Walsh County Press December 23, 2020: Page 5

December 23, 2020 Walsh County Press
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WW~~W_H~.N,. ._. . I ' COMMUNITY THE WALSH COUNTY PRESS - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020 I Page 5 Spearing North Dakota Outdoors: ND Game and Fish Department Doug Leier Photo: NDGF Above: It’s been more than 20 years since darkhouse Spearfishing for northern pike became legal in North Dakota. Have you ever tried darkhouse Spearﬁshing in North Dakota? If not, there’s a ﬁrst time for every- thing? As we’ve seen since last March when the pandemic began cancelling, rescheduling and tum- ing much» of the world ‘upside down, interest and participation in recreating outdoors has been on the rise. Recently, Greg Power, Game and Fish Department ﬁsheries di- vision chief, shared some insight from last year's spearing survey that showed 27% did so for the ﬁrst time in winter 2019-20. While there used to be an opening date to signal the start of the darkhouse Spearﬁshing season, that’s no longer the case. You can start.spearing ,- whenever you can ﬁnd safe icevon which to set up a darkhouse. It’s been more than 20 years since darkhouse Spearﬁshing for northern pike became legal in North Dakota. The numbers show that people are taking advantage of the expanded opportunities for winter outdoor recreation. Here’s a recap on darkhouse Spearﬁshing in North Dakota from the 2019—20 season, based on in- formation gathered in a post-season . survey. 2019-20 Highlights > 4,433 individuals registered (1,478 of which were nonresidents and nearly 80% were from Min— nesota). More than 18,000 northern pike were harvested. Average spearer was 47.9 years old and 87% were male. 74% of the respondents in- dicated that they darkhouse spearﬁshed. ‘ b 69% and 75% of the re- spondents indicated they open— water ﬁshed and ice-ﬁshed, re— spectively. Survey respondents indicat— ed participation on 81 water bod- ies (identical to 2018—19; down from 104 waters in 2017-18). Lake Sakakawea set a record in terms of reported spearing days. Devils Lake came in second, but a ways back. As noted in the past, Sakakawea and Devils Lake again received the majority of the pike harvest. > Median and mean weights of the largest pike reported harvested 'by respondents were 8 and 9.2 pounds, respectively, which was up compared to recent years. > Also, a full 10% of all spear- ers reported harvesting a very large (20 pounds or larger) pike. Individuals ‘who possess the needed valid ﬁshing license par- ticipate in darkhouse Spearﬁshing must ﬁrst register online at the . North Dakota Game and Fish De- partment website, gfnd.gov.-An— glers age 16 and older are required to have a valid ﬁshing license. Spearers and anglers are re- minded that materials used to mark holes must be in possession as soon as a hole greater than 10 inches in diameter is made in the lee. North Dakota residents who do not have a ﬁshing license may spear during the winter free ﬁshing weekend Dec. 26-27, but they still need to register to spear. All waters open to hook and line ﬁshing are open to darkhouse spearing, except: East Park Lake, West Park Lake, Lake Audubon in McLean County; Heckers Lake in Sheridan County; Larimore Dam in Grand Forks County; McClusky Canal; New Johns Lake in Burleigh County; Red Willow Lake in Grig- gs County; Wood Lake in Benson County; Lake Ashtabula in Barnes and Griggs counties; and Whitman Dam in Nelson County. Anglers and Spearers should re- fer to the current North Dakota Fishing Guide for more informa- tion. temative waves that may be an op- tion to ﬁnance a farming operation. We will close the day at 2:30 with a 2021 WeatherOutlook by Daryl Richardson. , We have applied for Certiﬁed Crop Advisor CEUs. l have got about 12 of them already in my hand and more will hopefully come in. You need to go to the app store and get the barcode scanner prior to getting on these videos. I do believe somewhere sometime on that Video there will be a bar- code that pops up to be scanned or a chance to enter your CCA num- ber._We are doing the best we can given our circumstances. I am also a CCA and I too depend on the credits this meeting offers. You also can self-report about half of your CEUs. The great news is you have several days to do this and if you do multiple sessions that should go a long way for your CEU require— ments. Your ad goes here! Call 284—6333 today for rates. Try a BUZZ cut on those troublesome Siouxland Cottonwood tree belts! Or maybe a FLUSH cut would be appropriate? Text ’or Call CLYDE 202-5000. . SHELTERBELT SOLUTIONS Poetic meditations for, the Christmas season A day with the trees bravely waving In the gusty cold breezes With bare twiggy limbs of the deep winter seasons... By Mary Thoelke CRYSTAL, N.D. Please ﬁnd enclosed two poetic meditations that might be appropriate for the Christmas season, should you choose to use them. “The Ox and Ass Are Lowing” is a reﬂection on the 2nd verse of the Christmas song, “Away In A Manger”: “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus, no cry- ing He makes”. . I have always seen the ox and ass in manger scenes and found scrip- ture verses in various parts of the Bible that speak to what each sig- niﬁes. But I’ll let your readers ﬁnd those treasures for themselves. I simply wondered what they might be saying (lowing) to one another in animal-speak. This poem reﬂects those imag- inings. “When Joy Shall Fill Our Hearts” is a compilation of experiences from watching the beauty in the land through many winter seasons. I thought everyone could use a lit- tle more joy this Holy Christmas season with all the disruptions in our lives. We pray you and all the staff of the Park River Walsh