The Legend of Sleepy Hallow creeps into Lake Benton
Anna Tiedeman and David Berger do a little dance as they rehearse on October 26. The Children's Theatre will perform The Legend of Sleepy Hallow on Nov. 14. Two showings will be held at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Check the Lake Benton News in upcoming weeks for updates and more information.
-Lake Benton News photo by Sara Koch.
Fall appliance pick up day scheduled for Oct. 27
by Sara Koch
On Monday, in a relatively short meeting of the Lake Benton City Council, members approved October 27 as the Fall Appliance Pick-up day.
Prior to the pick-up day, residents that are looking to get rid of any old appliances need to purchase tickets at the city office. Each ticket costs $10 and a ticket is required for each appliance. City employees will then review a sheet of everyone who has purchased these tickets and will come around to dispose of the appliances.
Council member Don Hughes approached the board with a suggestion from city maintenance supervisor Todd Draper about paying part-time city employees every two weeks instead of once a month like the full-time employees. After a short discussion, the suggestion was approved unanimously.
During their committee reports, Mayor Mike Carpenter called for a special meeting of the council to be held at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the city office.
“I would just like to update the council on the status of the bar, look at some numbers and see what you think,” said Carpenter. “It should only take an hour to an hour and a half.”
The council then went over the status of the utility billing and tried to come up with a solution to get more of them in on time. Members already set a policy that after two months of tardy payments (60 days) water will be shut off in the residence.
Although some of the members believe that they are making headway, others believe that the guidelines should be followed more strictly.
City clerk Rosemary DeZeeuw has been sending out letters to residents that have been making late payments. Although many do respond to them, there are still several that do not respond at all.
“I think maybe we need to talk to Todd and stay on top of this,” said Carpenter.
Council member Carl Burk volunteered to work with Draper on this issue and talk to residents that are not making payments.
As the meeting came to a close, Carpenter informed council members that the light pole for the intersection of Benton and Center Street has finally arrived. After several mix-ups and incorrect poles, the right one showed up last week. Weather permitting, it should be up within the next couple of days.
The next regular meeting of the Lake Benton City Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on November 2.
A variety of vendors help make craft show a success
The 32nd Annual Lake Benton Craft Show was held on October 10. Approximately 40 vendors showed up to display their crafts and enlighten the community with their talents.
-Lake Benton News photo by Sara Koch.
by Sara Koch
On October 10, approximately 40 vendors showed up at the Lake Benton School for the 32nd Annual Craft Show.
Guests were invited to shop around for a variety of different crafts and items made by people from surrounding cities.
Some of the booths selling their merchandise included Mia Bella Candles, knitting, Tastefully Simple, baked goods, jewelry, soaps, home decor, lefse and beading. There were even kids selling cookies and play dough. The booths included some seasoned vendors, along with many new ones.
While they shopped, visitors also enjoyed some live music. Carlos Quinche, a native of Equador who now lives in the cities, played the Native American flute and had numerous CDs on display. He has been in the United States for approximately 15 years and enjoys traveling to craft shows and fairs to entertain people.
Treava Lundberg, who lives near Lake Benton, was also there entertaining guests with her piano talent.
Lundberg travels all around with her husband Kendall teaching people the importance of children and families and wowing them with her variety of music and humor. Treava has recored seven albums, including her latest “Hear the Muic”.
Other talents performed during the event included fiddle, bass and guitar playing.
Although there were slight doubts about road conditions the morning of the craft show, the event had quite a turn out.
There was an adult drawing for a basket full of goodies, along with a children’s drawing where the kids had to guess how many pieces of candy was in the jar.
Brandee Miller, who was in charge of setting up and organizing the event, said that even though the roads were a little unfavorable she thought it went really well.
“The school is beautiful and what a way to utilize it. I can’t say thanks enough to them,” said Miller. “I think we need to keep this event alive, support the community and support the youth.”
Pictured above (left) is Carlos Quinche, a Native American Flute player originally from Equador.
Above (right): The Chamber of Commerce had a variety of baked goods and sweets for sale as well.
