UTDOOR CONNECTION
NOVEMBER 2019 ESTHERVILLE NEWS Find this publication online a t w w w. e s t h e r v i l l e n e w s . n e t under ʻSectionsʼ
STORIES, ADVICE AND INFORMATION FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS
The blue orchard mason bee is especially adept at pollinating fruit trees. Photo by Kiley Roth
Blue orchard mason bee vital pollinators for fruit trees BY KILEY ROTH DCCB COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR
honeybees, which only carry pollen in their pollen sacs on their hind legs. Pollination occurs as the mason bees move from flower to flower. The female bees mix pollen with nectar and place it in a cell in a nest, lay an egg in the cell that is now stocked with food and construct a mud wall to seal off the cell. A
Do you love fruit? If you do, then you love the blue orchard mason bee. Blue orchard mason bees (Osmia lignaria) are part of a family of bees that are solitary — meaning they live and breed individually instead of socially in a hive, like honeybees — and use Find out more about the exhibits coming to Pollinator Paradise and the clay to make partitions to Dickinson County Nature Center at their nests and to seal the www.dickinsoncountynaturecenter.com entrance. They got the or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. orchard part of their name because they are extremely adept at pollinating fruit trees. female mason bee can make one or Although honeybees are often more cells per day, usually arranged seen as the quintessential pollinator, in a line inside of the hollow cavity native bees like mason bees are in which she builds the nest. often more efficient with native The rest of the summer, metamorcrops. It’s what they instinctively phosis takes place in each cell. The know how to do and what their bod- egg hatches, changes into the larval ies were created for. They are vital stage --- when it eats the pollen ball pollinators for native North --- and then pupates. By the end of American fruit trees such as apples, summer, it will be a full-grown plums, pears, peaches and almonds. adult but will remain dormant The reason that blue orchard inside the nest until spring, when it mason bees pollinate fruit trees is hatches and starts the life cycle over not for the tree but for themselves again. Adult bees die off at the end and their young. of the nesting season. A blue orchard bee emerges from In the Pollinator Paradise addition its nest in early spring and will to the Dickinson County Nature search for a mate and then build a Center --- which will celebrate its nest. In the wild, they will find hol- grand opening Saturday, Nov. 16 -low plant stems, crevices in fire- - kids will get to dress up as a blue wood or holes from boring beetles orchard mason bee to gather pollen in dead trees. They also will use ball and launch or place them into nesting boxes or bee hotels, and apple tree blossoms. Then visitors blue orchard mason bees are also can watch as the pollen moves from one type of solitary, native bee that tree to tree with the help of bees is managed by farmers for its help Pollinator Paradise will feature chilin pollinating crops. dren’s museum-quality exhibits all Males and females both visit fruit about pollinators, including a food tree flowers to sip nectar, but truck in which kids can make faux females also gather pollen on the meals using all pollinated ingredistiff hairs on the underside of the ents and a create-your-own pollinaabdomen. These hairs may make tor habitat digital game. them even better pollinators than
Thane and Tanya are looking forward to the upcoming Shop with the Pros on Saturday, Nov. 9. Photo by Steve Weisman
Kabeleʼs Trading Post Prepares for
‘SHOP WITH THE PROS 2019’ BY STEVE WEISMAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
Shop with the Pros Day has become one of the most anticipated ice fishing kick-off events in the Midwest. Thane and Tanya Johnson, owners of Kabele’s Trading Post in Spirit Lake, are preparing for their 8th annual Shop with the Pros Day on Saturday, November 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.! According to Tanya, the entire day revolves around one big, big
topic: ice fishing. “Thane and I are excited for ‘Shop with the Pros’ event. Each year has grown, and for 2019, we are going to offer both a full day of one-on-one opportunities with manufacturers and pro staffers of all the top ice fishing products along with some incredible pricing for the finest ice fishing equipment on the market.” Much of the day is built around those one-on-one opportunities with fishing buddies and experts in the ice fishing field. Tanya and
Thane believe that the one-on-one opportunities are extremely important. “People can go from booth to booth and ask questions and listen to words of advice from the experts. Booths will be set up all around Kabele’s Trading Post with experts at each booth ready to visit and explain their products. Rods, reels, lures, baits, shelters, clothing, accessories…anything ‘ice fishing’ will be on display!” This is also the opportunity visit Turn to SHOP, Page 2B
