Save the Dates & Join Us!
Our 2026-27 programs have been set for your enjoyment and edification! Join us the 2nd Tuesday of each month, bring a friend & gather with others who enjoy nature & value conservation.
Our 2026-27 programs have been set for your enjoyment and edification! Join us the 2nd Tuesday of each month, bring a friend & gather with others who enjoy nature & value conservation.
Sept 8th: DarkSky Iowa
Oct 13th: Neil Hamilton, Through Nature's Lens
Nov 10th: Craig Meyers - Africa!
No meeting in December, but join us for Christmas Bird Counts!
Jan 12th: Alaska Wilderness League (Zoom only)
Feb 9th: Sandhill Cranes in Iowa
March 9th: Anna Buckardt Thomas - MOTUS towers & Osprey in Iowa
April 13th: Iowa Raptor Project with LIVE BIRDS!
May 11th: Annual potluck & program with fun interactive quiz
DarkSky Iowa
James Bruton
Tue, Sept 8th 7PM
First Presbyterian Church, Lower Level
9th & Main, Cedar Falls
Refreshments will be served
First Presbyterian Church, Lower Level
9th & Main, Cedar Falls
Refreshments will be served
Click this Zoom link to connect to our virtual meetings.
Meeting ID is 581 087 8571 and the passcode is 1999
Meeting ID is 581 087 8571 and the passcode is 1999
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Photo of a hilltop barn beneath the Milky Way near Council Bluffs by Buck Christensen Photography. Photo courtesy of DarkSky Iowa |
Join us for our first program of the season featuring James Bruton, who founded DarkSky Iowa to raise awareness of light pollution and promote responsible outdoor lighting to protect Iowa's rural character, wildlife, and quality of life.
Iowa’s natural night skies are more than a beautiful backdrop—they are an important part of our state’s habitat, heritage, and quality of life. In this presentation, James Bruton will explore how artificial light at night affects birds, bats, insects, pollinators, and the broader ecosystems they depend on. He’ll also discuss what light pollution looks like in Iowa, why darkness is an important conservation resource, and how communities and individuals can reduce unnecessary light without sacrificing safety or convenience. The program will leave attendees with practical, achievable steps they can take to help protect Iowa’s night skies and the wildlife that depends on them. Check out this Summer 2026 online newsletter titled Dark Skies Over the Prairie for some great articles relating to this topic.
Bruton is a business consultant and strategic planning advisor who has spent more than 25 years helping organizations and communities strengthen their long-term success. He has worked with chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, nonprofits, and businesses across the United States, and he is a board member of the Iowa Wildlife Federation.
Check out our Links page to see these new resources related to dark skies and light pollution: DarkSky Iowa, Dark Skies - Iowa, Bortle Buddy - Light Pollution/Dark Sky Map
Wednesday Morning Birding Begins Sept 2nd
See details on our Field Trips page.
Thu, August 20th, 5:30 PM: Birds & Blizzards
Birding @ Ham Marsh + Ice Cream - Buchanan County
Birding @ Ham Marsh + Ice Cream - Buchanan County
Join a Buchanan County Naturalist at Ham Marsh (1747 Indiana Ave, Independence, IA 50644) for an evening of bird watching fun. Will go out on the hiking trails to find our feathered friends throughout the park. Many cool birds such as the dickcissel, bobolink, and sandhill cranes call the marsh home. The park is located North of Independence and West of HWY 150.
After bird watching we will stop in Independence for a Blizzard provided by our friends at Dairy Queen! Guides and Binoculars are provided, but feel free to bring your own. This program intended for young bird watchers (14 years and younger).
Registration is Required limited number of spots. Call (319) 636-2617 if you have trouble registering or if you have other questions.
In the Sky: August 2026
Please click the link above to see David Voigts' article about what will be happening in the sky during August. Of special interest are the Perseid meteor shower on August 12-13 and the eclipse of the Moon on August 27. Both can be seen by everyone in the U.S., although in the far northwest, the eclipse will start before the Moon rises.
"I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky."
- John Denver. Rocky Mountain High. 1972.
(Inspired by his observing the Perseid meteor shower.)
Climate Change Responsibility
David Voigts' article entitled "Letter: Don't Vote for Candidates Who Won't Fight Climate Change" is available via this link. David's article is a reminder to all of us about our responsibility to the environment and our planet especially when make election year choices.
Iowa Ornithologists' Union Fall Meeting
The Ames area provides outstanding birding opportunities during fall migration. Field trips will showcase several of central Iowa's premier birding destinations, each offering its own unique habitats and seasonal specialties. Ada Hayden Heritage Park has become one of Iowa's finest urban birding locations, with productive wetlands and restored prairie that attract migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, marsh birds, and a variety of songbirds. Just west of Ames, Ledges State Park offers scenic sandstone canyons and mature hardwood forests that can be alive with migrating warblers, vireos, thrushes, tanagers, and other woodland migrants. To the south, Saylorville Reservoir provides expansive mudflats, shoreline habitat, and open water that often host an impressive diversity of shorebirds, gulls, terns, wading birds, and early-arriving waterfowl. Additional field trips will explore other local gems, including McFarland Park, Peterson Pits Wildlife Management Area, Hendrickson Marsh, and the Skunk River corridor.
Click the Photos link on menu above to view.
Find us, like & share our posts on Facebook
Subscribe to the PRAS Audubon YouTube Channel to view past programs
Submit a proposal for our consideration via the PRAS Grant Application Form to help your organization secure funding for a project that supports our mission.
Consider donating to the PRAS Quasi or PRAS Permanent Endowment funds through the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa.
Call Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project 319-939-4635
or if you are outside of our area, see other Iowa wildlife rehabilitators.