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(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa DNR is asking for your help in learning more about the secretive Gray Fox species.

Gray fox were listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Iowa in 2015 based on a decline in the gray fox population observed over the past 25 years. Similar trends have been noted in several other Midwestern states. The gray fox is smaller than coyotes and red foxes. Adult gray foxes typically weigh 10 – 12 lbs. They are mostly gray with patches of reddish, tan fur down the side of their neck and body. A distinct black line extends down the top of their tail. Their face also has distinct black and white markings.

The gray fox population decline in Iowa is correlated with increases in the population of coyotes, raccoons, and bobcats. Increasing coyote and bobcat populations may affect gray fox populations through competition and predation. Raccoons may impact gray fox populations through the spread of disease, particularly canine distemper virus.

Small Gray Fox

Canine distemper is common in raccoons, and gray fox are highly susceptible to this lethal disease. Changes in our forests habitat may also contribute to lower gray fox numbers. Mature, even-aged forests don’t support the prey base needed for gray fox. However, the cause or causes of the decrease in the Iowa gray fox population is unknown. A combination of these factors, as well as potential other unknown factors, may have contributed to their decline.

The Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources wildlife staff monitors the gray fox population in Iowa through surveys and harvest annually. For example, the Iowa Bowhunter Observation Survey began in 2004, and currently provides annual data upon which to base population trend analysis. Bowhunters record the amount of time they spend in the field, and the number of gray fox (along with other species of wildlife) they see during each hunt outing.

The bowhunter observation survey allows us to standardize the number of sightings based on the amount of time or effort spent bowhunting, resulting in an index that provides insight into trends in furbearer populations such as gray fox. The Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources wildlife research staff are initiating efforts to conduct a pilot study to monitor and gather information on gray foxes, so we can begin the process of understanding the causes of their population decline. Due to their already low numbers, you can help out the DNR by providing them with gray fox locations!

The DNR is asking for information on any sightings or recent trail cam images (within the last 6 Months) of gray foxes that are alive. Just send an email or call Dave Hoffman or Vince Evelsizer with location information such as GPS coordinates or Twp,Rge,Sec. Dropping and sending a pin works great too.

Dave Hoffman – Iowa DNR Wildlife Phone: 641-425-0737; Email: david.hoffman@dnr.iowa.gov

Vince Evelsizer – Iowa DNR Wildlife Phone: 641-231-1522  Email: vince.evelsizer@dnr.iowa.gov

If you find a dead gray fox (roadkill, trapped, hunted, other) that’s in decent condition, we’d be interested in having the carcass for further examination/necropsy. Please contact Rachel Ruden (Iowa DNR Vet) or Vince Evelsizer if you do have one.  Rachel Ruden – Iowa DNR Wildlife Veterinarian Phone: 515-823-8544; Email: Rachel.ruden@dnr.iowa.gov

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report Snowy Owls are making their way into the state, looking for food on their way south. You can observe the winged wonders, but please, give them space so they can hunt undisturbed. If your presence changes the behavior of an owl (Ex: it flies or looks right at you) you’re too close and you may be causing undue stress. Do not approach an owl unless it is obviously injured or struggling to fly, and always consult a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before intervening.

Snowy Owls breed in the open landscapes of the Arctic Tundra. During summers with abundant food (particularly lemmings), many young are produced, and the following winter, many of those young owls disperse south into the US to look for winter prey. When large numbers of owls move south in winter it’s called an irruption. Although it’s not a large irruption year, at least a dozen snowy owls have been seen in Iowa so far this season, with many arriving in the last two weeks. Unlike other owls, Snowy Owls are active during the day (diurnal) and can be spotted in open areas, like agricultural fields and airports, looking for food. Snowy Owls are sit-and-wait predators and often sit in one spot for hours at a time. They commonly perch on wooden fence posts and telephone poles, or find a spot to sit on the ground.

Although some people may worry that Snowy Owls will be susceptible to heat stress in an unseasonably warm Iowa winter, there is little evidence to suggest that a few days of temperatures in the 70s will be too much for the birds to handle. In their breeding range, days in the 50s are common and Snowy Owls have been observed surviving the winter as far South as Florida where average daily highs are in the upper 60s all winter long. More pressing threats are human-related (Ex: collisions with vehicles and power lines).