IGLFC announces ʻFall DNR Nightʼ Event is Nov. 14 -
MILFORD — The Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club (IGLFC) will be hosting its annual “Fall DNR Night” on Thursday, Nov. 14. According to Terry Thomsen, IGLFC president, the event will be held at the Oak Hill Outdoor facility located at the corner of 71/86 across from Perkins Restaurant. “For many years, we have always had our ‘Fall DNR Night’ at Godfather’s in Spencer. However, with our membership increasing, we were getting pretty crowded and were looking for another place to hold the event. That’s when
BY STEVE WEISMAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
Jake Jostand of Oak Hill Outdoor offered us their facility.” Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with pizza and refreshments at 6 p.m. Then at 7 p. m., the DNR biologists, district law enforcement and local conservation officers will host the evening program
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giving updates on their areas of expertise. Thomsen says, “This is always a very informative evening. DNR personnel will update the IGLFC on current projects, the state of fishing in our lakes as well as any regulation changes.” A raffle will follow. The evening is free for IGLFC members with memberships for $25 (includes the entire family) available for the upcoming year at the door. Thomsen reflects on the membership. “The IGLFC is a non-profit organization with the goal of making the IGLFC a family friendly organization while helping to improve area fisheries
and to promote community involvement through education and activities.” In addition, the IGLFC is partnering with Jon Thelen, Lindy Fishing Tackle pro staffer and host of the Fish Ed TV Show. For 2020, Thelen is offering club members a special 40 percent discount of up to $300 with LureNet (www.lurenet.com), an online source that offers the complete product lines for 16 of the most legendary fishing brands to ever land in anglers’ tackle boxes. Dean Jacobson, treasurer of the IGLFC, is excited about this partnership. “Jon Thelen gave the fish-
Fick’s
ing seminar at the Okoboji Blue Water Festival in 2017. Afterwards, Jon came over to our booth. He was impressed with our efforts, our goals and mission statement, so he offered our members a special discount for Lindy and Little Joe products. For 2020, he is offering club members an even greater deal on more brands through LureNet!” IGLFC members and non-members alike are invited to the annual “Fall DNR Night.” It’s a great chance to learn important information about northwest Iowa’s lakes, conservation and law enforcement topics.
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Jason Mitchell with a big eye caught during the middle of the day. For eliminating water during the middle of the day, aggressively pound and work the same lures that you expect to catch fish during the prime bite windows.
Hunting walleye at first ice
Photo submitted
BY JASON MITCHELL
Editor’s note: Jason Mitchell hosts the popular outdoor program Jason Mitchell Outdoors which airs on Fox Sports North on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am. More information can be found online at www.jasonmitchelloutdoors.com. Follow on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The first ice period often offers opportunities to catch aggressive walleye in shallow water. On many fisheries… prime time is typically around sunrise and sunset. Ice anglers often anticipate this prime-time period and experience great fishing. While these fish can
be aggressive and easy to catch, landing in the right place at the right time is the key to finding and catching walleyes. What so many ice anglers underestimate is the importance of landing on the right place at the wrong time… let me explain. The sunrise and sunset windows are often short and intense. Maybe an hour of prime time. Doesn’t leave you with much time to find fish. If there is one thing I have learned over the years, the reality is that you can break down a lot of water and find fish during the day. What you can find during the day will pay off when the sun begins to set. The key to finding fish dur-
SHOP, Continued from Page 1 with some of ice fishing’s well-known pros under one roof. It will be the perfect chance to learn from the best of the best. The current list of ice fishing pros includes the following: Dusty and Carol Rodiek with Clam; Dave Koonce with In Depth Outdoors and Ice Force; Mandy Uhrich with 13 Fishing, Eskimo and Fish Addictions; Troy Peterson, Mr. Bluegill with Eskimo, Ion and 13 Fishing; Trevor Fey with Marcum; Kyle Boike with Tuned Up Custom Rods; Josh Clawson with Ion and Eskimo. Talk about an exciting line-up! As usual, a $5 lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This year Joey Jackson from Big J’s BBQ and Catering of Spirit Lake. Also, Jaycox Powersports from Lake Park will have CanAm units on display. Want to WIN a free ice fishing guide trip? Shane Akin, owner of Lakes Guide Service, will offer that opportunity through a free drawing. He will also be taking dates for this winter’s guide trips.
