The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the Kellerton Grasslands Bird Conservation Area in southeast Ringgold County will be the site for the 13^th annual Prairie Chicken Day on April 2nd, beginning at 6 a.m., at the booming ground viewing platform, two miles west of Kellerton on Hwy. 2, then 1.25 miles south on 300^th Street.

Prairie Chicken Day is an opportunity for Iowans to experience this unique bird during its demonstrative and entertaining mating display where males work to gain the favor of females during the breeding season.  The birds compete by showing their worthiness through aggressive charges and leaps of battle with others on the booming ground. The activity takes place from middle to late March through middle May beginning around sunrise and until mid morning, then usually resuming in the evening.

“They will be out there every day defending their territory, trying to attract a female,” said Chad Paup wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Iowa DNR has been reintroducing the greater prairie chickens to the grasslands of Ringgold County since the 1980s with varying success. In recent years, the DNR has partnered with Blank Park Zoo, The Nature Conservancy and the Nebraska Fish and Game Department to capture and transport wild prairie chickens from southwest and central Nebraska to be released on the Kellerton lek and on the Dunn Ranch lek, a few miles to the south in Missouri.

The four year effort of introducing wild birds has increased the Iowa flock to more than 100. These birds have since produced broods in Iowa. “The prairie chicken population trends follow similar tracks as bobwhite quail. When quail do well, prairie chickens do well and they did well in 2014,” Paup said. “This year, we’ve had a mild winter in our area and if we can get a spring that’s not too wet and not too cool, I think we can have another good production year.”

A limited number of spotting scopes and binoculars will be available to visitors who need them on Prairie Chicken Day with expert birders on hand to help identify other birds in the area. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is encouraging visitors to and residents of Ringgold, Decatur, Taylor, Union, Wayne, Adams and Clarke counties to report any sightings of a group of prairie chickens gathered together, displaying and calling on the leks sites in March and April.

“People may hear them – the haunting ‘booming’ sounds interspersed with whoops and cackles – or they may see the birds jumping or facing off with one another,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife diversity biologist with the Iowa DNR.  “Sightings of individual birds are also welcome but we’d primarily like to hear about lek sites.”

The DNR has a video of this activity online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Wildlife-Stewardship/Non-Game-Wildlife/Diversity-Projects/Prairie-Chicken-Project. Anyone who sees the activity is encouraged to call or e-mail Shepherd at 515-432-2823 ext. 102, Stephanie.shepherd@dnr.iowa.gov.

Campers anxious to reserve spots for the Fourth of July weekend should mark April 1 on their calendars, when reservations for a Friday arrival open. Campers can make reservations for sites three months ahead of their first night’s stay. “Electric sites go quickly,” reminds Todd Coffelt, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau. “And some sites will already be reserved by campers arriving prior to the holiday weekend.”

Not every campsite is available on the reservation system. Parks maintain between 25 and 50 percent of the electric and nonelectric sites as non-reservation sites, available for walk-up camping. Information on Iowa’s state parks is available online at www.iowadnr.gov including the link to reservations. Campers can also log on directly to http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com; enter their preferred dates and/or parks to see what sites are available and make a reservation.

Campers are encouraged to note closures when making their reservations. A few campgrounds are currently closed for renovation and weather will play an important role in how soon they will be back online. Road and bridge work at Springbrook State Park should be completed in early June, and the park and campground are scheduled to reopen June 10.

Up-to-date closure information is available on the DNR website and reservation system.  Closure information can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks-Rec-Areas/Closure-Information and on individual park webpages.

Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, today (Thursday), said the Fire Danger index in the County will remain HIGH for the next few days, at least. Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert says even with the recent rain, drying will occur rapidly with any sunshine. Winds will continue to dry out the vegetation.

Seivert warns that any field or grassland fires that get out of control, may be difficult for heavy fire apparatus to reach, due to the soft soil. Fire departments and business with Fire Danger signs in their windows, are asked to keep those indicators set to “HIGH” this weekend.

Authorities therefore are asking anyone who plans to conduct controlled burns to contact their local fire chief, first. Be sure and call 755-2124 also, with the location of your burn, so dispatchers can gather logistical data. The next “Fire Danger” update will be on Monday, March 28th.

w/Denny Heflin

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The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has released information showing Iowa ranks second in the nation for the amount of money paid to landowners for the placement of wind turbines. AWEA’s Manager of Industry Data and Analysis , John Hensley, helped work up the numbers. “Across the United States there were more than 222 million dollars paid in land-lease agreements to local land owners who had wind projects on their site,” Hensley says. “And Iowa is certainly near the top. We’re showing more than 10 million dollars paid out on an annual basis to these landowners.”

Iowa is one of six states with more than 10 million dollars in payment, with Texas ranked number one, followed by Iowa, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Kansas. AWEA figures show Iowa produced 31 percent of its electricity from wind last year. Hensley says the payments are kept confidential, but they have a good estimate of how much is being paid. “They are generally designed similar to a royalty payment based on the output of the machine at the site. Or, it could also be based on just a raw capacity amount — so you’ve got a two megawatt turbine, and a two megawatt turbine pays out a certain amount per year. They are typically private negotiations and contract structures between the project developer and the land owner,” Hensley says.

