(Radio Iowa) – A moose has been sighted in northwest Iowa. Chris Larue of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it’s likely the same moose spotted in Luverne, Minnesota on Halloween. “It apparently decided to wander down Main Street over there and a couple of days later it was sighted in Lyon County between Rock Rapids and Little Rock.” Rock Rapids, Iowa, is about 23 miles south of Luverne, Minnesota.

Larue says it’s not unusual for moose to make their way into Iowa. “It does actually periodically happen,” Larue says. “Since I’ve been here the last 20 years, this is probably the fourth or the fifth moose that kind of appeared in Iowa.” Larue is a biologist on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ wildlife management staff — working Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux and O’Brien Counties, the five counties in Iowa’s northwest corner. Larue says the moose sighted in Lyon County is a young male.

“Sometimes these things are just typical wanderlust,” Larue says. “Otherwise they could maybe have a little bit of a health issue which gets them disoriented and they can just kind of get headed into a direction until they figure out to head back to the habitat they’re supposed to be in.” Moose typically stay near lakes, streams or swampy areas and they avoid warm climates. An adult moose can be 10 feet tall and weigh more than a thousand pounds.

“We do encourage folks to let us know where they are when they see one because we don’t want them to get into a location that would be dangerous — near a highway or something like that,” Larue says. “Obviously we do not encourage people to approach them because they are very unpredictable.”

The antlers of an adult moose can weight up to 40 pounds. Moose tend to have a heightened sense of smell and of hearing, but most moose have poor eyesight. A female moose was sighted in Plymouth County this past January.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 17th), the City of Atlantic’s Park and Recreation Department will have nine wooden, painted “turkeys” hidden around parks in the City, for people to find and take selfies with. Take selfies with all nine turkeys when you find each one, and then leave them for others to enjoy.

Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen says “We lost our turkeys and we need help finding them all.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Park and Recreation Department Director swore-in the newest member of the Parks Board, Monday evening. Bryant Rasmussen administered the Oath of Office to Shirley Jensen, who was unopposed in her bid for the seat vacated by Stuart Dusenberry, and who won the election on Nov. 2nd.  Jolene Smith was nominated by the Board to serve as President, and Erin McFadden was nominated to continue serving as Vice-Chair.

Parks & Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen administers the Oath of Office to Shirley Jensen.

In other business, Rasmussen confirmed the park restrooms in Atlantic have been closed and prepped for the season. He said the final straw in deciding to close the restrooms was vandalism in the form of feces found smeared on the walls of the Camblin Addition restroom. Also related to the restrooms, Bryant said he would like to see the hand dryer fixed in the women’s restroom at Camblins, and add some hand dryers to the City Park. That would alleviate the problem of those towels being used to plug the toilets, and it would mean one less thing to clean-up. He said he’s working with local electricians to get a bid on how much it would cost to fix the hand dryer at Sunnyside and add the ones to the City Park.

Bryant said also, there were 13 applicants for the Assistant Parks and Rec position, including one person from Idaho, who was interviewed Monday. He told the Board he and Jolene Smith should be finished with the interviews by next Monday. Rasmussen said also, he received a bid of $5,470 from Resort Contract Furnishings, of Wyckoff, NJ, for the purchase of 10 11-foot fiberglass market umbrellas and 75-pound steel base with wheel. The Board approved moving forward with the purchase. Bryant said the City has the option to get multiple colors or combinations thereof. The umbrellas would take 12 weeks to ship, and will likely be requested for delivery later this Spring.

Bryant Rasmussen said also, the basketball hoop at Cedar Park was installed thanks to a donation from the Lion’s Club. All that’s left in the Spring is to line the court. The Atlantic Street Department put down the concrete for the court. The Parks and Rec Department is preparing for the Winter Sports season, with cross country skis, ice skates and sleds all ready to go. If the weather cooperates, Rasmussen said they can get the ice skating rink up and running. The basketball court was sealed so there shouldn’t be anywhere near the loss of water they experienced in years past.

In other news, the Parks and Rec Department is preparing for a “Turkey Hunt,” with wood cut-out turkeys hidden in the City Parks. Visitors can take a selfie with the turkeys and send them in, with the possibility of winning some “grab bag” prizes. Nine turkey’s will be hidden through the City parks, but Bryant won’t give any more clues as to where. And, the Scarecrow Contest in Downtown Atlantic raised about $200 for the Atlantic Food Pantry, he said.

On the heels of the recently completed Tour de Parks Bike Ride in Atlantic, Rasmussen said someone donated a tandem bike to the Parks and Rec Department on Monday. The bike will be inspected to make sure it’s oiled and ready to go. And, as we’ve previously mentioned, the Festival of Trees is a multi-day event, sponsored by the Cass County Unit of the American Cancer Society. It takes place December 2nd-5th of this year and will again be held at the Catholic Parish Center,105 West 5th Street in Atlantic. The Atlantic Parks and Rec Department will have a tree in the festival.

One other note: Rasmussen said the Harvest Market is coming up on Monday, Nov. 22nd. The Parks and Rec Department will have squirrel feeders for sale. “They’re little picnic tables,” Bryant said. Jolene Smith added, “They’re really cute.”