Viewpoints

To the Editor:

What Ms. Clarke suggested a couple weeks ago to do with the water retention area in northwest Waukon is a very good idea. We could use some outside recreation in that part of town.

Think about what Decorah would do with such an area opportunity, only this time do it first, but do it smart. It doesn’t need to be fancy or elaborate, just work with and around nature, such as small wildflower plots, prairie plants, savanna grass areas, maybe cattails where most moisture lies. But most important of all, milkweed plants for Monarch butterflies.

The possibilities are endless. In other words, it can be a work in progress. Girl and Boy Scout troops could get involved. A walking trail around the whole area with a few sitting benches and no steep inclines would be a real benefit and treat for older people.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that timing, they say, is everything in life.

I thought about that as I went to Lansing one day recently to make my gift to the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center south of the city, at what we used to call Columbus. I took the highway from Waukon because the area had been subjected to very heavy rains the day before. I expected to see signs of flash flooding along that wadi which eventually turns into Clear Creek as it nears Lansing. And the evidence was there, in spades.

Still, I guess I was not prepared to see the Mississippi in the condition I found it.

When you make a contribution to the center, you are given a brochure which shows what the outside and inside will look like when completed. There are also photos of the river taken from the location, looking up river toward the city and the bridge. It’s a beautiful photo, with a single boat moving over a calm, beautiful blue river.

To the Editor:

Floods.  Destruction.  Despair.

It has to stop. There are candidates running for re-election/election that support the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund legislation focused on improving water quality and reducing flooding. This fund would help implement the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy on a voluntary basis. Approximately 60% of this funding could go to this type of water quality protection. It’s time to fund the Trust.

Landowners in the Bear Creek watershed near Highlandville saw the rewards of the investments of soil and water conservation projects during this last storm event.  Terraces, ponds, wetlands, filterstrips and CRP grasslands all helped slow run-off and reduce destructive forces to our land, streams, roads and bridges. And it reduced despair...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that the dailies have been carrying stories about classes starting again, not just at high schools but at colleges and universities.
One story that caught my eye (which is good when you are reading) noted that certain black students at the University of Iowa were being allowed to live on a dorm floor where there would be no white students.

It wasn’t too many years ago that a newly-hired university president (since gone) said she felt her main goal for the campus was to encourage diversity. I think she started diversity training for employees and later there may even have been a for-credit course in diversity. So I am left to wonder what allowing black students who don’t want to associate with white students contributes to diversity.

To the Editor:

Boys and men use only their bathroom and locker-shower room in public places. Girls and women use only their bathroom and locker-shower room in public places. These first two sentences were unquestioned and went without saying until 2016.

I am sorry that meddling bureaucrats in the  Department of Justice and the Department of Education and  the Obama administration tried to dictate what our public schools, colleges and universities should allow. We should not comply to a transgender bathroom edict from Washington D.C. Presently our federal government is dysfunctional.

We must exercise our Tenth Amendment right to maintain order in our schools and prevent chaos.

Bruce Palmer
Waukon
 

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that these are called the Dog Days of Summer, and this year, that seems more than usually apt. The period, from some time in July through August, is so-named because of when the Dog Star, Sirius, is most noticed. It is the doldrums.

As I mowed my lawn last week, I noted that it has required weekly mowing since first started, and recalled many years when a dry spell would halt grass growth and we could skip a few days or maybe even a week between mowings. This year, with abundant rain and extremely high dew points, the grass and other foliage has grown with wild abandon. With periods of sun and clouds while I mowed, it seemed as if the property was almost tropical looking with its green lushness.

To the Editor:

I would like to commend the lifeguards and pool supervisor on the great job they did this season keeping the Lansing Swimming Pool a safe and happy place. Patty Olson, pool supervisor, trained all the guards herself and made sure the pool was operating properly. She worked tirelessly this summer without even a weekend off.

The lifeguards, Jordyn Burroughs, Spencer Colsch, A.J. Gagner, MaKayla and Tammy Manning, Erin Rud and Elizabeth Schwartzhoff, all did their part to keep the kids safe and entertained. Their pleasant attitudes and caring dispositions were always present. I appreciate the Lansing Pool staff for all they do.

Marylu Baker
Lansing
 

To the Editor:

Lansing Fish Days has a long history of family fun and entertainment. This entertainment does not come cheap, as the volunteers and coordinators plan for the greater part of the year to get all of the permits, licenses and registrations complete in time for the second weekend in August.

Merely shooting off fireworks on the water resulted in piles and piles of paperwork and coordination with the Coast Guard. Many behind the scenes projects must be completed every year which very few people realize. To the Fish Days Committee and all of the volunteers who make their lives a little easier, thank you for a job well done.

In a few short months the committee will begin to plan for next year’s Fish Days to ensure that you and your family will have a great time. If you see a member of the committee around town, please thank them for all of their hard work.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that as the weekend approached, it became clear to me that one of the 39 gallon garbage bags would not be enough to handle the load come Monday collection, so a second was started.

Since I live alone, I usually get by with one sack, and sometimes that is only half full.

But it is that time of the year that always reminds me of the days when one man with a horse (or mule?) pulled an open cart used to collect garbage around the city of Waukon.

This time of the year, you could see cornhusks and corn cobs and tomatoes and pepper “guts” and cucumber peels and melon and squash rinds in his cart. He fed his pigs with those things, which would not be allowed today on a farm so close to town.

He carried the stuff from homes in a metal bushel basket.

To the Editor:

Almost any chance I get, I go to Lansing. My parents started the tradition years ago and my family of 21 goes there for getaways as often possible.  We enjoy fishing, boating, the restaurants, the scenery and the wildlife. This area is very special to me and my family.

There is also a hill called “Wrestler’s Hill.” It’s a road that many champion wrestlers have used for training. It’s also a reminder of the rewards realized through the investment of persistence.
These are reasons why I agreed to serve as one of the Honorary Campaign Chairs for the Beyond the Plateau capital campaign to build the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center. Every time I visit, I look forward to seeing the progress of this facility.