While there are no oceans or seas in Iowa, and some 95% of its natural wetlands were converted to agricultural cropland over the past two centuries, the state is bordered by rivers and has an abundance of wetlands, lakes, ponds and even standing water in farm fields that provide habitat for a huge variety of creatures.

In a recent webinar hosted by Iowa Learning Farms, Adam Janke, Extension wildlife specialist and assistant professor at Iowa State University, highlighted some of the cast of characters found in Iowa’s aquatic ecosystems.

Janke selected 27 species that are found in Iowa to represent the diversity, which spans insects, mammals, reptiles, fish and others.

Okay, 27 species is a nice round number. That is more than I might expect from Iowa’s waterways. But it’s this sentence that stopped me cold.

Wetland mammals such as the muskrat and beaver were also discussed in the webinar. “Muskrats are one species that is recognized for the benefits other creatures enjoy from the ways in which muskrats manipulate their environment,” Janke said. “The reestablishment of trumpeter swans has been well supported by their use of abandoned muskrat huts as nesting sites. And the still waters held back by beaver dams create excellent environments for Iowa’s only native trout species, the brook trout.”

Muskrats manipulate their environment?

Muskrats?

I mean lay aside the questionable grammar of “muskrats is one species”. What exactly do they do to to manipulate the environment?

Chew it into a new shape?

Now now maybe Mr. Janke is being misquoted. Or misheard. Maybe he meant BEAVERS and the reporter just wrote down muskrats because they both live in the water. But I watched muskrats daily for many years as they swam alongside the things that ACTUALLY manipulate their environment. And they didn’t lift a finger unless it was to eat something.

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