-Lake Benton News photos by Sara Koch
Local Firefighters prepare for fire prevention week
Lake Benton Volunteer firefighters are gearing up for this year’s Fire Prevention Week which is October 4-10. The picture above was taken during a controlled house burn last summer. From left to right, members are: Vince Robinson, Darin Herschberger, Garrett Petersen, Keith Greer, Luke Speakman, Daryl Schlapkohl, Allen Trigg, Mike Berger, Jim Nielsen, Brent Bressler and Dave Nordmeyer. —Submitted photo.
Fire Prevention Week 2009 focuses on burn awareness and prevention, as well as keeping homes safe from the leading causes of home fires.
This year, members of the Lake Benton Fire Department are actively demonstrating the dos-and-don’ts of fire safety to keep the community as prepared as possible.
Activities for the elementary have been planned out throughout the week including the coloring contest with the Fire Prevention posters. The fire department is also giving away two savings bonds.
Friday morning, October 9, volunteers from the department will be at the school teaching about fire safety and awareness. The smoke trailer from Marshall will be brought down to show the students and fifth and sixth grade students will even be able to put out a small fire with extinguishers.
Make sure batteries in fire alarms are all charged and working properly and that each family goes through an emergency escape route in case of a fire.
The firefighters will be at the school Friday morning from approximately 8:30-11 a.m.
Bar sales up $4425 from 2008
by Sara Koch
The Lake Benton City Council met Monday night with Lyle Trautman and Carl Burk absent.
City Clerk Rosemary DeZeeuw gave the bar report in the absence of bar manager Sherri Jessen.
Total offsale for the month of September was $12,142.25 compared to $8,887 in 2008. On-sales were up as well at $11,498.10 versus $10,635.70 from last year.
Total deposits, credit cards and pull tab income was $23,941.15, up approximately $4,425.55 from 2008.
Police Chief Guy Harding then gave his report for September.
“It was a busy month. October started out with a bang also,” said Harding comparing it to the slow month of August.
He explained that the squad has been putting on approximately 1,400-1,500 miles per month and the car has about 76,000 miles on it.
“It is still running well,” said Harding. “We are getting the oil changed every 3,000 miles.”
Harding also said that since warning Johanson’s about keeping the machinery off the community center parking lot, things have been better.
Council member Al Lindeman explained that as soon as they would get one thing finished, another truck would show up. “It was just a busy time, a seasonal thing,” he said.
Another member said that Johansen’s explained that it had been the busiest month they could ever remember.
Maintenance Supervisor Todd Draper updated council members on the public works.
“I should be seeing a light pole sometime tomorrow or Wednesday,” he said about the light pole on the corner of Benton and Center Street. The pole was knocked down during snow removal last year.
Contractors from last year’s street project will also be in the area sometime next week to see what all needs to be touched up. The seeding, curb repair and a couple of black top repairs will need to be finished before the end of the year, and the rest of the adjustments will be made by July 1, 2010.
Discussion was also brought up about possibly getting a semi-trailer to park in town for residents to discard anything they no longer have use for. A man from Sioux City puts on the program and would take anything for people that are without. There is one in Pipestone already and Draper is looking into it. He is also planning a fall appliance pick-up day.
The next scheduled city council meeting will be October 19 at 5:30 p.m.
Worth attends soybean and meat conference in China
Crops in China were planted in small plots all over. Ears of corn are placed on streets after they are picked and vehicles drive over them and the cobs are separated. The corn is then swept up and sold. Other crops go through a similar process.
by Sara Koch
A group of people from the Minnesota corn, soybean, pork and poultry producers for the state of Minnesota recently got back from a 12-day trip to China.
Bob Worth of Lake Benton was also on the trip with intentions of selling the people in China their Minnesota soybean and meat products.
“It was a trade mission. In the last eight years, the Chinese people have gone from eating strictly rice, to a protein diet. They love meat,” said Worth.
Although Worth said there are some trade issues to get straightened out in Washington, D.C. right now, the Chinese people want the best grades of meat.
The United States cannot send pork or beef over to China because we do not import any poultry from them because of bird flu scares.
“They really want United States pork and beef. They will take poultry as well,” said Worth.
