Graduate in December at NCC

Sixty-five students graduated from Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon on Friday, Dec. 17. Area students who received diplomas and degrees follow.

Hartley: Jessica A. Greiner, Medical Coding Diploma.

Sanborn: Ivan A. Abonce, Electrical Technology Degree; Jamie E. Flores, High School Equivalency Diploma; Cade M. Schiphoff, Electrical Technology Degree.

Named to UI fall dean’s list

Bennett Haack, of Sanborn, was among more than 6,900 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa named to the dean’s list for the 2021 fall semester.

Haack is a first-year student in Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is majoring in Biology. He is the son of Ryan and Erica Haack.

Undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on nine semester hours or more of graded work. Dean’s list status was only achieved by 1,402 first-year undergraduates during the fall semester.

Named to ILCC fall honors list

The 2021 fall honors list has been announced by Iowa Lakes Community College. The President’s List includes full-time students taking 12 credits or more and earning a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. The Dean’s List contains students with a grade point average of 3.25-3.99, and the President’s List showcases students who earn a 4.0 (A) average.

Students from this area named to the honors list are identified by hometown, name and honor.

Everly: William Parsons, Dean’s List; James Rickerl, President’s List (4.0); Jorgan Rustad, President’s List (4.0).

Hartley: Cameryn Van Ravenswaay, Dean’s List.

Royal: Gabriella Carpenter, President’s List (4.0).

Sutherland: Baily Rohlfsen, Dean’s List.

ISU announces fall dean’s list

More than 9,700 students at Iowa State University in Ames have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the fall semester 2021 dean’s list. Students named to the dean’s list must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work.

Students identified below are listed by hometown, name, year and curriculum.

Everly: Morgan Jean Jensen, 4, Architecture-Professional Degree; Emily Marie Joenks, 3, Agricultural and Life Sciences Education.

Hartley: Joseph David Ahlers, 2, Civil Engineering; Bryce Randall Batien, 4, Animal Ecology; Marty Deve Schmidt, 3, Human Development and Family Studies.

Peterson: Haylee Gunnerson, 4, Architecture-Professional Degree; Caleb Robert Rock, 3, Electrical Engineering; Emily Rae West, 4, Animal Ecology.

Royal: Claire E. Christensen, 4, Animal Science; Kally Fahnlander, 2, Graphic Design; Nelson Alexander Findling, 4, Agricultural and Life Sciences Education; Rachel Ann Findling, 4, Agricultural and Life Sciences Education.

Sutherland: Sean R. Negus, 3, Agricultural Business.

O’Brien County Tourism awarded $5,300 grant

O’Brien County Tourism will receive a grant of $5,300 through the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) fiscal year 2022 Iowa Tourism Grant cycle. The grant has been awarded for the O’Brien County Tourism’s Ambassadors Project.

According to Katie Keene, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator of the Iowa Tourism Office, which is part of IEDA, there were 77 eligible applications for this year’s grant cycle seeking over $557,500 in grant funding. The purpose of the grant program is to “promote tourism in Iowa by funding tourism-related marketing initiatives, meetings and events that benefit both local economies and the state’s economy.”

With this grant, O’Brien County Tourism will partner with four bloggers, who will utilize their platforms to promote tourism in the county. O’Brien County Tourism will also partner with Turner Marketing Consulting to assist with social media marketing.

“This grant will provide an excellent opportunity for our communities and organizations to showcase what makes O’Brien County unique and a great place to live, work and enjoy life,” said Kiana Johnson, Director of O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation.

Johnson has been a member of Western Iowa Tourism Region for over 16 years. She has served on various committees including grant scoring committees, has served as Senate District Leader and is currently vice president of WITR. O’Brien County Tourism, a committee of OCEDC, has had the privilege of hosting WITR meetings.

For additional information, contact O’Brien County Economic Development at (712) 957-1313 or e-mail ocedc@tcaexpress.net.

Scharnberg Pond stocked with winter trout

The Iowa DNR released between 1,000-2,000 rainbow trout at three community trout ponds as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer. Locally, Scharnberg Pond east of Everly was stocked.

The winter/spring 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.

Bringing trout to cities and towns offers a “close to home” option for Iowans who might not travel to the coldwater streams in northeast Iowa to discover trout fishing.

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.

NWI fishing report

All walleye between 19 and 25 inches must be immediately released unharmed at Big Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji Lakes, Upper Gar Lake, Minnewashta Lake, Lower Gar Lake and Storm Lake; no more than one walleye longer than 25-inches can be taken per day.

Most area lakes have 12-plus inches of ice allowing for safe ice fishing. Small vehicle traffic has been prevalent in areas with thicker ice. Use caution as a handful of snowmobiles and Atvs have gone through in lakes that still have open holes and seams. Be sure you know a safe route on and off the ice. Bring safety essentials like flotation, ice picks and a friend. Area lakes have 3-6 inches of snow on the ice.

