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Wildlife a Joint Conservation Effort with Iowa's

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Wildlife a Joint Conservation Effort with Iowa's CONTENTS APRIL 1992 VOLUME 51. NO. 3 • Iowa CONSER \t ATIONIST STUr Ro<-' Harrl'on Bureau <h1d Juhe '>pari.\ r htm Tammra " P;l\ lictl. \lan~gmg flduor " athl') n '>LlnJ!I \ ,,.m blah>< l.o"ell \\ iL\hburn \\ ntcr/l'hnto!)rUphcr Larr) Pool Gr.•ph~< \rt1't Ken ~ormanel. l'hntn~r.tphcr page 26 " ATLR \ 1 Rf...,Ol RC H '0\1'\11SS10'\ Richard(. \ oung ( hllrpcr on. ( ounctl Bluf" R Barbara "el'on \I<<' Clla1rpcr~on Ruth\ CO \larian " leiTer, s,ntt.lf) Belle\ ue \lark Doll "unc1l Bluff, Thurman (,a\klll Co,...•th \lrs..l \!arion I Pautr-on Ce<Lir R.1p1d' Oouj;!la\ R. '>mallt> n.- ,.,.~ E:\ \ IR0 -..,'\1F'\ r \I PR(HH.:TIO'\ C0 \1\11SSIO" R1chard Harl\uck (halrpcN>n Dn Mome' Clark A. Yeager VitC Ch.urpcr><m. Ottumwa '1/anc}lee A !>1ebenmann Sc<rct.lry. Cedar Rapid' page 12 page 30 Verloo Bnll Elgm William Ehm Crc,ton Rozanne K1 ng Mondanun FEATURES Charfolle \1ohr Hdndg..- \largaret \I Prahl, S1ou • C1t~ 3 GEMS OF BLUE by Lowell Washburn Gar) C. Pr1eb..- At~ona A unique partn e r~ h1p between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, DIRECTOR Ducks unllmllcd and the U.S. F1 sh and Wildlife Service IS encouragmg Larr) J \\ 1l\on Iowa fanne rs to bnng back drained prainc potholes. Here IS one man's DEP TY D I R~ C TOR Don Paulin story. DI VISION ADMI IS1 RATORS AN EFFORT THAT WON'T GO TO WASTE by Julie Kjolhcde tan Kuhn AdmiOI'trJII•c Sc.-l<e~ l2 Larr) Bean Encr~y and (Jl"olog~eal Re,ource\ Are you an envi ronmentally correct shopper? Take this short survey and Allan Stokes [;n.,ronmcnt.ll Pmte<tmn Allen Farns fl'h .md W1ldhlc find out how you can shop with the env1ronment in mind. \\ 1I1Jam Farn\ Fore t •nd fore--try \11chael Carrier Parlo. RcncJtton and Prc-cf'C\ Teresa D Ha~ \\a• tc M.mJ!!<ment 16 LIVING ON THE EDGE by Laura Spess Jack on and Daf) I Howell PECIAL PHO'\ F: MIU~ R Each plant and an1mal species is un1que because it represents potcnt.al D'-IR Central Offilc ~~ 1 ~~ 21! 1 5145 Emergency Sp11l Rc,pon'e (515) 28 1·8694 sol ut1ons to many biolog1cal problems. The loss of what appears to be an Telecommunication' Dev1cc for the Deaf unimportant species may result in irreversible consequences. (515) 242-5967 Tum-ln-Poache" (TIP), (!100) 532 2020 Waste Reduction and Recychng (ROO) 367-1025 25 1991 IOWA TROPHY TURKEYS lo~ a Con<~rmtumllt tlSSN ()()21·0471) 1> pubh,hed mon1hly by the lov. t L>epanment of Natural Re,ourcc,. Wallace SlJte Oll1ce Bulldmg De\ Momes Iowa 50319- 26 NEW WAVES -- FISHING LAKES OF THE FUTURE 0034 Second cia" pchtage p.ud 10 De~ Momes.lowa. and addmonal m.uhnf off1cc' '>ub-,cript1on rates: S6 for one by Martin Konrad }ear or $12 for three ~ears. Include ma1hng label for re Increased federal funding is making possible the construction of eight newal~ and addre" thangc' POSTMASTER Send changes to the lo~u Con1~n UlltJIIIlf Department of Natu· new fishing lakes in Iowa. raJ Resources. WallJtc StJte Office Bu1ldtng. Des Moines. Iowa 50319-0034 UnderT1tle VI of the 19M C1vli R1gh1> Act and Section 504 oft he Rchab11 11 ~t1nn Act of 1973, the U.S O<;panment 30 YELLOW RIVER STATE FOREST by Robert Honeywell Of the lntenor prohibitS dl\crimin31101l on the baSI\ of rJCC, Some of the most unique forest features and terrain in Iowa can be found color. national on!!'"· h•nd1cJp If you bcheve that you ha•e been d1-.cnm10ated ~gJin\t 10 any program, acttvlly at Yellow River State Forest in Allamakee County. or fac1hty as de"'nbcd Jbove or 1f you des1re further mformatlon. please wnte to D1rcctor lov.a Department of Natural Rewurce\. Wallace St.ne Office Bu1ld10g. 900 E Grand A'c Des Motne>. Iowa 50319-0034 or the Office DEPARTMENTS of Equal Opponunny U S Dep.111ment of the lntenor WashiO!!IOn . 0 C 20240 20 Conservation Update 23 Classroom Comer FRONT COVER Wild turkeys by Roger A. Hill. _j STATE L 1 ~H\Aqy r: 10Vb\ MAYo 7 l99'l E;. .. 