The sale of Camp Tahigwa to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) should maintain the integrity of the Girl Scout camp property for years to come.
That is the message from the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (GSEIWI) and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), who are working together on the recently-announced transaction. The GSEIWI Board recently voted to sell the camp property located near Dorchester to the DNR, with the stipulation that the land be permanently maintained as a natural space for public use.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, January 30 to address various topics. Among the items discussed were a funding request from the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, the appointment of an alternate voter on behalf of the Supervisors for the Northeast Iowa Response Group, Plat Approvals and Manure Management Plan updates.
Cutler and Dylan Lemke, young sons of Torrey and Hope Lemke of rural Lansing, stand proudly with the snow sculpture they made with their father following the more than eight inches of snow that fell in the Allamakee County area Tuesday night into Wednesday, January 24-25. Torrey Lemke said his sons wanted to make a snowman when they saw the new fallen snow, but he suggested making something else. The boys then drew on their experiences with their rural living area and came up with the idea of making a snow deer. "We see a lot of deer at our house, and the boys were excited about making something like that," said Torrey, who is an avid hunter. He also said the wet, heavy snow was "perfect" for sculpting the creation. The crew used spray paint to add the real life color to their sculpture and topped off the masterpiece with a set of antlers from one of Torrey's own deer hunts several years ago, creating the eight-point snow buck in a matter of about 45 minutes. Submitted photo.
The Shopko Foundation recently made a donation to the Driftless Area Visitor and Education Center under construction just south of Lansing. Pictured above, left to right, at the donation presentation are Shopko team members April, Lorna and Laurie, Allamakee County Conservation Director Jim Janett, Waukon Shopko manager Valerie Reinke and Shopko team member Mary. Janett says the donated funds will be put toward the interpretive displays that will be housed within the Center. Standard photo by Sara Aleckson-Melcher.
The Midwest Veterans of America, an organization newly created and recently registered with the office of the Iowa Secretary of State to assist local military veterans, hosted the third annual Northeast Iowa Pie Championships Sunday, January 29 at the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank Community Room in Waukon, with a “celebrity” pie-eating contest (pictured below) being a featured highlight of that event. In the photo at left, this year’s pie-eating contest winner, Patrick Monroe, is pictured with his championship plaque. Monroe finished eating his vanilla cream pie in a reported time of 35 seconds, defeating last year’s champion, KNEI radio personality Erik Kelly, and the inaugural event champion, Sandy Halverson of the S&D Cafe, to claim this year’s crown. Halverson reportedly finished second for the second consecutive year.
The 2017 Northeast Iowa Pie Championships, held January 29 to raise funds for the Midwest Veterans of America, has released its list of top placewinners in the Pie Judging Contest held as part of the event. A total of 41 pies were entered into the Pie Judging Contest. This year's top-three placewinners each received a ribbon and are listed below:
Rick Larson of Waukon was recently honored for his 25 years of service to the Waukon Fire Department. Pictured left to right, Waukon Fire Chief Dave Martin presents Larson with a watch in recognition of his service milestone anniversary. Submitted photo.
Pictured above at the Sustainability Award presentation are, left to right, Mark Jensen, Winneshiek County Development Incorporated President; Rhonda Seibert, NICC Provost; and Megan Kregel, Dairy Center Coordinator. Submitted photos.
Winneshiek County Development Incorporated has awarded Iowa's Dairy Center and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) with the annual Sustainability Award. This award is presented to any business or organization that has gone above and beyond in employing good sustainability practices.
Waukon Veterinary Service and Brodahl Veterinary Service of Waukon partnered with Zoetis and the National FFA Organization to donate a total of $635 to the Little Switzerland FFA chapter at Waukon High School through the FFA Support Program. The donated funds are provided to chapters through the sale of cattle and equine medical products at both locations. The Zoetis Industry Support Program was pleased to announce that the participants in the program helped contribute more than $1.3 million to local FFA chapters nationwide. Their goal is to support the development of individual FFA chapters across the country. The donated funds will be used to provide contest materials and other necessities for the Waukon FFA Chapter. The support from Waukon Veterinary Service and Brodahl Veterinary Service has allowed the chapter to reach out to more students through their participation in FFA contests.
Saturday Clover Kids met January 21 at the Waukon Wellness Center, hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Ross Geerdes, Allamakee County Conservation's Naturalist, joined the meeting to share his knowledge about watersheds and the animals that live there. He brought along many furs to share and explained how each animal was different and how they lived around or in a watershed. With Waukon being close to the Mississippi River, most of these animals are common in the local area. The Clover Kids were able to touch each fur (pictured above) and note the differences in color and also how the fur felt; for example, animals that lived mainly in the water, such as otters, had fur that felt oily in order to repel the water off of them. Geerdes explained characteristics of each animal and how that helps each animal thrive in its environment. The youth also had the opportunity to meet Sally the salamander and pet her, along with a toad (pictured below).
