Harry “Sonny” Lavern Kessel, 90, formerly of Caledonia, MN, passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 29, 2023. He was born August 22, 1933 in Iowa City to Harry and Anna (Afstad) Kessel.
Funeral Services will be held Thursday, December 7 at Faith Lutheran Church on 1407 Main Street, La Crosse, WI for family and friends. Visitation will be at 11 a.m., with services held at Noon. A luncheon will be served afterward at the church. To view full obituary, visit www.schumacher-kish.com.
Mussel movement ... “The density and the diversity of the mussel bed on the Iowa bank was remarkable,” says Ron Kegerries, Technical Lead Acquatic Biologist on the relocation project. The unexpected density was one of the variables causing the team to finish the project later than anticipated. Other variables that caused delays were weather conditions and barge traffic. Submitted photo.
Well-suited for this line of work ... Dive Supervisor Ben Dunn helps a fellow diver put on his 26-pound helmet. Divers could work as long as the water temperature was above 40-degrees F. The team attempted to keep the divers warm with hot water that is run through portable, tankless, camping showers that run down through hoses the divers can put into their wetsuits. The divers completed their relocation efforts on November 18. Submitted photo.
Along the shore ... Divers worked from along the shoreline to approximately 80 meters riverward from the shoreline. The deepest they dove was approximately 26 feet; the average depth was approximately 12 feet. In 2018 and then again in 2020, surveys were conducted of the area to see where mussels were present. On this relocation project, the team was pleased to collect many more mussels and nearly twice the number of Higgins’ Eye than they expected - which is a sign the population is doing better. Submitted photo.
Efforts on the water ... After the divers collected mussels from each section of the relocation area, aquatic biologists on the boat identified each mussel and gave it a special marking, so it could be identified during monitoring efforts to track the success of the relocation and recolonization. The endangered mussels were given special treatment and received a unique number. Divers relocated a little over 29,500 freshwater mussels of which nearly 400 were the endangered Lampsilis higginsii, commonly known as Higgins’ Eye. “The number of mussels might sound small in comparison to the total,” Aquatic Biologist Kelly Love says. “But they are called endangered species because there are less of them, and they are a struggling and sensitive species.” Submitted photo.
Diving right in for some mussel work ... Left to right: Benjamin Dunn, of Kansas City, MO, dive supervisor; Kelly Love, of Cleveland, OH, aquatic biologist; and Ronald Kegerries, of Missouri, director of aquatic sciences. All three work out of the Missouri Office with EcoAnalysts, Inc., a provider of ecological field sampling, laboratory, and consulting services in terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and marine environments. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.
“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived.”
- Edward O. Wilson,
biologist and multiple
Pulitzer Prize winner
by Julie Berg-Raymond
The next few years are going to see a lot of activity on the Mississippi River at Lansing - while, in a state-of-the-art, multi-agency project involving some of the top specialists in several fields, a new bridge is built across the river there for the first time in almost 100 years.
The past few months have already seen some activity near the shore at Lansing. From August 15 until November 18, teams of scientific divers and aquatic biologists worked on both the Wisconsin and Iowa sides of the river to collect, identify and relocate approximately 29,500 mussels - nearly 400 of which were the endangered Higgins Eye Pearly Mussel (Lampsilis higginsii).
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, November 27 to address a full agenda of matters including the consideration of the 2024 Holiday Schedule for County Offices, discussion of collective bargaining relating to union negotiations, and consideration of ending the probationary period and approving a wage increase for an employee in the County Auditor’s office.
The meeting was called to order by Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.
The Waukon High School Choir, under the direction of Sarah Bieber, will be sharing its music with the area church community during its 28th Annual Christmas Church Tour this Sunday morning, December 3, according to the following schedule:
St. John's Lutheran 8:30-8:45 a.m.
Old West Paint Creek Lutheran 9:00-9:15 a.m.
Zion United Church of Christ 9:30-9:45 a.m.
First Presbyterian 10:00-10:15 a.m.
First Baptist 10:30-10:45 a.m.
St. Patrick Catholic 11:00-11:15 a.m.
St. Paul’s United Methodist 11:30-11:45 a.m.
The choir sings at seven churches each year. Those churches are selected based on a number of factors, including church proximity to the high school, accessibility for school buses, the physical size of the church, the membership size of the congregation, and whether the worship service is broadcast.
The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train is scheduled to make its return to the Lansing and New Albin areas again this year as part of its 2023 trek to help raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CPKC network. The festive railway celebration is scheduled to make its way through northeast Iowa Friday, December 8 with stops in Ossian, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN.
Robey Memorial Library and The Oneota Valley Literary Foundation have partnered to host Main Street Story Walk in November and December in Waukon featuring the children’s story “Winter is here” by Kevin Henkes. Families are encouraged to read this story as they stroll the downtown area of Waukon. Six selected businesses have a portion of the story posted in the front window of their establishment for viewing from the sidewalk. Each stop along the story walk will direct readers to the next location. Selected businesses for this latest Main Street Story Walk are all located on West Main Street at the following locations also labeled above: 1. KNEI Radio Station; 2. Teslow’s Formal Wear; 3. Waukon State Bank; 4. Main Feature Theater, labeled above as Wolfpack Theater Company; 5. Howards Home Furnishings; and 6. Wax by Amber. Submitted image.
Helping Services for Youth & Families is hosting the 19th annual Holiday Lights event, held at Pulpit Rock Campground in Decorah. Holiday Lights is an annual fundraiser for Helping Services for Youth & Families, a non-profit organization with programs that promote healthier and safer families throughout northeast Iowa. A free-will donation will be collected as visitors enter the gates of Holiday Lights each evening. All donations benefit Helping Services for Youth & Families. For the complete schedule and list of sponsors, visit the Helping Services website at www.helpingservices.org/holidaylights.
Santa Claus will be coming to town, or should it be said, to the farm! A Drive-Thru Santa on the Farm event will be held at Iowa’s Dairy Center Friday evening, December 8 from 5-7 p.m. Iowa’s Dairy Center is located at 1527 Hwy. 150, Calmar.
Visitors will be able to meet Santa from their vehicles. The drive-thru event will take visitors right through the farm’s freestall barn to see a close-up view of the milking cows. Pre-packaged cookies and milk will be served right to participating vehicle and visitors will also receive a fun holiday goody bag which includes dairy educational activities.
This family-friendly event is free to the public and donations are appreciated. The event will be weather permitting. For up-to-date information or questions, visit the Northeast Iowa Dairy & Agriculture Foundation’s Facebook page or email info@iowadairycenter.com. Submitted photo.
The Waukon Lions Club recently donated $600 to the Allamakee Community School District’s (ACSD) Milk Program. Pictured above, left to right, are Jessica Keenan and Kay Gavin of the Allamakee Community School District Food Service Department and Carrie Niehaus of the Waukon Lions Club. Submitted photo.
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program will be hosting live-streamed Commercial Continuing Instruction Courses (C-CIC) online this fall as an additional opportunity for commercial pesticide applicators to attend. Attendees will need a computer or device with good internet connection to participate in any of the programs.
Applicators can register by going online to the Extension Store (https://store.extension.iastate.edu) and searching for “Live Streamed”. Note that registration ends when the maximum of 290 attendees is reached or at 9 a.m. the day before the program, whichever occurs first. Following is the schedule for the statewide CIC reshow dates and times:
