Community News Stories

International Owl Awareness Day Celebration

Houston, MN – Celebrate and learn about owls with a full day of programs and fun on August 3 in Houston, MN. In addition to the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Great Horned Owl, American Barn Owl and red morph Eastern Screech-Owl who work at the International Owl Center, you’ll also get to see and learn about Quarry Hill Nature Center’s tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl and Oxbow Park’s Barred Owl and gray morph Eastern Screech-Owl.

You’ll also find a plethora of owl items for sale, including owl cookies you can decorate yourself, owl face painting, a scavenger hunt around town and more. There will also be a special exhibition of extremely lifelike owl carvings by Robin Warburton.

Most activities take place at Houston Elementary School, two blocks south of the International Owl Center in Houston. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for ages 4-17, and free for members and ages 3 and under. Find full details at www.InternationalOwlCenter.org.

International Owl Center
126 E Cedar St.
PO Box 536
Houston, MN 55943

Making the world a better place for owls through education and research.

Decorah Student Wins High School Division of Iowa Student Composition Competition

Results from Iowa Composers Forum annual competition

Jesus Peña, a member of the class of 2020 at Decorah High School, has been awarded first place in the 19th annual Iowa Composers Forum (ICF) Student Composition Competition. The first place winner in each division receives a cash award, and selected winning compositions will be performed at an ICF Festival of New Music in the fall of 2019. Judges this year included Warren Gooch, ICF member and Professor Emeritus of Music Theory-Composition and former chair of the Music Graduate Program at Truman State University in Missouri as well as Jonathan Wilson, freelance composer and ICF member.

The winning piece, “Sinfonia in B minor, Color Symphony” was a project Peña completed as part of an independent study of music composition. He spent a semester writing and revising the music, preparing the parts and leading rehearsals of the music prior to its premiere performance in early June at the Decorah High School Orchestra’s outdoor concert. Teacher Nicole Cody commented: “I’m so proud of the work that Jesus did on this composition. He wanted to learn about the way Mozart wrote music. He was constantly generating and refining new ideas and then built them into a cohesive work that is full of artistic meaning, while honoring the forms and styles of Mozart.”

The Iowa Composers Forum was founded in March of 1987 in Des Moines by seven composers who wished to create an environment for the performance and dissemination of music composed by Iowans. Over the intervening years, the ICF has presented more than 100 concerts and tour recitals of works by member composers. These concerts have featured the performances of over 800 works of new music, including works by student composers from the elementary, middle, high school, and collegiate level. The ICF has commissioned many new works, both unilaterally and in partnership with other organizations such as the Iowa Music Teachers Association and the Iowa Choral Directors Association. The ICF sponsors its own annual student composition competition, open to students studying at the collegiate level and earlier.

Each year, the ICF offers the following:

• a concert event in the fall.
• a multi-concert new music festival, stretching over multiple days, in the spring. These are almost always held on Iowa college campuses. Recent festival sites have included the University of Northern Iowa, Luther College, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa.
• a student composition competition, open to students studying at the middle school through collegiate level. Winners receive premiere performances and prize money.
• a quarterly newsletter for its members, containing member news, concert reviews, calls for scores, and other professional opportunities.

The Forum extends its congratulations and encouragement to all the entrants. More information about the Iowa Composers Forum and the next call for scores can be found at www.iowacomposers.org. All entrants receive a one-year membership to the Iowa Composers Forum.

DECORAH, Iowa – Luther College professors and students are sharing their findings about flooding and encouraging community conversation in Freeport during a community meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at Freeport Park.

Representatives from Luther College will talk about their research on the 2016 Upper Iowa River flood and Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development will be on hand to discuss their watershed plan to enhance flood resilience. Residents will also have opportunities to share ideas and engage in discussion about ways to prepare for future floods.

A team of Luther College professors and students recently completed a series of interviews with members of the Freeport community affected by the Upper Iowa River flood of 2016. The team also conducted a survey of households throughout the Upper Iowa River Watershed to assess the impact and damage of the 2016 flood event. The meeting on Tuesday will share findings of these interviews and survey results, as well as facilitate conversation among community members about the implications of the research.

“One of our biggest takeaways from this research were the impacts – emotional, social and economic –  that flooding has on our community beyond the flood event itself. We hope this work contributes to ongoing conversations about how to make our communities more resilient to flooding,” says Rachel Brummel, assistant professor of environmental studies and political science.

In addition, a representative from Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development will introduce the proposed watershed plan for the Upper Iowa River and discuss projects in the watershed designed to reduce the scale of future floods.

