(updated to include more release locations) 

The Iowa DNR says its staff will release several trumpeter swans next week at four separate locations in southwest Iowa. Four trumpeter swans will be released on May 6th at Lake Icaria in Adams County. The large birds will take flight from the east boat ramp on the north side of the lake, located three miles east of Highway 148 on 160th Street, which is a gravel road. The release will take place at 9:30 a.m., May 6th.

Four more swans will be released at 1-p.m. on May 6th, from the boat ramp on Summitt Lake one-mile west of Creston (in Union County), off Highway 25. And, four trumpeter Swans will take off from Lake Anita State Park on May 7th, beginning at 2:30 p.m. (rain or shine). The park is located one-mile south of Anita off Highway 148. The swans will be released with the assistance of Cass County Conservation Board.

Two trumpeter swans will also be released near the restaurant and beach at Viking Lake State Park at 10 a.m. May 7. Viking Lake State Park is two miles east of Stanton on Highway 34, then right on Q Avenue for ½ mile, then left on 230th Street for one mile.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend any of the events, each of which include a 20-minute swan/wetland presentations, a unique opportunity to touch and view the swans up close, and a historic photo opportunity with the kids. As the largest North American waterfowl, the magnificent all-white birds can weigh up to 32 pounds with an 8-foot wingspan.

Trumpeter swans were once common in Iowa, but were gone from the state by the late 1880’s. By the early 1930’s, only 69 Trumpeter Swans remained in the lower 48 states. The trumpeter swans being released are part of the DNR’s statewide trumpeter swan restoration effort, with hopes that they will help restore a wild free flying population to Iowa. Public support is key to achieving this objective.