Animals

Haak raises beetle cleaning crew (03/18/10)
Some people keep collections of preserved bugs as a hobby. Derek Haak, of Maurice, keeps live ones. Thousands of them. But the colonies of dermestid beetles Haak raises aren't just to look at. They've got a job -- a messy one. The beetles clean off animal skulls and bones so hunters like Haak can preserve them...

Are we sending bald eagles back to endangered list? (02/01/10)
Bald eagles are being attacked by an emerging predator. It's in the food they eat. Eagle protection agencies have been seeing eagles that are oddly sick, explained Plymouth County Naturalist Victoria De Vos. "They started testing the blood and they are finding out that they had very high levels of lead -- a neurotoxin," De Vos said. "It was basically paralyzing them in different ways."...

Winter keeps wildlife hunt for food and habitat (01/25/10)
Humans are not the only ones ready for spring. Wildlife is also anxious for the great thaw. While winter is generally about survival of the fittest, nearly 2 feet of snow makes it hard for all wildlife to find food, explained Plymouth County Naturalist Victoria De Vos...

Blizzard brings snow creature to Le Mars (01/11/10)
Unlike the mythical abominal snowman, snow creatures are real. And one has come to Le Mars. It was sighted after Ron and Stacey Mahlke decided to get out of the house to play with their children - Sydney and Rio - in the snow. But, two and one half hours later, Sydney and Rio watched as a 20-foot green lizard emerged from the depths of the snow bank...

Horse tales: Krosch goes from riding to writing (01/06/10)
Driving by Rich Krosch's farm, people might have noticed what looked like a zebra grazing in the pasture. They weren't too far from the truth. Krosch's son Scott wanted to be chosen for the reality TV show "Survivor: Africa." In an effort to get noticed on his video application, Scott borrowed a white mare and painted the horse striped with livestock paint to look like its wild African cousin...

Your letters matter, soldier tells students (12/03/09)
After writing letters to a soldier in Afghanistan for months, elementary students at Gehlen Catholic School got to meet him face to face. Army Specialist Scott Tillman, of Le Mars, spent Wednesday afternoon speaking in classrooms a few days before returning for a second tour of duty in Afghanistan...

Like they need more to worry about (11/18/09)
It's been a tough year for pork producers. Declining market prices and increased feed expense put a strain on profit margins earlier this year. Just when things had begun to get better, in the spring the H1N1 virus, erroneously referred to as the "swine flu" popped up in Mexico. Thousands of animals were slaughtered in Mexico and other nations in a misguided effort to stop the spread of the virus, which actually has nothing to do with pigs...

U.S. wildlife leaders worry about future during Akron summit (11/16/09)
Leaders from national wildlife groups shared concerns about the future of clean water and conservation in the United States during a summit near Akron this past weekend. "This is a place where agricultural producers, conservationists and water quality advocates come together for a common program," Jim Martin said of the gathering...

Korean War vets remember wartime experiences (11/10/09)
Members of the Korean War Last Man's Club, along with family and friends, gathered in friendship and remembrance for the club's 12th annual banquet Saturday, Nov. 7. The group honored two members who died since the last meeting. They are Willard Herman, who died Dec. 11, 2008, and Norman Lang, who died July 25, 2009...

Oh deer! It's that time of year (10/28/09)
With tree leaves turning golden and temperatures cooling, the fall season also brings a greater chance of car-deer accidents on roadways across Plymouth County. "We're starting to see an increase in vehicles hitting deer," said Plymouth County Deputy Paul Betsworth. "Once farmers start getting their crops in, they start chasing the deer out of the fields onto the roadways."...

Youth invited to free mentor hunt (10/20/09)
Plymouth County Pheasants Forever is offering a free youth mentor hunt this weekend to anyone ages 12-15. Youth can sign up to hunt Saturday, Sunday or both days. Dogs and dog handlers will be provided as needed for free. "We want to give kids experience in the outdoors, experience pheasant hunting," said Mike Slota of Pheasants Forever. "We provide a safe environment and education about how to hunt birds so they can do it the right way."...

