{"id":3194,"date":"2025-06-03T13:44:40","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/?post_type=exhibit&p=3194"},"modified":"2026-09-09T14:22:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T14:22:06","slug":"ding-darling","status":"publish","type":"exhibit","link":"https:\/\/www.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/exhibit\/ding-darling\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. “Ding” Darling"},"content":{"rendered":"

On view Aug. 24\u2013Dec. 18, 2026<\/h3>\n
\"Two

Original watercolor painting (“Mallards Dropping In”) used for Ding Darling’s first wildlife conservation stamps in 1934. Jay N. “Ding” Darling Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University of Iowa Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for\u00a0<\/span>The Des Moines Register<\/span><\/i>, Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling (1876\u20131962) was also one of the nation\u2019s most influential figures in the American conservation movement. Appointed director of the U.S.\u00a0Bureau of Biological Survey (later part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Darling made historic attempts to answer\u00a0his\u00a0growing concerns\u00a0about\u00a0industrialism\u2019s impact on the environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth, this exhibition explores the transformation of Iowa\u2019s environmental landscape during Darling\u2019s life and his contributions to environmental and wildlife conservation advocacy nationwide. It also\u00a0showcases\u00a0how his legacy\u00a0lives on\u00a0today both locally and across the country, and how other Iowans have played key roles in our state\u2019s conservation efforts. Curated by librarians Lindsay Moen and Collin Vandewalle,\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s\u00a0Been Wonderful Knowing You\u00a0<\/span><\/i>highlights the Jay N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling Papers from Special Collections and Archives, specimens from the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, and more from across the\u00a0Libraries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n