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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 31, 2023
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is partnering for a second year with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas to conduct a statewide walleye fishing challenge starting May 1 through June 30. The Iowa Chapter of the American Fisheries Society has joined as a research partner for the 2023 challenge.
Anglers will have the chance to win weekly prizes while also contributing to fisheries research, helping improve walleye fishing in the state.
The Iowa Walleye Challenge uses the MyCatch mobile app to record the length of a fish. Participating anglers take a picture of the fish on a measuring device using the app. Once the fish is reviewed by the catch team and meets the rules, it automatically appears on a live leaderboard where anglers can see who is in the lead to win prizes.
Participating anglers are encouraged to report all the walleye they catch in May and June through the MyCatch mobile app. The mobile app maintains anonymous location data, so angler’s secret sports stay secret. DNR fisheries biologists will use the generalized lake and river catch data entered to assess and manage walleye populations across Iowa.
“Results from year one were very promising,” said Jeff Kopaska, DNR fisheries research biometrician. “Iowa anglers can expand the data available, simply by reporting their walleye catches.”
Anglers can register for the Iowa Walleye Challenge at https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/680/2023-iowa-walleye-challenge-2023. There is a $25 fee to enter the tournament.
Media Contact: Jeff Kopaska, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-204-8021.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is sponsoring workshops for K–12 educators on Iowa’s outdoors this spring and summer.
A Project WILD, Aquatic WILD and Project Learning Tree online self-guided module for teachers, naturalists and other K-12 educators is available February 19-March 26. Participants will explore the three national award-winning activity guides. Materials are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and other Common Core standards. Upon completion of the required activities, participants will receive all three teaching guides.
A Field Investigations using Project WILD, Aquatic WILD and Project Learning Tree workshop for teachers, naturalists and other K-12 educators is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on June 8 and 9 at Jester Park Nature Center in Polk City. Learn how outdoor projects, exploration, and field investigations provide relevant learning opportunities for students that support STEM-based learning. Trainers will work with educators to incorporate activities from these resources into inquiry-based learning units, and to conduct real field investigations with their students.
Iowa educators can earn license renewal for both courses. Graduate credit is available for the Field Investigations course. Register for the above outdoor education courses through the AEALearning website at https://aealearning.truenorthlogic.com/. You will be asked to create an account if you do not already have one. After logging in, enter “Project WILD” in the course search to find registration information for each course.
Media Contact: Barb Gigar, Project WILD coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-494-3891.
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