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The Iowa Academy of Science has developed this website to spread the word about some of the wonders of our state. The links page is here to provide you further opportunities to discover places, friends and educational resources to allow you to reach out from your computer.

We hope that the information provides useful as you explore.

Glacial Landmarks Trail: Iowa's Heritage of Ice – Take a day or a weekend to explore the ten stops on this heart of Iowa glacier tour.  This Iowa Department of Natural Resources website includes all you need to explore Iowa’s glacial past with your family!  Iowa Academy of Science members recommend that you plan an extra stop at the Nutty Bar Stand in Arnold’s Park (between stops 3 and 4) for ice-cream or a chocolate covered frozen banana.  You’ll visit Iowa’s largest natural body of water, Spirit Lake, Freda Haffner Kettlehole State Preserve and eight other places that owe their history to the actions of glaciers!

Loess Hills Scenic Byway –You can go to the Yellow River Valley in China…or you can come to the Iowa Loess Hills.  For these are the only places on Earth where this landscape of steep peaks and saddles can be!  Let the National Scenic Byways Program be your guide!

The Great River Road – Iowa Section – Travel down the Mississippi from Lansing to Keokuk.  Be sure to stop for wildlife viewing at the Upper Mississippi and Port Louisa NWRs, make time to tour the Black Earth/Big River exhibit at the Putnam Museum and IMAX Theater in Davenport.

Lewis and Clark in Iowa – The travels of Lewis and Clark were as much scientific expedition as it was a surveying mission.  Trip journals serve as the first written records of many North American species and offer important details about the ecosystems the expedition passed through.  You can visit some of the same places Lewis and Clark did on this11 stop tour of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

 

Resource Links

watching wildlife

Links to assist you with watching wildlife at the National Wildlife Refuges and your own back yard.

PLANTS
USDA Plants (By Common and Scientific Name)
USDA Plants – Iowa List
Native Plant Information Network

ALL ANIMALS
eNature: America’s Wildlife
Nature Works – Animals
Kids’ Planet – Species Fact Sheets
National Geographic – Animals A-Z

BIRDS
All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Iowa Birds and Birding – Iowa Ornithologists’ Union
Sibley Guides – Bird Notes
USGS - Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

 

seasons

Winter, spring, summer or fall – there is fun to be had by all.

Elementary GLOBE - Seasons
Operation RubyThroat
Journey North
Earth’s Seasons Activity
GLOBE Green Down (Fall) Activity
GLOBE Green Up (Spring) Activity
Iowa Seasons Study



native vs invasive

Do your part to keep Iowa native.

What are invasive species? (USFWS)
Iowa Invasive Roadside Plants (LRTF)
Iowa Invasive Plant Species (Iowa DNR)
Iowa - Aquatic Invasive Species (Iowa DNR)
Tallgrass Prairie Center (UNI)
Iowa Native Plants (LRTF)
Wildlife Diversity Program (Iowa DNR)

 

natural resources

More about Iowa’s Natural Resources.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa Geological Survey
Iowa Water Quality
NRCS – Soils


conservationists

Biographies of some of the people who contributed to the conservation of Iowa’s National Wildlife Refuges.

J. N. “Ding” Darling
Will H. Dilg
Aldo Leopold
Theodore Roosevelt
 

photo libraries

Note: The photo libraries listed here provide images that may be used in student reports and projects at no charge, however proper credit should always be given when using a photograph or image you did not take yourself. An example of a proper credit for each library included. Some images within the libraries may include additional credit instructions. Questions regarding image use should be directed to the individual libraries.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Digital Library System
Example credit: Photo by <photographer’s name>/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Additional credit information can be found here.

NRCS Photo Gallery
Example credit: Photo by (photographer's name), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Additional credit information can be found here.

NOAA Photo Library
Photo courtesy the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce.
Additional credit information can be found here.

 

 

Credits

technical and production staff

Marcy M. Seavey, Iowa Academy of Science, Principal Investigator and Activity Development
Craig Johnson, Iowa Academy of Science, Managing Editor
David O'Shields, New Light Media, Project Producer
Trevor Hendrickson, theWEBcentric, Website Developer and Designer, Consultant
Dante Means, University of Northern Iowa - Production House, Recording Engineer, Mixing and Editing
Al Shears, Mixing and Editing, Mastering
Calvin Johannes, University of Northern Iowa - Production House, Recording Engineer

iowa academy of science

Executive Director, Craig Johnson
Program Director, Marcy Seavey
Office Manager, Toni Arends
Student Assistants, Emily Schafer and Vicki Arieux

special thanks

Special Thanks to Iowa's National Wildlife Refuge Staff who assisted the writing teams in development of scripts, including: Rebecca Esser, Iowa Wetland Management Disctrict and Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge; Don Hultman, Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge; Sue McDonald, Desoto National Wildlife Refuge; Tom Cox, Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge; Don Hultman, Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge; Nancy Gilbertson, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for its support of the project.

science in iowa

narrators and authors

Series Host
Rod Philp, Academy Member

Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
De Anna Tibben, Earth Science Teacher at Ames High School
William R. Clark, Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Iowa State University

Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge
Lynn Brant, Emeritus Professor of Geology, University of Northern Iowa
Chad Heinzel, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences and Science Education, University of Northern Iowa

Iowa Wetland Management District
Carol Boyce, Teacher of the Gifted, Waterloo Community Schools
Marcy Seavey, Program Director, Iowa Academy of Science

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
Tom Fenton, Professor Emeritus in Agronomy, Iowa State University
Jim Pease, Iowa State University Extention Wildlife Specialist
Kathy McKee, Science and Environmental Education Consultant, Iowa Department of Education

Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge
Jan S. Wielert, Science Content Specialist, Pearson
Neil Bernstein, Professor of Biology, Mount Mercy College
Matt McAndrew, Waste Water Operator, CH2M HILL OMI

Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Mark L. Anderson, Project Archeologist, Office of the State Archeologist, University of Iowa
Rick Lampe, Ecology Professor, Buena Vista University
Jane Shuttleworth, Executive Director, Friends of Lakeside Lab

Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge
Theresa Theis, Science Teacher, Marshalltown High School
Jim Pease, Iowa State University Extention Wildlife Specialist
Carol Schutte, Biology Instructor, North Iowa Area Community College