The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), through a partnership with the USDA Forest Service, is offering large shade trees, low-growing ornamental and fruit trees, and evergreen tree species at discounted prices.

All Iowa residents can purchase up to two trees to be picked up at the following locations:

Okoboji’s football team turned some heads Friday night with an incredible performance at home against North Union. The Pioneers dominated the Warriors 41-7 Friday, Aug. 30 at Okoboji High School in Milford.

The two squads scored all of their points in the first half. Okoboji took a 27-0 lead after one quarter and outscored the Warriors 14-7 in the second.

Spirit Lake football coach Josh Bolluyt said he’s never been more optimistic after a defeat than he is following the top-ranked (2A) Indians’ season-opening loss to seventh-ranked (3A) Algona last Friday.

The Bulldogs took advantage of a 21-point second-quarter scoring surge and held off a couple of comeback attempts by the Indians to leave Spirit Lake with a 42-40 victory on Friday, Aug. 30.

Harris-Lake Park’s football team suffered a lopsided loss to top-ranked Remsen St. Mary’s to kick off the 2024 season. The Hawks topped the Wolves 51-6 Friday, Aug. 30 in Lake Park.

Remsen St. Mary’s scored 39 points in the first quarter and led 51-0 at half. Harris-Lake Park’s lone score came in the third quarter on a run by junior Wyatt Wittrock.

Spirit Lake’s volleyball team kicked its season off in style, going 4-0 to win its home tournament held Saturday, Aug. 31. The Indians earned 2-0 wins over OABCIG and Sibley-Ocheyedan, and 2-1 wins over Central Lyon and Okoboji.

Okoboji’s volleyball team, fresh off of opening the season with a runner-up finish at Spencer, went 1-3 at a tournament hosted by Dickinson County rival Spirit Lake on Saturday, Aug. 31. The Pioneers earned a 2-0 win over Sibley-Ocheyedan, but fell 2-1 to Spirit Lake and OABCIG and 2-0 to No. 7 (1A) Newell-Fonda.

Okoboji’s volleyball team opened the 2024 season with a solid showing at a tournament hosted by Spencer on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The Pioneers went 2-1 at the tournament to place second, falling 2-0 to eventual tournament champion Algona before earning 2-0 wins over South O’Brien and Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn.

The Bulldogs topped the Pioneers 21-15 and 21-18 in the first round.

Last week, Spirit Lake fought Algona to the final whistle, but the top-ranked (2A) Indians came up just short of a comeback victory over the seventh-ranked (3A) Bulldogs.

Now, No. 2 Spirit Lake (0-1) turns its sights to the only team to top the Indians in the 2023 regular season, as they travel to take on Sioux Center (0-1). The Warriors suffered a 35-7 loss to third-ranked (2A) West Lyon on the road in Week 1.

NEW-LOOK WARRIORS

Last week, Okoboji opened the 2024 football season with a win for the first time since 2017, as the Pioneers dominated North Union 41-7 at home.

This week, the Pioneers (1-0) hit the road to face Pocahontas Area (0-1) in a non-district mathcup. The Indians fell 35-12 to South Central Calhoun on the road.

LOOKING AT POKY

This year’s Pocahontas Area team has plenty of new faces.

In its season-opening football game last week, Harris-Lake Park ran into the buzzsaw that is top-ranked Remsen St. Mary’s. The Hawks dismantled the Wolves 51-6 in Lake Park.

This week, Harris-Lake Park (0-1) will look to get in the win column when the Wolves make the long trek to face Rockford (0-1). The Warriors fell 61-0 to Riceville in Week 1.

BATTLING ROCKFORD

As I attended the presentation by Mike Hawkins, Iowa DNR fisheries biologist, on Saturday, Aug. 10, I expected to hear an update about the lake bank erosion and restoration. What I didn’t expect was Hawkins’ announcement toward the end of his presentation.

A day or two ago a friend asked me why I get excited about fall fishing. My friend had several reasons why fishing in the warmer months were his preferred fishing times. While I agreed that fishing in the spring and summer were a good thing to do, I had several good reasons why fall fishing is a good idea also. Here are some of those reasons.

My friend’s thought: Autumn weather can be inclement, and that fishing in the rain or cold is no fun.

Prior to European settlement of Iowa, trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) nested throughout the state. However, wetland drainage and unregulated hunting of trumpeters soon brought their demise. The last wild nesting trumpeter swan in Iowa occurred in 1883 on the Twin Lakes Wildlife Area southwest of Belmond, Iowa in Hancock County.

Trumpeter swans were first given nationwide protection in 1918 with the International Migratory Bird Treaty.

The Iowa DNR's Wildlife Diversity program has two separate grant programs offered through an application process: 1) Habitat Management Grants, and 2) Small Grants.

HABITAT MANAGEMENT GRANTS

Lane Gunderson and Harris-Lake Park football are inextricably linked.

He was a young spectator in the ‘70s and competed for the high school team in the ‘80s. He then watched as dwindling participation signaled the end of the HLP football program, eventually forcing a co-op with nearby Spirit Lake High School in the ’90s.