Local Pheasants Forever build on top chapter status (10/19/09)
Plymouth County Pheasants Forever, recognized as the No. 1 chapter in the nation, is working hard on habitat projects in the county while also promoting safe hunting. The chapter is celebrating this fall that top designation for national support which includes programs, habitat projects, youth efforts and national expenditures...

Man's faith sends him on mule journey (10/02/09)
During harvest time, slow moving vehicles are a common sight along Iowa's roadways. Randy Boehmer's mule-drawn covered wagon is not. At a bracing speed of about 5 mph, the Arizona man rode by Le Mars to the north on Highway 60/75 Thursday while making his way from Minnesota to Texas...

Can you hare me now? Unusual rabbit in Le Mars (09/30/09)
Ever seen a four-eared rabbit? Duane Schettler and Amy Lempares, of Le Mars, have and they've got the photos to prove it. "We saw it out the kitchen window in the backyard," Schettler said. The couple has lived in their home, at 1580 First Ave. S.W., for 10 years, and this past summer was the first time they had seen a four-eared rabbit behind their house...

Pheasants' habitat dwindles by millions of acres each year (09/18/09)
Hunters may face a challenge this season -- the pheasant population is on a downward spiral in Plymouth County and throughout Iowa. Last year Iowa had 100,000 hunters and 383,000 birds, which is four birds per person in the field. Other years there have been 1.5 million pheasants, said John Linquist, Pheasants Forever regional representative. "From the early 2000s to now there has been a steady decline because of weather and habitat," Linquist said. The cold, damp spring this year affected pheasants' nesting habits, said Mike Slota, Pheasants Forever chairman for Plymouth County youth programs. "The weather has to be somewhat warm to produce the insects for the chicks when they're hatched," Slota said. "The hens can't keep the chicks adequately warm and they just die from exposure." The loss of habitat also affects pheasants' nesting because hens have less area to hide from predators, Slota said. Pheasant habitats, which usually require 5 to 10 acres, are areas with a mixture of tall and short grasses and flowering plants that attract insects, Slota said. A major reason that habitat is dwindling is that millions of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres are going away each year, Linquist said. Last year alone 1.1 million CRP acres expired, according to www.pheasantsforever.org. With the price of grain, farmers are finding they can make more money planting their land than putting it into CRP acres, Slota said. "With this economy you can't blame any farmer for squeezing every dollar out of the ground they can," Slota said. "Their job is to produce grain and make money off the ground. We understand that." Farmers began enrolling their qualified land into CRPs to be planted into habitats 10 to 15 years ago and receiving federal compensation, Linquist said. "A lot of people's acres are expiring and there are no new signups," he said. Another 3.8 million CRP acres will expire this fall and 4.4 million acres next September for a total of 21 million acres gone from the program by the end of 2012 without a new signup. The USDA does not have a signup scheduled, according to the Pheasants Forever website. "It's hard to maintain a bird population when we're constantly taking conservation acres out of play," Linquist said. Pheasants Forever hopes to turn that around with its program, Reload Iowa. The intent of Reload Iowa is to establish 1 million acres of new habitat on Iowa landscape. That means $11.5 million will need to be raised and 50 employees hired to go door-to-door to work with landowners to create the habitat, Linquist said. "That program is going to have to pay enough money out to entice the farmer to want to do this," Slota said. "The farmer has to look at the bottom line." There are also national programs like Conservation Practice 38 or State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) working to help conserve and create new habitat. SAFE started last year with 200,000 CRP acres that were divided among states. "We had 27,700 acres," Linquist said. "All of those acres have been used up and all within a year." The loss of habitat and dwindling pheasant population in Plymouth County and throughout the state has a trickle-down effect on economy and recreation, Linquist said. "When the population of the birds down so does the population of the hunters," he said. That means less dollars spent shopping, eating and staying locally by nonresident hunters. Fewer hunters also leads to a loss of revenue on licenses, which means less money to help support county and state parks, Linquist said. "That's what buys the land and sees to the upkeep," he said. "We're hurting ourselves by people not going out and hunting." A declining pheasant and hunter population is also detrimental for the next generation of would-be hunters, but Slota's optimistic Reload Iowa and similar programs will turn the numbers around. "I hope we start seeing an increase in the next couple of years," Slota said. "I would love to see it start going back the other way and hopefully we are doing the right things to make it start going the other way."

