March 29, 2024

Outdoor news

New numbers

DES MOINES — New telephone numbers for staff at the Iowa DNR Des Moines central office begin Monday, Nov. 24. The Iowa Communication Network (ICN) is upgrading current 242/281 prefixes numbers with 725 numbers. ICN plans to eventually switch all Des Moines state departments to 725 numbers.

The main DNR phone number will be 515-725-8200 and main fax will be 515-725-8201. A complete listing of new numbers is on the DNR website at iowadnr.gov/contacts

The DNR 24-hour spill hotline will remain (515-281-8694) through June 30, 2015, changing to 725-8694 on July 1, 2015. The Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline will remain 800-532-2020.

The phone upgrade will also affect voicemail. Voicemails left Friday, Nov. 21, on the 281/242 prefix numbers will not be forwarded to the new 725 prefix numbers. Please use email during the transition time to get messages to DNR central office staff.

Lake ice

Clear Lake was officially declared iced in by the Clear Lake Water Department on Monday, two weeks earlier than normal, but the 1-1/4 inches of ice is far from ready to be invaded by hundreds of ice anglers.

Fisheries biologist Scott Grummer said the extended forecast for north Iowa predicts only a handful of days above freezing during the next two weeks so ice fishing will likely begin early this year.

“I expect to see anglers start checking some of the smaller lakes but they should be cautious and cut a lot of test holes when going out,” Grummer said.

The DNR recommends a minimum of four inches of ice for fishing and a minimum of five inches of ice for ATVs or snowmobiles.

Deer harvest

Hunters have reported harvesting 23,807 deer as of Monday, which is within 100 deer of where it was a year ago at this time despite the recent cold weather.

“The rut is going strong and will continue for the next week to 10 days,” said Jim Coffey, forest wildlife research technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Hunters should focus on food sources and bedding areas where does go as bucks will be checking these areas out.”

The reported number of bucks taken has increased 1,000 while the reported doe harvest is down 1,000, which reflects the changes in regulations.

Shotgun season begins December 6 and to avoid standing in line, hunters are encouraged to purchase their license early.

Trout stocking

CEDAR FALLS — Trout stocking scheduled for Nov. 21 at North Prairie Lake will be postponed until December 18 to allow lake ice conditions to improve.

“The stocking scheduled for November was supposed to be an open-water stocking, but unseasonably cold temperatures have caused a layer of ice to form on area ponds,” said Dan Kirby, fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Delaying the stocking will allow for the ice to thicken and will place the stocking time closer to the winter holiday season popular with many ice anglers.

Bird feeding

If you were wait for wintry weather to start stocking the bird feeders—you have it.

With temperatures dipping into the teens and even single digits, it is creating crowds at those backyard feeders.

The latest U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Outdoor Recreation Survey indicates that 609,000 Iowans feed wildlife. Most of that is maintaining winter—and late fall—feeding stations for birds. Migrating songbirds are setting up their feeding stops now, ahead of the heavy duty wind, cold and snow. They want to expend as little energy as possible, while consuming maximum calories to stay warm.

The bonus to us?

“It’s just a great way to bring the outdoors right into our homes. We can see the songbird activity, hear their cheery calls. They brighten our spirits,” assesses DNR wildlife diversity technician Pat Schlarbaum. For him, the dark-eyed juncos showing up in the fall trigger the call to step into action.

The first step is cleaning your feeders. Removing debris and bacteria reduces the chanced of disease this winter. Use a weak bleach and water solution to scrub and rinse them; whether they are still hanging in the yard…or are stored in the garage somewhere.

Next up? Run an extension cord and small heating element to the birdbath.

“If you are the one providing water for the birding community; you are probably going to have the largest selection of songbirds visiting your backyard,” predicts Schlarbaum.

Should you have just one feeder and one choice of feed…black oil sunflower seed attracts the widest variety of ‘desirable’ songbirds; cardinals, nuthatches, tufted titmice, blue jays, chickadees and more flock to sunflower seeds. Do yourself and the birds a favor. Flip the bag over and check the fat content. The higher it reads, the better it is for birds and the more bang you’ll get for your bird feeding buck.

Overall, different feeds attract different birds. Nyjer thistle attracts finches. Suet attracts woodpeckers. Lower priced millet or milo, spread on the ground, is big with mourning doves, sparrows and other ground feeding species. Be wary of discount mixes, though. Fill a feeder with it, and you could end up with much of it scratched out to the ground as birds waste it, to get to the ‘good stuff’. You may be money ahead feeding the more expensive stuff…and buying less of it overall.

Schlarbaum touts sunflower hearts for woodpeckers and titmice, too. Experiment and see what food sources attract the birds you prefer to see. Most of that is keeping winter bird feeders stocked…and watching the feathered palette of color on the blanket of snow in your yard. Oh, it’s coming alright.

Should just feeding and watching birds in the yard not be enough, you can take it to the next level. Two popular winter weather activities include the Christmas Bird Count, which gets teams outdoors in a specified area; and the Great Backyard Bird Count, where you simply tally birds seen from your window.

Results are valuable, as these ‘citizen scientists’ provide information on wintering birds; especially winter territories and trends, such as movement into new areas.

