BOONE, Iowa – The osprey, a fish-eating bird of prey, was once common in Iowa, but populations dwindled with the arrival of European settlers.

Close to a half-dozen 40-day-old osprey chicks will be introduced at sites in Clear Lake and Swan Lake this week.

They were collected from nests in northern Minnesota where the population is much more established.

Pat Schlarbaum, a wildlife diversity technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says because the birds live near water, Iowans will want to continue with cleanup efforts.

"These birds inspire people,” he states. “They're water-loving creatures. We're hoping that they can guide us to do more, guide us to do better, as people realize that having the ospreys are a welcome addition to our summer activities around the lakes and ponds and rivers."

DNR experts will continue looking after the young birds in their new homes until they're able to fly on their own in a couple of weeks.

Schlarbaum says hearing and seeing these raptors dive-bomb for a meal is something worth seeking out.

"The whole phenomena of watching this bird just see a fish near the surface and just go down and take it, is nothing short of remarkable,” he points out. “It's almost hard to do the math, that a four-pound bird could carry off a two-pound fish."

There have been 24 attempts at establishing osprey nests throughout the state, with a few dozen birds now spending the summer months in Iowa before migrating to South America for the winter and later returning.

As far as how many of the birds could one day live in the state, Schlarbaum says the sky's the limit.

"As long as our waters improve, as long as there's fish,” he states. “We were uncertain about how many bald eagles we'd have in Iowa, and now we're at more than 400 nesting pairs of eagles, and that population's still growing."

There's even an online Osprey Cam with live video of a nest located on the Wells Fargo campus in West Des Moines.





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Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has introduced a bill to remove gray wolves from the list of endangered and threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

The measure would also prohibit any challenges to the law in court.

Jewel Tomasula, national policy director for the Endangered Species Coalition, said H.R. 845 is essentially recycled legislation.

"The bill would reinstate a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisting decision issued in November of 2020, the end of the first Trump administration," Tomasula explained. "This was overturned in court because the Fish and Wildlife Service did not use the best available science, among other serious errors."

The move comes as President Donald Trump and allies have accused federal courts of trying to overtake the executive branch's authority by blocking a number of executive orders.

After being hunted and poisoned to near extinction, the return of the gray wolf to the Lower 48 states is widely viewed as one of America's greatest conservation success stories. The livestock industry, which has overtaken large swaths of historic wolf habitat for grazing, has opposed protections citing concerns about predation.

A separate bill aims to put the brakes on getting species listed as endangered, speed up the delisting process and remove guardrails meant to prevent species from becoming extinct.

Kaitie Schneider, Colorado wolf representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said preventing the loss of keystone species like gray wolves is important for maintaining ecosystem viability and resilience in the face of a changing climate.

"We know that it's better not to lose that piece of the puzzle to begin with," Schneider stressed. "But it's critically important to put it back where we can. Keeping our ecosystems intact and restoring native species is not only important for us, but for our future generations too."

Nine in 10 Democrats and eight in 10 Republicans support the Endangered Species Act. And 84% of Americans support returning wolves to suitable landscapes in the Lower 48.

Schneider noted states like Colorado are showing wolves and people can coexist.

"If these bills and efforts to delist wolves from the Endangered Species Act federally do go through, that's not going to stop the wolf reintroduction to Colorado," Schneider asserted. "Because the voters of Colorado decided that this is a priority for our state. That's going to continue."

A coalition of conservationists and tribal nations is pushing for support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative by state officials in Olympia.

The Initiative is a project to remove the lower Snake River dams while maintaining current irrigation, transportation, energy, and recreation services. It focuses on restoring salmon runs and supporting the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Gabriel Newton, a competitive kayaker, artist and conservationist, will draw attention to the plight of the Orcas next week. He said protecting them means protecting all living things.

"It's incredibly important," Newton stressed. "Every time a thread in the web of life is broken, our own capacity to thrive is diminished. Orcas and famine are very integral threads. Newton said the trip could be challenging."

Newton will paddle 65 miles from Seattle to Olympia. He plans to meet with Gov. Bob Ferguson and present 500 signed cards seeking his support. Former Gov. Jay Inslee endorsed the Initiative but Ferguson, who took office in January, has yet to take a position.

The initiative was initially proposed by a group called the "Six Sovereigns," including the tribes of the Yakama Nation, Umatilla Indian Reservation, Warm Springs Reservation, Nez Perce and the states of Oregon and Washington. Newton acknowledged the kayak trip could be challenging.

"It would be an easy run in the summer but March is one of the windiest months of the year on Puget Sound, and it tends to be wind from the south," Newton explained. "I can expect a headwind most of the way, and depending on the strength of the wind, it could be treacherous or mildly annoying."

Newton will also be one of the artists featured at "An Evening of Art and Poetry," on March 26 in Olympia. The event is sponsored by the Endangered Species Coalition, Save our Wild Salmon, Braided River, Washington Conservation Action, and the Sierra Club.


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Today, Oregon conservation groups are headed to the state Capitol for "Wildlife Lobby Day."

The organizations, all part of the Oregon Wildlife Coalition, will meet legislators to advocate for four bills supporting science-based coexistence with wildlife.

Sristi Kamal, deputy director of the Western Environmental Law Center, highlighted the "1% For Wildlife" bill, which would raise the state Transient Lodging Tax by 1% up to 2.5%. Funds would help the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife implement the State Wildlife Action Plan to protect imperiled species and habitats.

Kamal pointed out the plan currently has no funding from the state.

"Even though we have a Democratic majority in our legislature this session, unfortunately, wildlife falls at the bottom of everyone's priority list," Kamal observed.

One bill would help landowners use nonlethal tools to share land with beavers. Another seeks about $1 million to fund four wildlife coexistence biologists, a public education campaign and a grant program for wildlife rehabilitation centers.

Along with supporting four bills, the coalition opposes two bills this session, both focused on carnivore management. One would reimburse ranchers up to five times the market value for livestock killed by wolves, despite Oregon already compensating the full market value.

Kamal noted research shows such payments do not increase tolerance and may have the opposite effect.

"We fear that this will actually increase intolerance for the species and lead to more actions like poaching of wolves," Kamal explained. "Which we are already seeing a significant uptick in the state."

Another bill opposed by the coalition would legalize using hounds to hunt cougars, an idea Kamal argued is inhumane and has already been voted down by Oregonians.

Kamal emphasized the coalition, along with the bills they support, aim to foster coexistence between wildlife and people. She stressed Oregon's policies need to reflect the vital role many species play in supporting ecosystems and humans through climate change and wildfires.


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