An official with the Nishna Valley Trails group, in Atlantic, said today (Wednesday), that with the 162-foot Pedestrian Bridge in place and virtually all of the concrete laid for the Troublesome Creek Connector Trail, the project will be completed within the next couple of weeks. Dave Chase, President of the non-profit Nishna Valley Trail, Inc., says fundraising efforts continue to top off the remainder of the money needed to pay for the trail.

The new Nishna Valley Trail Connector bridge in-place near the KJAN studios.

According to Chase the group’s “Original announced goal was $550,000, and thanks to a favorable construction bid from Atlantic contractor A.M. Cohron and Son, the cost of the project was significantly lowered.” Chase said also, “Based on this and the status of the funds we had raised at the time we decided to pull the trigger on proceeding with the project to be completed this Fall. We felt good about the pending grant applications we had in. Another reason was that some of our previously-awarded grant money needed to be used by certain deadlines rapidly approaching.”

According to Chase, two grant applications (one to Wells Fargo Foundation and one to Wellmark Foundation) totaling $125,000 would have provided the rest of the needed money. Chase recently learned from both Foundations that neither application would be funded.  He said new ideas to raise the additional $125,000 have been studied and are being pursued, as well as contacting previous donors to consider further support and/or pledges.

Chase mentioned he has been approached about a donor recognition in connection with the new bridge. “The individual,” he said “Asked how much it would take to get my name on the bridge? How about $20,000, and, could I talk to some of my friends to do the same?” Chase brought the proposal up at the last NVT meeting and it was unanimously approved with one clarification being that any donation of $20,000 or more, by an organization or individual would be memorialized on a permanent donor plaque to be affixed to the bridge.

“This would be for any new or previous donations totaling this amount,” he said. He went on to say that year-end tax planning gifts were also being encouraged. “Those gifts are fully tax-deductible to an organization like NVT.”  Further information about the donor recognition or any other financial support for the project can be obtained from Chase at 712-249-3059. “We will raise the money,” Chase added. “ It is just a matter of where it comes from.”

Firefighters from Adair were called to a reported propane explosion Tuesday. Adair Fire Chief Jordan Smith told KJAN News the incident took place at around 7:30-p.m., in the 2800 block of Frontier Road, or about 6-miles north of Adair. When firefighters from Adair, assisted by crews from Casey arrived, Smith says they encountered a structure that was fully engulfed in flames. The flames also caused a nearby grassy field area to ignite.

Smith said the landowner – who resides in Guthrie Center had been burning wood and other debris in a hole and left with his wife to get dinner. The farmer thought the fire burned itself out, but apparently an ember, whipped by the wind, caught an old, former hog building on fire. The explosion he said, was caused by one of three, 100-pound L-P gas tanks inside the shed, rupturing from the heat.

A motorist passing by heard a loud explosion and called 9-1-1. No injuries were reported.  Smith reminds farmers and landowners that anytime there are windy conditions, it’s wise to hold-off on conducting outdoor burns, or at the very least, not leave them unattended. He mentioned also, a combine was lost to fire earlier this week in the Bridgewater-Fontanelle area, that’s a good reason to check-up on your combines, make sure they’re maintained and aren’t getting clogged with chaf and overheating.

w/ Kate Olson

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Although Iowa’s beautiful fall has lingered longer than usual this year, camping season will come to a close very soon for most people, if it hasn’t already. State Park Bureau Chief Todd Coffelt, says don’t let the changing seasons limit your enjoyment of Iowa’s state parks, or the chance to stay overnight. According to Coffelt, “We have nine parks scattered around the state with beautiful, comfortable year-round cabins. Allowing couples and families, and even larger groups to enjoy our parks in what we sometimes refer to as the ‘off season.’”

A total of 35 year-round cabins are available to rent for two-day minimums for anywhere from $35 per day to $200 per day. Visitors will need to bring their own bedding and towels, and some cooking utensils. Amenities of each cabin may vary slightly. Depending on the type of cabin, they can sleep between two and ten people, and are located in the following parks:

· Backbone (Fayette County)

· Black Hawk (Sac County)

· Honey Creek (Appanoose County)

· Lake of Three Fires (Taylor County)

· Lake Wapello (Davis County)

· Pine Lake (Hardin County)

· Springbrook (Guthrie County)

· Union Grove (Tama County)

· Waubonsie (Fremont County)

“Fall and winter in our parks offers a completely different experience for a lot of people,” says Coffelt. “There is a quiet solitude that is very appealing and we invite folks to come out and experience it, whether they stay in one of the cabins or just drop in for a hike.”

For more details about each cabin and park, visit the Iowa state park reservation system at iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com or call 1-877-427-2757. Currently, reservations for the two family cabins at Union Grove State Park are made through the park manager by calling 641-473-2556. Honey Creek Resort State Park’s 28 one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury cottages may be reserved throughout the year. Details are available at www.honeycreekresort.com or by calling 877-677-3344.

