Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Iowa’s youth turkey hunting season begins April 9. The regular spring seasons commence April 18. For local turkey hunting enthusiasts, the seasons can’t come a minute too soon. Most hunters are […]
PRESEASON SCOUTING LEADS TO TURKEY HUNTING SUCCESS Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. I’m hearing from a lot of Iowa turkey hunters who are getting more than a little bit anxious for spring. Apparently, Iowa’s wild turkeys are feeling the same. Under the influence of
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Here in the Heartland, the cottontail rabbit is one of our most important links in the natural food chain. Prolific to a fault, cottontails are the bane of summer gardeners, preferred menu
Late Season Cottontails Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. At long last, spring has finally arrived. Well, maybe not for you and me. We’re going to have to wait awhile. But for resident great horned owls, the change of seasons is
For Iowa’s Flying Tigers — Spring Nesting Season Has Arrived Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. For a lot of folks, the appearance of the year’s first robin is an exciting event — a sure and welcome sign of spring. Or is it? For a growing number of
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. It was a classic encounter of predator and prey. When a hen turkey was approached by a foraging fox, she immediately moved into the thickest cover available which in this case, wasn’t
Early Morning Standoff Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. With the November rut long past, Iowa white-tails have no further need of their magnificent antlers. So what do deer do with something they don’t need anymore? The same thing we
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. My first encounter with the Gray Faced Buck occurred on November 1st, 2014. It was during my first bow hunt of the season, and the annual rut was in full swing.
Legends of the Fall – Iowa White-tails Prove as Elusive as Ever Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. At first glance, the blue jay-sized northern shrike looks pretty harmless. But for resident mice, shrews, and juncos this slate colored songbird is anything but harmless. In reality, the shrike is
Northern Shrike – Iowa’s Most Vicious Songbird Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Overcast skies, chill winter wind, rural landscapes cloaked in nine inches of new snow. Absolute perfect conditions for an end of December goose hunt. But for hunting companion Curt Stille and
Tribute to the Lowly Muskrat Read More »
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.”
