Stories from Wednesday, July 8, 2020

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for help with its annual turkey population estimates in July and August. Participation is easy – just note the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male – males have beards on their breast – and whether there were young poults (baby turkeys). There is a link to an online survey and survey card at www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Turkey-Hunting for those willing to help...

DNR note: Last summer, we visited with landowners who are making a difference for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators by planting prairie, including Phyllis Kimball. These landowners have made a commitment to help bring the Monarch butterfly back and support pollinators and other wildlife by planting prairie.  We hope their stories will inspire you and give you some ideas about how you could also help save the Monarch and honor Iowa's prairie heritage...

The 2018-2019 Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS) annual report was released on Wednesday, July 1 by Iowa State University, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The findings reveal increased farmer, landowner and community engagement, use of conservation practices, and funding invested in soil health and water quality projects...

In the summer months, the water is warm, the fish are hungry, and there is a lot of food in the water for the fish to eat. The predator fish have a lot of options on their menu, so if we want to get them to bite the bait on the end of our line, we need to show them something that appeals to them. With so much real food in the water for the predators, making our bait more appealing can be a challenge...

A program that doesn’t get enough credit for the benefits that come from it is the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program. Since its beginning in 1989, REAP has helped fund the protection of Iowa’s beautiful and important resources. Each year REAP funds these areas:...

The Harris-Lake Park baseball team dropped a non-conference clash with Sibley-Ocheyedan on Tuesday, June 30. The Generals topped the Wolves 11-5 in Sibley. After one scoreless inning, the Generals took a 3-0 lead with a run in the second and two more in the third...

The Okoboji softball team run into a buzzsaw to end the month of June, as the Pioneers fell 10-0 to second-ranked (1A) Newell-Fonda on Wednesday, June 30. After one scoreless inning, the Mustangs plated five in the second, one in the third and four in the fourth to end the night early...

The Okoboji softball team lost a one-run road contest with Sibley-Ocheyedan on Wednesday, July 1. The Pioneers fell 4-3 to the Generals in Sibley. Okoboji took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top half of the opening frame. The visitors added to their lead with a run in the top half of the third, but the Generals pulled ahead with three runs in the bottom half of the frame...

The Harris-Lake Park softball team struggled last week, dropping a trio of games to Sibley-Ocheyedan, Gehlen Catholic and MMC-RU by a combined score of 41-1. "I just kind of thought last week was one of those weeks where nothing quite went our way," Harris-Lake Park coach Ashley Delaney said. ...

Wednesday night's softball showdown between 10th-ranked (3A) Spirit Lake and rival Storm Lake was a bit too close for comfort for the Indians, but the visitors did just enough to earn a 5-2 road win over the Tornadoes. "Gracie Hamm did a great job on the mound for us," Spirit Lake coach Rachel Fisher said. ...

Lakes Conference rivals Spirit Lake and Storm Lake needed extra innings to determine a winner in Wednesday night's baseball battle. In the end, the Indians did just enough on offense to top the Tornadoes 6-4 in nine innings in Storm Lake. "I thought we hit the ball about as well as we have all year," Spirit Lake coach Ross Ackerman said. ...

The Harris-Lake Park baseball team earned a 5-2 War Eagle Conference road win over MMC-RU on Thursday, July 2. "I thought we were really resilient in that game, especially Isaac (Ihnen)," Harris-Lake Park coach Lane Gunderson said. "He didn't have his best stuff pitching but he found a way to grind through and win it. ...

The Okoboji softball team lost a Siouxland Conference road trip to MOC-Floyd Valley on Thursday, July 2. The Dutch topped the Pioneers 12-2 in Orange City. Okoboji took a 1-0 lead in the first and a 2-1 lead in the third, but the Dutch scored three in the third, seven in the fourth and one in the fifth to earn the 10-run victory...

Siouxland Conference rivals Okoboji and MOC-Floyd Valley battled it out for eight innings Thursday evening in a classic high school baseball matchup. In the end, the Dutch pushed a run across in extras to seal a 4-3 win over the Pioneers in Orange City...

Spirit Lake jumped all over Cherokee from the outset on Thursday, July 2, as the 10th-ranked (3A) Indians earned a 15-0 win over the Braves in Lakes Conference softball action. "That was a really fun game," Spirit Lake coach Rachel Fisher said. "We were able to get almost every varsity player on the roster in the game at some point. ...

Lakes Conference baseball champion Spirit Lake took a commanding lead over Cherokee but had to hold off a late charge by the Braves to stretch its win streak to three games on Thursday, July 2. The Indians topped the Braves 11-9 in Spirit Lake. "The bats were there," Spirit Lake coach Ross Ackerman said. ...

Senior pitcher Lawton Kramer was dominant Monday night, striking out a dozen in his team's 12-2 home win over West Bend-Mallard. "We had a really good pitching performance from Lawton," Spirit Lake coach Ross Ackerman said. "It was his last time throwing at home on the mound, so I thought it was a great way to send him off being the kid that he is and how well he has thrown for us for the past three years. It was a great game from him on the mound."...

Harris-Lake Park hung with West Sioux for three innings, but a nine-run fourth inning pushed the Falcons past the Wolves 16-4 Monday night in War Eagle Conference softball action. The Falcons took a 3-0 lead with two runs in the first and another in the second before the Wolves knotted the game with a three-spot in the bottom half of the second inning...

Last year's state semifinalist West Sioux was just too much for Harris-Lake Park to handle Monday night, as the Falcons topped the Wolves 15-0 in War Eagle Conference baseball action in Lake Park. "I just thought West Sioux was better than us last night," Harris-Lake Park coach Lane Gunderson said. ...

Spirit Lake avenged its only Lakes Conference loss of the season with an 11-1 dismantling of Spencer on Tuesday, July 7. "I was just really impressed with the girls from the start of the game. They knew they had something to prove after our performance at Spencer when we played them the first go-around," Spirit Lake coach Rachel Fisher said. ...