Much has changed with Iowa’s wildlife in the years 1990 to 2020. Some species such as Canada goose, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer that once were rare in Iowa are now common, and others like sandhill crane, river otter, and trumpeter swan are becoming increasingly abundant. Iowa’s Changing Wildlife provides an up-to-date, scientifically based summary of changes in the distribution, status, conservation needs, and future prospects of about sixty species of Iowa’s birds and mammals whose populations have increased or decreased in the past three decades. Readers will learn more about familiar species, become acquainted with the status of less familiar species, and find out how many of the species around them have fared during this era of transformation.
“Two of Iowa’s greatest authorities on wildlife from two generations, who saw remarkable changes, report on the state of Iowa’s wildlife in this wonderful book. It is essential reading for Iowa’s wildlife enthusiasts of today and will be an invaluable resource for Iowa’s wildlife enthusiasts of the future.”
—Adam Janke, Iowa State University
“Since Iowa is one of Earth’s most modified landscapes, it’s critically important to examine how native animals have changed in response. Here the Dinsmores provide well-synthesized wildlife records, as well as rich, historically accurate stories about Iowa’s remaining birds and mammals. This book opens the door to understanding the diverse and fascinating lives that still abound around us.”
—Cornelia F. Mutel, author, A Sugar Creek Chronicle: Observing Climate Change from a Midwestern Woodland
“For wildlife enthusiasts, this book is the perfect companion to A Country So Full of Game, the 1994 volume that traced the history of Iowa wildlife since European settlement of the Midwest. This book traces the efforts and successes in recovery of many wildlife species since that time and the quiet disappearance of some others. Their collective future, as the Dinsmores make clear, is up to us.”—Jim Pease, retired Iowa State University extension wildlife specialist