Pheasants Forever Remsen water project makes waves (09/09/09)
A project that began with the idea of helping clean up Remsen's water has picked up national interest. This year Plymouth County Pheasants Forever chapter worked together with the City of Remsen to transform about 90 acres of cropland and well field into native prairie habitat...

Brink inducted into fair's Hall of Fame (08/04/09)
The 2009 Plymouth County Fair Hall of Fame inductee grew up east of Merrill and has a long history with the Plymouth County Fair. Darwin Brink, now of Bronson, Iowa, received the honor Wednesday prior to the crowning of fair royalty. "Darwin has been walking or riding the Plymouth County fairgrounds for the past 70 years," said fair board president Terry Reuter...

Judge emphasizes design, gain in swine winners (08/03/09)
The term "design" came into play frequently Saturday as exhibitors in the Fair's Swine Show maneuvered their entries before Show Judge Dr. Tom Baas, Ph.D. Baas, a professor in the Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, explained that while the design of a pig "has always been very important" the design of the pig -- its structure and "how it's put together" -- is receiving added emphasis today in light of modern-day options for pork production...

Top Fair dairy entries awarded (07/31/09)
Young dairy exhibitors at Thursday night's Plymouth County Fair dairy show may have felt a bit lonely in the ring, but the lack of entries -- there were four in all -- did little to dim the exhibitors' enthusiasm and dedication to proper showmanship...

Raising bucket calves teaches sisters valuable lessons (07/30/09)
Regan and Reyly Plendl participated in their first bucket calf show Wednesday at the Plymouth County Fair. Combing her calf, Spike, prior to the judging, Regan explained her way of teaching Spike how to be led. "I hooked him up behind the 4-wheeler," Regan said. "I went slow."...

Livestock numbers up slightly at 2009 fair (07/28/09)

Rural Le Mars woman plans to open dog kennel (07/28/09)
Shawn Schiefen has been dreaming about opening a kennel for breeding and boarding dogs for several years. Monday, the rural Plymouth County woman took a step toward starting Windy Lane Kennels south of Le Mars, receiving some necessary variances from the Plymouth County Board of Adjustment...

Open shows move from Round Barn (07/28/09)
Visitors to the 2009 Plymouth County Fair will find the Round Barn Open Class displays in a new location -- the former 4-H Building. With the 4-H displays moving to the Hall of '84, open class Art Show, Creative Hobbies Show, Antiques and Collectibles, and Horticulture, Food and Preservation Show will move to the former 4-H Building...

Hillview offers relaxation in nature, living history (07/02/09)
This is the fourth story in a series of places to have summer fun in Plymouth County. For more than 30 years, Hillview Recreation Area has been a nice getaway for those who want to escape into nature and relax. Whether it is camping, fishing, hiking, swimming or just spending a day with the family, Hillview, about 1 mile west of Hinton, has something for everyone to enjoy -- including observing the county's resident elk herd...

Natural and effective ways to keep insects away (06/10/09)
With the season of summer quickly approaching, people are looking for a way to avoid the bites, stings and annoyance of summer creepy crawlies. DEET, a chemical commonly used in store boughten insect repellents, is effective in repelling flies, ticks and mosquitos when applied to skin...

Horsin' around: Merrill Saddle Club going strong after 60 years (06/01/09)
The Merrill Saddle Club is all about riding horses and having fun. Member Deann Henrich's been with the club since childhood. "It's just a lot of fun and the people are great to be around," Henrich said. "When I was little, my mom and everybody in my family rode and they still do ride today."...