China is, however, a very significant importer of other products. Last year, they imported 18 million metric tons of soybeans from the United States. A new year begins October 1 and there are already 10 million metric tons ready to be shipped.
Members that visited China were able to tour two processing plants while they were there; one pork and one poultry. At the hog plant, they are processing approximately 10,000 head per day and about 15,000 head of poultry per day.
“They don’t waste any part of the animal. It was especially tough to eat chicken feet,” said Worth.
He also talked a little about culture and style saying that people in China are very westernized.
“They have all western clothes and the young speak very good English. Everyone is moving from the country into the cities-the urban sprawl is huge,” said Worth.
He added that the cities are mushrooming and the government has no control over it. They have even joked about China’s national bird being the “building crane”.
Worth explained that their group stayed in a new hotel that took only three months to build. Labor is pretty cheap over there and average work days last approximately 10 hours with a two hour break in between.
“I never expected it to be the way it is over there,” said Worth. “They are selling 311,000 cars a month and there is traffic all over.”
Water is also a big concern in China. 60 percent of the water is contaminated and the other 40 percent is polluted. The only water they use comes from an aquifer and they are unsure of how much water is actually down there.
“It is a huge concern,” said Worth.
People in China enjoy entertaining at meals. Their average meal lasts approximately 1.5-2 hours and they believe in a lot of conversation. Fellowship is a big part of their meals and they use their own beans for food grades.
“A Minnesota farm boy learned how to use chopsticks for the first time,” said Worth adding that chopsticks were the only eating utensil over there.
Much of the meat for sale in the Chinese markets is unpackaged and there are live markets as well. Fish are alive in many of the markets and when they serve fish or poultry, they have to have the heads on them. Pork is not this way.
“There are a lot of non-GMO soy products in their stores,” explained Worth. “They do, however, use GMO beans from the United States to feed their livestock.”
The group spent 12 days in Beijing and Quin Doe, China and also visited the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square.
“It was a great experience,” Worth added. “Just awesome.”
New project hopes to raise pan fish numbers in lake
by Sara Koch
Approximately three years ago, Virgil Becker, owner of Becker’s Resort, had an idea to try and repopulate some of the pan fish into the lake. Now, after a long wait, it is finally getting underway.
Becker, along with members of the Lake Association, has finally received the final paper work for the development. As of last Friday, they began one of a couple projects to try and get some of the fish numbers back up in the lake.
The DNR already does their part by putting northern and walleye into the lake, but pan fish are also fun to catch especially for younger kids and less-experienced fishermen.
“We dug part of our pond out so now it is 20-feet deep and purchased some blue gills to put in there,” said Becker. “We are going to try to spawn them in there, trap the young and put them in the lake.”
Becker explained that by spawning them in the pond instead of the lake, their chance of survival becomes much higher. He said that if they were to spawn in the lake they might only have a three percent survival rate versus what could be a 50 percent survival rate in the pond.
As of now, there are approximately 150-175 fish in the pond (four gallons). There are about 40 fish per gallon.
Adult blue gills, crappies and perch have already been ordered to spawn naturally in the lake next spring. Approximately 20 gallons of these fish (each) will be placed in the lake then.
“Hopefully it works. Maybe it will and maybe it won’t,” said Becker. “We are hoping that people realize what we’re doing and until next July, if they catch any of these fish, they will release them.”
He added that it is quite expensive to buy the adult fish. “If anyone is interested in contributing a small amount of fish to the lake, they can contact me or any member of the Lake Association Board,” he said.
Becker is also respectfully asking people to stay away from the pond on their property. It is very deep on the edges and he does not want anyone to fall in. These fish are also something for the whole community, not just one or two people.
“If we get a larger amount of money, we would also like to add some middle-aged fish to the lake,” said Becker.
The fish can grow quite rapidly depending on their environment and weather variations. The pond is very fertile for the fish and there is an ample supply of nutrients along with the right oxygen level. The pan fish need to be approximately three-years-old before they are big enough to eat.
“If we get the middle-aged fish into the pond, it will be about a year’s time before they are ready to eat,” said Becker.
He added that he would have liked to start this project a while ago but he did not realize how long it would take for all the paper work to go through.
