w/Max Dirks.

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It appears the warm spring weather is finally here to stay and in exchange, many Iowans have stuffy noses, itchy eyes and sore throats. Dr. Linda Ford, an allergist in Omaha-Council Bluffs, says the surge in seasonal allergy symptoms lately is most certainly weather-related as the trees were late bloomers this year.  “The first ones came at the end of February and then we had the cold weather, so they stopped pollinating,” Dr. Ford says. “Then we got to April and we got warmer weather and all the trees started pushing out pollen.”

Ford says pollen counts have been very high and the first part of allergy treatment is prevention. “Keep those windows closed at night because the pollen is still out there and with the wind blowing, it’s going to stir up a lot of pollen, pollen that has fallen to the ground that will be stirred back up into the air,” she says.

Many allergy-fighting drugs used to require a prescription, but that’s no longer the case. “There are nasal sprays you can get over-the-counter. There are many different types and they all work about the same,” Ford says. “They work very well along with your non-sedating antihistamine and about 50% of the people need both of those things.”

Many of those meds don’t work the same on everyone so it may take some trial and error to find the perfect fix. If not, she suggests seeing an allergist and if symptoms are severe enough, starting a series of allergy shots.

(Radio Iowa)

Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam. Iowa law requires that anyone born after January 1, 1972 must be certified in hunter education before they are eligible to purchase an Iowa hunting license.

Upcoming area Hunter Education Class:

May 16, Exira, Audubon County Conservation Board

For more information on these and other hunter education opportunities, go to www.iowadnr.gov/huntered

Forecasters are predicting beautiful weather for this weekend, when state park campgrounds will celebrate Camping Kickoff, May 4 – 6. State parks will feature more than 40 events across the state, including hikes, kayaking demonstrations, fishing clinics and much more to celebrate the start of the season. A full schedule of programs is available at www.iowadnr.gov/campingkickoff. Campers will also receive a free summer issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine.

Those wanting to join the Camping Kickoff celebration can make advanced reservations through today (Wednesday, May 2). Reservations can be made at https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com or by calling 1-877-427-2757. Phone center hours are 7 AM to 7 PM CST. After today (Wednesday), campers can use walk-in camping on a first-come, first-serve basis for any sites not already reserved. Iowa’s Camping Kickoff is in conjunction with the national Let’s Camp America! initiative, when state parks across the country will celebrate the start of the camping season.

w/Kate Olson.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  .35″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .31″
• Massena  .27″
• Elk Horn  1.41″
• Avoca  1.1″
• Oakland  .4″
• Neola  .3″
• Missouri Valley  .41″
• Kirkman  1.25″
• Irwin  1.25″
• Manning  1.08″
• Woodbine  1.52″
• Logan  .64″
• Bedford  .11″
• Villisca  .25″
• Carroll  .84″
• Underwood  .41″
• Red Oak  .26″
• Corning  .14″
• Denison  .6″
• Clarinda  .12″

Warmer weather means more time outdoors and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to protect themselves against tick bites. Ticks can carry the organisms that cause diseases like Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The best way to prevent tick bites is to avoid wooded and grassy areas, where ticks are usually found. If you do spend time in these areas:

• Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
• Walk in the center of trails.
• Use repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours.
  Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes and mouth.
• Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents, with products containing 0.5% permethrin. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and may be protective longer.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an online tool to help you select the repellent that is best for you and your family at https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-insect-repellent-right-you.
If you discover a tick on your body, remove it right away. Folk remedies, such as burning the tick with a match or covering it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, are not effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following instructions for removing a tick:

• Carefully grasp the tick by using tweezers to grip the tick by its mouthparts, which are close to the skin. Do not squeeze the tick’s body.
• Pull steadily directly away from your skin. Because removing the tick’s body is your main goal, don’t worry if its mouthparts break off in the process.
• Clean the wound and disinfect the site of the bite.

The most common tick-borne disease is Lyme disease. Preliminary 2017 case counts show 254 cases of Lyme disease were reported to IDPH last year, as well as 24 cases of ehrlichiosis/anaplasmosis and 17 cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever – all increases over 2016. Not everyone who gets Lyme disease will have the same symptoms, but the best and earliest sign of infection is a rash that may appear within a few days to a month, usually at the site of the tick bite. The rash will first look like a small, red bump, then expand until it begins to look like a bull’s eye, with a red center and a red ring surrounding a clear area. It is important to contact your healthcare provider immediately if you develop this type of rash or develop flu-like symptoms within a month of having a tick bite or being in an area where ticks are present.

For more information on Lyme disease, visit http://idph.iowa.gov/cade/disease-information/lyme-disease.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees reports the Yard Waste site near the Schildberg Rec Area, will re-open today (Tuesday) at Noon. Please do NOT pile anything on or close to smoldering debris, and observe any cones that are in place.

Dry and warmer weather has allowed a lot of Iowa farmers to finally get into their fields. The new USDA crop report shows, as of Sunday, 17-percent of the state’s expected corn crop has been planted. That’s still four days behind the five-year average, but ZERO-percent of Iowa’s corn was in the ground one week ago. Planting progress is much slower in northern Iowa where fields remain wet from melting snow. Meanwhile, in southeast Iowa, 44-percent of the corn is planted. Most of the state received no precipitation last week and temperatures climbed to as high as 79 in De Soto, Atlantic, Red Oak, and Shenandoah on the afternoon of April 27th.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa Secretary of Agricultire Mike Naig will make two stops in Pottawattamie County, Wednesday (May 2nd). Naig will stop at 22000 510th Street, in Walnut at 3-p.m. , and at 3:40-p.m., at Old Town Park (12515 385th Street) in Macedonia, as part of Soil and Water Conservation Week (April 29-May 6), to view work done by Hungry Canyons Alliance to address stream channel erosion and degradation of the deep Loess (Luss) soils region of western Iowa.

This year’s theme of Soil and Water Conservation Week, is “Watersheds: Our Water, Our Home.” More information about the activities that will take place this week, can be found at www.iowaagriculture.gov/conservationweek.asp. The Hungry Canyons Alliance works in a 23 county area of the deep loess soils region.