Biology/Plants/Wildlife

• National Plant Materials Program - Access plant fact sheets, technical publications and information, information on conservation plant releases, sources of conservation plants, and related plant web sites.
  • Elsberry Plant Materials Center Publications
• Native Plant Material Sources (PDF)
• Plant Community Restoration Tools
• Plant ID Information and Sources
• Plant Iowa Natives (PIN)
• Pollinator Habitat - Iowa Job Sheet (PDF, 1.8 MB)
• Native Prairie Planting Guides
  • Increasing Forb Diversity in Native Grass-Dominated Stands (PDF)
    • Interseeding with Fall Tillage (PDF)
    • Organic Transition Options (PDF)
    • Terminate and Reseed - Fall Herbicide Only (PDF)
    • Terminate and Reseed - Spring Herbicide Only (PDF)
    • Guidance on using the Iowa Native Prairie Guide – Increasing forb diversity in native grass-dominated stands (PDF)
  • Establishing and Managing Native Prairie (PDF)
  • Planning and Understanding Diverse Native Seed Mixes (PDF)   NEW!
  • ​Planting Native Prairie Into Cool Season Sod (PDF)
  • Planting Native Prairie Into Corn or Soybean Stubble (PDF)

Native Prairie Seeding Calculator - (XLSM, 1.3 MB) Current Version Sept. 2022 - The Native Grass Seeding Calculator is designed to assist in developing seeding mixtures that are adapted to specific sites based on moisture regimes and flowing periods. The calculator will also provide a seeding plan for the client.

Ask the Expert

• A Pollinator Q&A with Karin Jokela

Wildlife

• Approved Iowa NRCS Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Guides (WHEG)
  • General
    • Iowa Wildlife Working Lands Habitat Evaluation with Appendix (PDF, 3 MB)
    • Training on the Iowa Wildlife Working Lands Habitat Evaluation
  • Specific
    • Monarch WHEG and Decision Support Tool Instructions, version 2.0 (PDF)
    • Monarch WHEG Decision Support Tool Data Sheet, version 2.0 (XLSX)
  • Other Resources
    • Monarch Butterfly Supporting Documents
      • Mid-America Monarch Conservation Strategy
      • Monarch Butterfly Conference Report (PDF)
      • Important Plants of the Monarch Butterfly - Midwest (PDF, 10 MB)
      • 2018 Monarch Plant List Guidance for Iowa (PDF)
      • Best Practices for the Monarch Butterfly: Achieving Best Results for the Monarch in the Midwest (PDF)
      • Working Lands for Monarch Butterflies Fact Sheet (PDF)
      • Farmers for Monarchs
    • Wildlife Friendly Fences
      • A Landowner's Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences: How to Build Fence with Wildlife in Mind - Courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (PDF, 3 MB)   
• Aquatic Habitat Evaluations
  • Stream Visual Assessment Protocol Version 2.0 (SVAP2) (PDF)
  • SVAP Datasheet (PDF)

Webinar

• NRCS Approaches to the Assessment of Fish & Wildlife Habitat (MP4, 185 MB, Webinar, Jan. 19, 2017)
• Monarch WHEG, version 2.0 Webinar 
• Conservation Cover 327 (MP4, 69 MB)
  • ​Conservation Cover Webinar Presentation (PPT)
  • Conservation Cover 327 - Job Sheet (PDF)

Contact:
James Cronin, State Biologist
Phone: 515-284-4262