DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials have found emerald ash borders in Polk County, home of the state capitol in Des Moines. A news release from the Iowa Agriculture Department said Friday that the tree-killing pests were found in Urbandale and West Des Moines. The department says the confirmation brings to 22 the number of Iowa counties where the insects have been found.

The larva of an emerald ash borer cuts off an ash tree’s flow of nutrients when deposited below the bark. Once infected, trees typically die within five years. The insects are native to Asia and were first spotted in the U.S. in 2002, when they showed up in the Detroit area. They devastated ash trees in Michigan and have spread to at least 21 other states.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Millions of dead chickens and turkeys lie in stinking, fly-swarmed piles near dozens of large Iowa farms due to the H5N2 bird flu virus.
Neighbors say they understand the challenge in disposing of more than 20 million bird carcasses, but are eager for quick action, especially as temperatures rise and create more decomposition odor and flies.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources environmental supervisor Ken Hessenius says the state must look at “all methods of disposal” and called the virus a “crisis.” Some of the birds are piled up and covered with dirt or other material, turkeys are often composted inside barns and at least one chicken farm is burying them in trenches. Portable incinerators have been set up and state officials are working with landfills.

Spring in Iowa means planting fields and gardens, outdoor recreation, warm days, cool nights and, as a reminder from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), it also means the start of tick season. IDPH encourages Iowans to enjoy the many opportunities to be active outdoors, while remembering to protect against ticks. Ticks can carry the organisms that cause Lyme disease (the most common tick-borne disease), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis. In 2014, there were 194 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease in Iowa; so far this year, there have been two cases.

IDPH Public Health Veterinarian & Deputy State Epidemiologist, Dr. Ann Garvey says “The best way to prevent tick bites is to avoid wooded and tall grassy areas, where ticks are usually found.”. If you do spend time in these areas:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long, light-colored pants tucked into socks or boots.
• Stay on trails when walking or hiking and avoid high grass.
• Use insect repellants that contain DEET. Read and follow the label directions for application (DEET is not recommended for use on children under 2 months of age.)
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks as soon as you get back home. Ticks tend to prefer the back of the knee, armpit, scalp, groin, and back of the neck.

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 health care provider immediately if you develop this type of rash.

The Iowa State University Medical Entomology laboratory conducts tick surveillance across the state and encourages Iowans to send in tick samples for identification. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1F5Zloa or call 515-294-0581. To learn more about Lyme disease, visit http://bit.ly/1FPGoEN.

w/ Max Dirks

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The Nishna Valley Trails (NVT) group is very close to meeting their goal of raising enough funds for the Troublesome Creek Connector Trail to the Schildberg Quarry. The NVT’s Dave Chase appeared before the Atlantic City Council Wednesday night not to ask for money, but to instead provide an update on a project that has been in the works since 2010.

The latest Atlantic Recreational Trail Comprehensive Plan. (click on image to enlarge)

Chase provided the Council with an updated Comprehensive Trails Plan, which, during his last report was still in the process of being updated. Chase said “The trail system is coming together in increments.” The Council’s agenda had included an “Order of Support” of the group in its efforts to get up to $80,000 from the Surface Transportation Program (STP), but Chase asked for that to be removed, because “Involving federal funds in this project would involve requirements and red tape that would put our program back six-months, and it would also require some wage and hour considerations [involving the contractor] which might increase the cost of the project.”

This is what the pedestrian bridge over Troublesome Creek will look like when it is installed.

Chase said there is momentum and interest for the project, and to date, the group has raised and committed $364,500 toward their $600,000 goal. The group has raised money thanks to grants from the Cass County Community Foundation, and fundraisers or donations from the Lions, Kiwanis, more than 110 separated individuals and donors, and more. The Cass County Supervisors and City of Atlantic have also agreed to provide financial support.

There are also grant applications pending amounting to another $138,500, which if approved, would add up to $503,000, leaving them $97,000 short. Even so, Chase said they have other ideas about how to raise the balance of the funds, and they ready to begin”Pulling the Trigger,” on project by not only accepting bids, but hiring a Project Manager.

Since all the grant funds will flow through the City, Snyder and Associates Engineers will present to the Council a Project Manager Contract at the May 20th meeting. Chase has been working the Snyder’s Dave Sturm and Atlantic City Manager John Lund to accomplish that next step. Bid letting is still to come this spring, with construction completed on the trail by the fall.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa agriculture officials say five additional commercial chicken farms show signs of the presence of bird flu and a backyard duck flock near a previously confirmed case also has tested positive. The new chicken cases are on Sioux County farms. Two had a total of 200,000 chickens. Estimates were not immediately available for the remaining three farms. The backyard ducks are on a farm in O’Brien County.

The new cases raise Iowa’s total number to 34 cases in 11 counties. About 21 million of Iowa’s chickens will be affected if the latest cases are confirmed. The number of turkeys to be lost is approaching 500,000. More than 100 farms in the Midwest have the bird flu virus with more than 28 million birds affected.

w/ Kate Olson

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa agriculture officials say three additional Iowa poultry farms show signs of the presence of bird flu including two more turkey farms in Buena Vista County, raising the number in the county to 10. A Sioux County egg-laying operation with 60,000 chickens also appears to have the virus. Testing is underway to confirm the disease. The farms experienced an unusual number of bird deaths, prompting an initial test which indicated presence of the H5N2 virus.

The new cases raise Iowa’s total number to 28 cases in 11 counties. More than 20 million of Iowa’s chickens will be affected if the latest cases are confirmed. The number of turkeys to be lost is approaching 500,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ideal weather last week enabled Iowa farmers to make progress planting their corn and soybean crops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says as of Sunday, farmers had planted 68 percent of the state’s corn crop and 11 percent of the soybean crop. Both figures are better than the five-year average.

The USDA says 84 percent of farmland had adequate topsoil moisture, with 11 percent short and 5 percent in surplus. Farmers reported 82 percent of subsoil moisture was adequate. The state agriculture department says half of Iowa’s corn acreage was planted last week.