12/24/20: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Prairie Lakes AEA receives grant to train more computer science teachers

Teachers within Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency (AEA) will be able to enhance their computer science teaching skills thanks to a grant awarded recently by Gov. Kim Reynolds. Prairie Lakes AEA was one of 167 urban, rural and suburban school districts, nonpublic schools and Area Education Agencies receiving an award from the Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund, which is intended to expand computer science instruction in Iowa's K-12 schools. The $68,300 awarded to Prairie Lakes AEA will fund a partnership between Drake University and the agency to offer three different courses: Computer Science Methods, Computer Science in the Elementary Classroom, and Introduction to Computer Science.

There are 20 participants for each class and a stipend will pay for the class and credit. Registration for these courses will open soon. Some of the foreseeable outcomes will be increased opportunities for students to work hands-on with robotics, physical computing, along with exposure to a multitude of career fields connected to computer science.

The 2020-21 Incentive Fund drew 33 applications. Of those, 18 awards totaling $883,097 will go to school districts, nonpublic schools and Area Education Agencies that created collaborative proposals to serve multiple schools. Training that will result in teachers being ready to teach computer science in the next six to 12 months is a priority.

Recipients will report their progress after the 2020-21 school year.

Clay County Community Foundation grant applications being accepted

Grant applications for the 2021 Clay County Community Foundation's granting cycle are now being accepted. Grants may be awarded in the following areas: Economic development/job creation; cultural, recreational, social and educational activities; parks and outdoor recreational facilities; and health and human services.

Completed applications must be emailed and postmarked by Jan. 15, 2021 to be considered for funding. Application materials are available on the foundation's website at http://www.claycofoundation.com. Grants will be awarded in March and range in amount from $500 to $10,000.

Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations, governmental bodies (schools, cities, counties) or charitable projects with a qualified fiscal sponsor. For more specific questions on eligibility, please contact Connie Goeken, Foundation Director, at [email protected].

The Clay County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, has been created by and for the people of Clay County. Since its formation in 2005, CCCF has awarded over $1.4 million in grants, funding 333 projects carried out by non-profits in Clay County. In addition to supporting charitable projects and programs, the foundation works to assist donors in creating lasting legacies through a variety of giving options within Clay County.

According to Goeken, all eligible non-profits or municipal bodies are encouraged to participate in this grant program by submitting an application. The foundation understands the exceptional challenges faced by these groups in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to assist them in continuing to carry out their missions to serve the people of Clay County.

Clay County Fair & Events Center receives international recognition

"The World's Greatest County Fair" lived up to its billing by winning multiple awards and recognitions at the 2020 International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) "Virtual Vision" held November 30-December 1. "Virtual Vision" replaced the IAFE Annual Convention, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Although we could not gather in person, 'Virtual Vision' still gave members of the Fair Executive Committee and staff the opportunity to learn the latest trends in the fair industry and celebrate the successes of our fellow fairs in a difficult year," said Fair & Events Center CEO/Manager Jeremy Parsons in a news release.

The fair claimed five awards this year:

• The fair took second place in Non-Fair Facility Usage for "Unique event created to utilize the facility during the pandemic," highlighting the Non-Profit Take Out Tuesday events held during the month of August.

• The fair also received second place in Agriculture Awards for "Partnership with outside groups/businesses" highlighting the use of the fairgrounds for the Spencer Cares Pork Distribution event organized by the Spencer Chamber in partnership with Spencer Municipal Utilities and Spencer Ag Center.

• In the Hall of Honor Communications awards, the fair placed second in the "Video" category (fair postponement announcement) and third in "At-Home Activities" non-video ("UnFair" social media campaign).

• The fair also received second place in Innovation of Sponsorship for the "Fair in a Box" promotion.

The IAFE awards program allows member fairs to enter competitions based on competitive exhibits, agricultural education, communications and non-fair events. The entries are evaluated and judged by teams of industry leaders. For the awards program, the approximately 1,100 member fairs of the IAFE are split into five categories based on attendance. The Clay County Fair competes in Division 3, which is limited to fairs across the globe with an attendance of 250,000-500,000.

Stay safe as Iowa lakes freeze over

The recent blast of arctic air is growing ice on lakes and ponds over much of Iowa, in turn making anglers antsy to get out for the popular early ice fishing season.

The DNR recommends a minimum of four inches of clear ice for fishing and at least five inches for snowmobiles and ATVs. Early ice offers an excellent chance for success. If fish are finicky, cut a series of holes and spend 15 minutes at each hole. Use small baits and light line.

• Safety tips on the ice

– No ice is 100 percent safe.

– New ice is usually stronger than old ice.

– Don't go out alone - if the worst should happen, someone will be there to call for help or to help rescue.

– Let someone know where you are going and when you will return.

– Check ice thickness as you go out - there could be pockets of thin ice or places where ice recently formed.

– Avoid off-colored snow or ice. It is usually a sign of weakness.

– The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process.

– Bring along these basic items to help keep you safe: hand warmers, ice cleats to help prevent falls, ice picks (wear around your neck) to help you crawl out of the water if you fall in, a life jacket, a floating safety rope, a whistle to call for help, a basic first aid kit and extra dry clothes including a pair of gloves.

Drought in Iowa largely unchanged in a warmer November

With slightly lower-than-normal precipitation in November, northwest and west central Iowa continue to show signs of significant dryness and drought, according to the latest water summary update by the DNR.

Precipitation totaled 1.88 inches or 0.17 inch below normal statewide in November. The next three months are the lowest moisture months of the year, averaging a total of only 4.3 inches of precipitation. This average dryness, combined with frozen ground, makes it more difficult to overcome dry conditions during winter.