Kabeleʼs Promotions Ready for this? How about a $1,000 Shopping Spree! The more you spend, the more tickets you receive for the chance to have the win-
ning ticket. The winner must be present to win! Toward the end of the day at about 3:15 p.m., drawings will occur for some great Kabele’s prizes! As always, there will be “promo priced items” and other fun products that go with purchases. Reflecting on the upcoming Shop with the Pros day, Tanya says, “Thane and I love having this event in our store so anglers know where we are located, the products we have and the updated fishing information we will provide. Over the years, we have developed great relationships and have a lot of anglers who come back here to fish and shop with us! We look forward to 500 plus ice anglers at our 2019 Shop with the Pros event!” What better way to kick off the ice fishing season than with a day set aside just for ice fishing, a day to meet the pros and the experts, to browse and look at all the latest ice fishing equipment under one roof! In case of cold weather or even snow, a warming tent will be set up outside. Stop in at Kabele’s to see the entire list or find K a b e l e ’ s (www.kabeles.com) on the Internet or Facebook to see the list of all the deals.
ing the day on fisheries that are notorious for producing low light bites is to simply cover water and hit as many fresh spots as you can. The reality is that if there are a lot of fish on any piece of structure, you can often catch a few and see fish on your electronics during the middle of the day. Use the entire day if possible so you land on the best spots come evening. This holds true in shallow water. On Devils Lake for example, we often find wild shallow water walleye bites in less than seven feet of water and the best time is usually around sunrise and sunset. Moonrise or moonset can swing that window earlier or later and
So, we have a couple of strategies with shallow sunset walleye. We can roll up to a good spot and drill a bunch of holes and wait or hope that the fish do what they are supposed to do. This strategy can work and might be the only option if you are short on time. There is definitely some merit to this strategy. there are of course exceptions but that is the base line… first hour and last hour of the day. Even in shallow water, we can often pick off fish during the middle of the day. The bite might not be good or intense but it is revealing. If there are a lot of fish somewhere,
you can find them during the day. Now the reality is that you can miss fish on spots by hitting good spots at midday. Especially when looking for them in shallow water but what I find is that I am in a much better place come sunset if I eliminate some water
during the day and sample as much water as possible for activity. The reason I believe that using the entire day to look for fish is so important with shallow water walleyes is the simple fact that most bites only seem to last for maybe three days. You just can’t camp out on the same spot over and over for multiple days and expect great fishing. You wear out your welcome, the fish spook and everything changes. Finding fresh fish is the key to having great success on the ice. The hour of prime time just doesn’t leave an angler with enough time to find fish at times. So, we have a couple of Turn to ICE, Page 3B
The schedule is out: Time to catch trout DES MOINES – The fun is starting! The annual fall trout stocking has begun. The Iowa DNR will release between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout at 19 locations across Iowa as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer. Locally, Scharnberg Pond, southeast of Everly, was
stocked on Saturday, Oct. 26. Bringing trout to cities and towns offers a “close to home” option for Iowans who might not travel to northeast Iowa to discover trout fishing. A familyfriendly event is often paired with the stocking to help anglers have success and fun while fishing. The fall community trout
stockings are a great place to take kids to catch their first fish. A small hook with a nightcrawler or corn under a small bobber or small simple spinners such as a Panther Martin or Mepps is all you need to get in on the fun. The popular program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay
the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.
