Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license on June 2, 3 and 4, as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers interested in performing night time surveys for bats in Dubuque, Pocahontas, Marshall, Franklin and Butler counties.

The survey monitors bat occurrence in key areas of the state. It began in response to declining bat population from White Nose Syndrome, among other challenges.

The calls have been coming in to field offices and conservation officers for the past few weeks and will only increase as the first few weeks of June marks the peak of the deer fawning season.

Callers report finding an "abandoned" fawn in an unusual place, like a flowerbed or small patch of cover. Rest assured this is normal deer behavior.

AMES – While wildland fire season hasn't been active yet, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fire Program has been busy getting firefighters from Iowa ready to be dispatched to wildfires across the country.

Thousands of Iowans will be camping and building campfires this Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages campers to buy firewood from where they will burn it instead of bringing it from home.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists have investigated recent reports of dead bluegill and crappie in southern Iowa lakes.

Governor Kim Reynolds recently proclaimed June as Invasive Species Awareness Month in Iowa.

Invasive species, like emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, spongy moth and oriental bittersweet threaten Iowa's ecosystem by competing with and destroying native trees and disrupting the natural complex habitat system.

The Class of 2023 graduated from Southeast Valley High School this past Sunday

By Courtney Sogard

Special to the Leader

By Courtney Sogard

Special to the Leader

This Memorial Day, the American Legion of Dayton will be leading a program beginning at Dayton Cemetery at 10 a.m. During the program, the middle school band will play patriotic songs and the honor guard will fire their volleys and play TAPs to honor the deceased veterans of Dayton.

The unofficial beginning to summer is just days away and that also marks the unofficial beginning of Iowa's boating season. Boaters across the state are anxious to get out on the lake after the cool and wet spring and are preparing their watercraft for the long holiday weekend.

Fort Dodge - On Monday May 1, the Webster County Recorder’s Office assisted a resident with questions about a confusing letter they received, which was quickly identified as a scam and reported to local law enforcement. The letter claimed to be from “County Deed Records” with false information about the recipient’s home warranty expiration date.

Chronic wasting disease was confirmed in 96 deer that were tested during the 2022 monitoring season, including deer from three new counties – Jasper, Grundy, and Lucas. With the addition of Jasper County, chronic wasting disease has again come into central Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds all boaters and anglers to "Clean, Drain, and Dry" their boats and equipment this Memorial Day weekend to protect Iowa lakes and rivers from aquatic hitchhikers.

Iowa rivers will soon be busy with paddlers, swimmers, and people wading to search for fossils, rocks and driftwood or to clean up litter or explore a sandbar.

Despite a rainy cold closing weekend across much of state, Iowa's wild turkey hunters reported harvesting more than 14,800 birds through the mandatory registration system, an increase of nearly 3,000 versus the 2022 harvest.