The meeting is intended to facilitate a conversation among Freeport community members on how to create a community that is resilient to future flooding. Food and drinks will be provided. Everyone is invited to attend.

The health food incentive program Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) began at Iowa farmers markets in 2016 to help low-income families eat more fruits and vegetables while supporting farmers and growing local economies.

In 2018, Double Up Food Bucks was available at 14 locations across Iowa, including 11 farmers markets and three grocery stores. In 2019, Double Up Food Bucks is expected to reach as many as 150,000 residents in 14 famers markets and 19 grocery stores in 12 counties across Iowa – including the Oneota Community Food Co-op and Winneshiek Farmers Market.

How it works
Double Up Food Bucks provides participants in the SNAP program with a one-to-one match to purchase healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables. (SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as food stamps.)

How to participate
Visit participating locations (Oneota Community Food Co-op, Winneshiek Farmers Market, Fareway Decorah). Pick out your favorite fresh fruits and vegetables. For every $1 you spend on fresh produce with your SNAP EBT card you will earn $1 in Double Up Food Bucks. Earn up to $10 in Double Up Food Bucks per day. Use your Double Up Food Bucks to buy LOCALLY-GROWN, fresh produce at the Co-op and Winneshiek Farmers Market. Use them immediately, or save them for later.

Double Up Food Bucks can be obtained and redeemed at any participating location in Iowa! For more information visit iowahealthieststate.com/double-up-food-bucks.

About Oneota Community Food Co-op
Located in downtown Decorah, Oneota Community Food Co-op is a cooperatively-owned grocery store specializing in local, organic, and sustainably produced products since 1974. For over four decades, the Co-op has been the leading provider of whole foods at a reasonable cost, with an emphasis on organic, local and bulk foods. Roughly $.45 of every dollar spent at the Co-op stays within 100 miles of the store. Stop in and see us at 312 West Water Street in Decorah, or online at www.oneotacoop.com.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Many Americans enjoy do-it-yourself projects and some Americans make a living in construction. There’s a group of U.S. Navy sailors who apply the same creativity required for DIY endeavors along with the engineering discipline of construction, but with a unique twist. They work underwater. Around the world. In some of the most challenging conditions imaginable including hostile environments, extreme heat or cold, or in remote locations where the only support and supplies they have are the ones they brought with them.
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Griffin Kersting

Senior Chief Petty Officer Liam O’Brien, a 2000 Thomas Roberts High School graduate and native of Decorah, Iowa, is one of these sailors serving at Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1, which is responsible for underwater construction, inspection, repair and demolition operations supporting both peacetime and wartime missions.

As a Navy constructionman and master diver, O’Brien is responsible for the safe and effective diving operations.

“As a master diver, I’m responsible for life support systems certification,” said O’Brien. “I’m there to keep our Navy divers safe.”

O’Brien credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Decorah.

“As an Eagle Scout, I learned about leadership, which carried over into the Navy,” said O’Brien. “Also, going hunting and spending time outdoors helped me a lot when I got in the Navy.”

A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.

“The sailors who serve as part of the Navy’s Underwater Construction Teams possess a very specialized skill set,” said Lt. Cmdr. James Johncock, UCT-1’s commanding officer. “The work they do is crucial to providing freedom of the seas in both peacetime and wartime. It’s an honor to lead these sailors and I continue to be inspired every day by their commitment to being the absolute best at what they do. The physical and technical abilities underwater construction technicians demonstrate make them some of the most highly trained sailors in the Navy.”

O’Brien is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”

O’Brien has achieved the highest qualified diver qualifications that can be earned in the Navy.

“Master diver qualification is the pinnacle of a diver’s career,” said O’Brien. “There’s a lot of time studying for the written test, but more importantly there are a series simulated casualty drills that require a great deal of physical effort under stress. Ultimately, leadership is the key to success.”

In addition to earning his master diving qualifications, O’Brien is most proud of his family.

“I have a wife of 15 years and I have five children,” said O’Brien. “We’re both really proud of them.”

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, O’Brien and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.

“The most important thing about serving my country is knowing that I get to help lead others to achieve their goals,” added O’Brien. “We’re like a family here in the Navy. We not only get to know each other at the command, we also get to know and support their family members.”

Caleb Ferring, a skilled trades teacher from Waukon High School participated in a six-week summer STEM externship experience at Trinity Fabricators in New Albin, Iowa to enhance his skills and understanding of the welding industry. Trinity Fabricators is an American Welding Society (AWS) structurally certified welding and fabricating business. Some of the projects to go through the shop during Caleb’s externship included steel structures for agriculture facilities, gas stations, and power plants to name a few. Caleb completed and passed a weld test for an AWS welding certification for GMAW (commonly known as wire welding) in the flat position for unlimited thickness. Caleb plans to incorporate these industry standards into the Welding Career Pathway Certificate classes he will start teaching for Northeast Iowa Community College at the newly remodeled Allamakee Regional Welding Academy located in Waukon this coming school year.