The walleye and northern fishing has been good this year as well. Becker explained that they have had everything from 18-inch walleye on down and they are biting decent right now. Perch numbers are also up a little this year according to the count by the DNR.
“One thing that has helped with the pan fish numbers is the lack of bullheads recently,” said Becker. “It isn’t just in this lake, but surrounding areas as well, that the bullheads have pretty much disappeared. Nobody knows why.”
Carp are also somewhat to blame for the low pan fish numbers. These fish feed off of the pan fish spawn making it hard for their numbers to grow. Becker, along with the Lake Association is also looking into possibly starting a project to decrease the number of carp in the lake.
“Nothing is set yet and there is a permitting process,” he explained. “The pan fish project is something we felt should be done and hopefully it works out as long as the process is controlled.”
Woelber looks to drop tax levy nearly 20 percent
by Sara Koch
The Lake Benton School Board met on Wednesday, September 16 to discuss their proposed tax levy among other pertinent items.
The levy pertains to the referendum that local residents will have to pay in next years taxes for the 2010-2011 school year. Although it no longer has to be published in the paper, board members had to decide a meeting date to amend and finalize the proposed levy. Copies will still have to be put on the county auditor statements as always.
Superintendent Loy Woelber explained that most schools always levy the max. Lake Benton, however, is now in a unique situation since the construction is finally complete and almost all the bills are taken care of.
“The state will match you up to a point on certain things,” said Woelber. “Since we want to put our best foot forward, we need to look for ways we can pair back. Find the [categories] that are just levy.”
Last year, the school received $845,703.53 from local taxpayers for their levy-the amount they proposed. This year, the proposed levy is $702,540.89.
“Remember this is just the proposed levy. We are shooting for a 17-20 percent decrease in the levy from last year,” said Woelber. “I would like to even get us over 20 percent.”
Board members then agreed that the hearing and budget discussion on the levy will be held Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. in the school.
Also a big part of the agenda, Gabe Pooler from the Elkton School came to discuss computer options with the board members.
As of now, all of the computers have Semantic Antivirus installed as their means of virus protection. Pooler believes that a new product, AVG, will do a better job protecting them and it will cost approximately $1087.50 to install on all 75 computers for two years.
“We don’t want to rearrange too much,” said Pooler. “It’s a really good price and it will take minimal effort to get better security.”
In the last couple of meetings, it was also brought up that all teachers should have Microsoft 07 installed on their computers. Many of the computers are getting old, however, and Principal Ryan Nielsen thought it would be a good idea to look into buying new computers instead of spending money to install the program and having to replace the entire computer within the next couple of years. The new computers would also come with Microsoft 07 already built into them.
“Some of the computers have already crashed and teachers are beginning to have to rob from the computer room to get their stuff done,” said Nielsen. He also added that the teachers need good technology to keep everything running smoothly.
Pooler approached board members with an idea of doing something like the Elkton School and getting the Acer Netbooks for all of the teachers.
“There are lots of good things we can do with these,” said Pooler. “It wouldn’t cost much to go completely wireless and the teachers could take these laptops home with them to grade papers, etc.”
Pooler estimated that for 10 computers for the teachers it would cost approximately $5000 plus $2-$3,000 more for program installation and wireless installation.
After a long discussion, board members agreed that it would be a good idea and approved a motion to go forward with the purchase.
In the future, Pooler would also like to work with Lake Benton to transform the computer lab into complete wireless Acer Netbooks, helping create a more efficient mobile laboratory and to help the students adapt better to the changing technology.
“We really appreciate what you’re doing Gabe,” said Woelber. “It’s really nice to have that relationship with the Elkton School.”
Other board members also commented on the progress Pooler has made with the Elkton School and their technology program and are excited to take advantage of that.
Members approved a motion to use part of the REAP grant to pay for the Netbooks. The school is getting $18,000 back as part of the grant.
During Woelber’s report, he stated that the building is looking very nice and that he greatly appreciates how nice the entire facility looks. Steve Bennett is almost finished with some remodeling in the bus garage as well.
