• KJAN, Atlantic  .03″
• Elk Horn  .06″
• Audubon  .11″
• Oakland  .12″
• Manning  .13″
• Clarinda  .12″
• Corning  .4″

(Radio Iowa) – The chief of Iowa’s Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau is asking Iowans to mark Saturday, September 24th on their calendars to lend a hand with sprucing up our state parks. It’s the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ sixth annual Statewide Volunteer Day and Sherry Arntzen is encouraging everyone who loves and uses our park system to sign up. “We have a number of different volunteer projects in some of the parks,” Arntzen says. “It could be putting together picnic tables, painting picnic tables, picking up trash, helping with some invasive species removal, planting trees, or staining other buildings that we have.”

There are projects planned all across the state at about one in every four of Iowa’s state parks. “So we have 71 state parks and forests. Right now, we have 18 parks that have scheduled events on the 24th,” Arntzen says, “but if people are interested in learning about other volunteer opportunities at some of our parks, we encourage them to reach out to the park offices direct.” Arntzen says Iowa’s state parks are “beloved places for many Iowans,” and the D-N-R staff greatly appreciates the help volunteers provide.   “We’re down a little bit this year on the number of scheduled projects especially since COVID,” Arntzen says. “We have a large increase in our number of guests that we serve in our parks, so we have been quite busy this year with just our day-to-day operations.”

Some of the projects can be tackled rain or shine, but if the weather looks inclement, volunteers should contact the individual park office in case of changes to the date, time or meeting location. To sign up, log on to: www.iowadnr.gov/volunteer

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa company that’s proposing to pipe carbon dioxide from Midwest ethanol plants and store it underground in North Dakota says it’s secured the rights to more than half of the land it needs for its route through Iowa. Summit Carbon Solutions says it’s partnered with 800 Iowa landowners to sign 14-hundred easement agreements. But Jessica Mazour with the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club says she’s not convinced Summit has the backing it says it does. “Once they’re done filing their list of exhibit H, which is the properties they think they need eminent domain for, then I think we can consider what numbers they’re presenting,” Mazour says.

Environmentalists and many farmers and landowners worry about the safety of the pipelines and impacts to farmland. Don Johansson farms in Cherokee County and is one of the landowners affected by the summit pipeline. He spoke at Tuesday’s Iowa Utilities Board meeting. “One of the things that strikes me with this is when you talk to people, so many people are just totally unaware of it. And I worked the booth at State Fair this year for a day. And the same was true, people would come up and be totally unaware of what these pipelines are.”

He opposes the pipelines because of what he says is the potential danger with a rupture.
The ethanol industry says pipelines will help them lower their emissions and reach more fuel markets. Summit says it’s on track to start constructing the pipeline in late 2023.

(Kaite Piekes, Iowa Public Radio contributed to this story)

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – Prolonged drought across the region has pushed the U-S Army Corps of Engineers to lower Missouri River levels from Nebraska City to Kansas City by a full foot. The lower levels will affect boat traffic and could impact municipal water supplies and other utilities that rely on the river. Missouri River Basin Water Management Director John Remus (REE-mus) says conditions have been getting worse since the drought first began to emerge in July of 2020. “In March, about 70% of the upper basin was experiencing some level of drought and about 20% of it was severe drought, very, very dry,” Remus says. “We have had some good rains throughout the year up there, but the conditions have improved, but not enough to really help the runoff.”

Remus says lower water levels will have an impact on navigation this fall.  “Of course, that means more trips or more barges to get the same amount of product up and down the river,” Remus says. Navigation continues on the Missouri, though barges will have to lighten their loads to float on the river. The navigation season will end on November 28th, which is three days early. Remus says even prolonged, heavy rains likely wouldn’t make up the difference in low soil moisture levels, as they’ve been so low for so long. “The wild card is really snowpack next year,” he says. “We had next-to-nothing for plains snowpack in 2022, and we had a below-average mountain snowpack. So unless we get better snowpack in the northern part of the basin, we’re probably going to be facing what we’ve seen this year again next year.”

Flows into the Missouri River have been reduced to cope with a much lower flood control pool in the six upstream reservoirs.

ATLANTIC, IA – It’s Watermelon Week at Produce in the Park this Thursday, September 15. The Atlantic First United Methodist Church will be giving away free samples of Bridgewater Farm watermelon, and Bridgewater Farm will have additional watermelon for sale at the park.