County Press will have a blessed and beautiful Christmas and Happy Holy New Year 2021. THE OX AND ASS ARE LOWING By Mary Thoelke 12-12-94 Mmmm-awww, Mmmm-awww Adrianne and Zera Diddle-iddle — awww Swaying, exhaling In the empty stall. Mmmm—awww, Mmmm-awww They are coming soon Diddle-iddle awww Feel the joyous air? Hear the angels call? Mmmm-awww, Mmmm—awww Move in closer now Diddle—iddle — aww Our little king is near Warm that manger stall. Mmmm-awww, Mmmm-awww Heavy laden woman, rest. Diddle iddle — awww Baby safe and sound In our cattle nest. WHEN JOY SHALL FILL OUR HEARTS By Mary Thoelke 7-01 When We have eyes to see The beauty In an ordinary day... A day with the sun shining bright In a Virgin blue sky Or hidden by majestic clouds 0n high... A day with deep running rivers Frozen happily in their beds And skaters swirling on their sur- face instead. . . A day when great bursting lights Fill the clear evening skies With aurora borealis or just a sun— set surprise... When seeing these treasures These beauties, these truths We give thanks to our Father Who made them for us... Then joy will resound In the hearts and the souls Whose eyes are trained to see And ears opened to hear His Voice and His Word. Reﬂections on a diﬁ’erent of year PARK RIVER, N.D. — This year has been a diﬂerent kind of year and Christmas will soon be here. I think the world could use some Christmas cheer this year. How about setting up a Christmas Tree with a lot of lights to brighten the night. How about baking a bunch of Christmas cook- ies and playing Secret Santa to people who would be alone this Christmas. There is also singing of the 12 Days of Christ- mas Song. Did you know the Poinsettias is the Americ- as Christmas ﬂower? This plant is the best-sell- ing potted plant since 1986. Christmas has also a few historical traditions that should be mentioned. One tradition is the WWI Christmas Truce in Germany in 1914. Both Germans and Americans were ﬁghting when they heard someone singing and coming into no mans land with a small Christmas tree. This was an informal truce on Christmas Day. There were a few hours of jovial flinging and merriment for the soldiers so far from ome. There ae also people in Nursing Homes who ‘ could use a lift. A person could wrap a gift and just say from Santa. Some of these people have no one to visit them. In fact, you could start your own Christmas tradition. ‘ May you have a Merry Christmas and a Hap- py New Year. I Submitted by: Marquita Novak, Park River, ND Legislative Report: Back to work, budget eats, Cavid, new issues By Janne Myrdal Sen. District 10 BISMARCK, N.D. —~ Has time ever ﬂown since the election! I am having trou- ble thinking Christmas is right around the cor- ner as the weather has been so kind to us. Christmas lights somehow go along with snow, right? But the celebration of our Christ our Lord is indeed around the corner, so I wish everyone a Merry Christmas! And this in- credibly challenging year is near an end as well, for which we are all grateful. What an unprecedented year indeed. We are all deeply saddened by the loss of life of anyone struck by this awful virus and wish anyone sick a speedy recovery. Early December the 67th Legislative As- sembly met for what is called an Organiza- tional Session. Basically, it is a three-day nuts and bolts gathering of deciding committee as- signments, rules for the upcoming Session, training for freshman legislators, training of new computer programs, process of how to handle Session while Covid is still present, as- signments of seating in the chamber and be— lieve it or not the assignment of parking spaces. All important to make sure the up- coming Session starts smoothly on January 5th. Of course, the most important part dur- ing that time was the honor of being sworn in as a legislator. And an honor it truly is. Once again thank you for entrusting me with District 10’s Senate seat. We heard the Governor’s budget propos- al, and it is available on the governor's web- site for those who wish to see it. The budg- et will be tough this Session as both Covid and ,a down-trend in Energy prices have hit the economy hard. I have been on Senate Re- , publican Caucus Zoom meetings for sever— al months now looking at long term budgets, 30 to 50 years down the road. How do we stay LONG term sustainable as a State is my deep concern. Yes, we certainly have been blessed for decades, and honestly still are, but how do we balance the budget with an ap- Jon-t. t»; Good morning everyone! It has been a long time since my last arti- cle and people have let me know that it’s about time again! 2020 will go down in history as the year that wasn’t. In all my 70 years, this has been the most miser- proxirnately $750 million dollar gap in fund- ing? That is the issue set before us this Ses— sion. I believe we must truly seek wisdom in where there can be cuts and yet provide for. the needs we have. All and any input appre- ciated from all Of you! As a small example, I am working on cutting spending on sever- al outdated programs the state has run for decades. An example is the ND Horse Rac— ing Commission, - yes that is right we spend close to $400K per bienniiun on horse racing issues. . .?? This Commission reports to the Judiciary Committee I sit on and I have yet to ascertain what on earth the taxpayers get from this. If you know me, I am a “horse gal” and even grew up training racehorses, but se- riously? Such spending is purely wasteful. There are many more so-called small ex- penditures we must dig out and eliminate. It will all add up to millions of taxpayers' monies that should be used for infrastructure needs among others, especially in rural areas. I mentioned the Judiciary Committee, and I will