Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.According to Iowa’s state climatologist, last winter was the fourth least snowy in 138 years of record keeping – a real boon for winter pheasant survival. The abnormally dry winter was followed by […]
Iowa Pheasant Populations Expected to Show Increase for 2025 Hunting Season Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. A Yellow-headed Blackbird, Of Course! With its bright golden mantle and jet-black body, it would be hard to mistake the yellow-headed blackbird for any other species. An inhabitant of Iowa marshlands, the
What bird has a black body and bright yellow head? Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.Spring is in the air — literally. Leaving their winter homes, millions of neotropical songbirds are now winging their way to northern nesting grounds. For many species, the flight between South American wintering
Spring Bird Migration Moves Through Iowa Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.Birding enthusiasts are always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary – a new or rare species that they’ve never seen before. North Iowans got their wish this week when a
Rare Birds Visit North Iowa Marshland Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.For Iowa’s wild turkeys, the lengthening days of spring bring on a dramatic change in attitude. Gobblers that have peacefully spent the entire winter residing in close knit bachelor groups are suddenly defriending
Cornfield Smackdown Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.A seldom observed survivor of Iowa’s historic past, the rare and delicate pasque flower is currently on full display across the state’s also rare native prairie remnants. Pasque flowers are the very first
Kothenbeutel Heritage Prairie Offers Rare Glimpse of Iowa’s Past Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.The courtship antics of the American woodcock is one of the Iowa woodland’s most remarkable spring rituals. The prelude to these daily performances begins as solitary males – also known as Timberdoodles —
Iowa Timberdoodles Provide Unique Springtime Displays Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.Iowa’s spring turkey seasons are just around the corner. Hunters are counting the minutes as Iowa woodlands are already rocking with the staccato daybreak gobbling of the state’s most challenging gamebird. This year’s
Gearing Up For Spring Turkeys Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.You could feel the excitement in the weathercaster’s voice as she described the intense spring thunderstorm currently building to the south. Surging northward at breakneck speed, the storm was scheduled to sweep into
Pursuing the Elusive White Goose Read More »
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,
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.
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.
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.
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.”
