Orlan LoveOrlan Love, The Gazette's outdoor writer since 1994, graduated from Marquette University in 1977 with a degree in journalism, after serving more than four years in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Born and reared in Quasqueton on the Wapsipinicon River, he still lives there with his wife, Corinne. Among other awards, his writings have twice earned the Iowa Newspaper Association’s master columnist designation. |
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Remote prison camp again on budget chopping block
LUSTER HEIGHTS — The state correctional facility that looks more like a Boy Scout camp than a prison is again on the budget chopping block. After wriggling off in 2003 and 2010, the Luster Heights Prison Camp, the last stop before release for many inmates, is again slated for closure under Gov. Terry Branstad’s proposed [...]
Geological survey: Ancient meteorite crater sits below Decorah
Recent aerial surveys in the Decorah area have confirmed that a huge meteorite crashed into the earth there about 470 million years ago. “Yeah, we have a very high confidence level” that a meteorite about 200 meters across struck there, said Robert McKay, a geologist with the Iowa Geological and Water Survey, which is partnering [...]
Iowa’s flood risk about normal, despite persistent drought
The anticipated drought dividend of greatly reduced flood risk this spring has not fully materialized. Despite thirsty soil and what until recently had been low stream flows and subnormal snowpack, flood risk in the weeks ahead will be normal to only slightly below normal, the National Weather Service said Thursday in its first spring [...]
Southeast Iowa cattle herd thriving on sawdust-based feed
While it’s not quite spinning straw into gold, Bob Batey is converting sawdust from his lumber mill into nutritious and palatable feed for his cattle. When Batey fills his feed bunks with the 70 percent sawdust ration, his cows eat it like candy, plunging their faces into it and licking their lips. “They like it. [...]
Organic, locally grown food gaining ground in Iowa
Though few hard statistics are available, Iowans’ appetite for organic food and locally raised fruits and vegetables appears to be growing. “We don’t have real current and accurate data, but my sense is that, yes, we are getting more organic growers and more people raising food for local consumption,” said Maury Wills, bureau chief of [...]
Decorah eagles’ move to new nest takes them offline
The world-famous Decorah eagles have moved to their new nest and will raise this year’s young beyond the scrutiny of the webcam that has endeared them to millions, Bob Anderson, director of the Raptor Resource Project, said Friday. “They have been bringing grass and lining the bowl of their new nest and not the old [...]
Video: Ice fishing in ‘The Great Outdoors’
WILLIAMS, Minn. — You’d hate to think that experiencing ambient air temperature of 40 degrees below zero would be the highlight of four days’ ice fishing in the “Walleye Capital of the World.” But for me and six fishing buddies, the memory of our unprecedented exposure to such frigid air will outlast our recollections of [...]
Climatologist: Iowa ‘vulnerable’ to continuing drought
“Vulnerable” is the word most often used by climatologist Brian Fuchs to describe the prospects of a second straight drought year in Iowa. “We’re in a worse situation than we were a year ago, and we will be talking about drought issues again in 2013,” said Fuchs, who works at the National Drought Mitigation Center [...]
High ginseng prices tempt lawbreakers
The recent indictment of a Lamont man on five counts of illegal ginseng trafficking highlights the temptations posed by a wild-growing root that fetches $700 a pound on international markets. “The higher the price, the greater the potential for illegal harvest,” said Mark Loeschke, the Department of Natural Resources botanist who oversees the state’s wild [...]
Allamakee supervisors approve frac sand mining moratorium
WAUKON – No frac sand will be mined in Allamakee County for at least 18 months following action Monday by the county supervisors. By unanimous vote, the supervisors approved a temporary moratorium to allow time for the Planning and Zoning Commission to study the potential ill effects of frac sand mining and to make corresponding [...]