The DNR is interested in learning more about Snowy Owls wintering in Iowa and the threats they face, so if you happen to find a dead Snowy Owl, please report it to Iowa DNR’s Avian Ecologist Anna Buckardt Thomas (anna.buckardt@dnr.iowa.gov, 515-823-3945) and/or the State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Ruden (rachel.ruden@dnr.iowa.gov, 515-823-8544).

If it is safe to do so, you may retrieve dead owls using gloves and a garbage bag. Keep in a cool place but avoid freezing until you can turn over to a wildlife biologist or conservation officer. Remember, unless you are transferring to the Iowa DNR or other permitted entity, it is illegal to be in possession of a migratory bird carcass under federal law.

(Radio Iowa) – While most Iowans aren’t complaining about the unseasonably warm weather we’re having, December highs in the 50s and 60s are making life tough for the state’s snow skiing resorts. Joel Bryan, general manager of Seven Oaks Recreation Area near Boone, says this rollercoaster weather is posing a quite a challenge for his facility.

“With our updated snow-making system, Mother Nature has given us enough cold temperatures to continue to put fresh snow out, but then right after we make snow, it seems like we start getting into the 50s and 60s again,” Bryan says. “We do get a little melt but we are a north-facing slope which gets limited sun exposure, so — so far, so good.” Bryan said he has concerns about tomorrow’s (Wednesday) prediction of potential record-breaking warmth, although he says the winds cause him more trouble than the temperatures.

“The wind will actually melt the snow a little bit faster than just the ambient air temperature will,” Bryan says. “Between those two, we’re definitely going to lose two, three or four inches of our base, but we are sitting with a 12- to 18-inch base on 100% of our runs, so fingers are crossed we can get through this and we get to the end of the week when the cold weather comes back.” The facility is equipped with a sophisticated snow-making system, though certain atmospheric conditions need to be met.

“It looks like Thursday night there’s a possibility we would start making snow again,” he says. “For sure, Friday night, and looking at the long-range forecast from there, it looks like every night from there on out until Christmas we can make snow which is going to allow us to be 100% open for skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing going into the Christmas break.” Sundown Mountain Resort in Dubuque opened most of its ski trails on December 9th and is posting updates about snow conditions on its website.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University Extension’s annual farmland survey released today (Tuesday) shows a surge in the estimated value of farmland that hasn’t been seen in a decade. Wendong Zhang oversees the survey and spoke about the results. “The statewide average as of November 2021, is up 29 percent,” he says. Zhang is an associate professor of economics at I-S-U, and says the average price is a first in some 80 years of surveys.

“The nominal land values as reported –nine-thousand-751 dollars — as the record high since we have recorded data in 1941. So, the nominal land values in Iowa reach the highest that we have ever seen,” Zhang says. Zhang says the nominal value is higher than the 2013 land value peak — but when adjusted for inflation — it would be an increase of 21 percent. He says the values took off after a few drops and steady numbers the last few years.

“The last time we have seen the land value changes increase close to or higher than 30 percent was in 2011,” according. “In 2011 we saw slightly higher than 31 percent. Before that, we’d have to go to the 1970s.” The top-quality farmland increased 30 percent, the middle went up 27 percent and the low quality increased by 26 percent. He says the price of corn and soybeans was a big driver in the prices.

“The factor that is noted by most respondents is higher commodity prices. When you are thinking about the corn prices and the soybeans prices, they’re substantially higher. At least 20 if not 20 to 40 percent higher,” he says. Zhang says competitive bidding for land in the central part of the state and the northern area helped drive up prices. He says the northern area land is desired for livestock production. Zhang says this year’s harvest also helped the values.

“We are getting stronger than expected yields despite the weather challenges early in the growing season. We are actually seeing fairly phenomenal crop yields this year for both corn and soybeans. So that helps improve your per bushel prices. The prices are higher and the yields are better than expected,” Zhang says. He says federal pandemic payments factored into the mix as well.

“Those will benefit the farmers and provide at least an additional 15 to 16 BILLION dollars more into the ag economy in general,” Zhang says. All counties saw an increase — and for the ninth consecutive year — Scott and Decatur Counties reported the highest and lowest land values. Scott County saw a 30 percent increase to 13-thousand-852 dollars an acre. Decatur County increased 31-point-five percent five-thousand-62 dollars and acre. Clayton and Allamakee Counties reported the largest percentage increase, 36-point-four percent.