Woelber then brought up the idea of bringing in a display case to hold class pictures into the school. After doing a little searching, he found one that would cost approximately $1200 but would hold 60 years worth of photos. The case would be on display for visitors to scan through whenever they entered the building.
“It’s an investment, but the pictures need to be up,” said Woelber. “It’s a neat thing we need to do for the community.”
He would also like to add a small display case for trophies and place it in the same area of the school.
“It would be kind-of our own little mini-history center,” Woelber added.
Next, during the Principal’s Report, Nielsen explained that the Elkton-Lake Benton volleyball game against Deubrook will be played at the elementary school on September 24. The students have been busy working on signs and posters to help support the team when they come over and make them feel welcome. The Lake Benton EDA and PTA have volunteered to work the concessions and taking money throughout the night.
Elementary students will also be able to participate in the Elkton-Lake Benton homecoming week. They will be able to get involved in each of the “dress-up days” as well as attend the pep rally and parade on Friday afternoon.
“We really want to let the elementary be involved with homecoming as well, it’s fun for them,” said Nielsen.
The next school board meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 p.m.
Matthews Addition moving forward
by Sara Koch
A meeting of the Lake Benton City Council was held on Monday, September 21 at 5:30 p.m.
Several items on the agenda were closely reviewed, as well as tabled items from previous meetings.
Council members, along with Mayor Mike Carpenter and Maintenance Supervisor Todd Draper discussed the Matthews addition road easement that is currently underway.
“The Matthews addition will use 15 feet of the railroad plus another five feet, from the intersection of Center Street commencing at 350 feet. This will leave plenty of room for a 20 foot roadway,” said Draper.
Roggenbuck’s Tree Service is already removing the trees for the project and part of the existing gravel will be used to make the entire roadway angle over. Two of the light poles may need to be taken down and only one of them put back up.
“Hopefully this will resolve all the issues with the property owner and ownership title,” said Carpenter.
Draper, Carpenter and council member Don Hughes have also been looking for a part-time maintenance worker for the city. They began looking for someone to fill in on a part-time basis a few weeks ago and have had little luck up until now.
Carpenter recommended Ron Porter who lives on Lakeview Street.
“He is a retired, very nice individual. Seems to be a very neat individual with mechanical knowledge and ability,” said Carpenter.
Committee members informed the board that the position would begin October 1, $12 per hour and no benefits. He will be under the direction of Draper and is currently studying for his CDL.
During the committee reports, member Carl Burk approached the board about how they would enforce certain parking ordinances in the city. Burk showed a copy of the ordinance given by Police Chief Guy Harding about how there are to be no truck parking zones in business and residential areas that will cause traffic congestion or obstruction of view for drivers.
“The truck or tractor-trailer can be no longer than 30 feet and sit there for no longer than 60 minutes,” said Burk. “There has been a string of trucks sitting along Benton Street that need to be moved. They cannot sit there for days and days.”
Burk thought the trucks should be at least ticketed and moved.
“It’s been a problem for a long time. My request is to have Harding enforce the law, since it’s already on the books,” Burk added.
“We should at least let Johansen’s know what is going on. It would be a good gesture,” said Lyle Trautman.
Last week, during a bridal shower, it was noted that only six parking spots were available behind the Senior Center. There were two school busses, a tractor, three pickups, two cars and a manure spreader sitting there.
“I think it’s time to move them or lose them,” said Burk.
“There are weight restrictions there anyways,” said Carpenter. “They need to get them through, fix them and move them. It is not for parking storage. We just need to enforce it.”
Members spoke with Johansen’s about the unsightliness of the lot during the first part of June and they complied. Both parties agreed that it would be cleaned up.
“They are hard-working people and I don’t want to chase them out of here,” said Burk. “But we’ve talked to them about this before.”
Council members agreed that Johansen’s will be informed that if the lot is not cleaned out by October 1, the vehicles will be towed.
Todd Draper then gave a report on the street project. Reiner called with a counter-proposal hoping that the city of Lake Benton would give them a little more time to finish some last-minute repairs for the project.
“They will come in and do the reseeding, fix the curb, two areas where the black top needs to be fixed and milling of any black top,” said Draper.
