This content is unavailable. Please contact customer service for more information.
Already a subscriber? Login or Activate your account.
You've reached the end of the standard E-Edition.
This content is unavailable. Please contact customer service for more information.
Students invited to enter Choose Iowa Calendar Contest for America 250 celebration
scott.stewart
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting youth artists to submit entries for the 2026 Choose Iowa Calendar Contest, which this year is part of the state's official celebration of America 250.
Choose Iowa is the state’s signature brand for Iowa grown, made, and raised food, beverages and agricultural products, according to a news release.
Students are invited to submit artwork that combines Iowa agriculture with a patriotic theme as part of Iowa’s celebration recognizing the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Submissions must feature at least one aspects of Iowa agriculture with an emphasis on food, beverages, livestock, crop production, or horticulture. Elements, themes or symbols reflecting patriotism or American pride are also required.
"Submissions will be judged on creativity and connections to agriculture in everyday life, as well as how the artwork incorporates patriotic elements," according to the release.
Entries must be submitted by noon on June 1. Winning artists will be recognized Aug. 18 at the Iowa State Fair and be included in the 2026-27 Choose Iowa calendar distributed at the fair and at chooseiowa.com.
The contest "offers school-aged students a fun opportunity to highlight Iowa agriculture and its incredible importance to our state and our country," Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said in the release. "As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we’re reminded that many of our nation’s founders were farmers and that agriculture has helped sustain our country and our communities for generations."
School-age Iowa children up to age 18 may participate. Artwork should be drawn on plain white, 8.5-by-11-inch paper in a horizontal orientation using only black lines. Pictures should not be colored in by the artist.
Entries can be submitted on the Choose Iowa website or submitted by email or mail. An entry form, or the equivalent information, is required. Find more information at chooseiowa.com. Download last year's calendar for inspiration at tinyurl.com/chooseiowa2025calendar.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig on Iowa’s place in the America 250 celebration
You can now reserve any Iowa state park campsite in advance online or by phone
scott.stewart
Campgrounds at state parks and forests opened for the season earlier this month, with water turning on now for campsites across the state.
More than 759,000 campers and nearly 13.5 million visitor days were recorded last year by state parks, which anticipate another busy season, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
All campsites are now reservable in advance through the Iowa DNR. In the past, many campgrounds reserved a quarter of sites for walk-ins, but a pilot program in 2021 at Maquoketa Caves State Park where all sites were listed online resulted in positive feedback, improved efficiency and more reservations. Sixteen additional campgrounds made the switch in the past four years, and now all have migrated to fully advanced bookings.
The reservations can be made online or by phone using a credit card, with availability confirmed immediately. Cancellations result in sites being made available within minutes, according to the DNR. Customers can change most reservations until 10 p.m. on the day of arrival, and they can change reservations for a different park in most cases.
A kiosk at each campground allows those who visit looking for a site to make reservations. Paper forms will no longer be used, and cash payments are no longer offered.
Bumble bee survey seeks volunteers for Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page counties
scott.stewart
Iowa has 13 species of bumble bees, including five of seven priority targeted species, based on observations from volunteers across the state contributing to the national Bumble Bee Atlas.
A national survey is conducted by the Xerces Society, who partnered locally with the Iowa Department of Natural of Resources and Iowa State University, according to a DNR news release. Since 2024, Iowa has held 644 surveys and counted 7,198 bees.
“We were pleased with the participation last year and hope to build on that momentum,” Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist with the Iowa DNR, said in the release.
The Xerces Society is offering online trainings and operional in-person field days to prepare volunteers with handling and photographing bumble bees. Search for Iowa at bumblebeeatlas.org.
Shepherd said 62 volunteers have participated so far, and the Iowa DNR is hoping for 100 this year.
“It’s a fun but challenging survey,” Shepherd said in the release. “It requires you to be outdoors for a while in the heat capturing bumble bees. Bumble bees are incredibly docile, especially when foraging. The only time they may be aggressive is near their nest."
Trainings are scheduled in April and May, with field trainings in June and July. Surveys begin in June and run through October.
