Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. The guy standing ahead of me at the grocery checkout had just placed four jars of grape jelly on the counter. Grape jelly. That was it; nothing else. “Orioles,” he said with […]
Backyard Orioles Provide Summer Color Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. With its distinctive zebra-striped head, crow sized body, and maniacal call, the pileated woodpecker is in a league of its own. It is one of my favorite woodland birds. Finding an active
Adventures with Pileateds Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Once they’ve been at it for a few seasons, most mushroom hunters will have amassed a collection of stories recounting their grandest moments in the spring woodlands. Most tales are accounts of
Morel of the Story Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Only got close to one turkey today [a hen], but there were plenty of other interesting things to observe in Iowa’s spring woodlands. Plum, and other, blossoms are really beginning to
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Of all the wild game the outdoors has to offer, no species is more predictably unpredictable than the elusive wild turkey. To pursue the bird is to engage in a never ending
Predictably Unpredictable Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Spring has finally arrived; dandelions are beginning to bloom. For ultra-urbanized lawn care fanatics, the annual appearance of the dandelion’s familiar yellow flower is most unwelcome. But for those of us who
Timing is Everything Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. There are few things I enjoy more than hunting blue-winged teal as they migrate through Iowa each September. Although they can easily withstand a chill, they usually choose not to;
Blue-Wings on the Move Read More »
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Spring turkey hunting has many side benefits. One of the most rewarding is all of the interesting things you encounter other than turkeys. A good example recently occurred as I spotted an
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Unless you spent the entire day in a corner of your Mother’s basement, it would have been nearly impossible to miss the epic migration of broad-winged hawks that moved into
Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. The stage is set. The house lights are dimming. Right on schedule, the evening performance begins. As the sunset explodes into a dazzling array of color, a solitary, quail-sized bird launches from
Spring Dancers Provide Unique Outdoor Display 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.”
