The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has dedicated a special section on its website to provide more information on some large animals that have turned up in the state in recent years. D-N-R biologist, Vince Evelsizer, often fields calls about the animals. “In the education tab, I think it is on the Iowa D-N-R’s website, if you do a search for large mammals you’ll come up with some information on there for black bears, gray wolf, mountain lion and a little bit on there for moose as well. Where it explains a little bit more than what was on there is the past about their basic biology, why we seem them occasionally in Iowa. Just a lot more information about them that a lot of folks will probably find pretty helpful,” Evelsizer says.

Evelsizer says the attention to big animals has increased in part because of technology that allows people to take pictures and videos when the animals roam into Iowa. And he says their visits have also increased in recent years. “I think it’s fairly safe to see that we’ve seen a little bit of a spike in black bears and then to a couple of gray wolves too,” Evelsizer says. “Mountain lions sort of remain the same here where we get one every now and then, it seems like there’s spurts, it will be quiet for awhile and then we may get a few.” The animals many years ago had been regular residents of the state, but they are now just tourists dropping in for a visit.

“To our knowledge right now we don’t have a breeding population of any one of those three, the bear, the wolf and the mountain lion. Time will tell if we ever have that occur, and then we will work with the people of Iowa to deal with that,” he says. The internet has spawned various conspiracy theories about the D-N-R bringing the animals into the state. The one that’s been around for awhile is that the mountain lions were introduced to help deal with an overabundant deer herd. Evelsizer says that’s as untrue as many of the other internet rumors.

“It’s not a good move on our part to do that if people fear those animals and feel like they would be a threat to them, why would be bring them in,” Evelsizer asks “The second more important part is though, we like to rely on our deer hunters to help control the deer population, and that’s gone pretty darn well. It’s expensive and time-consuming to bring in something like a mountain lion.” Find out more about the wolves, bears, mountain lions and moose, go to the D-N-R webpage.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad says providing more funding to fix Iowa’s crumbling roads is a top priority and that he is keeping an open mind to all options, including raising the state’s fuel tax. Branstad said in an interview Thursday that he wants to get input from lawmakers in advance of the next legislative session, with hopes of reaching bipartisan consensus.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging Iowa’s tough policies that bar felons from voting. A lawsuit filed yesterday seeks to restore voting rights to thousands of former offenders before the 2016 presidential election. It also seeks to end confusion over the rules for ex-felons that followed a 2011 policy change by Governor Terry Branstad.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a driveway. Police say they received a call about 4:30 p.m. yesterday about four to five shots being fired. The identity of the dead man will be released after relatives are notified.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An ex-nurse at a Des Moines veteran’s hospital has agreed to surrender his license after admitting to turning off equipment that would have alerted staff to a patient’s low blood-oxygen level. The Register reports that 65-year-old Michael Deal died last March at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital after oxygen levels in his blood dropped.

U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA is providing more than $352 million in loans and grants to upgrade rural water and wastewater systems nationwide. The projects funded will not only help ensure rural places have access to clean water, but will also create jobs and help communities retain and attract new businesses and families. In Iowa, the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) is receiving $5,699,000 in loan and $4,371,000 in grant funds to make improvements to existing distribution piping across the organization’s service area, as well as installation of a new elevated storage tank, booster pump station and appurtenances, and three emergency generators. The funding will benefit approximately 6,925 existing rural customers in Adair, Adams, Cass, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Taylor and Union Counties.

Vilsack said “These investments are critical for our health and safety, and in the long term for sustainable economic development. Investments like these in the nation’s water infrastructure also are critical to address the impact of climate change on our water supplies. The projects supported with these resources will ensure rural families have access to clean water and create jobs in communities across the country.”

The USDA is providing $175 million in loans and $165 million in grants through the Water and Environmental Program. It’s part of more than $1.5 billion USDA invested in rural water and wastewater projects during the 2014 Fiscal Year, which ended September 30. This past year USDA Rural Development’s investment in Iowa helped create or retain more than 1,000 jobs, aided 2,600 families in buying their own homes and assisted more than 60 communities as they made improvements to their facilities, services and infrastructure.

Officials with the Cass County Community Foundation (CCCF) today (Friday), distributed $26,775 to non-profit agencies within the County. The grants were presented at the Cass County Courthouse. With the grants, the CCCF has distributed more than $1.6-million in grants and scholarships over the last 14-years.

Representatives of the 14 non-profit organizations show-off their CCCF checks Friday on the steps of the Cass County Courthouse. (Ric Hanson/photo)

Among the 14 organizations which submitted applications for grants by the Sept. 1st, 2014 deadline and which received funding, was:

• The Anita Foundation: $1,500 to upgrade a toddler playground.
• The Anita Health & Wellness Center: $350 for weight benches and rubber weightlifting mats.
• The Ann W. Wickman Child Development Center: $3,000 for an expansion project.
• The Atlantic Fire Dept.: $2,000 for a MARSARS Ice Rescue Response Kit & rescue sled.
• The Atlantic Parks & Recreation Dept.: $3,000 for the final phase of camping pads at the Schildberg Recreation Area.
• The Cass County Historical Museum: $2,150 for renovations to the Receiving Area.
• The Center for the Advancement of Self Seficiency, Inc.: $2,000 for an Automatic door opener.
• The Cumberland Public Library: $2,000 for Expansion of technology facility/
• Friends of the Griswold Public Library: $3,125 for Library software & technology.
• Friends of the Cass County Outdoor Classroom: $3,000 for an addition to the education bldg.
• The Griswold FFA: $2,000 for replacement of the Cass County FFA Food Stand.
• The Hitchcock House Advisory Board: $1,000 for gift shop/registration bldg. expansion.
• The Lewis Town & Country Booster, Inc.: $1,000 for tables for the Lewis Community Center..
• The Massena Lions Club: $650 for the Lions Hall renovations.

All grantees met the criteria as Cass County nonprofit agencies or organizations with charitable missions in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education and social services. Only organizations providing services in Cass County were eligible.

Nicholas Hunt, Chair of the Cass County Community Foundations reminds area groups and non-profit organizations, that by Feb. 1st, 2015, the CCCF will have close to $100,000 in grants to giveaway, so interested groups and organizations should be preparing their grant ideas now for the Feb. 1st application deadline. He says the Spring grant cycle in February is usually larger than the fall cycle.

Residents in the Kimballton and Elk Horn areas should be aware of a road closure that begins on Monday, Nov. 10th. The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency said today (Friday), Woodland Road, between 1000th and 1100th Streets will be closed for about one week, effective Monday. The road is being closed for repairs.

The affected area lies between Jackson Township sections 14 and 15, one-quarter of a mile north of 1000th Street, in a small tributary of Wolf Creek. Emergency responders should plan to take alternate routes to nearby residences. If you have any questions, call the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.