The engineer of the project deemed it would be best to wait to do the black top until July 1 of 2010 to allow it to go through a freeze/thaw period. The rest of the maintenance would be done the first week in October, 2009.
“Rural development says that we can do whatever we deem is best,” said Draper. “It will be beneficial in the long run even if it is drug out another seven or eight months.”
A new bond will be written up extending the warranty until July 1, 2010. The records will be put through Banner for Reiner. Draper will be contacting Banner and Associates.
The meeting was then closed for personnel reasons.
The next scheduled city council meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on October 5.
Norwegian expansion almost complete
The expansion on Norwegian Creek is almost complete. Once the grass is seeded next week, it will be ready to go. Daryl Schlapkohl with the Lincoln County Parks, said that he has had approximately 30 verbal committments to the new lots, all from new customers and campers. The lots will cost $1500 per summer to rent and a meeting will be held October 6 to finalize last-minute details. For more information, contact Daryl at 507-368-9350. —Lake Benton News photo by Sara Koch
City looks into new tickets for traffic violations
by Sara Koch
During Tuesday night’s meeting of the Lake Benton City Council, members discussed a variety of things.
Police Chief Guy Harding gave his report for the month of August and stated that it was the quietest month since he has been working for
The report listed a couple of juvenile complaints, tickets, a 911 hang-up, among a few other minor things.
Council member Carl Burk, who is also on the police committee, has been reading about new administrative tickets that Harding would like to see utilized in town. The primary tickets that are being used now are sent to the county court and the money is split between 5 different places. Money from these new tickets would only be split between three different places-the city, state and police department. This means that more money would be staying in the city.
“This is a program for incorporated cities. It allows the city to issue some of their own citations for certain traffic offenses. The fines are cheaper and the tickets won’t show up on your conviction record,” said Harding.
This is a new option put in place during the last legislative session.
City clerk Rosemary DeZeeuw gave the bar report on behalf of manager Sherri Jessen.
Off-sale beer and liquor is down for the month of August compared to last year by $3,483.75. The on-sale has also decreased by approximately $2,611.13. Overall, the deposits for the bar account are down $5113.28 since last year.
Mayor Mike Carpenter informed council members that due to issues with an old cooler at the bar, a new one has been installed. Jessen is also back to working full-time after a recent ankle surgery.
Council members then reviewed and acted on the city budget for the year 2010. Carpenter stated that the preliminary (proposed) budget must be filed by September 15. After that, members will be able to change the report, but will only be allowed to reduce it, not increase it. Adjustments before September 15 could be made in a special meeting before that.
After a brief discussion on the proposed plan, council member Don Hughes moved to approve it as it was presented. The motion carried unanimously.
City maintenance supervisor Todd Draper then gave his report with several items to discuss.
It has been almost a year since the completion of the 2008 street project and there are a few touch-ups that need to be made. With the one-year warranty, Reiner Construction must fix anything that the city deems unacceptable. This includes punch list items like broken curbs and others.
In the past several weeks, there have been attempts to contact Reiner about adjustments that need to be made, with little feedback. The city is allowed to go after their bond on the entire project if needs are not met in that year period. The bond is 10 percent of the entire project, making the amount $123,000.
Since Reiner has recently been contacted by the bondsman, everyone is being assured that the punch list items in
After the street light on the corner of Benton and
“The only good thing about this would be that the company will probably just decide to scrap this light and give it to us. This light is actually the same as some on the West [end] of town,” said Draper. “We will not have to pay for it.”
Another light will be ordered and shipped as soon as it is complete.
During the committee reports, Carpenter stated that he and a couple others (including Draper) will be taking a look into any changes that need to be made on the ball parks. There are several adjustments and fix-ups that will be made since softball and baseball season is over for the year.
Utility bills were reviewed for the month and although they are looking better, there are still several people that have not been paying. Letters will be sent out for delinquent water bills and without compliance, residents risk their water being completely shut off. If there are any questions about these, contact Rosemary at the city office at 507-368-9577.
The next regular city council meeting is scheduled for September 21 at 5:30 p.m.
Hunting season approaching
by Sara Koch
Pheasant opener is quickly approaching and hunters have been vastly preparing themselves.
