Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.The white-tailed deer is Iowa’s only species of big game wildlife. One of the traits that sets white-tails apart from all other Iowa wildlife is their noteworthy ability to grow antlers. Generally speaking, […]
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.It’s been more than a month since Iowa’s multi-faceted deer hunting seasons concluded on January 10. Since then, I’ve been scouring the landscape in an effort to lay eyes on what has become
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.The Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey is one of North America’s most important, longest running wildlife counts. Coordinated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the annual survey is conducted through the cooperative efforts of
Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.When I was a kid, squirrel hunting was listed among Iowa’s most popular outdoor pastimes. Not just for young hunters, but for adults as well. Then, as now, you looked for squirrels in
Late-Season Squirrels Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.If you enjoy feeding backyard birds, you’re not alone. Somewhere in the vicinity of 900,000 Iowans, and upwards of 80 million Americans nationwide also — either in winter or year-round – enjoy attracting
Winter Bird Feeding Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.Following a year of presumed absence, highly pathogenic avian influenza [HPAI] is sweeping through Iowa waterfowl populations. This time, the outbreak is occurring due to a new and lethal [D1.1] variant of the
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.It was Mid-May, and spring birding was at its peak. With sunrise still a half hour in the offing, I was standing in a narrow strip of public timber extending from the western
IWF Partners with Iowa DNR on Gray Fox Study Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.After providing good to excellent duck hunting during September and October, the Iowa migration pretty much shut down in early November. As the doldrums continued into mid-month, hunters were becoming understandably impatient. Some
Day of the Gadwall Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.I love the Thanksgiving holidays. I say holidays [plural] because, on most years, I get to celebrate by enjoying four separate turkey dinners. The first takes place during the official Thursday holiday where
Thanksgiving Turkeys Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.For Iowa outdoor enthusiasts, the month of November is one of the most exciting times of the year. November has so much to offer that making a list of all the things to
Tom CopePresident and Director
Tom has served on the Johnston City Council since 2011, where he has been an advocate for investing in stormwater management practices and enhancement of opportunities to observe wildlife in Iowa’s communities. Tom has been a staff member and lobbyist at the Iowa State Capitol for over 20 years, where he lobbied for passage of Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy (IWILL) constitutional amendment.
Sue WilkinsonTreasurer and Director
Iowa Wildlife Federation Board Advisor, pre-2013 – Present, Board member since 2020. Growing up on a northeast Iowa dairy farm, I saw wildlife every day; in the timber, ponds and nearby trout streams. My participation in National Wildlife Federation Conservation Summits as a teenager reinforced my love for wildlife and the outdoors.
Susan Judkins JostenDirector
Susan Judkins Josten is Client Development Director for RDG Planning and Design, a firm with expertise in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, interiors, art, multimedia, engineering and water resources. Prior career activities involve founding and leading economic and leadership development programs, launching the state’s successful Vision Iowa program, advising communities on project financing, and guiding passage of critical legislation following Iowa’s 2008 floods. She has a BA in Business Management from Simpson College, and an MBA from the University of Iowa. Susan has also been a member of the Clive City Council since 2013, and previously served on the Indianola School Board. She is interested in water quality policy and projects, and is active with several watershed groups. She has three adult daughters: Whitney Judkins, JD, Timmer & Judkins Law Firm in Des Moines; Erin del Ninno, MD, Capital Women’s Care in Maryland; and stepdaughter Jennifer Josten, Ph.D., Assistant Professor for the University of Pittsburgh.
Rudi RoesleinDirector
Rudi Roeslein grew up in south St. Louis, after immigrating to the United States from Austria in 1956. He attended Saint Louis University where he jokes that he majored in soccer and minored in Engineering. Before founding Roeslein & Associates in 1990, Rudi started his career at Container Corporation of America, a composite can manufacturing company.
Elyssa McFarlandDirector
Elyssa McFarland farms with her family in Southeast Iowa and serves as the National Corn Growers Association’s, Soil Health Partnership Field Development Director. She attended Iowa State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and went on to earn dual master’s degrees in Agronomy and Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Mark LangginDirector
Founding Partner, Pinpoint Digital; Mark has been an IWF Board member since 2020. “Really excited to be joining the Board of the Iowa Wildlife Federation. I’ve been an outdoor advocate since I was young. Originally, just as a kid out running around, shooting at squirrels (terrible shot).
Adam JankeDirector
An Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University, Adam is also the state wildlife extension specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. He holds degrees in Wildlife Conservation from Purdue, Ohio State, and South Dakota State.
Joe HenryDirector
Joe Enriquez Henry is a graduate of Iowa State University and has worked in various capacities, from elected and appointed positions in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to the League of United Latin American Citizens and Forward Latino. Mr. Henry was awarded the Louise Noun Award by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa.
Kristin AshenbrennerDirector
Kristin is a conservationist from Des Moines. She has a background in–and is particularly passionate about–ag and climate, conservation policy, and funding the National Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. In her spare time, she is an avid equestrian. Kristin owns and shows American Saddlebreds and helps with her family’s breeding operation.
Joe WilkinsonSecretary and Director
Retired, Iowa DNR. IWF President pre-2013, also 2017-2020. Board member; 2013-2017. My childhood was spent exploring the woods, fields, ponds and streams of central Iowa. Then, off to college; B.A. in English, University of Dubuque, with a Journalism equivalent, Clarke College, Dubuque. I spent 11 years in radio and TV news in eastern Iowa.
Dr. Tammy MildensteinVice President and Director
Dr. Tammy Mildenstein, Vice President of IWF, is an Associate Professor of Biology at Cornell College. Tammy has a PhD in Fish and Wildlife Biology and a MS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. She leads community-based conservation projects for endangered species and endangered ecosystems, both in Iowa (monarch butterflies) and in Southeast Asia (flying foxes).
Sean McMahonVice President and Director
Sean is a passionate outdoors enthusiast who loves to hike, watch wildlife, camp and fish with his family. Sean has devoted his entire career to conservation, having spent nearly three decades in senior positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy and in his current role as Executive Director of the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance.”
