Many people will take advantage of the Memorial Day weekend to get out their boats out for a run on Iowa’s lakes and rivers. Iowa Department of Natural Resources boating law administrator, Susan Stocker, says we’re not expected to see the high water levels we had last year. But she says you should still check on the local conditions before heading out. “What we are advising people is definitely know where you are going to go boating, and make sure you check those rivers levels. Unlike with the Missouri River where you had all of the flooding last year, or course you’re not going to find that, but you might find some hazards that are in the Missouri River now based on that, and or other areas that are low water that have revealed hazards. So know where you are boating and what the water conditions are,” Stocker says.

With warmer weather this spring, you may’ve already had the boat out this year. If not, she says now is a good time to give the boat a safety check before heading out. “Check your trailer, check your wheel bearings, your tire pressure to makes sure you are able to make it to the lake,” Stocker says. “And then of course once you get to the lake, make sure you prepare your boat in the launching area. Make sure you have all of your safety equipment, your life jackets, that is required. Be sure that you have enough life jackets for everyone who’ll be on your boat. “It can’t work if you’re not wearing it, and the Coast Guard has made some tremendous advancements in the making of life jackets, they’re lightweight, they’re more comfortable,” Stocker says. She says anyone under 12 is required to wear a life jacket while the boat is underway. You should also be sure you have plenty of sunscreen and bug repellent on the boat in case it is needed.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

Officials with Southwest 8 Senior Services say the State of Iowa is continuing the Farmers Market voucher program for senior citizens.  In the program, seniors meeting income requirements can obtain vouchers that they can use at participating area Farmers Markets to buy $30.00 worth of fresh, locally grown produce. 

Applications for the vouchers will be available at your local senior center the week of May 29th.  Your application guarantees you a booklet, but there is a limited number, so contact your local senior center if you are interested in obtaining the vouchers.  Council Bluffs residents can pick up an application for the vouchers starting on May 29, 2012 at The Center and the distribution date is Thursday, June 14^th from 9:00am to 12 noon. 

Seniors (age 60 and older) in all other communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby counties will receive their vouchers through their local senior center after June 11, 2012. 

                Program Criteria:

• Must be at least 60 years of age or older
• Annual income must be less than $20,665 Single or $27,991 Married
• Only one original application allowed per individual.  No photocopies or duplicate applications allowed.

If you have any questions, please call Sherri Carson at 712-328-2540, ext. 18

A presentation by an Atlantic resident who recently returned from an Agricultural Advisory position in Afghanistan scheduled to take place this Thursday, May 24^th , has been postponed for one week. Officials with the Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) say the visit to Des Moines this Thursday by President Barack Obama has forced a speaking event at Drake University by rural Atlantic resident and organic farmer Denise O’Brien, to be postponed until May 31^st, at 7-p.m.

O’Brien, who recently returned from a one-year appointment as a civilian agricultural advisor in Afghanistan, will speak about her experiences as an advisor for the USDA Office of Foreign Service Operations/Overseas.

She’s scheduled to speak on the topic 7-p.m. Thursday, May 31st, at 206 Cartwright Hall on the Drake University Campus at 27th St. and Carpenter Ave. in Des Moines.  O’Brien will also display her photos of farming in Nangarhar Province. A question and answer session will follow her presentation. The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a social hour at the Mars Café, 2318 University Avenue, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The latest crop report shows a big part of the planting season is done. The report from the U-S-D-A shows 98-percent of the corn acres have been planted, with a few farmers replanting corn that was washed out by April rains. The report shows 81-percent of the corn crop has emerged, which is one week ahead of normal. Twenty-one-percent of the corn is rated excellent and 60-percent is rated good. Just one percent is rated very poor and two percent poor. On the soybean side — planting jump up 46-percentage points to make the work 85-percent complete. That’s ahead of the 69-percent of the beans that were planted at this time last year and well ahead of the five-year average of 60-percent. The report says farmers in north central Iowa planted 55-percent of their beans last week, the most in the state. So far 26-percent of the beans have emerged, which is ahead of last year’s 16-percent and the five-year average of 13-percent.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

Efforts to improve the Schildberg Quarry Recreation Area in Atlantic by incorporating a campground at the site received a big boost last week. Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Roger Herring announced the big news of a large contribution during Monday night’s meeting of the Park and Recreation Board. Herring said he had a visit last week from Mark Schildberg, with the Schildberg Foundation. He says a grant they had applied for was approved, to the tune of $10,000. Herring received the check last week, but waited until the Board meeting to break the news. Afterward, he presented the check for the Board members to view and hold for a few moments.

