27-629: Yellow River State Forest , (YRSF), is mostly forested land owned by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources . It is located in the southeastern corner of Allamakee County , the most northeasterly of Iowa's counties. It is adjacent to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and is just north of Effigy Mounds National Monument in the bluff region of the Upper Mississippi River . The forest
54-1003: A 'State Parks Bureau' a 'Land and Waters Bureau', an 'Engineering Services Bureau' and a 'Law Enforcement Bureau' where conservation officers enforce laws related to fish, wildlife, boating, snowmobiling and all-terrain vehicles. As of July 2014 , the division had only six bureaus, because the Engineering Services Bureau and the Land/Waters Bureau merged to Engineering Land/Waters . It provides technical assistance to Iowa tree, forest and prairie owners and businesses with forestry and prairie management planning, cost-share programs and education. The bureau manages more than 40,000 acres (160 km ) of forests for timber, wildlife, watershed protection and recreation. It operates state nurseries in Ames, Iowa and Montrose, Iowa producing 4 million tree and shrub seedlings annually at low cost to
81-455: Is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces . There have been 41 individuals who held the position of Iowa governor, with two of those serving multiple distinct terms, Samuel J. Kirkwood and Terry Branstad . The current governor, Kim Reynolds , is the first woman to hold the position and was sworn in on May 24, 2017. The longest-serving is Terry Branstad , who served from 1983 to 1999 and then again from 2011 to 2017. He
108-507: Is headed by a Governor of Iowa -appointed director, which as of May 2019 has been Kayla Lyon. The DNR has three service divisions: conservation and recreation, environmental services and management services. There are two governor-appointed citizen commissions that decide on policies and administrative rules: The Natural resource Commission oversees fish, wildlife, parks and forestry issues. The nine-member Environmental Protection Commission oversees water, land and air quality issues. Of
135-477: Is the head of government of the U.S. state of Iowa . The governor is the head of the executive branch of the state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The officeholder has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Iowa General Assembly , to convene the legislature, as well as to grant pardons , except in cases of treason and impeachment . The governor of Iowa
162-510: Is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history , surpassing the previous record of 21 years set by George Clinton of New York . The shortest-serving was Robert D. Fulton , who served 16 days. Iowa Territory was formed on July 4, 1838, from Wisconsin Territory . It had four governors appointed by the president of the United States , though the first resigned days after he was confirmed by
189-605: The DNR organization chart, as its eight scientists became part of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR) Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa . As of 2016, the most recent Iowa's impaired water list was from 2014. It contained 571 waterbodies with a total of 754 impairments. Water quality problems continue unabated. In 2023, the state general fund eliminated $ 500,000 in funding of 66 water quality monitors; it
216-490: The Iowa Geological and Water Survey published a "Survey of Iowa Groundwater and Evaluation of Public Well Vulnerability Classifications for Contaminants of Emerging Concern". The most commonly found contaminant was pesticides in 41% of samples, with as many as 6 pesticide compounds together, and mostly chloro acetanilide degradates. Glyphosate was not detected, and its metabolite was only detected in two of 60 wells (3%) at
243-591: The Senate and before ever reaching the territory. The southeast portion of Iowa Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa on December 28, 1846. The first Constitution of Iowa , adopted in 1846, created the office of governor with a four-year term, with no specific start date. The 1857 constitution reduced this term to two years, but an amendment in 1972 increased this back to four years. The 1857 constitution also set
270-407: The U.S. Forest Service. It was acquired in 1950 and rebuilt on the current site in 1962. Today it is in poor condition, most of the window sashes have been broken out, all the window glass is gone, some of the cab roofing is gone, and the wood on the stairs and in the cab has rotted away, most of this is due to vandalism. So for that and safety reasons, the tower was fenced in and is currently closed to
297-447: The detection limit of 0.02 μg/L. In 35% of 63 samples pharmaceutical compounds were found. Of the 14 drugs, six were above the method reporting limit, the highest of which was acetaminophen . One in five of the wells contained microorganisms, most frequently pepper mild mottle virus (PMMV), GII norovirus , both human and bovine polyomavirus , and Campylobacter . As of 2014, the Iowa Geological and Water Survey no longer appears in
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#1732852735093324-512: The features. Yellow River is home to one of only two public-owned sawmills in Iowa, with the other at Shimek State Forest . The first sawmill in Iowa, which was built in the 1800s, was also located in Yellow River. About 150,000 board feet (350 m³) of lumber is annually harvested in the forest and processed by inmates at the minimum-security Luster Heights Prison Farm . The prisoners do other work in
351-565: The forest as well. The lumber produced at the sawmill is used for state-related projects and can be produced for private orders. The type of wood produced at the sawmill depends on the type of wood that grows in the forest (mainly oak and hickory). The forest includes the Yellow River Fire Tower, the only fire tower standing in Iowa. The tower is an Aermotor LS40 model fire tower sold to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from