Bison calves make history at Broken Kettle (05/26/09)
Eight bison calves frolic in the Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve. And there could be one or two more this year. "That would be the last I would expect," said Scott Moats, preserve manager, last week. These calves, born in The Nature Conservancy's Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve, are the first to be born in Iowa in more than 150 years...

The prairie returns: Pheasants Forever seeds Remsen habitat (05/20/09)
Seed by seed, row by row, a field just north of Remsen was transformed Tuesday. Land used to grow field corn last year has a new purpose: to provide habitat and help keep Remsen water clean. About 60 acres near the Remsen wells were tilled under and seeded as prairie Tuesday, thanks to a joint effort between the City of Remsen and Pheasants Forever. Local farmers donated time and equipment to help plant the seed...

Historic tour offers look at pink granite Victorian home (05/07/09)
(Third in a series) Pink granite from quarries around Sioux Falls, S.D., and a location on the curve of Highway 3 West make the Victorian style home at 11 Sixth Ave. S.W. stand out. The house, now owned by Randy and Berdene Barta and home to Berdene's, a reservation-only dining establishment and the Bartas, is one of five stops on the 2009 Historic Tour of Homes and Churches this Saturday...

Remsen habitat creation could spark statewide projects (04/29/09)
This spring, the first native grass seeds will take root in about 70 acres of land around the Remsen wells. Cropland on those acres was replaced with native habitat to help keep the water source below the surface purer. Now state officials are watching the success of this water quality improvement project in hopes that it will be the seed project for others across Iowa...

LCS presents Parade of Bands April 30 (04/28/09)
The Le Mars Community Schools Music Department will hold its annual Parade of Bands concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, in the Carey High School Gymnasium. Seniors will be recognized at this concert. The Fifth Grade Band will start the concert with its first performance ever. It will be playing "G-Force Five," "Cardiff Castle" and "Cowboy Cattle Drive."...

It's a boy... we think (04/23/09)
It's been more than 150 years since a bison was born in Iowa. History was made last weekend when the first calf made his appearance in the bison herd roaming about 500 acres in The Nature Conservancy's Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve. Scott Moats, preserve manager, is pretty sure the new calf is a male based on what he's seen, but that won't be confirmed until the shaggy beasts are rounded up this fall...

Le Mars native begins final leg of Chinese ship's journey (04/01/09)
Now it's just a race against time. And typhoons. Hugh Morrow, the Le Mars man sailing from China to the United States and back in an ancient-style Chinese ship, said the crew is on the last leg of the journey. He checked in with the Daily Sentinel during a recent stop in Saipan, an island in the U.S. Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean...

They're back: Bald eagles showing their faces around Le Mars (03/23/09)
Last week, Le Mars' airport manager Earl Draayer spotted seven bald eagles perched in the same tree. A driver reported seeing a dozen of the birds in trees along the Floyd River. We shouldn't be too surprised, according to Plymouth County Naturalist Victoria Shamblen...

New veterinarian has a passion for horses (03/05/09)
A love of horses brings a new veterinarian to Le Mars. Dr. Angela M. Marthaler started working part-time with Dr. John Conley in the Town and Country Veterinary Clinic in October 2008 and has been full-time since the end of January. Marthaler said her desire to locate in the Le Mars/Sioux City area and Conley's reputation as a veterinarian, plus his work with horses, made the job a good fit...

Remsen co-op feeds sheriff's K-9 program (02/25/09)
Sabot, the German shepherd that sniffs out people and drugs for the Plymouth County Sheriff's office is well fed, thanks to Remsen's Farmers Cooperative Company. The co-op has been donating dog food for about three years to the tune of about 40 pounds each month, according to feed department manager Jon Perrizo...

Pheasants Forever to offer scholarship (02/24/09)
At the Pheasants Forever annual banquet April 4, a new $1,000 scholarship will be announced. The scholarship is open to Plymouth County graduating senior's with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA. Applicants must be pursuing a career in conservation, natural resources, environmental education, conservation law enforcement, biology or related field...

