Volunteers needed

The summer baseball and softball program in Hartley is need of coaches and umpires for the summer season. The rec department is also in need of a director.

See the ads on Page 3 for more details.

'Adopt a Pot' in Hartley this spring

Nineteen flower pots will once again be planted and placed throughout Hartley this spring, and local residents are encouraged to adopt one by May 1.

There are three ways to participate. Contact Sue Schulz at (712) 261-2605 or Dyan Roth at (712) 229-2503 for more informaiton.

Hartley library closed for flooring installation

The Hartley Public Library will be closed through Saturday, April 30, for installation of new flooring.

No meeting space will be available. No overdue fines will be charged during this time. Patrons should hold their books and materials rather than returning them, as the drop box will also be closed. WiFi and Bridges online resources will be available as usual.

Contact the library with any questions at (712) 928-2080.

DNR crews achieve walleye collection goals

This year's unusual cold, late spring delayed the start of walleye collection efforts.

"Mother Nature presented many challenges this year, including cooler than normal temperatures, high winds, sleet and snow, as well as tornadoes," said Jay Rudacille, supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Warm and Coolwater Fish Culture section in a news release. "Despite these less than ideal conditions, we still met our walleye egg collection goal thanks to the dedication, passion, and adaptability of our fisheries staff."

Walleyes were caught at Clear, East Okoboji, Rathbun, Spirit and Storm lakes from April 5-14. Netting crews collected enough walleyes to produce 796 quarts of eggs at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery and 900 quarts at the Rathbun Fish Hatchery. Crews at Storm Lake spawned enough females to produce 205 quarts of walleye eggs while efforts at Clear Lake produced 292 quarts of eggs. The Clear Lake and Storm Lake satellite hatcheries transferred their eggs to the Rathbun and Spirit Lake Fish hatcheries to be incubated and hatched.

The DNR's goal was to collect 1,600 quarts of walleye eggs to produce 145.3 million walleye fry to stock in Iowa lakes or raise to a larger size in hatcheries before being released. In total, 1,696 quarts of walleye eggs are being incubated.

2022 was one of the best walleye collection seasons in more than a decade, netting 531 female walleyes from Rathbun Lake. Five nights of walleye netting at Clear Lake produced its best year since 2015.

New egg incubators at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery replaced the old system that used lake water to hatch the eggs.

"The new recirculating incubators use dechlorinated city water to provide clean, aquatic invasive species-free water for our eggs to hatch," said Kim Hawkins, hatchery manager for the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery. "The new system is running great. Diseases that could affect the hatch rate of the eggs are greatly reduced and heat pumps help to control water temperature."

Iowa is one of the top producers of walleye fry in the United States, second only to Minnesota. While the majority of walleyes are stocked as fry, some are cultured in Iowa DNR hatcheries and stocked at different sizes. More than 1.2 million two-inch walleyes are expected to be stocked into lakes, rivers, and streams across the state this summer. The DNR plans to grow more than 311,000 walleyes to 6-9-inch fingerlings that will be stocked in lakes later this fall.

With little natural reproduction in most Iowa lakes and rivers, Iowa's walleye populations rely heavily upon stockings. Walleyes are stocked throughout Iowa into natural lakes, interior rivers, flood control reservoirs and selected larger man-made lakes.

While the sole focus at Rathbun Fish Hatchery in the spring is collecting and producing walleye, crews at Spirit Lake collected 195 northern pike that produced more than 1.6 million northern pike fry and 93 muskellunge, which are currently being held in the hatchery waiting to be spawned.

Iowa boat registrations expire April 30

SUBMITTED PHOTO

CC/E students perform in NWI Honor Choir: Clay Central/Everly 5-6 grade honor choir students performed last week at the Northwest Iowa Honor Choir concert in Sioux Center. The students enjoyed meeting new friends and making beautiful music together at the event.

Iowans will be registering more than 231,000 boats before April 30, when current boat registrations expire. Boat registrations are good for three years and registration fees go to support water trails, navigation enforcement, aquatic invasive species, and boater education and safety.

Boat registrations are handled by Iowa's county recorders and boat owners may bring their current registration to any recorder's office when they renew. Nonresidents who register their boat in Iowa will go to the county where the boat is primarily used.

Owners who purchased a boat from a private seller and are registering it in their name should bring the signed registration and to make sure the title is signed over to them, if applicable.

Only boats displaying a current registration are allowed to operate on Iowa waters.