Steve Kjergaard of Kjergaard Sports said that the last couple weeks have been steady at the shop, but they usually are as hunting season approaches.
“Shotgun sales are up because of pheasant and duck season coming up,” said Kjergaard.
He also said that the Minnesota state count for birds is down a bit this year but the Southwest region of the state has the best overall.
According to the Minnesota DNR in a September 8 news release, the state’s pheasant index is down 27 percent from last year and 27 percent below the 10-year average. The index had been above average for the past four years. The statewide index for this year’s pheasants was 59 birds per 100 miles driven.
“Early goose season is about like last year. Nothing wild, but it’s one of those things where you can scout all you want but they move and change places the very next day,” said Kjergaard. “It’s kind-of the luck of the draw when it comes to duck season. They might not come through when the season is open, and then the season closes and they might all come through.”
The weather also plays a part in the hunting seasons and the number of animals. During the time of normal pheasant hatch, a wet and cool season appeared to have caused a decline in the population of pheasant survival.
“Some used to blame coyotes for getting into pheasant egg nests as well. After a study in North Dakota, they found out that things like skunks, raccoons and fox were getting into the nests more after finding an egg trail,” said Kjergaard. “Coyotes are opportunists and will eat what they come upon.”
Kjergaard also said the some of the deer numbers are down due to coyotes taking the fawns. Coyotes have also been killing off some of the fox population.
Deer season may also be a little tougher this year since they are only giving out 50 doe permits total. The 50 includes archery, slug and muzzleloader season. Kjergaard believes that a majority of these will be given to youth.
Also taken from the DNR news release on September 12, “72,000 acres of private land was removed from the Conservation Reserve Program, thereby reducing nesting opportunities…in 1958- The height of the Soil Bank conservation days- the pheasant harvest peaked at 1.6 million. During 1965-86, the years between Soil Bank and CRP, harvest averaged only 270,000 birds.”
The following is a list of opening dates in the upcoming months.
September 1 through October 18: bear season; September 5-22: early Canada goose season; September 19 through December 31: deer hunt, archery season; September 19: small game opener; October 3: waterfowl season opener; October 3-18: moose hunt, Northeast season; October 10 through January 3, 2010: pheasant season; October 14-18: fall turkey hunt, first season; October 14-18: fall turkey hunt, second season; October 24-March 15, 2010: fox, gray and red fox season; November 7: deer hunt, firearm opener; November 28 through December 13: deer hunt, muzzleloader season.
Public Access Channel to host features soon
by Sara Koch
On September 14, the public access channel will have a variety of new features to enjoy.
Our Story Productions has been working on a collaboration of Minnesota City Spotlights by traveling to different towns to help people gather information about what is happening in small-town Southern Minnesota.
The featured segments will be a half an hour to an hour long and will consist of entertainment, news and current events. Some of the entertainment programs include: As the Corn Grows, The Cockelbur Morning Show, The Women of Sweet Swine County and In the Passenger Seat.
Other shows will focus on the different cities and their locally-owned businesses. Each day, a different city will be in the spotlight.
Our Story Productions will begin airing September 14 on the public access channel. It will continue every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m. and will also be available online. Lake Benton will begin airing with episode one so nobody will be confused as to what is happening on the show. Since Lake Benton recently became involved in the program, the city spotlight featuring local businesses in the city won’t air until episode 64, week one.
For more information on Our Story Productions or questions about the featured segments, go to www.ourstorymn.com.
The following towns have been cooperating with Our Story Productions in order to make these features possible: Butterfield, Lakefield, Windom, Sanborn, Springfield, Redwood Falls, Courtland, New Ulm, St. James, Madelia, Slayton, Trimont, Truman, Welcome, Elmore, Fairmont, Blue Earth, Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, Luverne, Adrian, Sleepy Eye, Tracy, LeSueur, Henderson, Montevideo, Hector, Arlington, Fairfax, Gaylord, Winthrop, Eagle Lake,Gibbon, Rochester, Lake Benton,Tyler, Janesville, Saint Peter, Wells, Stewartville, Chatfield, Byron, Eyota, Zumbrota, Hutchinson, Worthington, Marshall.