Statewide Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has identified a record number of trumpeter swan nests. DNR waterfowl biologist Orrin Jones says the species was reintroduced in Iowa in 1993.
According to the DNR’s website, unregulated hunting and the draining of wetlands after European settlers arrived in Iowa led to the species’ demise here. Now, in the 29th year of the restoration effort, the latest count indicates there are at least 135 pairs of adult nesting swans in Iowa.
Jones says restoration of wetland areas has helped the species get re-established. The DNR began its trumpeter swan restoration program in 1993, then in 1998, three wild cygnets, baby swans, hatched from a nest in Dubuque County.
