Grant Awarded for Walker-Turkey River Sculpin Work

The Iowa Chapter is proud to announce the approval of a $1,000 grant to member Michael Siepker and partners to support work on Slimy and Mottled Sculpins in northeast Iowa!

The objective of the project is to perform backpack electrofishing surveys in wadeable treams throughout the Turkey River drainage in northeast Iowa to document the status and environmental drivers of the Slimy (Cottus cognatus) and Mottled (Cottys bairdii) Sculpins. The proposed work will ultimately aid Iowa DNR in 1) better understanding sculpin distributions and ecology, 2) identifying the most important local- and catchment-scale predictors regulating sculpin populations, and 3) cold-water stream reclassification efforts throughout the Driftless region.

The total project cost is $5,000, and Iowa Chapter's grant assistance will be used to help support an undergraduate assistant in summer of 2022.

Contact Iowa Chapter member applicant Michael Siepker for more information.