In 2022, Ava Jones was an outstanding high school basketball player, heading for a college career at the University of Iowa, when her life changed in a moment. Jones was walking with her parents and younger brother in Louisville, Kentucky, when an impaired driver jumped the curb and struck them. Ava and her mother Amy were seriously injured, and her father Trey died days after the incident. The University of Iowa honored Jones' scholarship to attend college, and 2025 brought her another life-altering circumstance: a cancer diagnosis. She is now in remission and shares her story of resilience. Later in the episode, Cathy McMullen of Iowa State University joins to talk about woodland wildflowers that are beginning to bloom around the state, and how Iowans can grow their own.
Maura Curran
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Iowa Public Radio
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According to new DNR reports, raptor surveyors and volunteers documented 58 osprey fledglings and 28 peregrine falcon fledglings in 2025. The positive numbers stem from years-long restoration efforts in Iowa. -
A nonprofit that grew out of one woman’s basement in Des Moines rehabilitates thousands of wild birds every year. But as it nears capacity, the founder plans to build Iowa's first wild bird hospital and education center. -
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is recommending a 5% increase in hunting, fishing and trapping license fees to keep pace with inflation and increasing costs. License fees go to the state's Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund.
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We honor Jane Goodall’s legacy with a look back at her 2025 conversation and reflect on her impact with wildlife biologist Jim Peases. -
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources discovered two pallid sturgeon for the first time in the lower Des Moines River earlier this year. The ancient fish is considered one of the rarest and most endangered species in North America. -
Author Peter Simons discusses his book Global Heartland: Cultivating the American Century on the Midwestern Farm. Then, an ISU wildlife extension specialist offers a new resource for Iowans who want to support wildlife.
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Once considered nonexistent in Iowa, peregrine falcons have had a comeback since the species was reintroduced in 1989.
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Expert birders share all you need to know as millions of birds pass through or make the journey to Iowa this spring.
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Author Mark Daley has shared his experiences fostering and what he learned along the way in the book Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care and the Risks We Take for Family.
