Taxes are for the birds … and other vulnerable wildlife

We know taxes aren't a lot of fun, but there is a small thing you can do to feel better about the process.

Donating to the Fish/Wildlife Fund (also known as the Chickadee Checkoff), on line 21 of your Iowa State tax form, can help support thousands of vulnerable wildlife through research, habitat development and education.

Just over 5,300 tax payers donated generously during the 2023 tax year. These donors gave around $134,000 — almost $14,000 less than the year before.

A huge heartfelt thanks to all of you who made a donation and a difference. We hope more donors will come onboard because it is such an easy way to donate.

The Chickadee Check-off was put on the state tax form in the early 1980s and it is one of the vital sources of funding for the Iowa DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program. It allows Iowa tax payers to donate a portion of their state tax refund to wildlife conservation.

The wildlife diversity program does not receive general state taxpayer funds and is primarily supported through the voluntary chickadee checkoff and the sale of Natural Resources License Plates.

If every Iowa taxpayer gave $1 that would mean $1.6 million for wildlife.

Here are a few nongame wildlife projects that Chickadee Check-off funds helped support in 2024:

Wood thrush project

Have you ever been walking through the woods and been suddenly transfixed by an ethereal, flute-like sound? You were probably hearing the breeding song of the wood thrush.

It changes a simple walk in the woods into a magical experience.

Unfortunately, Wood Thrush have experienced an almost 50% decline since 1966, so in an effort to learn more about them, Iowa joined other states to band and radio-tag several birds. Nongame wildlife staff were able to band 34 wood thrush in Iowa and put transmitters on 28 of those.

These tagged birds are being tracked by the Motus network of towers.

Monitoring program

Every year crews of young biologists spend six months tromping around collecting data on the thousands of species of wildlife that call Iowa home. Since 2006, no single project has added more to our understanding of wildlife in Iowa.

In 2024, the MSIM team found a fish that hadn't been seen in Iowa since the 1930s — the Starhead Topminnow. This little fish created some big excitement.

Bumble bee atlas

We still have so much to learn about the insects in Iowa — small in size but big in overall species number and in the impact they have on all of our ecosystems.

Nongame wildlife staff helped launch and collect data for the inaugural year of the Bumble Bee atlas. Iowa volunteers recorded almost 1,200 bumble bees representing 10 species.