This week’s food trucks are A-Town SmokeShack and Zipp’s Pizzeria. A-Town will be serving brisket and pulled pork sandwiches and nachos, and Zipp’s will be selling pizza by the slice, as well as whole pizzas and whole frozen pizzas (great for dinner in a pinch). Zipp’s will also have homemade ice cream sandwiches for sale at the park this week.

There will be lots of visiting organizations and activities at the park this week. Atlantic Parks & Rec is bringing badminton to the park for the first time this season, along with a variety of other games, Produce in the Park is again offering kids’ scavenger hunt BINGO, and Guest Chef Karleen Evans will be handing out free samples of Cucumber Tomato salad made with ingredients from Brun Ko Farm. Visitors can also expect to see Cass Health’s Senior Life Solutions, Disability Rights Iowa, and Cass County Master Gardeners. 

As usual for this season, there will be nearly 20 vendors at the park. It’s a great time of year for local produce, and produce vendors will be selling a variety of peppers, lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, eggplant, green beans, potatoes, aronia berries, and garlic. Shoppers are reminded that Produce in the Park’s meat and egg offerings have significantly expanded this year; multiple vendors at the park are selling beef, pork, chicken, and lamb, as well as farm-fresh eggs.

The Kringleman is back with a variety of Danish pastries, and Sue’s Country Garden will be selling fruit crisps and sweet breads, including banana, banana nut, and chocolate chip. Lastly, craft vendors will be selling fall-themed candles, jewelry, plants, and more.

DETAILS for Produce in the Park September 15
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Location: Atlantic City Park (10 W. 7th St. Atlantic, IA 50022)
Date: Thursday, Sept. 15
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Location: Atlantic City Park (10 W. 7th St. Atlantic, IA 50022)
Food Trucks: A-Town SmokeShack BBQ (brisket and pulled pork sandwiches and nachos), Zipp’s Pizza
(slices, whole pizzas, and homemade ice cream sandwiches)
Theme: It’s Watermelon Week at Produce in the Park! The Atlantic First United Methodist Church will be
giving away free watermelon samples from Bridgewater Farm! (Bridgewater will have additional
watermelon for sale)
Local Products:
Fresh produce: Fresh local produce: Watermelon, Peppers (bell peppers, snack peppers, hot peppers,
sweet peppers), Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Green Onions, Aronia Berries, Onions, Zucchini,
Shallots, Eggplant, Garlic, Potatoes, Kale, and more!
Protein: Beef, Pork, Chicken, & farm-fresh eggs
Sweets: Danish pastries, kringle, crisps (apple, cherry, and more), banana and banana nut bread,
chocolate chip bread, honey, and more desserts!
Crafts & More: Fall-scented candles, bath and body products, art prints, jewelry, fall plants, & more
Activities:
Atlantic Parks & Rec: Games (including badminton) plus, Parks & Rec is giving out free ice cream!
Senior Life Solutions of Cass Health: Activities and information
Disability Rights Iowa: Information
Cass County Master Gardeners: Information on bulbs and more
Produce in the Park Scavenger Hunt BINGO
Live Music: Sarah Selders
Guest Chef: Karleen Evans with Cucumber Tomato Salad

Free drawings for a dozen farm-fresh eggs (sponsored by the Cass County Local Food Policy Council). Anyone age 18+ can enter for free. Winner will be drawn after the market ends and pick up at the market the following week.

Payment methods accepted: All vendors accept cash. Many accept credit cards, Venmo, and Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Senior and WIC checks. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT (also known as food stamps). All fresh produce vendors both accept and distribute Double Up Food Bucks (coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce).

Produce in the Park September 2022 farmers markets are sponsored by the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, Cass Health, Cass County Tourism, First Whitney Bank and Trust, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, and Deter Motor Co. For updates on Produce in the Park, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/), or visit the Produce in the Park website to sign up for the e-newsletter at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. For information on vending at the park, contact Market Manager Brigham Hoegh at produceintheparkatlanticiowa@gmail.com or 712-249-
5870.

(Radio Iowa) – Surveyors who were hired by a company that wants to build a carbon capture pipeline across Iowa are running into opposition when they try to gain access to some properties in northeast Iowa. Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs says at least 18 property owners or residents called the sheriff’s office last week with complaints about survey crews trespassing on their land — but their claims had to be rejected.  “If the surveyors come out and go on their property, by Iowa code, it is not deemed trespassing,” Helmrichs says, “but the landowners can say, ‘We’re not going to allow you on,’ and that sends them back to get a court-ordered injunction, then they can go on.”