DNR reaches out to furharvesters with survey DES MOINES - Iowa furharvesters can help the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with furbearer management by participating in a furharvester survey. The Iowa DNR is sending this survey out to 5,000 licensed furharvesters prior to this year’s trapping season. This survey is purposely designed to be in the form of a diary so our furharvesters can use it throughout the long season to record their activities as they go. That way the information they record is accurate - similar to surveys filled out by bow hunters each fall. This is the second year of the survey. “This diary will give us valuable information on trapper and fur hunter effort. Things like how much time they are pursuing furbearers, when they are doing it – and what species they are targeting. Based on harvest, and last year’s furharvester diary survey, we are able to see that in today’s world, coyotes are our number one
most pursued species and that wasn't anywhere near the case 20 or 30 years ago.” Evelsizer said. “A survey like this had never been done in Iowa until last year. We’re excited to work directly with our furharvesters to collect this information and hope to see more of them return the diaries.” Based on the survey results from last year, the most trapping effort occurs during the first two weeks of November and effort goes down later in the season, but there's a slight increase during the holidays. Survey respondents indicated that coyotes were the number one species targeted for trapping followed by raccoons, mink and muskrats. The average number of days spent trapping was 27 per trapper. Hunters spent an average of 26 hours pursuing furbearers. Jennifer Swanson, assistant wildlife research biometrician for the Iowa DNR, said the information from the survey will help with population estimates for several of the more secre-
tive furbearer species that are otherwise more difficult to count, like badgers and gray fox. Only three percent of the surveys were filled out and mailed back last year. For the effort to be worthwhile and to have good information, we’d like that return rate to be much higher,” Swanson said. The survey will not be used to measure if a trapper is good or not, or for law enforcement purposes. “If a trapper receives a fur diary survey and won't be trapping/hunting this season, it is okay to give it to someone else that will be active. Just make a note of the transfer in the survey,” she said. “The information collected from this survey is important because it provides a direct link of feedback from our furharvesters that helps us manage furbearers in Iowa.” Furharvesters who have questions about the survey should contact Evelsizer at 641-357-3517 or vince.evelsizer@dnr.iowa.gov.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2019
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
3B
OUTDOOR CONNECTION
Fall is the perfect time for night-bite walleyes BY BOB JENSEN FISHING THE MIDWEST FISHING TEAM
If you want to catch a big walleye, fall is the time to do so. There are lots of bodies of water across walleye territory that are home to true trophies. If the walleye-of-alifetime is your goal, center your efforts on the bodies of water that have a history of producing big walleyes. Often the best trophy walleye producers will be large, deep lakes that are home to baitfish that make the walleyes fat. Some types of forage fish make walleyes grow big, so we want to concentrate on lakes that have those types of baitfish: Cisco, tullibee, and the like. One reason that the night bite can be good for walleyes is that these baitfish live in clear water lakes, and walleyes can often be easier to catch at night in clear water lakes. But there’s another reason why the walleyes go on a night-bite in the fall. Those baitfish that make the walleyes grow big are fall spawners. They’re in the shallows laying their eggs at a time of year when the walleyes are interested in adding some fat to their bodies to get them through the winter months. Those bait-
fish are very susceptible to hungry walleyes when they’re in those shallow areas. To take advantage of this night-time opportunity, you need to do a couple of things. First, you need to identify a potential hot-spot. The fall-spawning baitfish will usually spawn in shallow water that is close to deep water. Shorelines or off-shore shallow sand or rock areas will be good starting points. In lakes that don’t have fall spawning baitfish, a nightbite can still occur. Look for areas with current. Go out during the day to current areas and see if baitfish are present. If they are, walleyes will visit at night. If you’ll be fishing from a boat, take along only essential equipment and have it in a specific place so you know where it is. If you’ll be wading, check out the area for rocks or logs under the water that you could trip on. Get to your spot before the sun goes down and get set up. Keep quiet. When fish are shallow, they’re oftentimes spooky. Jigs and plastic will catch walleyes at night, but night in and night out, many of the best night-time walleye
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Some outstanding night-time walleye baits. The shorter ones are the Lucky Shad, the longer, thinner ones are the KVD Jerkbaits. Photo by Bob Jensen
catchers are throwing hard minnow-imitating baits. For deeper water go with a Lucky Shad: They run down 6 or 8 feet and that’s usually deep enough. If you want to get deeper, tie on a KVD 300 Deep Jerkbait. It runs to about 11 feet. Experiment with color. Try baits that
