The Iowa DNR says the annual “Prairie Chicken Festival” will be held at Grand River Grasslands Bird Conservation Area, two miles west and one mile south of Kellerton, in Ringgold County, on April 6th. Viewing will begin before dawn and last until the birds diminish their courtship dancing and booming, around 9:30 a.m.

Prairie Chickens have been reintroduced to the area and each spring their courtship dances occur where their booming calls resonate across southern Iowa hills and valleys. The site provides a wildlife viewing platform, and spotting scopes and binoculars will be available.

“It is really quite a show and something that was lost to the Iowa landscape during the 1950s,” said Pat Schlarbaum, with the DNR’s Wildlife Diversity Program. Coffee and light breakfast foods will be available.

For more information, contact Ringgold County Conservation Board Director Kate Zimmerman at 641-464-2787.