06/22/23: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Everly student on Northwestern dean’s list

Christina Mueggenberg, of Everly, earned a spot on the Academic Dean’s List for the spring 2023 semester at Northwestern College in Orange City.

The dean’s list is comprised of students who have achieved a semester grade point average of 3.50 or above while carrying a minimum of 12 graded hours. This semester, 366 students qualified for the Dean’s List.

Mueggenberg is a 2023 graduate majoring in graphic design, and is one of 248 students designated as a Collegiate Scholar for having a GPA of 3.75 or higher.

UI spring dean’s list announced

More than 7,100 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the dean’s list for the 2023 spring semester.

Dean’s list status was earned by 968 first-year undergraduates, 1,604 second-year students, 1,922 third-year students and 2,630 fourth-year students.

Area students on the dean’s list are listed by hometown, classification and UI college.

Sanborn: Bennett Haack, Undergraduate-second year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Samuel Haack, Undergraduate-fourth year, Tippie College of Business; Samuel Heyn, Undergraduate-second year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Royal: Grace Berberich, Undergraduate-fourth year, College of Nursing.

Everly: Savanna Handy, Undergraduate-fourth year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Degree-seeking undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Tippie College of Business have achieved a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher on 12 semester hours or more of graded coursework. College of Nursing students participating in clinical courses who have a total of 12 semester hours of earned credit, with eight semester hours of graded credit with a GPA of 3.50 or higher are included on the dean’s list.

Over 220 spring graduates at NCC

Two hundred and twenty-seven students graduated from Northwest Iowa Community College during commencement ceremonies held on Friday, May 12 in the Northwest Iowa Lifelong Learning and Recreation Center in Sheldon.

The following area students received certificates, diplomas and degrees.

Everly: Alyssa R. Zylstra, Associate Degree Nursing.

Hartley: Cherryenne P. Hibbing, Associate of Arts Degree; Ethan H. Spronk, Industrial & Commercial Wiring Degree; Brieann M. Van Sloten, Pharmacy Technician Diploma; Nathan J. Westphal, Business Diploma.

Primghar: Taya L. Mason, Practical Nursing Diploma.

Sanborn: Wyatt T. Borden, Clerical Accounting Diploma; Aaron G. Fennell, High School Equivalency Diploma; Kayl R. Jacobsma, Business Diploma; Jayden R. Lyman, Medical Coding Diploma, Health Information Technology Degree; Lyndsey J. Moser, Pharmacy Technician Diploma; Daniel O. Nyanchoga, Practical Nursing Diploma.

Lydia Harders named to Central College dean’s list

Lydia Harders, of Hartley, has been named to the dean’s list for the spring 2023 semester at Central College in Pella.

The honor is awarded to full-time students who achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale while taking 12 or more graded credit hours for the semester.

Spring graduates at Buena Vista

More than 300 students graduated from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake during spring commencement exercises. Two area students were among the graduates.

Hartley: Clint Peters, Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology and Exercise Science.

Royal: Brea Bendlin, Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Sciences, Magna Cum Laude.

DNR seeks public input on state park administrative rule revisions

The DNR is seeking informal comments on administrative rules for Iowa state parks and related programs. Executive Order 10 (EO10), signed by the governor on Jan. 10 requires all state agencies to identify which administrative rule chapters will be retained or rescinded. The EO10 process includes public engagement with the opportunity for meaningful input.

The Iowa DNR has reviewed the following rule chapters relating to programs administered by the Parks Forests and Preserves Bureau: 571 Iowa Administrative Code (IAC) Chapters 14 (Concessions); 27 (Land and Water Conservation Fund); 28 (All Terrain Grant Program); and 61 (Camping). Based on the review, DNR has revised these chapters to eliminate redundancies and improve efficiency.