378-809: The nine commissioners at least 5 members have been identified in 2014 based on public records, to have a conflict of interest , when it comes to stricter environmental protections, particularly the enforcement of the Clean Water Act. As of 2013 it consisted of five bureaus: Water Quality, Air Quality, Land Quality, Field Services and Compliance , and Iowa Geological and Water Survey . Field Services staff inspect permitted facilities, annually reviewing permits for more than 200 confined animal feeding operations , approximately 5,500 manure management plans, permitting more than 450 solid waste facilities and writing more than 2,000 air permits. Iowa water quality assessments have been developed only since 1992. In 2013,
405-610: The operating budget. In 2011, three environmental groups sued the US EPA to bring DNR's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) program into compliance with the Clean Water Act . In January 2015, the Des Moines Water Works declared its intent to file a lawsuit against three Iowa counties Buena Vista , Sac , and Calhoun county where groundwater water tests had shown nitrate levels as high as 39.2 mg/L, which
432-583: The operation. The feedlot, Supreme Beef, is a beef cattle feeding operation that was built in the Bloody Run watershed in Clayton County . On April 28, 2023, a Polk County District Court judge ruled that the DNR improperly approved the nutrient management plan and that the DNR would require Supreme Beef to resubmit a new plan. IDNR produces Iowa Outdoors magazine with a reported monthly circulation of 40,000. Governor of Iowa The governor of Iowa
459-413: The presence of many Native American effigy mounds, and is now known as Effigy Mounds National Monument . The majority of YRSF is now in the catchment of Paint Creek . Some of the forest is reclaimed farmland, but much of it was never farmed because of the steepness of the terrain. The State and the various Federal agencies actively cooperate in the management of the lands under their care, particularly in
486-417: The public for erosion control, wildlife habitat and reforestation. The 'Parks Bureau' operates and maintains 84 parks and recreation areas with trails and cabins for camping, picnicking, swimming, boating and fishing. It is responsible for more than 90 state preserves set aside for their natural or cultural significance and supervises programs in recreation planning and resource protection. As of 2018, there
513-509: The public. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. Iowa Department of Natural Resources The Iowa Department of Natural Resources ( Iowa DNR or IA DNR ) is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa formed in 1986, charged with maintaining state parks and forests , protecting the environment of Iowa , and managing energy, fish, wildlife, land resources, and water resources of Iowa. The DNR
540-465: The start of the term to the second Monday in the January following the election, which was moved one day later by a 1988 amendment. The office of lieutenant governor was created in the 1857 constitution, elected for the same term as the governor. An amendment in 1988 specified that the lieutenant governor would be elected on the same ticket as the governor. If the office becomes vacant, it devolves upon
567-636: The use of fire to maintain goat prairies , which are found "on steep, thin soils with a south-southwest exposure. The best examples occur in northeast Iowa's Paleozoic Plateau, but similar prairie can be found in other parts of the state." The forest is located in the Driftless Area of Iowa, a region that was not glaciated during the last ice age . The geology of the region shows ancient Silurian period formations. The Yellow River and Paint Creek have rugged, steep walled canyons, showing millennia of erosion, where glacial action would have otherwise smoothed out
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#1732852735093594-410: Was "reallocated" to other conservation programs. The division assists in wildlife population surveys, provides conservation information to the public, and conducts hunter, boater, ATV and snowmobile safety programs. The division formerly consisted of seven bureaus: A 'Fisheries Bureau', a 'Wildlife Bureau' managing 356,000 acres (1,440 km ) of public land for recreational use, a 'Forestry Bureau',
621-414: Was $ 213 million. Of that, only 6.7 percent is appropriated from the state general fund with the remainder from sources such as non-general fund appropriations, fees and federal funds. The general fund is critical, with about 35 percent used to leverage federal dollars and more than 50 percent used for state parks and state forests operation. The remaining 15% serves to bridge other funding sources that make up
648-569: Was 4 times the federally required Safe Drinking Water Act limit of 10 mg/L as the DNR continued not to enforce the Clean Water Act. In September 2021, the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited filed a lawsuit against the DNR, alleging the agency improperly approved the manure management plan of a feedlot in northeastern Iowa, and that the plan had incorrect calculations of how much manure could be safely applied to fields nearby
675-720: Was created by the 71st General Assembly in 1986 under Terry E. Branstad , member of the Republican Party of Iowa , by combining four previous state agencies: Water, Air, and Waste Management; parts of the Iowa Energy Policy Council; the Iowa Conservation Commission; and the Iowa Geological Survey Organization. Directors of the DNR since its formation in 1986 have been As of 2014, the DNR had 1,200 full-time equivalent employees. It
702-602: Was established in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps with the purchase of 1500 acres of land at the mouth of the Yellow River . It now has six units: Luster Heights, Paint Creek North, Paint Creek South, Paint Rock , Waukon Junction and Yellow River, collectively aggregating 8,503 acres (3,441 ha). The original 1,500 acres (610 ha) were transferred to the National Park Service in 1945, due to
729-426: Was one employee each for 29 of Iowa's 78 state parks, forests and off-road vehicle areas and one law enforcement official for every 9,011 people who hunt, fish or boat in the state. The department receives less than 1 percent of the state’s general tax appropriations since it was founded, "routinely ranking among the lowest states in per capita spending on environmental protection". The DNR's annual budget as of 2013
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