Though promoted nationwide, a couple websites; www.iowaaudubon.org and www.iowabirds.org provide more information. That includes links to local chapters, clubs or blogs…and lots more information that is 'for the birds.' Also, any full service bird feed supply outlet has information on the counts, winter bird watching walks and other activities and products to step up your winter bird watching involvement.

REAP: 25 years

Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) funding has saved a historically significant, early and important example of Mission Revival Style architecture in Davenport.

The Louis P. and Clara L. K. Best Residence and Auto House restoration project, made possible by REAP grants through Iowa’s Historical Resource Development Program (HRDP), has preserved Iowa’s Best property complex by stabilizing its foundation for another 75-100 years.

Originally built in 1909 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2012, this monumental set of buildings can be seen from as far as the city of Rock Island, Ill., and serves as an important visual landmark. The Best Auto House in particular is clearly visible as a structure on the bluff above Harrison Street, the busiest thoroughfare leading into downtown Davenport.

Louis P. Best emigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1869 and was a successful industrialist, financier and chemist involved in corn processing and other major industrial and real estate interests.

In 1908, Louis and Clara, who had two children of their own, became the wards of three orphans from Clara’s sister, Emilie, who died from complications of appendicitis surgery shortly after her husband’s suicide. This change of events, coupled with the Best’s economic status, spurred planning for a new burgeoning family’s residence immediately.

The primary focus of the preservation project was to prevent horizontal movement of the Auto House’s foundation. The Auto House sits on the edge a steep 60-foot bluff, and is tied to a steel wall that was built in 1951 to support the foundation. Much like a new footing under the foundation of a historic building, the sheet-wall piling’s presence is required to support the building and prevent collapse.

Due to the extremely wet season of 2008 and degradation of slope integrity as a result of early 1940s developmental excavation, the Auto House foundation had shifted by more than an inch. As a result, major cracks appearing in interior partition walls and the stucco exterior served as prelude to disaster.

A total of 24 new tieback anchors were installed directly through the steel support wall and attached to its whaler beams (horizontal steel support bands) — strengthening the foundation, support wall and supporting soil through their secure connection. Seven of the anchors were connected through 16-inch core-drilled holes in the Auto House’s foundation, five feet below ground. Another row of anchors was installed 15 feet below grade, and a new concrete slab and 48-inch-tall black chain link fence were constructed atop the structurally rejuvenated support wall.

A total of $48,585 in HRDP funding was matched by $96,485 in personal funds to complete the project.

“Without REAP/HRDP funding, we would not have been able to proceed with this renovation project. Instead, plans would have focused on monitoring and ultimately, demolition. It is certain that without funding, the building would not have survived another 10 years, probably not another five,” said project coordinator David L. Cordes.

Spanish Mission Revival style architecture is a revival of the architecture of the Spanish missions of the southwest United States. In Revival Style, elements of Mission architecture are replicated and applied to buildings in a new and different ways.

A key component to revival style can be seen in the Best residence with the use of its curved and decorative Spanish parapet wall on the gables. The Best house also features projecting bands around windows and large piers that rise well above the roofline and support the structure’s porches.

The Auto House has the telltale curvilinear Spanish parapet design on the roof dormer and it originally featured a covered arcade through which the garage doors were accessed. Although the arcade was partially filled-in in 1951 when the garage was converted into an apartment, restoration of the garage space and the arcade is planned.

“Historic Preservation instills a direct connection to our heritage and history, preserving a built environment that has authenticity, and a sense of time and place. And from a purely environmental perspective, it is said that the "greenest" building of all is one that has already been built,” offered Cordes.

The Best Residence and Auto House is the first “fireproof” residence constructed in Iowa. Constructed in 1909, the entire structure is built of masonry with reinforced concrete and hollow tile-block floor structures. The entire second floor is constructed with reinforced concrete and tile. Only the partitions in the Auto House’s chauffer’s apartment are wood-framed.

The spacious 1,050 square-foot, two-bedroom chauffer’s apartment, located above the garage, remains unaltered except for kitchen and bathroom modernizations. Another unique feature of the Auto House is its original steam heating system. Replacement radiators have been acquired in hopes of reconnecting the existing steam main, which runs through the garage at the ceiling level, feeding radiators both above and below.

Multiyear, phased plans call for the complete restoration of the buildings and will accomplish roofing and boiler replacement, plumbing and electrical updates, restoration of the front-corner screened in porch, garage restoration (including archways and carri age doors) and removal of the apartments in the main house and restoration of spaces to single-family use.

“The HRDP program has made possible the preservation of some of the state's most significant and endangered historic properties. My experience is that the state's investment has brought about much more investment, through an indirect effect on neighbors and communities that see deteriorated properties improved and seek to copy the activity on other historic properties. At the Best Residence and Auto House for example, six neighbors within one block have made significant investments into their historic structures,” Cordes said.

In its 25 years, REAP has benefited every county in Iowa by supporting 14,535 projects. REAP has funded these projects with $264 million in state investments, leveraging two to three times the amount in private, local and federal dollars.

Collectively, these projects have improved the quality of life for all Iowans with better soil and water quality; added outdoor recreation opportunities; sustained economic development; enhanced knowledge and understanding of our ecological and environmental assets, and preservation of our cultural and historic treasures.