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In 1994 the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources initiated a trumpeter swan restoration program for
the state of Iowa. Until last year, the last wild trumpeter
swans nested in the state in 1883 on the Twin Lakes Wildlife
Area near Belmond, Iowa. In 1998 a major milestone
was reached when Iowa had its first wild nesting pair in 115
years. Three trumpeter swan cygnets hatched on a small
farm pond near Epworth, Iowa in Dubuque County. That was
made possible by trumpeter swan restoration partner Jim Foreman,
who allowed us to neck collar his swans, and who allowed them
free flight from his bird sanctuary. During the spring
of 1999, this same female trumpeter found a new mate and hatched
5 more cygnets on the same pond, which is owned by Jack
and Maylou Kennedy.
Several Iowa-released swans have nested in Minnesota, and an
Iowa male swan mated with an unmarked female and nested on the
north shore of Lake Ontario in 1998. We are anxious and |
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hopeful that
several more will bring in the new century by nesting in Iowa.
Our goal is to have 15 free-flying migrant nesting pairs by the
year 2003.
Jim Foreman is just one example of an avalanche of people who
have jumped on the trumpeter swan bandwagon to help bring them
back to the shores of Iowa's remaining wetlands. On page
6, you will see a brief description of the many partners who
have assisted in some way with the effort to date. Corporations,
individuals, organizations,
(Continued
on page 2)
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