By Whitney Baxter
Jayden Jech spent last summer taking measurements above, around and under water in constructed wetlands throughout Iowa – and he’s gearing up to do it again.
Jech, a graduate student in wildlife ecology, looked for Trumpeter swan nests at more than 80 privately-owned constructed wetlands.
The goal of the constructed wetlands was to improve water quality. Jech and fellow researchers also want to understand how much these sites contribute to wildlife conservation.
With support from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Thamodaran Family Innovation in Agriculture Student Award he received last year, Jech and a team of graduate and undergraduate students used a fleet of drones to monitor various features at each site from April through September 2025. They noted the size of the wetlands, the type of vegetation present and other features (like muskrat huts) that enticed swans to nest. Once they found a nest, the students returned often to track the survival of cygnets, or baby swans.
During the summer, they monitored more than 20 swan families at the sites. Of the 113 cygnets that hatched to those families in the spring, 106 (93%) survived through late August.
“Seeing high survival was an exciting way to kick off the start of this multi-year project,” Jech said, adding that the nests they monitored comprised a significant fraction of all the swans found to nest in Iowa last year during an Iowa Department of Natural Resources census.
This is a big deal, given that Trumpeter swans were eliminated from Iowa’s landscape in the late 1800s and remained missing until the 1990s. The growing number of nesting swans in the state speaks to efforts of the Iowa DNR and its collaborators to increase the species’ population through habitat restoration and conservation practices. Wetlands constructed to improve water quality seem to be helping the population expand, Jech said.
“Jayden set an ambitious goal to see if he could visit nearly every constructed water quality wetland built in Iowa over the last two decades,” said Adam Janke, associate professor of natural resource ecology and management and Jech’s advisor. “He worked hard to connect with all these farmers and landowners, and it paid off with some fascinating insights into how wildlife, water and people can all benefit from agricultural conservation practices like wetlands.”
With the weather warming up, Jech and his student team are ready to begin the observation process all over again. He’s especially looking forward to interacting with landowners at the sites, many of whom were actively involved in the project, asking questions about wildlife they observed on their land or sharing photos.
He and fellow researchers will use the project’s findings to make recommendations for building and managing constructed wetlands in the state that benefit waters, swans and other wildlife.
“Through this experience, I’ve gained an appreciation for finding innovative ways to address challenges of enhancing constructed wetlands to improve Iowa’s water quality, while also supporting wildlife and benefitting farmers and rural communities,” Jech said.