He says the revenue is important as about 70 percent of rural wind farms in the U-S are located in low-income counties. “I think this is a really important piece of that economic picture that really goes a long way to show the rural impacts that wind has across the country. We are looking property tax revenues that can go a long way to help schools in those local areas,” Hensley says. Hensley says the payments are vital to many land owners.

He says it helps them make ends meet, and helps them keep the ranches and farms in the family. AWEA will release more information on the impact of wind farms in its upcoming annual report — including job numbers, state-by-state comparisons, and the overall picture of the wind industry.

(Radio Iowa)

With spring’s arrival, Iowa poultry producers are on alert for a possible return of avian influenza which decimated the state’s flocks last year. State officials are taking steps to more efficiently euthanize birds if the disease strikes again. Joyce Flinn, head of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says the necessary equipment is being stored in safe places around the state.

“We continue to coordinate with the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship for a possible avian influenza response,” Flinn says. State Emergency Management helped coordinate the response last year, which included hauling water to affected areas to mix with foam to kill birds, and coordinating haz mat teams for cleanup. If there’s another outbreak, Flinn says they’re ready.

“Our preparations for avian influenza include prestaging of equipment around the state that can be used in the euthanasia of birds,” Flinn says. “The ready access to this equipment will aid in quick, humane euthanasia to help contain the spread of the disease.” Spring migration may re-create last year’s conditions that lead to a widespread outbreak. Some 34-million birds on 77 Iowa farms had to be destroyed after contracting the virus.

(Radio Iowa)

w/Kate Olson

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The Atlantic Fire Department was called to the scene of a leaking anhydrous ammonia tank just before 11-a.m., today. The incident took place about northeast of town, about 1.5 miles east of Olive Street off Troublesome Creek Road. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon was on the scene, and provided KJAN News with an update at around 11:35-a.m.

He says the nurse tank overturned onto its side near the road. The leak wasn’t too bad, he said, but it was enough for them to be concerned. The primary concern will be the condition of the tank’s valves. Crews were in the process of up-righting the tank to inspect it.

Photo courtesy Mike Kennon, Cass County EMA

Winds were gusting out of the west-southwest, so there was no danger to the public, especially since the accident took place in a rural setting.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Assistant Director Seth Stasshelm, Monday, said work is continuing on renovations for the Kiddie Korral Shelter house at Sunnyside Park. Staashelm said so far this Spring, grass seed has been placed on the ground, and brick has been ordered from Sioux City Brick for placement around the roof support columns. What’s still left to do is install the water fountain, and work on the fire pit. The Atlantic Kiwanis will come out and help clean-up the playground equipment. Some of the toys are also being replace. Until then, that area will be cordoned-off.  He says they will hopefully have it open by mid-May.

A date for the newly renovated facility has not yet been set, but it’s hoped that will be sometime in May. Reservations will not be accepted for use of the shelter until the end of May. Staashelm said also, work on the East Shelter renovation at Sunnyside Park is their next objective. The roof, he said, needs to be replaced, and the skirting is twisted, something that’s out of the scope of his and Parks Director Roger Herring’s area of expertise. To that end, they contracted with Iron Specialties for the installation of a new, red, tin roof. Their bid amounted to $7,700.

A separate local contractor will handle painting of the columns and rafters, for a total project price of just under $12,000, which is what had been budgeted for using the Local Option Sales Tax Funds. The Parks and Rec Board approved the contracts for work on the Kiddie Korral. Other activities taking place at parks in Atlantic, includes the grading of land near the Dog Park at the Schildberg Recreation Area. The land will be used for a one-way entry/exit, 20 stall parking spaces for the Dog Park. Currently, there are flags in-place, marking where the grading will take place by a tiling company.

And, the East Nishnabotna River Boat Ramp near the Wastewater Treatment Plant is almost finished. Roger Herring said they need to removal piles of rip-rap and dirt for the building of a berm. The earthen berm will be covered with grass cloth and river rock, to dress it up. A drive will pass by the Waterworks berm, and a parking area near the upper end of the boat ramp.

In other business, Herring and Staashelm are awaiting Wednesday morning’s meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors, to determine if their request for $40,000 in support of a Vision Iowa CAT grant application, will be approved. If it isn’t, or if the amount requested is less than received, Herring said that would have a big impact on the application. The Atlantic City Council has committed $100,000 in support of the $360,000 grant request for improvements to the Schildberg Rec Area campground site, and there is $40,000 for in-kind services that have been pledged. The grant requires a 50-percent local match (including 25% for in-kind services), or $180,000 altogether.

Bob Seivert, Emergency Management Coordinator in Shelby County, reports the field and grass fire danger category will remain “High” this week. Drying conditions, with minimal precipitation in the forecast, along with increasing daytime winds, means the risk for controlled/planned burns, could quickly spread beyond the intended area. Therefore, any outdoor burns should be conducted during the early morning and late evening hours.

Fire stations and businesses in Shelby County should leave their  Fire Danger” signs in the “High” category, through at least Thursday, when the next update on burning conditions will be provided.

The Shelby County EMA says you should remember to call your controlled burns in to the EMA Communications center at (712) – 755-2124, and, contact your local Fire Chief before igniting any outdoor burns.