Stories from Monday, November 9, 2015

An ambitious effort to restore one of Iowa's rarest natural habitats is being undertaken throughout northwest and north central Iowa. Known as a bur oak savanna, these grasslands are dominated by large bur oak trees that once grew with little competition from neighboring trees. This complex network of sun and shade patches created by an overstory of primarily open-grown oak trees leads to an amazing diversity of grasses, sedges, and flowering plants...

Iowa is at the top of another national list, ranking in the top five in the country for the number of furharvesters. "We have quite a few active trappers here," said Vince Evelsizer, furbearer biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "We have a good thing going in our state and want it to continue. Our trappers represent the activity in a positive light and we appreciate them for it."...

The cool, crisp days of fall are here. I have been enjoying signs of the changing season: the bright red, orange and yellow of leaves; salamanders and wooly bears crossing the road; an abundance of acorns and walnuts on the ground; and flocks of flickers gathering for their journey south...

There was snow in the air last week. Not much, but enough to remind me of something that I didn't need to be reminded of: Winter is getting closer. We could be ice-fishing on small ponds and lakes in less than a month. Strangely, I enjoy ice-fishing more now than I did in the past. I am planning some of my ice-fishing trips for the upcoming season right now. Following are some locations you might want to consider if you want to get in on some outstanding ice-fishing action this year...

Last Monday and Tuesday, I had the opportunity to experience first-class pheasant hunting in western Iowa, outstanding accommodations and participate in an extremely beneficial "Private Lands Conservation Tour." It all came through an invitation from Kristyn Brady representing the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). Two other outdoor writers ((both from Minnesota) and I were invited to the outing...

The sixth grade team representing the Spirit Lake Indians in the Midwest Youth Football League took home top honors after defeating Estherville Black in the A bracket championship game Oct. 17 at Spirit Lake High School. The victory capped a 6-0 season for the Spirit Lake team...

Sophomore Wesley Schultz placed third for the Iowa Lakes wrestling team at the Grand View Open held Saturday, earning the highest individual finish for the Lakers. The 184-pounder from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin went 3-1 on the day. After receiving a bye in the opening round, Schultz pinned Grand View's Josh Orscheln in 1 minute, 26 seconds, but was pinned by Southern Illinois Edwardsville's Derek Nagel in 1:20 to drop into the consolation bracket...

Iowa Lakes' volleyball season ended Wednesday in the semifinal match of the regional tournament in Norfolk, Nebraska, as the Lakers fell to Northeast Community College in five sets. "Tonight was a really tough loss for us," Iowa Lakes coach Megan Bezdicek said. "It is always difficult to see a season come to an end especially when we played so hard. We just couldn't finish at the end of sets."...