The State Fire Marshal’s Office in Des Moines has rescinded a Burn Ban for Fremont County, at the request of Emergency Management Coordinator, Mike Crecelius. The ban, which had been in place since July 19th, officially ends at Noon today (Monday, Oct. 15th). Conditions in the County are no longer conducive to rapidly spreading fires, as had been the case during the extremely dry summer the area had experienced.

A ban on outdoor burning remains in effect until further notice, for: Cass, Audubon, Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, Madison, Carroll, Crawford and Page Counties.

Shelby County Emergency Management Director Bob Seivert says fire stations and other locations in the County may change their Fire Danger signs from “High,” to “Moderate.” Seivert says they expect the fire danger to be lower over the next couple of days, due to the recent rain. The “Moderate” rating will remain in-place until the next update, or Thursday, which ever comes first.

Seivert asks residents of Shelby County to continue to notify the Shelby County EMA/9-1-1 and your local fire chief, prior to igniting any burns. He also asks you to use common sense, and attend all open burning projects until they are fully extinguished.

Once again, it’s the time of year for the Cass County Conservation Board to ask residents of the county, “When do you think the first Trumpeter Swans will arrive at the Schildberg Quarry in Atlantic?” Officials say Trumpeter Swans have visited the Schildberg Quarry for at least, fourteen out of the last fifteen winters. Call in your prediction (by November 12^th) to the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372, leave a message and return phone number if we are not in.

Duplicate dates will not be allowed.  For example, if a caller predicts November 25th, no one else will be allowed to predict that arrival date.  Call anytime until November 12th to make your prediction.  Only one prediction is allowed per family. The sponsors of the contest will determine the official arrival of the swans.  The winner will receive a Trumpeter Swan 8×10 print from the Cass County Conservation Board.  The contest is only open to residents of Cass County

Arrival and departure dates of the swans over the past 14-years have been as follows:

1997/1998   December 18 – January 2

1998/1999   Nothing on record

1999/2000   December 25 – February 15

2000/2001   November 23 – March 6

2001/2002   December 25 – February 24

2002/2003   November 23 – March 15

2003/2004   November 26 – March 21

2004/2005   November 25 – March 18

2005/2006   November 17 – March 5

2006/2007 October 30 – March 9

2007/2008 November 22- February 14

2008/2009 November 18- March 12

2009-2010 November 19 – January 5

2010-2011 November 5 – February 10

2011/2012 November 17 – February 21

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert today (Thursday) advised the Fire Danger Index in his County is currently rated as “High.” Seivert says he expects winds to be strong this afternoon, and if there are any active fires, they will monitor the weather components very closely, and advise the local Incident Commander of dangerous conditions. Seivert says there should be NO OPEN BURNING in Shelby County today. The next local Fire Danger notice will be on Monday, Oct. 15th, unless unexpected changes in conditions occur.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced today (Thursday), that four Louisiana men face 76 counts and nearly $86,000 in fines and civil damages for allegedly killing five deer illegally in southwest Iowa last November. The DNR says 41-year old James Keith Moore,  of Hammond, La., and 45-year old Michael D. Fralick,  of Ponchatoula, La., were charged with 32 counts each of deer related violations in four different counties in southwest Iowa. Moore and Fralick were each fined $6,123.90. The state is also seeking $25,000 in civil damages from each man for the deer they allegedly killed illegally. In addition, 46-year old Stanley B. Russell, of Roseland, La., and 39-year old William H. Chambliss,  of Kentwood, La., were charged with six counts each of deer related violations in Montgomery County. Russell and Chambliss were each fined $1,823.40.  The state is seeking $10,000 in civil damages from each man for their role in the alleged poaching activity. The state has also requested forfeiture of four rifles the individuals used to shoot the deer.

The investigation began in late November when the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department received a TIP call from a concerned citizen about the activities of these men. The information led authorities to possible illegal activity in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources received a TIP call about illegal deer activity around the same time that linked the two cases together. Deb Howe, state conservation officer for the Iowa DNR, said “These men came to Iowa specifically to road hunt trophy bucks during the rut. They did not have any licenses or tags to hunt in Iowa during the time they were here.”

A 10 month investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Louisiana Department of Game & Fish, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks culminated in the 76 wildlife-related counts being filed against four Louisiana men.  Fralick, Russell and Chambliss face similar charges in Kansas. An initial court date will be scheduled for November.

Information received through the TIP hotline in both Iowa and Kansas was critical in this investigation.  If you have information on wildlife crimes please call TIP of Iowa at 1-800-532-2020 you can remain anonymous.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has slightly lowered its projection for the size of this year’s corn crop for a fourth straight month.  The USDA released its monthly crop report Thursday in which it estimates that farmers will harvest 10.71 billion bushels of corn. That’s down from last month’s estimate of 10.73 billion bushels.  The estimates change as the harvest progresses and the impact of this summer’s widespread drought becomes clearer.

The average yield is about 122 bushels per acre. That’s down from last month’s estimate of 122.8 bushels. Corn supply is now estimated at 11.77 billion bushels. That’s down from last month’s estimate of 11.98 billion bushels.  The tightening supply likely will push corn prices higher short-term but analysts expect prices to now stabilize.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Soil experts are advising Iowa farmers to let their drought-degraded soil rest this fall.  The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the experts say tilling the soil soon after harvest will further dry the topsoil and raise the potential for erosion.  Decorah farmer Paul Johnson, who used to head the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, told The Gazette farmers “all remember the black ditches that used to be common in the winter when we did a lot of fall plowing. We need to be careful this year.”

Jason Johnson says fall fertilizer application could be counterproductive as well. He says that because of the drought, crops didn’t use all of the applied nitrogen. He says disturbing the soil will just help waste the leftover.

Info on the Atlantic Animal Shelter.

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