Learn more about the Friends Photo Contest here!

February’s theme: “Show us the love! Share wildlife couples, heart shapes, or red birds/plants.”

For February the winning photo taken by Dale Bales, is of a bison and a fiery red sunset at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie City, Iowa. Linda Frazier has other photos of the Refuge.

Bison and a fiery red sunset at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie City, Iowa | Dale Bales

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City, Iowa was established in 1990 with the purpose to protect, restore and reconstruct and manage native ecosystems of tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, and sedge meadow. Prior to European-American settlement, the tallgrass prairie covered 85% of Iowa. Today, less than 0.1% of Iowa’s prairie remains in small isolated fragments. In an effort to bring back native prairie plant communities, refuge staff and volunteers gathered and used local seed sources to replant or reconstruct 4,000 acres of tallgrass prairie.

Today, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge protects over 6,000 acres of wildlife habitat and provides visitors, students, researchers, and local landowners with educational, recreational, and volunteer opportunities to learn about and enjoy their native tallgrass prairie heritage.

The Friends of Neal Smith NWR exists to assist the refuge and the staff in a variety of ways. Helping with publicity, including through funding of a billboard is ongoing. Concerts, Bison Days, trail walks, guest speakers, gatherings of Friends group members, volunteer workdays, art exhibits, photography contest and exhibits, scholarships, funding of transportation for school field trips, funding for internships, greeting visitors, and operating the Nature Store are just some of the ways in which the Friends of NSNWR are involved with the very special Neal Smtih National Wildlife Refuge.