April/ May 2012 issue page 37

IOWA DNR, PF Can Tailor CRP PLantings to Wildlife’s Needs

A relatively mild winter may help pheasants and upland bird populations come back after five hard winters and wet springs have taken their toll on the populations.

However, landowners can help upland bird populations rebound through the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Landowners with CRP provide habitat that helps increase pheasant, quail, turkey, duck or songbird numbers on their land.

Signup at local U.S.D.A. Farm Service Agency offices ends April 6.
Biologists with DNR and Pheasants Forever can help Iowa landowners tailor habitat types to meet their wildlife goals, whether it’s deer, quail or songbirds.

“The general CRP is a great opportunity for landowners to plant grasses, wildflowers and trees to attract the wildlife species they are seeking,” said Todd Bogenschutz, DNR’s state pheasant biologist.

“Rental rates have been updated for people who are re-enrolling land, making CRP more attractive in many counties,” he added. “Most important, it’s a way to provide critical nesting, brood and winter habitat that upland birds need to survive.”

Bogenschutz recommends a diverse mix of grasses and wildflowers to provide nesting and brood rearing areas for hens and young birds. Managing the grasses by disking, burning or interseeding is critical after three to five years to allow chicks to move through it. He recommends taller grasses like big bluestem, Indian grass, and Canada wildrye mixed with a few wildflowers for nesting habitat. The taller grasses help the hens hide from predators. “Also upland birds nest on the ground, so habitat needs to be placed in areas far from water,” he said.

“The best new tool that CRP has to offer is pollinator habitat,” said Matt O’Connor of Iowa’s Pheasants Forever. “Not only does this add essential habitat for our native pollinators and honey bees, which are in serious decline, it’s also good for pheasants and quail brood rearing and nesting.”

Pollinator habitat is a mix of shrubs, legumes and wildflowers with at least three species in bloom during spring, summer and fall. Adding this diversity to the landscape increases landowners’ scores to make their bid for CRP more competitive with other landowners. Adding smaller native grasses like drop seed or little bluestem mixed with wildflowers allows small chicks, the size of a thumbnail, to navigate. The wildflowers also attract protein-rich insects, an important food source for chicks.

For year-round residents, winter cover is a must. Bogenschutz recommends switch grass, cattails, or shrubs and evergreen. Switchgrass is great winter habitat for pheasant. Osier dogwood and wild plums are ideal for quail. In a perfect world, Bogenschutz recommends planting a food plot next to the winter cover.

“The last few winters have been tough on birds. Providing winter cover and food ensures that they have a place to eat and get out of the weather when they are most vulnerable,” he said.
O’Connor urges landowners to visit their local USDA Farm Service Agency office soon, before the signup ends on April 6. The DNR, Pheasants Forever and the USDA FSA and Natural Resource Conservation Service staff can help plan the habitat for a CRP offer.

More information is available on the DNR and FSA websites at www.iowadnr.gov or www.fsa.usda.gov.

DNR Conducting Prescribed Burns Around the State This Spring

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conducts a number of prescribed burns each spring when conditions allow on parks, forests and wildlife areas throughout the state.

Burns are conducted on thousands of acres each year to reduce the hazardous fuel loadings, thereby reducing the potential for a problematic wildfire, and, in the process, achieve a number of habitat related objectives such as to reduce vegetative cover, control exotic and woody species, cycle nutrients, control weeds and restore native prairie.

Before a prescribed burn is performed, a plan must be approved which details the fire and resource management objectives of the burn, the weather conditions required for a successful burn, and an operational plan which outlines the number of personnel and equipment needed to implement the burn as well as a “contingency plan,” or steps to be taken if the burn was to go out of control. Local authorizes are alerted before a prescribed burn is performed.

All DNR members of the burn crew will have completed at least 32 hours of training courses from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. The training courses include Basic Incident Command System, Fire Fighter Training and Wildland Fire Behavior.

DNR employees participating in prescribed burns must complete a fire training refresher course at least once every two years. A designated burn leader is responsible for all activities relating to the on-site execution of the burn including review of the burn plan and all operations during and after the burn.

Beyond the minimum training requirements, a burn leader must participate in five prescribed burns and serve an apprenticeship under a burn leader on two burns prior to a first assignment as a burn leader.
For questions regarding any aspect of the prescribed burning program administered by the DNR, contact the local DNR office.

CRP Signup Benefits Soil, Water, Wildlife

Iowa landowners, conservationists, hunters and others will be watching closely over the next few weeks, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture holds its 2012 general signup for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

Since the 1980s, CRP has been a major contributor to soil conservation, improved water quality and increased wildlife habitat…while providing payments to owners of erodible farm land. This year’s sign up - March 12 through April 6 - arrives during an era of high commodity prices. That could drive down the incentive to re-enroll idled land; putting it back into row crops.