The state has four survey blocks, including one covering portions of Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page counties in Southwest Iowa. The others cover parts of Winnebago, Worth, Hancock and Cerro Gordo counties; parts of Woodbury and Ida counties; and parts of Jones and Linn counties.
Iowa is part of a three-year specific study along with Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska aimed to learn more about the habitat and foraging needs of certain bees. This is the final year of the inventory portion of the survey, the Iowa DNR said in the release.
“After this year, we will be shifting into long-term monitoring,” Shepherd said in the release. “The survey will be similar but will shift a little bit for all species of greatest conservation need, including the rusty-patched bumble bee.”
Iowa Donor Network and Iowa Lions Eye Bank encouraging plans for future donations
scott.stewart
The Iowa Donor Network and Iowa Lions Eye Bank are partnering to observe National Donate Life Month in April — a nationwide effort to honor organ, tissue, and eye donors and their families, celebrate transplant recipients and encourage Iowans to register their decision to give the gift of life.
“National Donate Life Month is a meaningful time to reflect on the generosity of donors and the strength of their families,” Sarah Jaschen, director of hospital and partner relations at Iowa Donor Network, said in a news release. “We remain committed to working together to transform lives through the gift of organ and tissue donation and to inspiring Iowans to register their decision.”
The network is Iowa’s sole organ procurement organization, one of 55 federal certified nonprofits across the nation. It connects organ, tissue, and eye donors and health care partners. The eye bank facilitates cornea donation and transplantation to help restore vision.
“National Donate Life Month reminds us that donation is truly about leaving a legacy — one that grows far beyond a single lifetime,” Esther Baker, executive director of Iowa Lions Eye Bank, said in the release. “Through the gift of sight, donors give others the chance to see, experience, and live life more fully.”
Iowans are asked to consider registering as a donor for organ, tissue and eye gifts at iowadonornetwork.org/register, share awareness of the importance of donations, and engage with celebrations.
LifeServe Blood Center offers new Iowa license plate decals
scott.stewart
LifeServe Blood Center is now offering Iowans the option to request a free LifeServe license plate decal.
The decal can be displayed on decal license plates from the Iowa Department of Transportation, according to a news release. The decals are five characters.
“As a proud donor, you know there is always a need for blood,” Dr. Alex Smith, LifeServe's medical director, said in the release. “Help promote blood donations as you drive around your local community!”
LifeServe Blood Center is a nonprofit, community-based blood center that supports more than 175 hospitals primarily in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska and Illinois.
Iowa Department of Public Safety seeks public comment on grant application
scott.stewart
The Iowa Department of Public Safety's Office of Drug Control Policy is inviting the public to comment on the state's application to the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance for an estimated $2 million from the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program.
The office intends to use the grant funding "strategically support drug and crime reduction priorities authorized by federal guidelines and outlined in Iowa’s Drug Control Strategy," according to a news release. The money would be made available to local and state units of government as well as faith-based and nonprofit organizations that apply alongside local or state government agencies.
Iowa's application is available online, and comments can be sent to wiggins@dps.state.ia.us or by mail to Office of Drug Control Policy, Pape State Office Building, 215 E. 7th Street, 5th Floor, Des Moines, IA 50319. Public comments on the grant application are due by May 10.
Iowa DNR issuing weekly wildflower bloom reports
scott.stewart
Wildflowers are starting to bloom across Iowa, offering fleeting opportunities for nature lovers.
"They sprinkle wild landscapes with color and send subtle fragrances into the nearby air. Get outside this spring and see what you can find," the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said in a news release. "Early spring wildflowers are commonly called ephemerals, which means 'short-lived.' Their dazzling show of spring color is only a limited engagement, so make time to see the flowers before they are gone."
The DNR offers a Woodland Wildflower Report on what wildflowers are in bloom through mid-May as well as listing common wildflowers. Find the report at tinyurl.com/dnrwildflowers.
Wildflowers are seen on the Council Bluffs property of Doug and
Brenda Hutcheson on Friday, May 15, 2020.
Click and hold your mouse button on the page to select the area you wish to save or print.
You can click and drag the clipping box to move it or click and drag in the bottom right corner to resize it.
When you're happy with your selection, click the checkmark icon next to the clipping area to continue.