The smallest percentage increase was 23-point-two percent in Keokuk County.

(Harlan) – Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Longo reports Shelby County will be in a burn ban, effective immediately, and lasting until 8-a.m. Thursday, Dec. 16th.  A Burn Ban is issued by local or state officials, at the request of local fire chiefs, during periods of extremely dry conditions or under other conditions, when open burning may constitute a danger to life or property.

There is a High Wind Warning in effect for Wednesday across most of Iowa. Any fires that do start, either accidentally or otherwise, can be explosive and spread quickly. Violating the Burn Ban is a simple misdemeanor, punishable by a fine. For more information, call 712-755-2124.

Chris Parks and Cass/Adair County Conservation Officer Grant Gelly talk about the great outdoors. This week we discuss second deer season and Christmas Bird Count.

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(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Farm Bureau has elected a northwest Iowa farmer and business owner as its next president. According to a news release from the organization, Brent Johnson raises corn, soybeans and cattle on a Calhoun County farm near Manson. He also operates a precision farming company that does soil sampling, deploys drones and offers data management. Johnson replaces 64-year-old Craig Hill of Ackworth who is retiring after a decade as the organization’s president. “I farm and enjoy the aspects of the farming operation,” Hill says. “I’m of that age where, you know, while I’m healthy and able, I want to do some things and we’re going to do those and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

Hill says soon after he became Iowa Farm Bureau president in 2012, he was part of a group that greeted Xi Jinping in Des Moines, just before Xi became president of China. “We knew the market demands of China. They’re a very large population and the growing need for food and it was an exciting opportunity to talk about trade and to hopefully prepare to be a large provider of their needs going forward,” Hill says, “so trade has been so important from the very beginning to me, the trade war that disrupted a bit of things a few years ago during my tenure, the challenges there.”

Hill says he’s proud the Farm Bureau was successful in scuttling rules that could have made more Iowa waterways subject to federal regulation. “Something that would have been very critical to this organization and to our farmers and we avoided that,” Hill says. Hill says the greatest frustration during the past decade has been the federal waivers that have exempted oil refineries from ethanol blending obligations.

“Just think how perverse this is,” Hill says. “We have an EPA that’s for clean air, right? And you have a product, a liquid fuel, that is the cleanest burning fuel that can be offered.” Johnson, Hill’s successor, was elected president yesterday (Wednesday) at the Iowa Farm Bureau’s annual meeting. Johnson was not available for media interviews after his election.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports esident hunting, fishing and other licenses for 2022 are available beginning Dec. 15. The menu of license options includes the popular Outdoor Combo annual resident hunting/fishing/habitat combo license for $55; the Angler’s Special three-year fishing license for $62; and the Hunter’s Special three-year hunting license with habitat included for $101.

Also available is the Bonus Line option for $14 allowing resident and nonresident anglers to fish with one more line in addition to the two lines allowed with the regular fishing license.

Beginning Dec. 15, hunters who purchase a 2022 license and plan to pursue migratory game birds will be required to register for Harvest Information Program (HIP) either through the Go Outdoors Iowa app on their smartphone, through a link at www.iowadnr.gov/waterfowl or at www.gooutdoorsiowa.com and answering the questions. Migratory game birds mean more than ducks and geese; it includes ducks, geese, coots, doves, woodcock, rails, and snipe.

Once registered, hunters will need to physically write a confirmation number on the line provided at the top of the license as proof of registration. The HIP registration can be found in the GoOutdoorsIowa mobile app by clicking on the purchase license button, and then logging in to your account. Registering for HIP is a federal requirement for all migratory bird hunters.

The change was necessitated because registering through license vendors at the time of purchase has been inconsistent. Deer, turkey, and upland game hunters are not required to register for HIP and do not need to take the survey or record a confirmation number. Registering for HIP can be done later, if the hunter changes their mind.

Licenses are available at 700 locations across the state, and on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/GoOutdoorsIowa.

Hunting and fishing are often enjoyed with family and friends. A fishing or hunting license makes a great stocking stuffer. Upgrade your paper license to a durable hard card with custom art from Iowa artists for only $5.

Licenses purchased for 2021 expire on Jan. 10.

w/Kate Olson.

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