Herring said Schildberg – who is the Vice President and Director of the Foundation — was excited about the prospect of having a campground at the Recreation Area.. Another bit of good news, is that the Atlantic Rotary club provided $7,000 for the project, which Herring says includes grading for the campsite, and the beginning of work on 18 gravel pads for campers. The campground will be located at the southeast corner of the park, at the corner of North Chestnut and Iowa Avenue.

Hopes are for modern restroom and shower facilities to be included in the project, at a later date. Currently all the utilities are in place near the site, including water and electricity. Phase two, the most expensive part of the project, would include the construction of permanent restrooms and shower facilities, within the next couple of years. Herring said also exciting, is that the City of Atlantic Street Department and City Administrator Doug Harris decided it would be in the best interests of the Recreation Area to treat Iowa Avenue, which runs east of Buck Creek Road around the east side of lake, with an oil-type substance to control dust. He says pedestrians walking along the trail should notice and appreciate the fact dust stirred-up by increased traffic in the area will be a lot less noticeable.

The treatment’s ability to control dust, according to Herring gets is “rejuvenated” with each rainfall, and will not wash away. It was applied to the road last week.

AMES, Iowa – May 21, 2012 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is now distributing the 2012 Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists, a popular publication updated to show new 4-foot, paved shoulders and trails completed since the 2009 version was published. The map is now available for free at locations throughout the state and on the Internet.

As in past versions, the map highlights bike-friendly routes by identifying bike trails and traffic levels for paved roads. Detailed maps for Iowa’s 16 largest cities are shown, depicting bike trails, highways, major streets and city boundaries. 

A person riding a bicycle on a public road has all the rights and responsibilities applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle, including knowing and obeying all traffic laws and rules of the road. To assist bicyclists understand their rights and responsibilities, a section of the map is dedicated to highlighting rules of the road for bicyclists. Bicyclists are urged to always wear helmets, use lights at night and watch out for road hazards, including gravel, sand and debris. 

The 2012 Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists is available online at the Iowa DOT’s website iowadot.gov/iowabikes, or by calling 515-725-3084 or 888-472-6035.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The economy remains strong in rural areas of 10 Midwest and Plains states because of the health of agricultural businesses there. The overall economic index on the new monthly Rural Mainstreet survey rose to 58.5 in May from April’s already healthy 57.1. Any score above 50 on the index suggests growth in the months ahead.  Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says even though the May numbers are positive, he believes the region’s economic growth will slow in the months ahead as the global economy weakens and crop prices decline.  The survey covers rural areas of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The survey focuses on 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Thursday, announced Jim Sievers has been named as the new supervisor for the Iowa DNR field office in Atlantic. Sievers, a long-time environmental specialist for the DNR field office in Washington, IA, will assume his new duties on May 25th.

Jim Sievers

He graduated from Iowa State University in 1985 with a degree in fisheries and wildlife biology and has served in the Washington field office for 22 years, the last 12 as the lead worker in wastewater and animal feeding operations. Sievers has a wide-range of experience in all of the DNR’s environmental program areas and has been extremely successful throughout his career in working with businesses, municipalities and citizens in complying with regulations.

Barb Lynch, chief of the DNR’s Field Services and Compliance Bureau, said Sievers also brings administrative experience to the position, having helped fill in as supervisor of the Washington Field Office when the supervisor there, Dennis Ostwinkle, was deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army in 2004 and 2005. The Field Services and Compliance Bureau consists of six field offices throughout the state with a primary task of helping people to understand environmental services programs and assist in complying with regulations.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) – A surprisingly chilly April has had an adverse effect on crops in Iowa.     Officials say freezing temperatures last month has damaged crops throughout the state. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that horticulture and agronomy experts say up to 80 percent of the apple crop in eastern Iowa has been ruined.  Apple trees blossomed about a month early because of unseasonably warm temperatures in March. But temperatures dipped to the low 20s for several nights in early to mid-April, killing those blossoms. Thousands of acres of corn may need to be replanted in the northern part of the state and Gail Nonnecke, a horticulture professor at Iowa State University, estimates Iowa strawberry production will be reduced by 20 percent.