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2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest
Phone: 612-713-5360 |
Iowa Wetland Management District
Contacting the Refuge:
District Manager: George Maze
email: MidwestNews@fws.gov1710 - 360th Street
Titonka, IA 50480
Phone: 515-928-2523
Fax: 515-9282230
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay)The district office is roughly 2.5 hours southwest of Minneapolis and northwest of Des Moines. From Algona, take Highway 169 north to Bancroft; turn right (east) on county road A-42, and proceed six miles to the office at 1710 360th St. From Interstate 90, take the Blue Earth, MN, exit and follow Rt. 169 south into Iowa. At Lakota, follow P60 south to A42, then west 0.5 miles on A42 to the office.
District Facts
Wetland management district encompasses a 35-county area in north central Iowa
62 sites
19,000 acres in 17 counties
Natural History
The Iowa Wetland Management District is located in the area once covered by the Des Moines lobe of the Northern Iowa Glaciated Region.
As the glaciers receded, the lobe that extended into north-central Iowa left behind 7.6 million acres of grasslands and 2-3 million acres of wetlands. However, in the late 1800s, Iowa suffered significant losses in wetland and grasslands as settlers began converting these habitats to cropland. All in all, Iowa lost more than 90 percent of its wetlands and 99 percent of its grasslands to agriculture.
Highlight
The Iowa Wetland Management District is part of Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge and is very different from other wetland management districts. Under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the State manages the waterfowl production areas in the district. This is a partnership that has been very beneficial to the Service. The State and the Service have been able to develop large complexes of habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife species.
Public Use Opportunities
Hunting
Wildlife observation, photography
Interpretation and environmental education