look like the local baitfish, and try baits that look like nothing the walleyes have ever seen. When fishing shallow we’ll usually be casting. Go with a KVD 300 Jerkbait. Try a straight retrieve, but also work it with sweeps of the rod. I like a Lew’s Custom
Speed Stick in the Walleye Special action because it casts these lighter baits well. I also like 15 pound test XTCB Braid 8 line. This line is super-sensitive and superstrong for its diameter. I have many fond memories of catching walleyes at night from mid-fall until it
was too cold to enjoy being out there. I prefer full moon nights, and I also like some wind. The best nights seem to be when the wind is blowing into the area that you’re fishing. Find out for yourself in the next few weeks how productive night-fishing for walleyes can be.
ICE, Continued from Page 2B strategies with shallow sunset walleye. We can roll up to a good spot and drill a bunch of holes and wait or hope that the fish do what they are supposed to do. This strategy can work and might be the only option if you are short on time. There is definitely some merit to this strategy. Here are some other realities. When word gets out on a shallow bite and people begin to gather, the bite is often doomed. You put all your eggs in one basket and wait for the bite. I have been burned with this strategy more times than I care to admit. My most successful strategy by far is being much more aggressive before the sun gets low and simply hit what I consider as many good spots as possible long before the fish should be there. If you can hit a dozen spots long before sunset and crack a few fish off one spot, you are usually going to
catch way more fish off that location come sunset. You might have time to check several spots versus just a single spot if you simply get out of your head that you can’t catch walleye during the day. You can catch walleye during the day. You can eliminate a lot of water during the day and find fish. You will be in a much better place come sunset if you do. There is a general rule of thumb that fish slide up on tops of reefs, points or move shallow when the sun gets low. Keep with that mentality when you are looking for walleye during the day. Hit the same spots during the middle of the day where you would expect to find them come sunset when you are trying to find fish. During the hunt, the key is to keep hitting new spots with fresh ice where there has been no pressure yet. If there are a lot of fish on a spot, there will be a few that slide up shallow much earlier than they
should. Don’t get bogged down with fishing the deeper adjacent water or the sides of the structure. Use that strategy after you find fish and want to pick off a few more fish as you wear out your welcome or the sun gets higher in the morning and you need to extend the bite window. When looking for fresh fish, focus on the money spots and hit as many as you can. The reason this is so important so often is simply because shallow walleyes often don’t slide deeper during the middle of the day, they often simply seem to lay on the bottom and quit cruising. That is why you often can’t sit in one spot and catch multiple fish out of one hole during the middle of the day. The fish must keep moving underneath you for you to be able to do that. Come sunset when fish are cruising on the prowl, you can catch several fish out of one hole. That is why fishing
There is a general rule of thumb that fish slide up on tops of reefs, points or move shallow when the sun gets low. Keep with that mentality when you are looking for walleye during the day. Hit the same spots during the middle of the day where you would expect to find them come sunset when you are trying to find fish. much more aggressively during the day is important… you must go to them and land a lure nearby. I have often stated and still believe that I can usually extend a bite window by downsizing after the primetime period is over. The first hour of daylight for example, the fish might be smoking a ¼ ounce Rattlin’ Blade Spoon. As the sun gets higher, the fish get tougher to catch and simply downsizing can account for a few more fish at the end of the bite window. When I am hunting, I like to err on the side of big and aggressive because fish that
are laying on the bottom often must get turned around. The odds of landing right in front of a fish is slim. The odds of landing within twenty feet of a fish are much better. The fish might be facing the wrong direction and laying on the bottom. Finesse just isn’t going to move that fish or turn it around. Hard pounding however can get these fish to respond. When I am looking for fish during the middle of the day, I like to use the same lures I expect to use at sunset. The very best bites for early ice walleye in shallow water usually indeed happen
at sunrise and sunset but by utilizing the middle of the day and using that time to hunt for new spots with fish, you can be in a much more fluid position of staying on good bites. Don’t just sit and wait. Hunt for fish and use the rest of the day to get you on the hot bites happening when the sun hits the horizon. You will be amazed at the schools of shallow water walleye you can find during the middle of the day. You will also be rewarded with some epic and aggressive bites in shallow water once the sun gets low.