Local Pheasants Forever win top award for habitat and youth education (02/17/09)
The Plymouth County Pheasants Forever chapter and its local volunteers have been recognized as a top chapter in the nation for investing more than $500,000 on habitat improvements and youth education in Plymouth County. The award was announced at the recent state convention awards program. John Linquist, Regional Representative of Pheasants Forever came to Le Mars to present the plaque to chapter members...

Habitat and clean water -- they go together (02/13/09)
The city of Remsen and the Remsen municipal utilities are working with the local chapter of Pheasants Forever to turn 70 or more acres of land north of Remsen into habitat. The city is taking this unusual approach to helping keep Remsen's water supply pure...

Bikers to deliver toys to local children (12/04/08)
A line of motorcycles stretched over the horizon, the rumble of a hundred V-twin engines made cattle in the fields wonder what could cause such a ruckus. The biker group traveled over 100 miles through farmland and winding roads of the Loess Hills -- followed the whole way by a truck loaded to the brim with children's toys...

Elk to be sold at auction Nov. 15 (11/14/08)
Another elk is up for sale Saturday. The Plymouth County Conservation Board plans to remove one mature cow from the elk herd at Hillview Recreation Area. The oldest cow will be sold at a 2 p.m. auction. The cow could not be sold at an auction in September as it had a calf. That calf is now weaned...

Watch your mailboxes: ECO Center fundraising begins (11/03/08)
Efforts to raise money for an Education Conservation Opportunities (ECO) Center are steaming forward. The Plymouth County Conservation Board and Plymouth County Conservation Foundation met earlier this week and came up with two fundraising ideas. Foundation members will pay for a direct mailing to Plymouth County residents explaining the project and asking for donations to help build the ECO Center...

Chinese praying mantis made the trip to Le Mars (09/05/08)
When Rick Prouty looked up from cleaning his pool, he could hardly believe his eyes. Sitting on the fence in his Le Mars backyard was a 4-inch praying mantis. "I didn't even know they lived up here," he said. "I've only ever seen them on National Geographic. I've never seen one up close."...

Farm Bureau honors Conley with Service to Ag award (09/03/08)
A longtime Le Mars area veterinarian was honored with the Plymouth County Farm Bureau's "Service to Agriculture" award Tuesday evening at the organization's 90th annual meeting. Dr. John Conley and his wife, Barbara, of rural Merrill, were called to the stage by President Mark Loutsch, who explained the award is given to those in Plymouth County who have contributed much of their lives toward the helping and development of agriculture...

New building site for ECO Center could hold down costs (08/14/08)
The Plymouth County Conservation Board on Tuesday designated a new site for its proposed Education and Conservation Opportunities (ECO) Center that could help reduce project costs. Dennis Sohl, Plymouth County Conservation director, said the center will be built adjacent to the Elk Overlook Parking Area in Hillview Park...

Soybean aphids increase in Plymouth County (08/07/08)
Soybean aphid numbers have increased dramatically in northwest Iowa soybean fields, and many fields are requiring treatment. "There are several fields in the county above treatment threshold so people should be scouting their fields," ISU Extension Grain Specialist Joel DeJong said Wednesday. The treatment threshold is 250 aphids per plant...

Merrill Threshing Bee (08/04/08)

Ohlrichs shows champion market beef (07/28/08)
Denton Ohlrichs made his debut appearance as a showman at the Plymouth County Fair beef show on Friday. It was a day the 10-year-old Merrill boy will never forget. His chances for winning the grand champion market beef trophy looked good after the two steers he showed took top places in both divisions during the show. Those steers competed with the champion heifer, shown by Colton Beaulieu, Sioux City, and the champion performance beef, shown by Mitchell Hoefling, Merrill...

Loutsch's influence proves hare-raising (07/25/08)
Rabbits are notorious for multiplying. So perhaps it should be no surprise that the two white rabbits Ronald Loutsch was given as a 10-year-old started a snowball effect -- he started the Plymouth County Fair rabbit show which now boasts nearly 125 rabbits...

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