Four tan deer, one male with antlers, peering out from a field of brown grasses and other vegetation
Public Use on the Iowa Wetland Management District

The Iowa Wetland Management District is open to a variety of public uses.  Please see the Iowa Wetland Management District Public Use Brochure for complete hunting, fishing and other public use regulations for the district.

The Iowa Wetland Management District includes 75 waterfowl production areas encompassing more than 25,000 acres scattered throughout 18 counties in north-central Iowa. The goal of the district is to restore and protect enough wetland and grassland habitat to meet the needs of prairie wildlife, particularly breeding waterfowl, as well as provide places for public recreation. Iowa Wetland Management District is very different from other wetland management districts in that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources manages many of the waterfowl productions areas. Together, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been able to develop large complexes of habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife species within the predominantly agricultural landscape in north-central Iowa.
Photo of an Oxbow Restoration with Darrick Weissenfluh
Partners for Fish and Wildlife

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a program called Partners for Fish and Wildlife that provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land.

If you're interested in prairie, wetland, and/or oxbow restoration, please contact our Private Lands Biologist: Darrick Weissenfluh, darrick_weissenfluh@fws.gov, Cell 515-320-5636

Visit Us

National wildlife refuges offer the outdoor enthusiast an opportunity to escape from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with nature. Be it the rich call of trumpeter swans, the vivid waves of windswept wildflowers or the wingbeat of mallards over decoys, a variety of outdoor experiences await visitors to waterfowl production areas within Iowa Wetland Management District.

Location and Contact Information

      Our Species

      Drake blue-winged teal on a pond
      Image Details

      The district supports 14 species of breeding waterfowl including blue-winged teal, mallards, wood ducks and trumpeter swans. In all, more than 270 species of birds are known to occur within the district boundary. A variety of state and federally listed species may be found within the district boundary. The district is home to a variety of resident wildlife including river otters, American badgers, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, ring-necked pheasants and coyotes.