Week of Mar 1 2008 - 7:00pm to Mar 8 2008 - 6:59pm

    A Grafton man remained in critical condition Tuesday after being injured in a snowmobile accident Friday night, Feb. 29, on Clear Lake.
    Scott Paulson, 39, was apparently thrown from his snowmobile after hitting a snow drift on the Ventura end of the lake, said Randy Schnoebelen, of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.   A 9-1-1 call was sent out at 10:09 p.m. Friday when Paulson was found unresponsive on the ice.  
    According to Schnoebelen, Paulson was following another snowmobiler heading west on the lake. The other rider, Robert Quinlan of Swaledale, noticed Paulson was not behind him and went back to locate him.  He found his friend lying a distance away from his sled, unresponsive.  
    Garner Ambulance transported Paulson to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.  
    Schnoebelen said Tuesday he had not yet interviewed Paulson, but his preliminary investigation suggested he was thrown from the snowmobile after hitting a drift.  Both snowmobile riders were wearing helmets, he noted.
    “The late season snow can be very hard and people have to be careful and watch their speed, especially at night,” said Schnoebelen.

Gift certificates and prize drawings combine with education and motivation for weight loss results
by Michelle Watson

    The holidays and now the long, winter months can play havoc with anyone’s diet and weight-loss goals. Help is now available through a new weight loss support group called, “Make it Great 2008.”
    With the help of a team of professionals, participants are offered informative and educational presentations, support, encouragement and motivation to help reach goals and maintain a new lifestyle.
    “I have done similar programs since 1996,” said Mary Drew Kohlhaas, certified personal trainer and lifestyle/weight management consultant. “We touch base on a lot of issues, but we are more about offering support and focusing on how to change a lifestyle and maintain weight loss.”
    The local group began meeting on Jan. 8 and ended on March 4. There have been 44 participants in the eight-week program and they have lost a total of 358.5 pounds. Due to the success of the first program, another session began on March 4 and will continue through April 29. This session is open to new participants, but is also a continuation for former members.
    “This program has been good for me,” said Lisa Nieman, a participant in the group. “I had been working on my own and I needed something to make it all new to me again and keep me excited to continue. I also like the networking and the accountability I found in the group.”

    Clear Lake and Mason City officials will leave Sunday for a four-day trip to Washington, DC to gain support for issues affecting the North Iowa business climate.
    Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb and City Administrator Scott Flory, along with Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Board members Denni Sue Erickson and Casey Callanan and CLEAR Project Coordinator David Knoll, will depart from the Mason City Airport Sunday morning.  They will be joined by four Mason City officials and others from the county and North Iowa agencies.              For local leaders, the advocacy trip will largely focus on lake water quality issues, including followup with those entities which have pledged funds to the lake restoration effort.
    “It will be a long three days for us, but I’m sure the city will benefit greatly from us being there,” said Crabb.
    Denni Erickson, making her fourth trip to the Capitol, agreed.  “I think it’s valuable to keep our issues in the forefront.  At this point the people there are educated about our efforts and are interested in the updates we can give.”  
    Erickson added that she feels traveling with Mason City leaders makes good sense, noting the two communities share interests in many other topics, including the airport and energy issues.  This is the first time that representatives from Cerro Gordo County, Clear Lake, and Mason City have made the trip together to work on issues as a region.
    In addition to meetings with Senator Grassley, Senator Harkin, Congressman Latham, and congressional aides, the group plans to meet directly with federal agency representatives to discuss key issues in-depth.     

by Lowell Washburn

    Thanks to a cooperative joint venture between the Manitoba, Canada based Delta Waterfowl Foundation, the Iowa DNR, and the Waterfowl Association of Iowa, breeding pairs of mallard ducks will find a noticeable increase in secure nesting sites as they return to Iowa wetlands later this month.
    According to DNR Waterfowl Technician, Al Hancock, the conservation partnership calls for the installation of 500 artificial mallard nesting structures during the next five years. Known as Delta Hen Houses, the structures are an 18-inch diameter, three-foot-long wire cylinder covered in flax straw and lined with softer nesting material. When installed over water, the structures offer a safe haven from egg eating predators such as mink and raccoons. The pilot project is focused on wetlands surrounding Clear Lake and represents the first Hen House Super-Site attempted in Iowa.
    “Right now, we’re in the process of installing the first 100 structures,” said Hancock. “The nests are being placed on public areas, and we’re targeting the smaller prairie pothole-type wetlands that nesting mallards prefer. As the project takes off, we’ll be monitoring those structures for usage and success.”
    During future years, the Iowa DNR will maintain the structures annually by replacing the nesting material, said Hancock.
    In a previous Iowa trial experiment, artificial nesting cylinders received 70 percent use by mallard ducks, and enjoyed a 70 to 87 percent rate of success. The structures are considered to be an effective way to aid in bolstering local mallard populations.

Registrations ready for youth leagues
    Registrations for the upcoming Clear Lake Youth Athletic League can be picked up at any Clear Lake elementary school or the middle school for the 2008 summer softball and baseball season. They can also be downloaded at the following website: www.clearlakeyal.com. Look for more information in upcoming issues of the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter.
Youth baseball clinic planned
    The Clear Lake baseball staff and players will put on a four-day Youth Baseball Clinic for players currently in third-seventh grades on April 21-24, from 4-6 p.m.  Cost for the clinic will be $30 with prizes for individual and team competitions.  A clinic t-shirt will also be given to each participant which will get them free admission to a Lions baseball home game.  Email Coach Thompson at thompse@clearlake.k12.ia.us with any questions.
Waldorf to hold "3K3 Walk, Run, Wag"
    Waldorf College will hold a 9K (5.58 miles) event, dubbed the "3K3 Walk, Run and Wag."  The mini-marathon will be held on Tuesday, April 8 beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Three optional loops, each 3K in length, will be marked for walkers and runners.  Individuals may choose to do just one, two or all three loops.  The wag portion is to welcome participants to bring their pets.  The cost is $10 for students of any age and $15 for adults.  The fee include a long-sleeved t-shirt if registered by March 27.  A sign-up event will take place March 12 from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Atrium at Waldorf College.  Registration materials are also available on the college's website:  www.waldorf.edu/50 or call 641-585-8181.  All proceeds from the event will benefit the American Cancer Society
Oimoen cards a low score for UAB