An official with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the Lake of Three Fires State Park, near Bedford, in Taylor County, was damaged Thursday evening from a storm that caused power outages across the region. State Parks Chief Kevin Szcodronski says the storm brought golf ball sized hail that striped trees by the lake nearly bare. Trees and limbs were damaged in the park to the extent that the roads to the picnic areas are impassible.

Szcodronski said the DNR is calling campers who had reservations to tell them the park has some damage and is without electricity. He says the water is still on, and restrooms are functioning. Campers are still welcome to camp if they choose, he says, and the DNR will help them find a site in a nearby state park campground, or give them a full refund.

Szcodronski said he will be bringing in staff from other parks to help with the clean up and inspect the facilities and trails. He says “Everything is covered in leaf litter. This was a big storm that caused a lot of damage and power outages across southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.” He says they really don’t know when the power will return.

Waubonsie, Viking Lake and Lake Manawa state parks also sustained damage, but not to the extent of Lake of Three Fires. Szcodronski said there were no injuries reported.

A hazard alert has been issued by the University of Iowa College of Public Health after an especially bad month in Iowa for fatal tractor accidents. Four farmers, all elderly, died in separate incidents between June 8th and July 8th. Each person was killed when an older tractor rolled over and pinned them underneath. U-of-I Occupational Health Professor Marizen Ramirez says tractor rollovers are a significant danger every year.

“On average, we have 8 to 10 tractor rollover deaths per year, so for us to see four in a one month period of time – it did catch our attention,” Ramirez said. The U-of-I has launched a public information campaign to encourage farmers driving older equipment to outfit their machines with tractor rollover protection. Newer tractors come with cabs or with the safety gear already installed.

“It takes money to try to retrofit these models, so it’s a challenge for our communities to come up with innovative ways to encourage folks to retrofit this older equipment so they can keep themselves safe,” Ramirez said. She added that anti-rollover devices used with seatbelts are very effective in preventing injury and death.

(Radio Iowa)

From the Audubon and Cass County FSA and NRCS offices.

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A state legislative panel has voted to block a rule that would’ve banned the use of lead shot by dove hunters. Tuesday’s action will allow hunters to use lead shot when the inaugural dove hunting season opens September 1st. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, is not on the legislative committee but requested to testify before his colleagues. “This is nothing but an anti-hunting issue,” Baudler said. “I hope you’ll do the right thing and stop this rule from going into effect.” Baudler believes the Natural Resource Commission overstepped its authority when it approved the ban last month.

“We have a situation here in Iowa with the Department of Natural Resources…it appears, from the hunting community, to be very anti-hunting,” Baudler said. Other hunters testified that lead shot is toxic to wildlife and that using copper or steel ammunition is an easy alternative. Liz Garst of Coon Rapids is a former chair of the Natural Resource Commission.

“If we hunters persist in saying we’re exempt from the environmental problems of lead, we hunters are going to get a black mark in the public’s eye,” Garst said. She pointed to research that shows increasing lead poisoning in bald Eagles. But lawmakers say it’s up to Iowa Legislature to review the data and decide if the rule should stand. The legislature must now repeal the ban on lead shot during the next session, or it goes into effect for the 2012 dove hunting season.

(Radio Iowa)

Hunters who plan to pursue doves this fall will be allowed to use lead shot except on wildlife areas that require the use of non-toxic shot for hunting any species, except deer and turkey, which are listed on p. 16 of the Iowa Hunting and Trapping regulations booklet available at more than 800 locations in Iowa and online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting<http://www.iowadnr.gov/hunting>. The correction in the regulations booklet is on p. 3 under the heading Highlights or Changes to the 2011-2012 Hunting and Trapping Regulations that states: Hunters are required to use non-toxic shot to hunt doves. The non-toxic shot requirement was discussed during the Administrative Rules Review Committee Tuesday that placed a session delay on it to allow the Iowa legislature to address the requirement.

Do you have a love for gardening, a desire to learn more about the world of gardening, and a commitment to being a positive part of your community? If so, the Master Gardener program may be right for you!! Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in growing flowers, vegetables, fruits, shrubs, trees and lawns, and also have a desire to share their knowledge through education and community involvement.