It also comes as Congress debates authorization of the next Farm Bill, with strong indications the CRP enrollment ‘cap’ will drop substantially. Currently, that cap is 32-million acres. Early drafts suggest a cap of 25-million in the next program. As landowners across the country decide-- including those in Iowa with 1.7 million acres currently in CRP and nearly 232,000 coming out this fall -they are anticipating a significant drop in the acres to be offered.

That would mean at least a couple years, under the new Farm Bill, before there could be future general signups.

“Chances are very good the acreage cap will decrease. Opportunities to sign up in the future would be few and far between,” cautions Kelly Smith, private lands coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources. “We know there is an opportunity this year. Landowners who sign up (get) a 10 or 15 year contract. If there are fewer acres authorized (in the next Farm Bill), there may not be an opportunity.”
In Cerro Gordo County, landowner Dave Hansen is sold on the environmental benefits of CRP.
“You stop a lot of the erosion; especially on your steeper slopes. You stop a tremendous amount of erosion by having filter strips or areas that are highly erodible (planted) to grasslands and protected,” he points out; walking a steep, irregular field corner.

Hansen just last year placed the four-acres into the program; a small parcel, but a headache for his operation.

“It is D and E slopes; very steep. It’s odd shaped and with today’s equipment is almost impossible to farm,” stresses Hansen. “You spend more time trying to maneuver than actually planting…It just relieves a lot of problems.”

CRP turns it into a ‘win win’ proposition. Besides a payment to leave it idle; the land becomes productive in a different way. “The (native) grasses need nitrogen. Some of the forbs will actually be our legume and provide the nitrogen and (provide) a better stand.”

“CRP provides clean water and air for all Iowans. It preserves the land for future generations, by keeping the soil where it belongs,” reminds Smith; pointing out that losses of grassland acres across the Midwest have negative effects on many wildlife populations; ranging from pheasants to songbirds.

The Farm Services Agency of the USDA is holding CRP information meetings across Iowa. Information can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov/ia

Youth Shooting Event Looking for Participants
Posted: 03/13/2012

POLK CITY - The Drake Sportsmen’s Club is hosting its inaugural youth shoot and education day for 20 youths age 12 and older on April 14, from noon to 4 p.m., at the Charles ‘Butch’ Olofson Shooting Range, near Polk City.

The youth shoot and education day will teach kids firearm safety from licensed instructors and college shooters and allow them to fire shotguns, .22 rifles, BB guns, and bow and arrows.

Parents or guardians are required to fill out a release of liability waiver prior to the event. To register for the event and receive a copy of the form, contact the event coordinator and club president Uriah Hansen at 641-640-1273 or by email at uhansen6@gmail.com. The completed form must be returned to Hansen.

DNR to Hold Public Meetings to Discuss Fall Hunting and Trapping Regulations

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting public meetings tonight to discuss possible changes in the hunting and trapping regulations for this fall.

The changes would affect deer and waterfowl hunters as well as hunters and trappers who pursue bobcats and otters. Proposed changes would stabilize deer numbers in some areas, potentially add a third zone for waterfowl and increase the harvest number of otters and bobcats.

The list of possible changes is available online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/proposed_changes2012.pdf

“These meetings are part of the new process instituted by Governor Branstad last year for making rules in state government,” said Dr. Dale Garner, chief of the wildlife bureau. “Any changes must be discussed with Iowa’s citizens who might be impacted by the changes. The new process helps ensure that rule changes serve the public’s wishes and do not unnecessarily impact Iowa’s economy.

“The regulation changes for deer would allow deer numbers to stabilize in areas of the state where numbers have been reduced to the department’s goal while still allowing hunters to harvest extra does in areas of the state where numbers need to be reduced,” Garner said. “Without these changes deer numbers in some areas of the state will continue to decline and Iowa will lose its standing as one of the best states for hunting whitetail deer. Failure to make these changes could adversely affect rural areas since deer hunters spend nearly $200 million annually.”

The proposed changes for the waterfowl season are due to a change by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which now allow states to have three zones and a split waterfowl season.

“We surveyed waterfowl hunters twice in the past year and there appears to be increased interest in a third zone,” said Garner. “We need to continue these discussions to decide if this is what hunters really want to see for the next four years.”

Meetings will be held March 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the following cities: Ames, Burlington, Carroll, Centerville, Clear Lake, Clinton, Council Bluffs, Creston, Decorah, Fort Dodge, Johnston, La Porte City, Marshalltown, Middle Amana, Onawa, Ottumwa, Peosta, Sheldon and Spencer. Complete addresses along with the proposed regulation changes are on the DNR’s website at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting.aspx.

For those who cannot make the meeting, comments can be sent to wildlife@dnr.iowa.gov.

Waterfowl Seasons Topic of Web Video

A new online video provides a look at how Iowa’s duck and goose hunting seasons are set. The video lays out how many different factors and interests are included when the recommendations by wildlife staff are made to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Natural Resource Commission, and then to interested parties to receive comments.

The video is less than five minutes, and can be found on the Iowa DNR’s Facebook page, on YouTube at www.youtube.com/iowadnr or embedded below.

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