegan Filip, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Camden Barber, Indian Hills Community College Sports Shooting Team
Sporting Clays Teams
- Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, 227points
- Iowa Central Community College, 219 points
- Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting, 217 points
High Over All Awards (HOA) were given to teams and individuals who participated in all three disciplines; trap, skeet and sporting clays. The HOA winners are below.
High Over All Men
- Andrew Mount, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, Captain
- Shane Manyik, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Nathan Schulte, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Carson Feeney, Iowa Central Community College
- Blake Steuben, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
High Over All Ladies
- Meagan Wert, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Reegan Filip, Iowa Western Shotgun Sports
- Allison Jensen, Iowa Central Community College
- Alexis Teribury, Hawkeye RedTail Sports Shooting
- Grace Eisenbarth, Hawkeye RedTail Sports Shooting
High Over All Teams
- Iowa Western Shotgun Sports, 1840 points
- Iowa Central Community College, 1788 points
- Hawkeye RedTails Sports Shooting, 1757 points
The Scholastic Clay Target Program is the largest, fastest growing, and most exciting youth clay target program in the country. Student athletes from elementary through high school and college have the opportunity to compete in sports such as trap, skeet, and sporting clays, as well as Olympic disciplines like bunker trap and international skeet.
The SCTP is a youth development program, first and foremost and we do this through the shooting sports and competitive shooting. The SCTP’s mission is to help kids reach their highest potential in becoming the best athletes and young adults they can be. For more information on the Scholastic Clay Target Program in Iowa, contact Chris Van Gorp, DNR Shooting Sports Coordinator at 515-313-8048 or chris.vangorp@dnr.iowa.gov.
Media Contact: Chris Van Gorp, DNR Shooting Sports Coordinator, (515) 313-8048 or Chris.Vangorp@dnr.iowa.gov.
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