Bluff Country Reader

SWCD hosting forestry field day at Magelssen Bluff Park in Rushford

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 07/17/2018 - 12:16pm

The Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will be hosting a field day on Wednesday, July 25, to explore how terrain, soils and aspect affect timber productivity, the types of plant communities found on a site, and identifying trees and plants that will thrive depending on the site conditions.

Make sure to vote in the primary election Aug. 14

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 07/17/2018 - 12:13pm

It’s that time again. Two years after the last presidential election and two more until the next. This midterm election is as important as a presidential election. In 2018 we will decide the majority in both the House and the Senate. Voting for the representatives we send to St. Paul and Washington is the best way we can make certain that our voices are heard.

CHANGE IS GOING TO HAPPEN, LIKE IT OR NOT

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 3:04pm

These past weeks I’ve experienced several occasions when the response to a suggestion was either “We’ve never done it that way,” or “We’ve always done it this way.” It reminded me of a column I’d written a few years back about change and resistance to it, and thought it was worth reprinting. Here it is, from September of 2012.

Peregrine falcons nest again on bluffs at Effigy Mounds

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 3:02pm

There’s a program on the return of peregrine falcons to the Mississippi River bluffs at Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeast Iowa. There WAS a program. It was scheduled to have been held July 6 at the park.

Sorry you missed it. I saw the press release dated July 2 on July 2. That’s typically not enough lead-time for weekly publications to promote it, especially with a Fourth of July holiday thrown in for good measure.

Cooking class one of top Spanish experiences

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 2:56pm

It’s a bit odd that I’m continuing my series of columns this week on my trip to Spain when my niece and her family are currently in the same house as I am.

The reason I went to Spain in April was to visit my niece and her family. As I write this, Katelyn, Chris and Emily are back in the United States visiting for a few weeks and have been staying with my brother and his wife in Mankato for the past several days.

Combination of factors contributes to birthday health scare

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 2:53pm

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes on my birthday. 2018 will be a birthday that I won’t forget for a while. At least I hope I don’t! Though I appreciated all the “Happy Birthdays,” I had a bit of a medical scare, and want to pass along what I hope I learned from my experience.

Birds were counting on participants to count them

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 2:52pm

I’d been out the door at 4 in the morning. I’d awakened without an alarm clock, as I tend to do when I look forward to something. The morning’s fog exceeded the fog in my brain, but there were birds that needed counting. They were counting on me.

I did a Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in June. I’ve been doing the same route for many years and it was good being back in the counting saddle after missing the BBS last year when I was on the disabled list.

Small town rally garners large crowd, national coverage

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Thu, 07/05/2018 - 9:53am

Throughout the nation and Minnesota, citizens gathered together as part of the “Families Belong Together” Day of Action on Saturday, June 30. The day of action was planned in opposition to the separation of children and their families at the United States and Mexico border, prior to President Donald Trump’s June 20 executive order, and a call to immediate reunification of families who were separated. Among one of the nation’s smallest towns participating was Lanesboro, population 739, for which it garnered national attention.

DNR provides links to oodles of summer fun opportunities

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Thu, 07/05/2018 - 9:08am

Oh my!! My eyes just got real big as I discovered a secret to just all types of amazing summer fun!

Best of all, it’s readily accessible to all at Minnesota state parks – and you can find the information online. Just go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/starter_kit/index.html. That site contains all kinds of web links to summer park programs and events in its Summer Activities Guide.

Let’s see what the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tells us on the guide’s home page:

Father’s advice lives on, remembered on special day

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Thu, 07/05/2018 - 9:01am

Father’s Day

It was the day before Father’s Day and work had taken me to Jamestown, N.D. It’s the hometown of prolific author Louis L’Amour, who wrote over 100 books, most of them western novels. I enjoyed visiting a display recalling his life. I’ve never read any of his books, but my father had been a huge fan of the cowboy genre, particularly enjoying those novels authored by Zane Grey.