Iowaʼs furbearer season begins Nov. 2 DES MOINES Furharvesters take note: the outlook is pretty decent for most of the commonly targeted species ahead of Iowa’s furbearer hunting and trapping season, “Over the past five years, coyotes have become the new hot thing,” said Vince Evelsizer, furbearer wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Last year, more than 18,000 coyotes were harvested, easily surpassing the previous record harvest of 15,347. The market has been strong for coyotes and the outlook for this fall looks good again,” Evelsizer said. “Our coyote population remains stable to increasing across the state with indications from our surveys the highest population is in southwest Iowa.” Coyotes have become the number one furbearer species people are pursuing because the fur market is good, and it’s featured more than ever on television shows and videos. The hunting industry is also producing new products specifically for coyotes, he said. However, with that popular-
ity the number of issues have also arisen. Evelsizer stresses that anyone pursuing coyotes make an extra effort to respect land ownership, property boundaries and use fair-chase ethics. Iowa ranks in the top five states for the number of licensed furharvesters per capita, averaging around 14,500 per year for the last three years. When the fur market was strong, like in 2013, the number of licensed furharvesters was nearly 21,000. Racoons, along with muskrats, are two species targeted by beginning furharvesters. Iowa’s raccoon population continues to be high – too high. Unfortunately when populations reach high levels, the prevalence of disease outbreaks increase. For raccoons, outbreaks of distemper often occur which has been the case this year. Pelt prices are trending up slightly this fall, especially for large prime raccoons. Iowa’s muskrat population is variable, but the longterm population trend continues to decline. “There are some areas that have muskrats, but statewide, the
population is extremely variable. Scouting will be important. Huts have already begun to show up in Iowa’s wetlands and will rapidly increase wherever muskrats and ideal water levels with aquatic vegetation occur,” Evelsizer said. “However, we still don’t see the widespread distribution of muskrats across the state like we used to.” The fur market outlook for muskrats indicates pelt prices from last season may trend up slightly for the 2019-20 season because inventories are low going into the season thus increasing market demand for those harvested this year. Red fox numbers are trending up slightly in some regions of the state, which is positive. However, red fox continue to deal with mange. Pelt prices are expected to remain fairly similar to last year. Iowa’s beaver population is trending higher. While the pelt prices on the fur market is low, prices for beaver castor (glands) is high. The number of nuisance complaints often increases with the population. Badger numbers are stable
across Iowa and increasing in western Iowa likely due to lighter and dryer soils and grasslands. Pelt prices are likely to be similar to last year. The river otter population has trended upward in eastern and southern regions of Iowa. The bag/possession limit for river otters is two. Pelt prices are expected to be stable to up slightly. Iowa’s bobcat population is up across southern Iowa and continues to expand into new areas of north Iowa; specifically northeast Iowa. The fur market should be similar to up slightly compared to last year. New this year is a three bobcat bag limit across three tiers of counties in southern Iowa. Iowa’s bobcat harvest is divided into three zones – a three bobcat bag limit zone (southern Iowa), a one bobcat bag limit zone and a zone closed to bobcat harvest. Only one bobcat may come from the one bobcat zone regardless of the county in that zone it was taken from, the remaining cats must come from the three cat zone. No more than three bobcats total can be legally harvested by a furharvester
this season. Furharvesters are reminded of the requirement to contact a conservation officer within seven days of taking an otter or bobcat to receive a CITES tag. The CITES tag must remain with the animal until it is processed or sold. Gray fox populations remain low but are rarely targeted by trappers. We are watching the gray fox popu-
lation closely,” Evelsizer said. A proposal has been submitted to study gray fox populations, including what they’re dying from – cause specific, as well as looking at their habitat needs. This population decline is not unique to Iowa, it’s a Midwest trend, he said, we are hopeful about getting this funding to carry out this research on gray fox.