Center Lake: Caution – the lake aeration system is currently in operation, creating a large open hole.

East Okoboji Lake: Most of the lake is fully iced with an average of 14-plus inches of ice allowing for safe ATV traffic in most areas. Be cautious of the open holes and seams that still persist. Panfishing has been good out from the Ritz; some sorting is needed. Try heavy tungsten jigs, plastics and baits.

Black crappie, good. Bluegill, good. Try jigging with tube jigs or a tungsten jig and live bait.

Ingham Lake: Caution – the lake aeration system is currently in operation. Ice conditions very heavily around the lake; most areas have 12-plus inches.

Minnewashta Lake: The panfish and crappie bite has been fairly good with the recent onset of ice. The bite is good enough that live bait hasn’t been needed for success. Ice conditions are safe enough to venture with ATVs with an average ice thickness of 14-plus inches.

Black crappie, fair. A nice crappie bite can be found with a little movement around the lake. Bluegill, good. Try jigging with tube jigs or a tungsten jig and live bait. Pumpkinseed, fair.

Scharnberg Pond: Trout were stocked in mid-January; fish should be biting well. You need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.

Rainbow trout, good. Trout are biting on a variety of different baits. Try a worm or lure that imitates a minnow.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Caution – the lake aeration system is currently in operation. The lake is fully iced, with an average ice thickness of 14-plus inches. Be cautious of holes that have frozen over more recently on the main basin. Walleye, fair.

Spirit Lake: The lake is fully iced, but conditions can vary in areas that had open holes until recently. Ice thickness is 14-plus inches in most places.

Black crappie, fair. Mostly being caught along with perch; use tube jigs with wigglers or pilkies. Bluegill, fair. Mostly being caught along with perch; use tube jigs with wigglers or pilkies. Yellow perch, fair.

West Okoboji Lake: Ice thickness is 14-plus inches in most places; there still are a handful of seams and recently frozen over holes. Know where trouble areas are before venturing on or off the ice. Panfishing has been good with a little movement on the north end and Little Emerson Bay. Try heavy tungsten jigs, plastics or baits.

Black crappie, good. Try jigging with tube jigs or a tungsten jig and live bait. Bluegill, good. Many anglers have been successful off Triboji on the north end of the lake. Try jigging with tube jigs or a tungsten jig and live bait.

Annual surveillance effort finds 36 Iowa deer with CWD

Samples from nearly 5,000 deer have been tested as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ effort to monitor for chronic wasting disease, resulting in 36 confirmed positives from the 2021-2022 hunting season.

The samples were collected over the past 10 months from willing hunters and taxidermists, as well as from deer killed along Iowa’s roads. The DNR uses a weighted surveillance strategy focusing on high priority samples – older bucks – to increase the likelihood of finding the disease if it is present in the area. In areas where CWD is detected, the DNR increases the number of samples collected in order to monitor the spread of the disease. As additional positives are detected, the DNR will engage hunters to help to manage the herd toward the lower end of the population goal.

Hunters can still participate in select deer management zones hunts through Jan. 23, while licenses are available.

Chronic wasting disease is a neurological disease belonging to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases. It attacks the brain of infected deer and elk causing the animals to lose weight, display abnormal behavior, lose body functions and die. It is always fatal to the infected animal.

Most of the 36 positives came from existing deer management zones except for three – a road-killed deer five miles south of Jefferson in Greene County, a deer taken in northwest Fremont County, and one from just outside the zone in Jackson County. The DNR will be scheduling meetings in these counties to discuss chronic wasting disease and how hunters can help to slow the spread. With the addition of Greene and Fremont, Iowa now has 12 counties where chronic wasting disease has been confirmed.

This is the 20th year the Iowa DNR has tested deer across the state. The first deer tested positive in 2013. To date, 148 deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Iowa. More information is available online on the DNR’s website.

• County and number of positive deer (year detected): Allamakee, 72 (2013); Appanoose, 3 (2020); Clayton, 29 (2016); Decatur, 1 (2019); Dubuque, 3 (2018); Fayette, 2 (2019); Fremont, 1 (2021); Greene, 1 (2021); Jackson, 2 (2020); Wayne, 22 (2017); Winneshiek, 10 (2019); and Woodbury, 2 (2019).

Public meetings set to recap hunting, trapping seasons, discuss possible rule changes

The Iowa DNR will host a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics.

“We want people to come out to these meetings, listen to the seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from our staff,” said Todd Bishop, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau, in a news release. “Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as we work through the rules process.”

Locally, a meeting will be held in Okoboji on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., at Maser Monarch Lodge, 22785 Nature Center Road.

The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.