Iowa pheasant hunters may have fewer targets when the next season rolls around. Due to the cold, snowy winter and the wet spring, forecast models predict much of Iowa will see the pheasant population stagnate or fall. Todd Bogenschutz, a wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says some parts of the state may see a boost in the bird numbers, while other areas will drop. “The patterns we’re seeing aren’t necessarily uniform across the state,” Bogenschutz says. “The western third of the state really was fairly mild this winter compared to the rest of the state and actually, they didn’t have as much rain in that part of the state during nesting either, compared to the rest of the state.”

The nesting forecast will be updated with the D-N-R’s August roadside survey, which he says is the best gauge of what pheasant hunters can expect to find in the fall. Despite the weather, Bogenschutz says he’s encouraged by passage of the new Farm Bill and actions earlier this week to boost preservation of pheasant habitat with landowners enrolling in the Conservation Reserve Program, or C-R-P.   “Monday, the USDA began taking CRP sign-ups under the continuous program,” he says. “We have a new pheasant recovery practice under the continuing CRP. They refer to it as SAFE, State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement.”

With high commodity prices and the growing demand for ethanol, Bogenschutz says many farmers have been converting former grassland bird habitats to farm fields. The D-N-R says hunters shot roughly 158-thousand pheasants in Iowa last year. Back in 2011, about 109-thousand pheasants were harvested in Iowa, the lowest number since the state began keeping track in 1962.

(Radio Iowa)

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson….

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It isn’t over until it’s over. That’s the phrase befitting the results of the June 3rd primary election in Crawford County. The Omaha World-Herald reports Steve Ulmer’s name was drawn from a basket this week to settle a tie vote in the Crawford County Board of Supervisors election. Ulmer was one of four Republicans seeking the nomination for three board seats. No Democrats were on the ballot.

Kyle Schultz, a challenger from Charter Oak, was the top vote winner. Eric Skoog, an incumbent from Denison, had the second-highest vote total. But Ulmer and Jerry Buller tied for the third spot. The drawing was done after the board canvassed votes Tuesday morning. Ulmer, of Arion, and Buller, of Kiron, were tied at 541 votes each after two provisional ballots were counted.

By Iowa law, when a vote ends in a tie, the winner is determined by lot. Both Ulmer and Buller were incumbents. Buller has requested a recount, which is scheduled for Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Valley, NE., says severe storms are possible Saturday night through early Sunday morning across a large portion of east central Nebraska and parts of western Iowa. In the KJAN listening area, parts of  Crawford, Monona, Harrison, Shelby and Pottawattamie Counties will be under the gun for the most severe weather this weekend.

In their Hazardous Weather Outlook issued this (Friday) morning, the Weather Service says very large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall can be expected, with some areas along and north of Interstate 80 picking up in excess of two-inches of rain.

An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, either Saturday evening. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK., has indicated that a “Moderate Risk” of severe storms will exist across most of the area. Storm spotters will likely be called into action Saturday afternoon and night.

Authorities in Fremont County are asking for the public’s help in solving a crime that involves the theft of firearms. Sheriff’s officials say sometime between Monday, June 2nd and Monday, June 9th, a person or persons unknown entered a storage unit at Holliman Storage in Hamburg. Inside, they removed several firearms, including assault rifles.

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the incident. If you have information you think might be helpful in solving the crime, call Fremont County Chief Deputy Steve Owen or Deputy Andrew Wake, at 712-374-2424.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Six Iowa counties hit by storms last week now qualify for emergency disaster assistance. Gov. Terry Branstad has issued proclamations for Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Mills, Taylor and Wayne counties. All were affected by severe storms that brought heavy rain, hail, and high wind on June 3. The proclamation allows state resources to be used.

The proclamation also activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Program for Decatur County which provides grants of up to $5,000 for households meeting income eligibility guidelines for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and other assistance.

State emergency management officials have requested a federal damage assessment to public infrastructure in 10 counties including Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Harrison, and Mills counties. Also included are Montgomery Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Taylor and Wayne.

Police in Council Bluffs, Thursday, released a report identifying the remains of a person found following a house fire on Dec. 31st, 2013, in rural Mills County. Officials with the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny said based on circumstantial evidence in the case, bone fragments discovered in the home at 16683 Alcorn Avenue, are most likely those of Council Bluffs resident, 26-year old Travis Bach.

Several small, burned bone fragments were located during an excavation of the home on Jan. 15th and 16th, 2014. The fragments were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for testing. A test of Mitochondrial DNA was conducted, but none was located.  The Medical Examiner has listed the cause of death as accidental, and probably related to smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

The home where Bach’s remains were found belonged to 69-year old Gerald Nibbe, who’d been away the night of Dec. 31st, 2013, night visiting family in Omaha. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol had responded to a call from a security company around 9:30 p.m. saying the home’s motion-detecting security alarms were going off. When officers entered the home, they discovered multiple alarms going off and a fire.

Nibbe returned between 11 p.m. and midnight to find his home ablaze. Bach’s mother, Colleen, said her family believed Travis Bach was near the scene of the fire. Officials had investigated a suspicious vehicle parked on the property the night of the event. The vehicle’s owner, who lives in Council Bluffs, told sheriff’s deputies that he lent the vehicle to Travis Bach. Bach knew Nibbe and had done “odd jobs” for him in the past.

Council Bluffs police Sgt. Chad Meyers says authorities believed from the outset that remains found at the scene were Bach’s, but DNA tests were inconclusive. Meyers described the home as a “hoarder’s house,” full of items that made the fire burn hotter and longer than usual.

Investigators with the Iowa State Fire Marshal Division were not able to determine what caused the fire.

The Vision Iowa Board has awarded a total of $135,000 in Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grants for improvements at the French Icarian Village in Corning, and renovations at the Dunlop Wildlife Recreation Area near Orange City. The grants were approved by the Vision Iowa Board at their meeting in Des Moines, Wednesday.

The French Icarian Colony Foundation’s “Garden to Table” Kitchen and Sanitary System Project received a requested $40,000 toward the total $166,945 cost of the project. The award is contingent upon the foundation having completed its fundraising efforts within 60 days. The project includes the renovation of the basement and other areas of the historic dining hall to be used as a state-certified community kitchen, installation of a sanitation system for the dining hall and two public restrooms for
visitors.

And, the City of Orange City received a $95,000 CAT grant for the Dunlop Wildlife Recreation Area Renovations project. That was $2,300 less than they had asked for. The total cost of the project is $516,500. The award is contingent upon the City completing its fundraising efforts within 30 days.

The project will renovate the Dunlop Wildlife Recreation Area by adding an amphitheater, fishing piers, trails, a playground, bathrooms, a bridge to a trailer campground, a bigger open-air shelter, a picnic and camping area, plus new trees, bushes and seeding.

The Vision Iowa Program provides financial incentives to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. Currently, 388 CAT awards have been granted by the board, totaling $145,359,186. The next Vision Iowa Board meeting is scheduled for July 9, 2014, in Des Moines.