(Oakland, Iowa) – The East Pottawattamie County Extension office will host a free, one-hour learning session for private well owners on May 7, 2024. The program will help attendees understand their well’s water quality and connect them to resources to manage their well.

Did you know that Iowa has a unique funding source for free or low-cost annual testing of private wells? Or that some water pollutants are odorless, tasteless and will not be removed by boiling water? If you’re curious about the answers to these questions, then take advantage of the upcoming learning session which will detail how to test your well and who can help, common contaminants, and factors that affect well water quality.

The program will be taught by Catherine DeLong, Water Quality Program Manager for ISU Extension and Outreach. According to DeLong, “About 230,000 Iowans rely on private wells as their home’s main water source, yet many do not know they should be testing once a year and that Iowa has a unique funding source to help cover the cost of testing.”

The free program will take place on May 7, 2024 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm at the Oakland Community Building located at 614 Dr Van Zee Road, in Oakland. Pre-registration is requested; to RSVP contact the East Pottawattamie County Extension office by phone (712-482-6449) or email (reannh@iastate.edu).

(Atlantic,Iowa) – Cass County Conservation Department Director Micah Lee, Tuesday morning, updated the County Board of Supervisors on projects and activities, as part of his Quarterly Report. Micah said at Cold Springs State Park near Lewis…

Additional work on the shelter at the park is planned for later this Spring and Summer to make it more user friendly, with roof work likely sometime in the next fiscal year. He said the shower house is currently open. At the Nodaway Wildlife Area near Massena, the Conservation Department continues to work on removing dead Ash Trees …

Work on draining and dredging the pond near the Outdoor Classroom outside of Massena, has resulted in additional depth, for an average gain of seven-to-five-feet, and the removal of invasive fish species, with the goal of restocking it as soon as there is enough water for the fish to survive.

They’re also taking care of some scrub brush in the area. Naturalist Lora Kanning, Lee said, presented 113 program over the past Quarter, with 1,941 people taking part in the programs.

Currently, crews are working on mowing and getting various campgrounds in the County open, and taken care of.

Jim Field visits with Shelby County Historical Society Executive Director Sarah McDonald about progress on preserving the historic McIntosh and Leland log cabins.

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DES MOINES, Iowa – World Migratory Bird Day will be celebrated May 11, 2024, and again on October 12, 2024, aligning generally with migration patterns.

The state of Iowa is located within the Mississippi Flyway, the longest overland flyway in North America. The Mississippi Flyway is a critically important route for migratory birds as they migrate north in spring and south in the fall, with the wetlands and forests along the Mississippi River being important for many species of migratory songbirds in particular. Waterfowl and other wetland birds also heavily use the wetlands in the central and northern Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa, which are essential for both migratory stopover habitat as well as breeding habitat for hundreds of species of birds.

As Peter Rea, supervisory park ranger with DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge explains, “Refuges and wildlife areas throughout Iowa, such as DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, provide critical habitat for migratory birds to rest, feed and recuperate on their long migration journeys. For many, these places act more like a rest stop as they continue their migration northward, while for some it’s their ultimate destination for the spring and summer nesting season.” “During this time of year, it’s important to minimize disturbance so other visitors can appreciate the tremendous diversity of birds that we can see throughout the state,” continued Rea.

Federal law protects migratory birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the taking (including killing, wounding, capturing, selling, trading, transporting, importing, and exporting) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization of the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 16 U.S.C. §§ 703, 707(a). The list of federally protected migratory birds is comprehensive and includes many of the birds residing in or migrating through Iowa, including Canada geese. Refer to the Federal Code of Regulations for more information. The penalties for violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act are a term of imprisonment of up to 6 months, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.

Additional federal statutes that protect migratory birds include:

• The Lacey Act prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, purchase, or inhumane transport of certain wildlife including birds. 16 U.S.C. § 42;
• The Endangered Species Act prohibits the taking, killing, wounding, importing, exporting, shipping, or sale of endangered species. 16 U.S.C. §§ 1538, 1540.  Iowa’s birds on the endangered species list include the following: piping plover, rufa red knot, whooping crane, Indiana bat, and Northern long-eared bat. Learn more about protected species.
• The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits the taking, killing, wounding, bald or golden eagles, their feathers, nests, and eggs. 16 U.S.C. § 668.

“Birders and other wildlife enthusiasts can be helpful advocates in reducing wildlife crime. Knowing the laws that protect birds and other wildlife, and speaking up can make a big difference,” said Christopher Aldrich, Special Agent in Charge, Midwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Preservation and protection of wildlife and endangered species go hand in hand with the high quality of life here in the State of Iowa. Knowing these laws and reducing wildlife crime helps everyone continue to enjoy what makes Iowa a great place to live,” said Richard Westphal, United States Attorney.