The picture is of Caleb standing next to a set of industrial strength gates he welded during his summer STEM Externship at Trinity Fabricators in New Albin.

Winneshiek County, home to the famous Decorah eagles viewed by millions online, was also recently the location of a successful release of a female bald eagle following several months of rehabilitation due to lead poisoning.

The eagle, Pole Line Road 19 (PLR19), was admitted to Saving Our Avian Resources (SOAR), a raptor rehabilitation, education, and research organization, in February and released on June 27 at Lake Meyer Park, outside of Calmar.

A Team Effort
PLR19 was found in mid-February along Pole Line Road, west of Decorah. Dispatchers received multiple reports of a downed or injured eagle in the road ditch and contacted Winneshiek County Conservation and the Winneshiek County Sherriff’s Office.

“The rescue was a team effort,” says Barb Schroeder, executive director of Winneshiek County Conservation. “Our staff handled the physical collection of the bird, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office provided traffic control, local volunteers Brian Malaise and Patti Brice got her transported safely to SOAR, and, of course, many people called in to let us know about her in the first place.”

Rehab, Recovery, and Release
When PLR19 was collected, she was unable to hold her head upright and was having seizures. Both are symptoms of high blood lead levels, which was confirmed through tests. SOAR began administering fluids and chelation therapy, a standard treatment for lead poisoning.

Chelation therapy involves twice-daily injections for several days, followed by rest days. Chelation medication binds with lead in the bloodstream so it can be eliminated like other waste from the body.

After the initial weeks of intense care focused on helping PLR19 survive, SOAR was able to transition to a focus on rehabilitating PLR19 to return to the wild by slowly moving her in to larger flight pens. More than four months after her initial admittance, PLR19 was sufficiently recovered and strong enough for release back to the wild.

The release was scheduled to take place close to where PLR19 was initially found, but storms in the area delayed the release and necessitated a clear take-off zone to better protect PLR19. Only a small group was present during the release to reduce stress on PLR19 and she successfully and quickly left the area.

A video of the release is available on the Winneshiek County Conservation Facebook page.

Lead Poisoning and Eagles in Iowa
Lead poisoning is currently the leading cause of death for adult female bald eagles. Fifty percent of eagles admitted to Iowa rehabilitation centers and tested over a period of ten years exhibited elevated blood lead levels. Eagles inadvertently consume lead from animal carcasses and/or gut piles containing lead shot or lead shrapnel.

In addition to the muscle weakness and seizures exhibited by PLR19, eagles suffering from lead poisoning also frequently experience vision impairment, brain swelling, vomiting, paralysis, and organ failure. Only about 10 percent of lead poisoning cases admitted for rehabilitation result in birds being able to be released back to the wild as PLR19 was.

Non-toxic alternatives to lead shot and tackle are now available and effective for all hunters and anglers. For more information, visit www.huntingwithnonlead.org.

SOAR is a 501(c)3 raptor rehabilitation, education, and research organization, established in 1999. More information about SOAR and lead poisoning research can be found at https://soarrpators.org.

 DECORAH, Iowa – Luther alumnus Chris Norton is returning to Decorah to speak about his new book, “The Seven Longest Yards.” He and his wife, Emily Norton, co-authored the book. You can meet the couple and get a signed copy at 7 p.m. Monday, July 1 at Carrie Lee Auditorium.

Norton, a first-year student athlete, was injured in a 2010 football game. He saw an opening for a tackle but mistimed his jump and collided with the ball carrier.

“In an instant I lost all feeling and movement from my neck down. I was told I would never be able to move again,” said Norton.

Since then he has continued to defy the odds. First at his Luther College commencement ceremony in 2015. With the help of his then fiancé, Emily Summers, Norton walked across the stage to receive his diploma.

“I was incredibly nervous and anxious. However, right from the beginning of the walk, the gym erupted with cheers and applause, which was really encouraging,” said Norton. “Then to conquer one of my biggest goals with the help of Emily, who I was going to spend the rest of my life with and in front of people who have been so supportive like family, friends, and my college community was a moment I’ll forever cherish.”

The video of that moment has been viewed more than 300 million times. His next big walk came in 2018. After the couple said their wedding vows, Summers helped Norton out of his wheelchair, they sealed the deal with a kiss and walked seven yards down the isle as husband and wife. Norton says it took seven years to prepare for that moment with Summers helping him each day.