When it comes to your to-do list, put your future first. To find out how to get your financial goals on track, contact your Edward Jones financial advisor today.
Doug Wagner Financial Advisor .
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2019
ESTHERVILLE NEWS/ESTHERVILLE, IA
OUTDOOR CONNECTION
One of these things …
These scenes were captured in Estherville. Above is a Canada Warbler, the photographerʼs first. The warbler flies more than 3,000 miles from their wintering grounds in South America to breeding grounds in Canada. At right is a red fox near South Joe Hoye Park. Below left is a common yellowthroat near the Estherville Rock Garden. Below right is a yellow warbler on the fence of the swinging bridge. Photos and text by Mike Fredrickson
4B
Top three ways to handle fall leaves DES MOINES — Fall leaves are beautiful – until they pile up in your yard. But don’t send those precious nutrients up in smoke. Instead, put them to good use. Your leaves, branches and other landscape materials can nourish your lawn, garden or community. It’s as easy as 1 – 2 – 3. 1. Composting leaves and food scraps is a great way to turn this waste into nutrients for your garden. A good compost mix needs both carbon (dead or dry leaves) and nitrogen (green materials like food scraps and grass clippings). Many types and sizes of compost containers are available. For tips on low-tech ways to compost, see a DNR tutorial. 2. Your lawn will love you if you chop up and leave your leaves in place. Leaves are a free and natural fertilizer and they add organic matter to enrich your soil. Use your regular lawn mower. Or use a mulching lawn mower to shred and mix leaves and grass into your yard. 3. Bag it. If you have too many leaves or branches to comp ost, check with your community to see if they collect yard waste or have a drop-off site. Sometimes there’s a fee, but the upside is that anyone can pick up composted materials for their yards or gardens Burning leaves seems to capture the smell of autumn. But breathing leaf smoke pulls pollutants such as carbon monoxide, soot and toxic chemicals into your lungs. While it may smell good, smoke is especially harmful to children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems such as asthma. Carbon monoxide binds with hemoglobin in the bloodstream to reduce oxygen flow. Carbon monoxide can be dangerous for young children, smokers, the elderly,
and people with chronic heart or lung disease. Pollution levels adjacent burn areas can exceed human health standards. Particulate matter refers to microscopic soot particles. Too small to be seen individually with the unaided eye, dense concentrations are visible as smoke. These particles are less than 2.5 microns in size -- roughly the thickness of a human red blood cell. They can become embedded in lung tissue and are known to contribute to premature death, affect persons with heart conditions and trigger asthmatic reactions for some people. Hazardous chemicals; Benz(a)pyrene is known to cause cancer in animals and is believed to be a factor in lung cancer caused by smoking. It is present in leaf smoke. Turning leaves into nutrients is the healthy way to protect your and your neighbor’s lungs.
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Valspar Paint
Andersen Windows
Lumber & Tools
2303 Murray Road, Estherville 712-362-6996
Bait • Tackle & Convenience Store Steve Pflueger - Owner
“Stump the Pump Monday & Wednesday”
5
¢
Fish Cleaning 7 am - 7 pm Daily
ave We H ING YTH EVER eed! You N
LARGEST
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per gallon of gas purchased!
inventory in NW Io
Hwy 86 • 1 1/2 miles west of U.S. 71 • Milford
wa
OPEN 6 A.M. - 8 P.M. DAILY 338-2087