If you believe you have information related to a wildlife crime that violates federal law, please reach out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can also contact the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Iowa by telephone at 515-473-9300 or email at usaias.fedbirds@usdoj.gov.

If you spot an injured bird, state licensed wildlife rehabilitators can aid the bird. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources maintains a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators at the following links:

• Iowa DNR licensed wildlife rehabilitators
• County-specific wildlife rehabilitation look-up for Iowa

Thank you for caring about the wildlife in your community. Remember to observe wildlife from a safe distance. If a young animal isn’t visibly injured, its parents are likely nearby and still caring for it. Be sure to give young animals plenty of space to avoid spooking the parents.

Learn more about what to do if you find a baby bird, injured or orphaned wildlife.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowa farmers are firing up their tractors for the first time this spring, and one expert suggests before you plant the first seed, make sure your equipment, your body, and your mind are ready for the season ahead. Dr. Kimberly Lansing, a family medicine physician with Gundersen Health System, says do a thorough check of your heavy equipment to make sure it’s safe to operate after sitting dormant for the winter. “Even if you checked it in the fall, you want to make sure that some family of raccoons didn’t move into your machine shed and rearrange your hydraulics,” Lansing says. “So, going over everything right before you get out in the field, making sure your finisher’s ready to go, and your equipment’s all functional is probably one of the most important things.”

Farming ranks as one of the nation’s most dangerous professions, and Lansing says all tractors should have rollover protection systems, as many farmers who have to be rushed to the emergency room had an accident with a tractor. “Typically, equipment-related injuries, equipment, motor vehicles, including ATVs, tractors and motor vehicles are among the largest things that bring people in,” Lansing says. “We see the most injuries in these areas between April and September, which of course, corresponds to the time when most farmers are out in the field and active.”

Farming can be a very strenuous profession, placing extreme demands on the body. “Of course, you want to have yourself in as good a condition as you keep your equipment,” she says. “So, making sure you do get adequate sleep, because if you’re sleepy behind the wheel, bad things happen. Also, making sure you’re in condition to do what you’re doing. People that work on farms may have other health problems, and you need to be really careful and cautious about what your own limitations are.” Farmers are considered the toughest of the tough, but Lansing says if you’re having a physical problem, don’t shrug it off for later, as there may not -be- a later.

Photo courtesy of the Iowa State University Extension

“You definitely should not ignore warning signs just because you’re busy. I literally once had somebody who said they were calving and couldn’t come in with chest pain and they got in and they were having an active heart attack,” Lansing says. “Fortunately, he survived but your own health and being there for your family is more important.” Farmers are considered one of Iowa’s most vulnerable populations for mental health struggles, and rural suicide deaths are two times higher than the state’s city and metro areas. Lansing encourages farmers to look after one another.

“Farmers are very observant because they need to be in order to keep their farms running,” she says. “You’ve got to look for that animal that’s starting to look sick, or, ‘Oh, the weather’s going to do this,’ but being somebody who will go out and grab an extra cup of coffee and bring it to their neighbor and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ Just checking in with them and seeing how they’re doing is probably a nice first step.”

Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

Jim Field visits with comedian Austin Anderson, who will perform Saturday night at the Wilson Performing Arts Center in Red Oak.

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(Radio Iowa) – The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors has unanimously adopted an ordinance that would require a proposed carbon pipeline to be at least 16-hundred feet outside of cities in the northwest Iowa county. Buffer zones also would be required around homes, schools, medical facilities and public parks. Bonnie Ewalt, of Milford, says the ordinance is needed to protect the health and safety of Dickinson County residents.

“Summit drew up the route for this hazardous CO2 pipeline without any regard for topography or proximity to high risk areas,” Ewalt said. Summit Carbon Solutions has proposed a pipeline through Iowa and four other states, to ship liquefied carbon to underground storage in North Dakota. Scott O’Konek, a Minnesota-based project manager for Summit, says ordinances like this could stymie development of the pipeline and harm the ethanol plants that plan to connect to it.

“The whole project is up to 57 plants and this ordinance has the ability to take that competitiveness away from Green Plains Superior.” Green Plains Superior is an ethanol plant located in Dickinson county. Summit has sued five other counties with ordinances similar to the one in Dickinson County.

Jim Field visits with Kiera Reed, who was diagnosed with acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was nine years old.  She is now a leukemia survivor passionate about funding research for a cure.  Help her toward her goal of raising $50,000 by stopping out to the Pizza Ranch in Atlantic on Monday, April 22, 2024 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  10% of the proceeds from the evening will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  .46″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .83″
• Massena  .88″
• Elk Horn  .35″
• Audubon  .82″
• Earling 26″
• Bridgewater  1.5″
• Underwood  .34″
• Missouri Valley  .4″
• Logan  .28″
• Red Oak  .35″
• Corning  1.16″
• Creston  1.25″
• Clarinda  1.99″