"We are heading into the driest three months of the year in Iowa, so improvement of hydrologic conditions is less likely," said Tim Hall, DNR's coordinator of hydrology resources, in a news release. "This means that we may see groundwater conditions in spring 2021 in about the same place we are now."

Drought conditions continued to cover western Iowa through November. At the beginning of the month, severe drought conditions covered 28 percent of western Iowa with a small region of extreme drought in the northwest corner. Overall, 64 percent of Iowa was in some form of drought or dryness. Wetter conditions across southern and eastern Iowa removed most of the abnormally dry conditions in that part of the state, with only a small area in extreme southeast Iowa remaining in dry conditions. As of this report, some form of drought covers 62 percent of the state.

Temperatures were unseasonably warm across Iowa during November, with a statewide average temperature of 53.6 degrees, 7.4 degrees above normal. Shenandoah in Page County reported the month's high temperature of 81 degrees on Nov. 3, 24 degrees above normal. Estherville Municipal Airport in Emmet County reported the month's low temperature of 2 degrees on Nov. 13, 23 degrees below normal.

Streamflow conditions across most of the state remain normal. Flows in the Skunk, Des Moines and Raccoon River basins continue as partially below normal. The Maquoketa River flow remains above normal.

Madison Rouse named to USF dean's list

Madison Rouse, of Sanborn, was named to the fall 2020 dean's list at the University of Sioux Falls. The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn graduate is majoring in Radiologic Technology (AA).

Rouse was among more than 600 students named to the dean's list. To qualify, students must earn a term grade point average of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.

Grant will assist area families access housing

The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors awarded more than $7 million in grants to 27 housing trust funds to support local housing initiatives. The grant awards are made available through the Local Housing Trust Fund program and are expected to assist more than 2,100 families.

The grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local rental and down payment assistance programs, providing low-interest loans or grants to assist Iowans with home rehabilitation, financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans and supporting housing for persons with disabilities and homeless assistance programs.

Northwest Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund, Inc. was awarded grant funding in the amount of $299,547. The trust fund serves residents in Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola and Sioux counties.

The State Housing Trust Fund helps ensure decent, safe and affordable housing for Iowans through two programs. The Local Housing Trust Fund Program receives at least 60 percent of the State Housing Trust Fund allocation to provide grants for organizations certified by the Iowa Finance Authority as a local housing trust fund.

The remaining funding goes to the Project-Based Housing Program, which aids in the development of affordable single-family and multifamily housing. The Iowa Finance Authority administers both programs and provides technical assistance to housing-related organizations.

Iowa deer exchange sees success in inaugural year

The inaugural season for the Iowa Deer Exchange has attracted 350 Iowans who indicated they were interested in receiving venison and 60 hunters willing to provide it. The deer exchange, along with the Help us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program, allows hunters an opportunity to provide high quality lean protein to their neighbors, while continuing to do what they enjoy – hunting deer. To sign up for the Iowa Deer Exchange, go to http://www.iowadnr.gov/deer then scroll down to Iowa's Deer Exchange Program link and fill out the required fields. The database creates a map and table with information deer donors and deer recipients can use to get connected. There is no cost to participate. It is illegal to sell wild fish and game in Iowa.

Hunter who prefer to use the HUSH program are encouraged to contact a participating locker before they harvest a deer to see if the locker has any additional drop off instructions. The list of participating lockers is available at http://www.iowadnr.gov/deer then scroll down to the Help Us Stop Hunger link. The HUSH program is a partnership between the Iowa DNR, the Food Bank of Iowa and participating meat lockers.

Iowa companies achieve economic and environmental results

Project requests are currently being accepted from companies interested in participating in the 2021 Pollution Prevention Intern Program, which will run June 1-Aug. 13, 2021.

The DNR's Pollution Prevention (P2) Services program seeks facilities looking for cost-effective ways to cut or eliminate waste from their operations to improve environmental performance and save money. The P2 Intern Program places top engineering students in Iowa businesses to analyze current systems or processes, research alternative technologies and process improvements, and develop strategies to improve efficiency and save money.

"P2, or source reduction, is the first step in achieving true sustainability," said Jeff Fiagle, the P2 Services Team Lead, in a news release. "The intern program provides an extra set of hands and eyes to work directly with the company and focus on the process or system, find the inefficiencies, do the research and recommend cost-effective solutions."

P2 is the process of identifying sources of waste or inefficiencies and stop the cause to avoid excess operating costs, quality control issues and waste disposal.

Since 2001, Iowa companies have saved more than $109 million as a result of implementing environmental improvements recommended by interns with the DNR's Pollution Prevention Intern Program. Environmental savings associated with these cost savings include:

• 95 billion gallons of water

• 9,965 tons of hazardous waste

• 255,929 tons of solid waste

• 98 million kWh

• 76 million therms

• 385,502.62 MTCO2e

In addition to the intern program, the P2 Services team provides targeted assessments and technical resources at no cost and delivers two annual environmental workshop series.

FCSAmerica to return $275 million dividend

Farm Credit Services of America will distribute a cash-back dividend for the 17th consecutive year to the farmers and ranchers it serves in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The board of directors approved a regular cash-back dividend equal to 100 basis points, or 1 percent of a customer's eligible average daily loan balance, as part of the financial cooperative's yearly patronage program. This equates to an estimated $275 million of FCSAmerica's 2020 net earnings going back to farmers and ranchers in January. Since 2004, FCSAmerica has returned more than $2.2 billion to eligible customer-owners.

The regular 2020 dividend checks will be mailed to eligible customer-owners the week of Jan. 25, 2021. The board of directors has approved a cash-back dividend program for 2021, with the amount of the distribution to be decided next December.