Since graduating from Luther College, Norton has dedicated his life to empowering others to overcome their obstacles.

“It was at Luther College that I discovered how compassionate people are and the power of community.”

Norton says he has seen far too many people go without necessary therapy equipment and assistance to achieve their recovery goals so he started the Chris Norton Foundation. The non-profit works to help people with spinal cord and neuromuscular disabilities lead their best lives. Norton also speaks across the nation and was named a “2018 Hottest Event Keynote Speaker” by ITA Group.

To register for the July 1 event, visit www.dragonflybooks.com/event/norton.

Luther College is home to more than 2,000 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu

DECORAH, Iowa— A well-known woman of worship will be leading the Luther College student congregation on her path to pastoral work. Vicar Amalia Vagts, a 1995 Luther graduate, is a candidate for word and sacrament ministry in the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran church in America (ELCA.) Her candidacy is sponsored and supported by her home congregation, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa.

All candidates studying to become pastors in the ELCA complete a year of pastoral internship. Vagts’ internship is a collaboration between the Luther College student congregation with supervisor Pastor Anne Edison-Albright and two area congregations: Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkader, Iowa and Emanuel Lutheran Church in Strawberry Point, Iowa with supervisor Pastor Susan Friedrich. “It’s been a few decades since we’ve had a pastoral intern at Luther,” said Pastor Edison-Albright, “Vicar Amalia’s time with us will be renewal of an important aspect of ministry at the college.”

At Luther, Vagts will plan, preach and lead worship as well as intentionally connect with students who are looking for ways to add spiritual practices into their daily lives. “Vicar Amalia brings creativity, curiosity and outstanding communication and leadership skills to every team she’s on,” said Pastor Edison-Albright. “I’m excited to get to continue to work with her in this new way, and to accompany her in everything she’s going to learn and experience about ministry on internship. She brings so much to the campus context and the parishes she’ll be serving this year.”

Vagts graduated from Luther College with degrees in religion and English. She then spent a decade working for reproductive and sexual health as a community organizer, lobbyist and campaign field manager for Planned Parenthood. From 2006 – 2017, Vagts served as executive director of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, working in support of LGBTQ ministry leadership in the Lutheran church.

Pastors Edison-Albright and Friedrich expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with a pastoral intern who is openly LGBTQ. “It’s increasingly possible for diverse leaders to answer the call to serve in ministry leadership, and that’s a real blessing for the church,” said Pastor Edison-Albright. “As a member of the LGBTQ community, Vicar Amalia will bring valued new diversity to our ministry teams.”

When describing herself Vagts said, “I love to listen, work, and figure out how to invite people into their true selves. I believe God is alive in the world and seek to live my live in such a way that shows this is true.”

After Vagts’ internship year, she will return to Wartburg Theological Seminary School for a final year of study before beginning the process of ordination and seeking a first call as a pastor.
Luther College is home to more than 2,000 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

News from Anatomical Heart Films

Lansing, IA – Mason City native, Iowa State graduate, and 2017-18 Iowa Arts Council Artist Fellow Jack Meggers will be hosting the premiere screening of his short film, The Burial, at TJ Hunter’s in Lansing, IA at 7pm, Thursday, June 20th, 2019. The screening will also be hosted by Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism.

Last August, Meggers completed principal photography for his short film produced in and around Lansing, IA. Since filming was completed, Meggers has been working on the editing and finishing of his film and is very excited to debut it for many of the people that helped in its creation.

A Q&A session will follow the screening and will be attended by Meggers and his lead actress, Nokomis Leaman-Logsdon, all the way from New York City.

Parents of young children are cautioned: there is some adult language in the film.

The film follows Abby, a young woman of Native American and Caucasian descent (played by New York actress Nokomis Leaman-Logsdon), as she returns to her childhood home in NE Iowa. After receiving word that her estranged father has passed away, she returns to settle her father’s affairs, only to fall in with some childhood friends and ignore her responsibilities. The group makes a startling discovery in the woods and must deal with the consequences of their poor decisions.

This screening is the first of two planned screenings. The second will take place in Des Moines on June 22nd and will be held at the State of Iowa Historical Museum auditorium at 4:30pm.

The natural beauty of the driftless area in the NE corner of Iowa is featured in this short, proof-of-concept film. Meggers wishes to extend great thanks to everyone in Allamakee County and  beyond that made this film possible.

Links of interest:
www.facebook.com/theburialmovie
www.jack.film
Jack Meggers IMDB
Anatomical Heart Films
415 7th Street, Ste 108
West Des Moines, IA 50265