event_title: 2023 Iowa BHA State Rendezvous

event_time_zone: America/Chicago

event_start: July 14, 2023 17:00

event_duration: 2880

event_end: July 16, 2023 17:00

event_address: Unnamed Road, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146, United States

event_description: ONLINE TICKET SALES ARE CLOSEDPLEASE PURCHASE YOUR TICKET AT THE EVENT! SEE YOU THERE!The date for Rendezvous 2023 is set!  Come out to Yellow River State Forest July 14-16th for a weekend full of fishing, conservation, cooking, celebration, and laughs!  The weekend will start on Friday night where we will have campsites for all attendees.  Weekend camping is included with your ticket. Share stories and camaraderie around the campfire and get to know your Iowa BHA Leaders and other public land owners.  On Saturday morning be prepared for a trout fishing contest! Any method of fishing will be allowed. Contest will run until 2PM.  Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 participants with the longest trout caught out of Paint Creek in Yellow River State Forest.  All areas of the forest are open to participants!Entry into fishing contest is included with Weekend Ticket. Attendees not wanting to fish are invited to check out and hike the amazing Yellow River State Forest Trail system.Following the fishing competition, we will have over $1000 in prizes to give away and a lunch provided by Iowa BHA.  Next, there will be several seminars for the group in subjects about the outdoors.  Seminar Schedule4:00 PM- Public/Private Land Protection Projects- Brian Frankhauser (Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation)Brian is the Senior Land Stewardship and Blufflands Director with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. He will be discussing the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and their diverse work of protecting and restoring Iowa’s land, water and wildlife.  Through partnerships, they have been able to protect over 194,000 acres in Iowa, many of which are now in public ownership.  4:30 PM- Trout Fishing Strategies and Driftless Area Conservation- Tom Rhoads & Mike Rogers (Trout Unlimited)Tom grew up in SW Missouri and has been an angler since his late father first put a rod in his hand when he was five. He currently lives in northeast Iowa and is a volunteer leader with the Iowa Driftless Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Tom loves spending time on the water; especially when he can make it a family outing on the drift boat with his wife Mary and son Walter, where Mary does all rowing of course.Mike grew up in Kansas City, KS and learned to fly fish on the Ozark streams in Southern Missouri. Before moving to Decorah, IA permanently in 2020, Mike had been making trips to fish Iowas trout streams for several years. As a fly fishing guide and instructor with Bear Creek Anglers as well as a volunteer leader for the local Trout Unlimited Iowa Driftless Chapter, Mike devotes much of his time to fishing, educating, and conserving the fish and waters he has grown to love so much. 5:00 PM- Turkey Survival and Nest Research- Dan Kaminski (Iowa DNR)Dan Kaminski is a wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  Dans research is focused on understanding the interaction between wildlife and their habitats as well as how environmental factors affect long-term population trends.  Dan is currently leading a 10-year study in southeast Iowa to better understand declines in wild turkey populations and poult production. Since 2021, Dan has marked over 100 female wild turkeys with transmitters to determine nest success and hen survival rates, habitat selection, and the impacts of avian diseases on populations in Iowa. 5:30 PM- Public Land Management- Troy Anderson (Iowa DNR)Troy Anderson is the wildlife biologist for the Upper Iowa wildlife management unit, one of Iowa’s most premier hunting destinations. Troy leads a team of staff to manage and improve habitat on state-owned properties for both game and non-game wildlife. Troy has extensive knowledge on the ins and outs of habitat management, particularly how Iowa maintains high quality hunting opportunities on public land.    After the seminars, dinner and drinks will be provided for the rest of the night, followed by another campfire.  Sunday morning, feel free to stick around Yellow River State Forest for the rest of the day or head home.We hope to see you July 14th-16th!