Master Gardener trainees attend 40 hours of classes taught by Iowa State University Extension staff and specialists in topics ranging from lawn care, flower and vegetable gardening, ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit crops, and houseplants to insect, disease, and weed control, soil and plant nutrition, and pesticide safety.

In exchange for training, participants are asked to volunteer 40 hours of service to their local extension program. The service opportunities are wide-ranging. Master Gardeners answer telephone requests for gardening information, staff plant clinics or displays, speak to local groups, teach youth, provide horticulture therapy activities for the elderly, and supervise or judge county fair horticulture activities as judges or project coordinators. Cass County also has an active Master Gardener group that meets regularly to coordinate volunteer and educational opportunities for members.

Classes will be held at the Cass County Extension office, located at 805 W. 10^th Street in Atlantic. The first session will be Tuesday evening, September 6 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, and will continue on consecutive Tuesday’s through November 1.  There will also be three Thursday evening sessions, and one Saturday in October will be spent on the ISU campus for hands-on training in the horticulture department.  The cost for the entire program, including reference materials and all training, is just $150 per person.

Registrations must be in the Cass County Extension office by August 30 to have materials available for the first training session. Persons interested in becoming a trained Master Gardener in Cass County are encouraged to contact the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass for information on signing up for the fall certification classes, or to learn more about Iowa Master Gardeners.

Do you want to learn how to preserve food but don’t know where to begin?　 Have you been canning for years but want to learn the latest recommendations? Food Preservation 101 will be offered, free of charge, on Thursday, September 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the ISU Extension office in Cass County, located at 805 W 10^th Street in Atlantic. The program will be presented by Barb Fuller, Nutrition and Health Program Specialist with ISU Extension. Topics covered will include canning, freezing and dehydrating food, as well as tips for keeping food safe.

In addition, free testing of pressure canner lids will be offered before the class, from 5:15 to 6 p.m. on the 1st. Only the lids need to be brought in for the testing, and those unable to attend may drop their lids off to be tested prior to this time. While there is not charge to attend the class, pre-registration is requested in order to have enough materials available.　 Please call the Cass Co. Extension Office at 712-243-1132 by August 31st to pre-register.

(Cass Co. Extension Press Release)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says much of the state is dry and in need of rain as the quality of the corn crop dipped slightly. Northey released his weekly crop report Monday saying corn was in 67 percent good to excellent condition, down slightly from last week and 1 percentage point behind the average. Soybeans were in 70 percent good to excellent condition.

Northey says the big issue for Iowa is the need for rain. Topsoil moisture was 46 percent short or very short with 52 percent adequate and 2 percent at a surplus. Subsoil moisture was 36 percent short or very short, 62 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Northey August is a critical month for soybean development and some timely rain would be beneficial.

While the flooding on the Missouri River has caused a lot of headaches for the people living there, an expert with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it looks like its going to be a good thing for the animals that live in the river. Southwest Iowa fisheries supervisor, Chris Larson, says the flooding is having a major impact on the habitat.

“It’s kind of a biological payday for us in fisheries because the fish have been restricted to the channel for almost 57 years, and now they have this huge expanse of area to live and reproduce and grow and things like that,” Larson explains. Larson says there was an effort to improve the habitat before the flooding, and this is an extra benefit.

He says they obviously did not want to see the river flood to such extent that it damaged human property and lives, but he says there will be a small benefit from shallow habitat areas created that weren’t here before. He says the floodwaters are teaming with life.

Larson says crews have been doing some sampling and they are seeing “young of year” fish species all over the flood plain that they have not seen in the past, especially above Omaha where the river has rarely been out of its banks. He says they are seeing “paddlefish and saugers and blue suckers and all different kinds of species that’re taking advantage of the smorgasbord of food that’s left out there for ’em.”

Larson says there should be a wealth of good new fishing in the area after the floodwaters finally recede Larson says he can’t think of any fish species that have not been found in the floodplain in their limited sampling. The floodwaters are expecting to continue recede through the month of August.

(Radio Iowa)