The Whiterock Conservancy near Coon Rapids in west-central Iowa is making plans for 12-hundred acres of land left to the organization by the Garst family. Mary Garst, the wife of hybrid seedcorn pioneer Roswell Garst, left the land to the conservancy following her death in 2014. Whiterock executive director, Conrad Kramer, says there are four sections of land involved. “Two of them are adjacent to each other and one parcel is actually adjacent to the existing Whiterock landscape, and another one is remote. So, only one of the four parcels is connected to our existing landscape here,” Kramer says. He says the lands have a variety of uses.

“Between wetlands and natural lands like prairie and forests, and productive land including hay land and C-R-P,” Kramer says. The Whiterock Conservancy is taking control of the land with an estimated value of seven million dollars. “We certainly will continue to manage it for production, but we would also like to make plans for restoration — prairie restoration and savanna restoration — on these parcels that are really prime candidates for some of that work. And also for opening them to the public, because all of them are quite special,” Kramer says. “Whiterock is already the third largest recreation area in the state, and we put a high priority on opening our lands for public recreation.”

Kramer says the donation adds a lot to the duties of the conservancy. He says they will probably have to hire another full-time person to the staff to oversee the new property. He says the non-profit conservancy depends on public support to run and they hope Iowans will help out. He says people can help out by using the facilities and paying camping and other fees. “But we also need Iowans to sit up and realize that this is a great asset for the state, but we don’t get any state tax dollars, unlike a state park. And if they want access to these great lands in the future, we need them to become donors,” Kramer says. He says they plan to have a formal public dedication for the new land sometime this spring.

To find out more about the Whiterock Conservancy, go to the organization’s website: whiterockconservancy.org.

(Radio Iowa)

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A team of veterinary researchers at Iowa State University has discovered the cause of a disease that makes baby pigs involuntary shake which has perplexed hog farmers for more than 90 years. Researchers from the university teamed up with scientists from Missouri-based animal health company Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica to use new DNA sequencing techniques to trace the piglet tremors to a virus.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Members of the citizen action group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement are meeting with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to file a complaint demanding improved accountability and oversight of livestock farms.

The group studied livestock waste management plans from five counties and found plans with missing pages and indications of multiple farmers dumping manure on the same field. The manure management plans are required by state law for farms with at least 1,250 hogs. The DNR is responsible for oversight.

Jess Mazour, community organizer for Iowa CCI, says inadequate manure management is contributing to water pollution problems. DNR Director Chuck Gipp says the agency will review the complaint and respond. He says the agency is working with farmers to improve water quality but it takes time.

The harvest of Iowa’s crops was slowed significantly by rainfall toward the end of October, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through Sunday, 85-percent of the state’s corn crop was harvested. Despite all of the wet weather, that’s 10 days ahead of last year and two days ahead of the five-year average. Ninety-six percent of the soybean crop has been harvested. That’s equal to the five-year average, but eight days ahead of last year.

Last week was Iowa’s wettest week in over a month-and-a-half. The USDA reports Iowa farmers, on average, had a little over 4 “suitable” days for fieldwork last week. Marion County received the most rain at 2.86 inches. There are areas of southwest and south-central Iowa where over 30 percent of the corn and 10 percent of the soybean crop remains to be harvested.

(Radio Iowa)

There are -no- new cases of bird flu reported this fall as yet, but the aftershocks are still being felt from the widespread outbreak in Iowa and elsewhere this spring. Poultry producers continue to rebuild their flocks after millions of birds were wiped out by the disease. U-S-D-A livestock analyst Shayle Shagam says the latest egg production numbers are still showing a drop. Shagam says, “We are currently looking at total egg production in the United States being down about 8% in September compared to a year earlier.”

Iowa was the worst-hit state by bird fly earlier this year. Iowa had 75 confirmed outbreaks in 18 counties, which led to some 32-million chickens and turkeys dying or having to be euthanized statewide. The federal survey shows the poultry industry is starting to recover and rebuild. “The industry is attempting to expand the number of egg-type hatching layers,” Shagam says. “On October 1st, it was about 3% above a year ago, so we’re looking at an expansion there. If we look at the number of egg-type chicks hatched during September, they were up about 13% from 2014.”

“We’re having to raise the birds that will raise the birds that will raise the eggs,” he says. Consumers continue to see higher prices for eggs. Shagam says the wholesale cost during the 4th quarter will be about $2.45 a dozen, compared to $1.63 a year ago. There are rising fears more bird flu outbreaks could occur this fall as migrating wild waterfowl, which are blamed for carrying the disease, head south for the winter.

(Radio Iowa)