Helmrichs says most residents she’s heard from are barring the pipeline surveyors from entering their property. “So far, I’ve just heard of one landowner that did give them permission to come on,” she says. “The rest are saying, ‘Go get your injunction.'”  Landowners are voicing concerns over eminent domain, loss of quality farmland, the mission of this project, and safety. They plan to address the Manchester City Council at their regular council meeting tonight (Monday). Some residents may claim that they haven’t been properly notified about the pipeline project, but Helmrichs says they may’ve gotten something in the mail.

“If they get a certified letter, they have to sign a form that’s attached to the front that shows they accepted that letter, but a lot of them did not sign for the letters, they went back to the post office, but the company had proof that they had mailed them,” Helmrichs says. “So that that’s considered their 10 day notice, which, it still rather shocks me and I know it shocked a lot of people that there were people roaming around the roads and the fields.”

Navigator C-O-2 proposes building a pipeline under miles of farmland from the Dyersville ethanol plant west through the county, just north of Earlville and Manchester and into Buchanan County, along with several other counties in the state. Navigator says the purpose of the pipeline is to capture carbon dioxide emissions produced at the ethanol plant and other facilities that are currently being emitted into the atmosphere. During the capture process, the C-O-2 is dehydrated and compressed into a liquid form that can be safely made available for value-added commercial industrial uses or transported to a storage site, where it’s injected about a mile underground beneath thick layers of rock.

CASS COUNTY, IOWA– The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports that on Thursday, Sept. 8, the Iowa DNR was notified that a crane overturned into the West Nodaway River approximately 2-3 miles northeast of Massena in Cass County. It was initially reported that approximately 20 gallons of diesel and engine fuel from the crane were spilled.

However, during a follow-up visit today (Friday), DNR staff observed a sheen downstream of the absorbents. DNR staff also found dead and stressed minnows between the bridge collapse and approximately 1/2 mile downstream. Similar conditions were not observed Thursday.

The crane is owned by Mammoet Crane Company, who is working with MidAmerican Energy. MidAmerican Energy and subcontractors responded quickly by placing absorbents in the river.  To date, Clean Harbors has pumped approximately 1,500 gallons of fuel and water from the river. Because of rain chances over the weekend, absorbent booms will be placed in the river every 75 feet between the bridge collapse and the bridge downstream about 1/2 mile. Booms will remain in place for 7-14 days.

Downstream users are advised to stay out of the river. A wrecker is expected to remove the 61-ton crane from the river today. Also, an access road is being built to allow better river access for the clean up company.

The DNR will continue to monitor clean up efforts and consider appropriate enforcement action with Mammoet Crane Company.

(Radio Iowa) – August saw below-normal rainfall — but drought conditions did improve in some parts of the state. The D-N-R’s Tim Hall says some areas didn’t get the rain from thunderstorms. “You sort of have to look at it regionally. And some parts of Southeast Iowa were accepted exceptionally dry in the month of August,” Hall says. August was the fifth straight month with below-normal precipitation, and Hall says the state needs a rainfall rally.”To get out of a drought that’s been sort of lingering and brewing for a couple of years, it’s going to take month over month over month of above normal rainfall,” he says.

“We haven’t seen but one month this year, where we’ve had above normal rainfall statewide. We haven’t seen the conditions that we’d like to see that’ll start to dig us out of this long-term condition.” Rivers and streams are running low in some of the drought areas — which can lead to more problems.”There’s water quality issues that come along with decreased streamflow and groundwater. There’s some communities battling nitrate issues. So in northwest Iowa, it’s not very good. And if you look at the streamflow in southeast Iowa, it is also trending downward,” according to Hall.

The fall months are not normally the wettest of the year in Iowa — but Hall says there is some positive recent history. “Going back to 2016 — a really wet September, 2017 a really wet October, 2018 a really wet September, 2019 a really wet September, and last year a really wet October. So we’ve seen the emergence of the trend I think that shows September and or October being above normal for precipitation,” Hall says. He says the timing of the rains are key to rebuilding subsoil moisture. “There is there’s ample opportunity to get some much needed rainfall going into the winter. Depends how much we get and how much gets locked into the soil moisture before the ground freezes,” Hall says.

The latest drought monitor showed just a slight increase in the percentage of the state that doesn’t have any type of drought.