Clear Lake Dredge Project is Up and Running

PHOTO: SLOW DOWN ----- Iowa DNR District Fisheries Biologist, Scott Grummer displays a reduced speed sign at Clear Lake. The Clear Lake dredge, shown in background, begins work this week. The $9 million project is scheduled to remove 2.3 million cubic yards of sediment from the lake’s west end. Photo by: Lowell Washburn

By Lowell Washburn
Iowa Department of Natural Resources

CLEAR LAKE----The long awaited, much anticipated, $9 million Clear Lake dredging project has begun. “Weather-wise, it’s been a tough spring and summer for dredge assembly workers. People have been anxious, but the project is now up and running,” says DNR District Fisheries Biologist, Scott Grummer.

During the next week, dredge operators plan to test equipment and piping by dredging near the mobilization site at the Ventura Grade. Following that, dredging operations will move further into the lake and proceed in full force.

www.iowadnr.gov

July 24, 2008
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays in an effort to provide the latest information heading into the weekend. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. For current information, contact the district fisheries office. Phone numbers are listed at the end of each district report.

BURLINGTON - Two southeast Iowa men were charged Monday for alleged illegal turtle trapping activity after a concerned citizen called the Turn In Poachers hotline.

Using information from the TIP call, conservation officers staked out the traps on July 9, and watched the individuals run nine illegally set turtle traps in the Tama Bottoms, north of Burlington.

Mike Kerr, 36, of Mount Pleasant, and Jack Schafer, 38, of Fairfield, were each charged with four counts of illegal method of take of turtle, four counts of failure to have a commercial gear tags attached to the net and one count of illegal taking/possessing of a turtle. The fines totaled $2,299. Conservation officers seized nine traps.

Kerr and Schafer are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 12.


###

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) annual survey of upland game populations will soon be under way with state wildlife biologists and conservation officers driving more than 200, 30-mile routes statewide from August 1-15.

Tim Bradley will put on a free shooting exibit in Ventura August 9 & 10. Here is the link to the poster.


http://www.iowasportingclays.com/flyer3.htm

By Lowell Washburn

“It’s been an incredible year for peregrine falcons. We now have more peregrines nesting back on natural cliffs than we do on buildings.” Bob Anderson, Director, Raptor Resource Project


WAUKON JUNCTION---Assembled along the stone base of a towering Mississippi River cliff, a hopeful collection of falconers peer skyward. Traveling from across four Midwestern states, the congregation of raptor enthusiasts arrived in Iowa last Saturday, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive peregrine falcon--alive and wild in its native habitat.

Although once listed as a common inhabitant of the Mississippi River blufflands, the careless post World War II use of DDT pesticides had a devastating effect on peregrine populations. By the late 1960s, DDT contamination had completely eradicated the species in Iowa as well as from the entire eastern half of the U.S.

Fortunately, times are changing. Thanks to an aggressive conservation effort that included the release of young captive-bred falcons to the wild, this dynamic species is currently staging a dramatic comeback.

For those possessing patience and a good pair of binoculars, the chance of seeing a modern-day, free flying peregrine is all but assured. For Saturday’s peregrine watchers, the wait was amazingly short. The first falcon was spotted within six minutes.

From the IDNR

DES MOINES—A longtime biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is being recognized nationally for his work in fisheries and fish conservation.

Don Bonneau, fisheries research supervisor, was named Fisheries Biologist of the Year by the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) for his commitment to fisheries conservation both on a state and regional level. Specifically, Bonneau was recognized for his recent work on the DNR’s new Lake Restoration Program.

EARLHAM, Iowa – Roger Erpelding had always wanted to go hunting. For years, he listened to the hunting stories his brothers and brother-in-law would tell and wished he was along for the adventure. The 57-year-old Windsor Heights man, blind since birth, finally got his chance in 2006 when he shot a doe with the help of a guide during a special youth and disabled deer hunt, southeast of Earlham. It was one of his proudest moments when he served a grilled roast from that deer to his family for Christmas dinner.

From IDNR

MILFORD – Richard Leopold, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, will be holding public forums around Iowa starting with the lodge at Gull Point State Park Wednesday, July 16.

“I’m looking forward to sharing some of the important initiatives underway within the department, but more importantly, I really want to hear from Iowa’s citizens. One thing I am particularly proud of is the rapport that the DNR has with the public. This is a relationship we value highly within the DNR,” said Leopold.

From IDNR

CRESTON – Green Valley State Park will undergo a major transformation over the next two years, essentially resulting in a new lake and a much-improved campground.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources fisheries staff began lowering the lake July 9. It is anticipated the lake will be inaccessible by boat, and that all marker buoys and docks will be removed, by Friday. The fishery will be eliminated in September to remove carp and yellow bass. All other park activities--including camping, cabin rental and fishing—will remain open in the meantime.