1; '1 & G· ...... d DES M I. .:\0.1 ave Mc Breen thoughtfully lowered his binocul ars, grinned, and shook his head. "Unbelievable," he said . "This place was dry ground last A unique partnership between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is year, but now look at it. I mean encouraging Iowa farmers to bring back drained prairie potholes. In this thing has literally come the past three years, the effort has resulted in 370 landowners restor- alive," he exclaimed. ing 875 wetland basins totaling 4,000 acres. Here is one man's story. McBreen's comments were aimed at a five-acre chunk of tge 30 water nestled am id the gently rolling landscape of northwest ces, Iowa's Dickinson County. From our vantage point atop a grasc;y knoll , the basin appeared as a shimmering blue gem, sharply and contrasting with the green of waist-high vegetation that stretched to the horizon. :an It was late spring in north- em Iowa, and for the resident bird life the annual nesting cycle was under a full head of steam. Courting pairs of blue-winged teal, redheads and ruddy cl ucks dotted the marsh from one end to the other. Several groups of Story and photos ..,,.,., by Lowell Washburn bachelor mallards also dotted the area, had in 30 years,'' he said. more than two and a half generations. belying the fact that their hens were As we continued to drink tn the And although time has forgotten already entering the final stages of sights, it became undeniably apparent exactly when the marshes were incubation. At least one hen had com­ that here was a scene guaranteed to destroyed, they had already gone urH.h:r pleted her mission and could now be warm the hearts of anyone wnh a love the plow when Dave's grandtathu -.een guiding her fluffy brood along the for waterfowL the outdoors and thmgs arri\ ed on the scene water's edge. Red-wmged blackbirds natural. But it also occurred to me that "I have been farming this place called from the marsh fnnge, and in many ways, the scene was as trontc for about 20 years no\\," sa} s nearby, a rooster pheasant crowed from as 1t was beautiful. For until now, this McBreen. "Some years I \.\Ould get a the uplands. lush mtx of marsh and grassland had crop off these low acres. and '>omc "These grassy areas are really been under intense cultivation of row years I would not." In years ol he a') bnngmg back the pheasants," said crops -- farmed by McBreen htmself. rainfall, the effort<; to produce ,, _rop McBreen. ''Last season we enjoyed According to McBreen, lhts fertile of com or soybeans often proved to he some of the best hunttng that we have landscape has been in the famtl} for a total bust l.Jnfortunatel}. the fate ot these IO\\ 1 marshec, ""a" far from umquc. I·or pL'r ... here was a scene hapc, nO\.\ here m orth Amuicn hus th wholesale eradtcatiOn of natt\ c \\ ctl.llld" guaranteed to warm the been more complete. Standing .11 th{ southern edge of the contment 's pr.um hearts of anyone with a love pothole regiOn, lo""a historicall) con tamed approximately three milhon <H.rc for Vt'ateJfOVt'l, the outdoors of prairie pothole-type \.\etlands. I od,t\ and things natural. approximately 98 percent of those \.\etlands have vanished. mo-.t ol them dramed for agriculture -- their dcstrm: Lion often atded b} go,emmcnt progr.um and taxpayer dollars -~~ .·re fo' It would have been easy for the ~- ______.-:.. - . the n •tl ·B --- ranot 1 ' story to end here. ut strangely ---~--- d f r resto .· ut~IC --- . ne I te 0 prlP.If enough, it was, in _ ~---- n eClr se ec he or · , res ~ fact, a new round \ t\Oll .1' sin haS been ,, determine firtH that th~n s (ltl of agricultural ~estOf·~ ned wetl~rtd ~~e simP,~e. oor l(n~cket: lines and c~~inage patret legislation that \ once~ dtla~tt habitakt LStfnlirttited · ,~g tile d.ratnlaygestablished d 'II bC lo CCJtecf ultimately paved the \ . ting 1 n~ r ouc s d outgOL rev 1ous utlet '''1 . , way for turning many \ ct ea Biologtsts tf incorni~g fn impact anY p . e the surfaC~ 7f necesSL" ~s tulnc t~fC of these marginal IocatiortS of, rnot negauve y nd cost effe.ct~~d and ~takde the next :;Ltetr;, ~ Ii ue ~ s re. c croplands back into . on wn ible a destg . dra1ne • eacrt . , 1 tit' 1" f 1 1 productive natural com- wr~~~ent tan~s~tappearsfe:~cy 0ver~ 01(;wa~rettleieast50feet~ses . ottt' ';,<lcJt ppell, munities. ad] Ifth~ prOJ~ith an erner~s in no~-r~et ~he bastll· ~nd in ~t~ S!dcin the rre~; \ lirtc ot tht Because of tremen- \ and a dtke ~;most wetla~, be drau~t~lt~nd' s .edgerhe pipe tS 1~/ drainaie ~ t"~'~tlalld tJasllt. dous commodity sur- \ Bec~U lineS that nt ·otrl the ~ e astiC ptpe. ed to the 0 e jnsidC t H ,jtt f.~:~;!:;~::;;;~:~~~- all thed'~eownstrearn !~erforate~ 1 ~!. It is atta~~to the sttrfa c . t off ot the IH'(,~,, 1 aged nationwide to retire or move d wtth a n~tt drainage n_ end is broug ints rhet1 c H e,·ettf clef>Jts 10 set aside cropland under the \ replaC ~emoving dt ~ 11 d the othd~~e.
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