continue to serve there as well as Vice- Chair of Agriculture. During these past ten months of Covid we have seen the nation and our state attempt to do the best we can to protect those vulnera— ble and we have seen our healthcare workers stretched to the I have visited with many and I am utterly grateful for all their work. I also have heard ﬁom many small business owners that struggle to stay open and are downright mad, and rightfully so, at be- ing forced by the government to shut down or limit hours. And I hear from parents and teachers who have had to adjust severely to a “new normal”. Not at all an easy time for ’ any. As a lawmaker, not health profession- als, we have work set before us to protect the constitutional rights of us all, to make sure that separations of power are balanced and again remain constitutional, and to make sure we do what we can to provide for the most vulner- able during these times which are the elder- ly and the irnmune—compromised. I was asked A MINUTE WITH THE MAYOR BY DAN STENVOLD MAYOR OF PARK RIVER by the leadership in the Senate to serve on a small task force of Republican senators to look into the past ten months of executive orders by the Governor and ﬁnd any “holes” or lack of direction in the North Dakota Century Code. We have been working on it for a cou- ple of months and legislation will be forth- coming in early January to address some of the imbalance we have seen. We have nev- er had this situation before so we will be work- ing hard to make sure your elected officials who serve in the Legislative Assembly will be much more involved in long-term emer- gencies. The more local decisions are made the better for all, therefore we must prepare, in law, for ﬁrture events like this. I will write more on this as Session starts. Many have contacted me on issues rang- ing from sewer laws, agricultural warehous— ing, school consolidation, protection of female sports, vaccine mandates, tax incentives, and much more. We are in the phase of pre- ﬁling bills right now on all issues so if you have speciﬁc issues you would like to see ad— dressed please contact me. I am not a pro- ponent of adding too much to the law unless it is needed, but serious concerns like many mentioned above should be addressed. ' I want to make this report not to lengthy as I know we are all a bit tired of the politi- cal scene these days. I will update often as Session starts and please know I need your in- put and wisdom always as we seek to keep North Dakota prosperous in every way. I pray we all ﬁnd comfort and peace in knowing the Son of God came in a manger to set us all eternally free. By calling Him Lord and Savior is where true Peace will ever dwell within us and in our communities. Blessed New year! Editor Iv Note: Myrdal is a Senator in the North Dakota Senate for District 10. Contact her at jmyrdal@nd.gov or 701 331 0946. ing a mask all the time by the way! We will also look at opening out city ofﬁce and the library after January 4th. I haven’t been anyplace or done anything since August and I haven’t ﬁlledwithgasfor3 months!!! We are able year I can remember— this in- cludes my 3 combat tours in Vietnam More about this later. Park River had some very bright spots considering what we’ve all been through this year. The residents on Hill Top drive ﬁnally got their new street after 30 years of talking about it. This is a huge improvement to what they’ve had to endure for all those years. We replaced 17 blocks of out- dated, rusted, leaking water mains. This is something that should’ve been done years ago. We received a huge grant from the state or we never would’ve been able to afford the costs. We also went with the newest technology of replacing the lines. The crews pushed a pipe through the existing waterlines. They then pulled the pipe back, bursting the old line and pulling a new line back at the same time in many cases, the new line was increased by one or two sizes. We have several “send and rei- ceive” spots that were cut in the pave- ment. Theses spots will all be paved in 2021. We also had an electrical con- tractor in town doing replacements and upgrades to our electrical grid. The improvements were designated to help our customers east of the rail— road tracks as we’ve had numerous problems with the load in that area. All in all, every one of those contractors did an excellent job and each individual company should be proud of their employees because they were a pleasure to work with and yes, I was out there with them almost daily. 2020, the year everyone was grounded! I didn’t like it when I was a young kid and I don’t like it now butitistherightthingtodo. Iwasanti mask wearing in May June and July when our numbers in the state were next to nothing but in August our numbers EXPDODED! I don’t know why, some are saying that it was the opening of our schools and colleges but for whatever reason, North Dako- ta was in the national headlines for weeks as the worst state in the union with our per capita spread rates. The numbers are coming down so let’s keep it that way. I am now wear- blessed in this community to have such dedicated healthcare workers The clinics have been full, the hos- ‘ .7 pital has been ﬁrll and these workers have come through for us, time and time again. GREAT JOB! This is getting long so I would like to thank everyone of our city em- ployees and the city council for the excellent job they all did last year. All these improvements and the day tc day problems of our city would not happen without their total dedicatior to you the citizens of Park River. . Please be safe during this holiday ‘ season. Have a Merry Christmas anc' a Happy New Year and if you’re trav- eling, please wear yourmask! l v . will! !