The public is invited to provide informal comments on the proposed rule changes. DNR will accept written comments through June 23. Written comments or questions regarding the proposed rules should be submitted to: [email protected] for 571 IAC Chapter 14; [email protected] for 571 IAC Chapters 27 and 28; and [email protected] for 571 IAC Chapter 61. Comments should be made to specific portions of the rules.

After receiving and reviewing informal comments, the DNR will create a draft Regulatory Analysis and draft Notice of Intended Action. The DNR will host a formal public comment period for these drafts, followed by a public hearing, in September 2023.

Versions of the rules, including a “clean” copy and a version showing revisions, can be found on the DNR webpage: https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/About-DNR/Administrative-Rules.

Rising Star interns explore history of Extension

Iowa State University’s Rising Star Internship was designed to give students a glimpse at what a future career in Extension work could look like. However, for the three interns spending their summer in northwest Iowa, they will also be exploring the history of Extension.

McCale Kolsrud, an animal science major from Denver; Frances Loeffelholz, a dietetics and Spanish major from Waukee; and Adithi Rudrangi, an industrial design major from Hyderabad, Telengana, India, are calling Sheldon home this summer while they intern with the Extension service.

“For the past nine years, we have hired three Rising Star Interns, ISU students, to spend their summer in northwest Iowa working and learning about Extension work in Lyon, Osceola, Sioux and O’Brien counties,” said Cheryl Heronemus, Extension regional director. “This year the interns’ projects are diverse, but they are being given the chance to make a real impact in communities.”

Throughout the summer Kolsrud, Loeffelholz and Rudrangi will be working on three key projects.

The first project, which is happening in all four counties, is nutrition and wellness education in partnership with local DayHab organizations. The interns will be providing education to DayHab clients focused on healthy eating, personal hygiene, physical wellness and cold weather preparedness.

The second project is a Youth Livestock Quiz Bowl which will be hosted for 4-H and FFA members at each of the four county fairs in July.

The final project is to create a “History of Extension” exhibit which will be displayed at the Hull Museum. Hull is known to be the birthplace of Extension in Iowa, and the community is celebrating 150 years this year.

IAFP seeks nominations for Family Physician of the Year

The Iowa Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is currently seeking nominations for the 2023 Family Physician of the Year. Each year the IAFP awards one family physician the title “Family Physician of the Year” based on outstanding service to patients and community, and devotion to Family Medicine.

If you would like to nominate your family physician, please nominate them online at https://iaafp.org/awards/. Or you may send letters of nomination to the Iowa Academy describing why your family physician should receive the Family Physician of the Year Award. Letters can be sent to the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, 1515 Linden Street, Ste. 220, Des Moines, IA 50309 or emailed to [email protected].

Nomination deadline is Sept. 1, 2023.

Drought watch in place with below normal rainfall in May

The state of Iowa faced a dry May with only 2.54 inches of rainfall, which is just over half of its normal rainfall for the month

This lack of rainfall has led to deteriorating conditions in soil moisture and stream flows across the state, according to the latest water summary update from the Iowa DNR. Southwest Iowa has been hit the hardest with less than 2 inches of rain, which is only 35 percent of expected May precipitation. As a result, Iowa’s Drought Regions have been rated as “Drought Watch,” indicating that at least three indicators in the Iowa Drought Plan call for that designation. The U.S. Drought Monitor also shows that nearly all of Iowa is facing some form of dryness or drought.

According to Tim Hall, Iowa DNR coordinator of hydrology resources, this rapid intensification of existing drought is consistent with “Rapid Onset Drought” or flash drought. This phenomenon is driven by very low rainfall in May, combined with warmer than normal temperatures. However, there is still hope as June is generally the wettest month in Iowa. If the state experiences normal June rainfall, the downward trend in conditions could be turned around.

For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, visit http://www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

The report is prepared by technical staff from Iowa DNR, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, and the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.

Weather model forecasts bump in Iowa pheasant population

Favorable winter and spring weather across much of Iowa is expected to benefit pheasant hunters this fall.

Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist with the Iowa DNR, explained each summer the department uses a model based on winter and spring weather conditions, previous weather data and more than 50 years of pheasant roadside population surveys to predict pheasant population trends for the fall.

“Given the statewide information, our weather model is predicting pheasant populations will likely be higher for the fall 2023 hunting season,” Bogenschutz said in a news release. “There will likely be regional differences given the tougher winter in northern regions and more favorable conditions in central and southern Iowa.”

Statewide, snowfall from December through March averaged one inch above average, but the northern third of Iowa, and the central region, saw significantly more snowfall, likely reducing hen survival in the northwest and north central regions where total winter snowfall exceeded three feet.

Conversely, the southern third of Iowa saw very little snowfall all winter, about one foot, and hen survival should be excellent in these regions. Southern Iowa’s mild winter will likely lead to higher quail numbers, too.

“Even with the regional fluctuation, the best pheasant densities will likely still be in northern and western regions of the state,” he said.

Every model comes with a caveat and the spring nesting forecast is no different. This prediction is based on weather data and it can be wrong, Bogenschutz said. The August roadside survey is the best gauge of what upland populations will be this fall. It is conducted each year between Aug. 1-15, over the same 218, 30-mile routes. Survey results will be posted online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey around Sept. 15.

New rules and laws address raccoons in Iowa

Changes are coming soon to the way Iowans can hunt and trap raccoons, and how farmers can deal with raccoon depredation issues.

Raccoons were the focus of a bill approved during the 2023 Iowa Legislative session, allowing landowners or tenants to dispatch raccoons causing damage to their agricultural property, outside of the city limits. Landowners may shoot or trap raccoons using cage or dog-proof traps. A license is not required and landowners do not need to notify the DNR before shooting or trapping.

That bill was signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds and becomes effective on July 1.

The other related change relaxes the rules for hunting and trapping raccoons for everyone.

The new rules, developed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and approved by the Natural Resource Commission of the Iowa DNR, allows for year-round hunting and trapping of raccoons on private land.

While the raccoon season will be continuously open, during the time of year outside of the furharvester season, only firearms, cage traps or dog-proof traps are legal methods of take. During the furharvester season, trappers may use other lawful traps normally allowed during the trapping season. Hunters or trappers pursuing raccoons on private land they do not own are required to have a valid furharvester license.

The new raccoon rules are currently in effect.

Northwest Iowa fishing report

Water temperatures are increasing quickly to the middle to upper 70s. Most area water levels are a few inches over crest. The fish bite has been very good across most areas. Most panfish are starting to finish with spawning. Fishing from docks and along weed lines has been good.

East Okoboji Lake: The water temperature was in the upper 70s last Thursday.

Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, fair. Bluegill have started to move deeper as spawning starts to finish. Use a small hook and piece of worm. Walleye, fair. Yellow perch, fair. Sorting will be needed.

Lost Island Lake: Water temperatures were in the upper 70s last week. Check out the Iowa Walleye Challenge being held through June 30 for prizes given to anglers catching the most walleye.

Black crappie, good. Walleye, good. Try trolling with spinners over weeds.

Minnewashta Lake: Black crappie, fair. Bluegill, fair. Pumpkinseed, good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Walleye, fair. Try trolling with spinners over or off weed lines.

Spirit Lake: Water temperatures were in the mid-70s last week.

Black bullhead, good. Anglers have been very successful fishing the north grade. Black crappie, fair. Many nice-sized fish have been seen lately. Bluegill, good. Bluegill are still on beds near shore. Try a small hook with a small piece of worm. Walleye, fair. Leeches and minnows work well. Anglers have been successful with slip bobbers off points and pulling spinners over vegetation. Yellow perch, fair.

West Okoboji Lake: Water temperatures were in the low 70s last week.

Black crappie, fair. Try small jigs tipped with a minnow. Bluegill, good. Bluegill are still in the shallows on beds. Walleye, fair. Leeches and minnows work well. Yellow perch, fair. Sorting may be needed.