 Logan Kelly, (center) from Mount Vernon, scored the first perfect round in a national 3D archery competition. Kelly is joined by Bryan Marcum, IBO president (left) and Ryan Bass, with the IBO 3D Challenge (right).
Iowa’s Logan Kelly
has become the first archer to shoot a perfect score in 3D competition when he
shot a 300 on June 17 at the International Bowhunters Organization Midwest
Invitational National Archery in the Schools Program 3D Challenge tournament, in
Bloomington, Ind.
This national 3D
competition is made up of six animal silhouette targets set broadside at
various distances between 10 and 15 meters. The 10 point ring is about the size
of an adult fist. Each archer shoots five arrows per target scoring up to 50
points. To score 300, the archer must
hit the center ring with all 30 arrows.
Another challenge – archers
may not use a trigger release or sight marks.
“You have to aim with the tip of the arrow,” Kelly said. “It’s pretty
hard.”
Kelly said he started out
strong but when he got to the fifth target his nerves had kicked in. “I told
myself to calm down,” he said.
When the judge scored his sixth and final target
as all 10s, the celebration began.
“Everyone got
excited,” Kelly said.
His
score was announced soon after and he had his photo taken with the scorecard. After
the competition was complete, Kelly had a special recognition at the end of the
awards ceremony, where he was presented a commemorative First 300 patch,
targets, and a family membership to the International Bowhunters Organization.
Kelly, who is
entering his sophomore year at Mount Vernon High School, will compete against
5,000 other archers in the world championship July 20-22, in Orlando, Fla.
“If I keep up my
average, I should do well,” Kelly said. “I’ll see if I can bring a world title
to Iowa this year.”
Iowa’s state parks are gearing up to
welcome thousands of campers, cabin renters, picnickers and outdoor enthusiasts
for the Fourth of July weekend.
“State parks are great destinations
for these major summer holidays,” says Todd Coffelt, DNR State Parks Bureau
chief. “Whether you are staying for a week or making a day trip, they provide
great opportunities for families and friends to gather and make memories.”
Most electric campsites on the
reservation system for the holiday weekend filled three months ago. A few state
parks have one electric site available and Beed’s Lake, Red Haw, Lake Keomah
and Pilot Knob currently have multiple standard electric campsites available
for Fourth of July reservations.
There are plenty of non-electric
sites available for the holiday at most state parks.
Last minute campers can also take
their chances with walk-in campsites, as 25-50 percent of all state park
campsites are first-come, first-served. Realistically most will be occupied
ahead of the holiday weekend. Best chances to secure a site will be at smaller,
more remote parks.
“You don’t have to stay
overnight to enjoy our state parks,” says Coffelt. “We have a wide variety of
things to do for our day-use visitors, too.”
Beautiful lodges and shelters offer
great options for day visitors planning summer reunions, birthday parties and
other gatherings. Dozens of these day-use facilities are still available to
reserve for the Fourth of July weekend.
“Whatever the plan, whether it’s to
stay overnight or simply drop in to picnic, fish, boat or hike,” says Coffelt,
“we hope people will make Iowa state parks their destinations this Fourth of
July weekend.”
Visit www.iowadnr.gov/stateparks for a list of
parks and their amenities, and check the parks reservation site at http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com for
availability of campsites and other day-use facilities.
Reminders to State Park Visitors
Fireworks
The new fireworks law does not change
what state parks currently allow. Individuals have been and will continue to be
allowed to use what are called novelties, which include party poppers,
snappers, toy smoke devices, snakes, glow worms, wire sparklers and dipped
sticks. A special event "fireworks" permit is still required to use
all other fireworks in parks. For additional information on special event
permits go to http://www.iowadnr.gov/Things-to-Do/Camping/Rules-Regulations/Special-Events
Firewood
It is strongly recommended that
firewood should be obtained only within the county where it will be burned. It
is important not move firewood from county to county or state to state to
prevent the spread of forest pests.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture
and Land Stewardship requires all firewood sold or acquired in Iowa to have the
county and state of harvest location on the label of packages and the delivery
ticket for bulk firewood.
The rule was added to prevent the
spread of invasive species, and applies only to firewood sold and acquired in
Iowa. The rule also requires the Iowa DNR to collect firewood from campers that
does not have a label.
Alcohol Ban
Visitors are
reminded that an alcohol ban is in effect for the beaches at Lake Macbride
State Park and Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area.
The ban applies to the
sand area of the beach, a 200-foot buffer of land surrounding the sand and the
designated swimming area adjacent to the beach as marked by buoys or swim
lines.
Pleasant Creek’s
beach remains closed due to recent lake renovation and will reopen when the
lake has filled.
Alerts and Closures
Closure and alert information is
posted on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/parkclosures. Park visitors are
encouraged to check this site before travelling, as weather and other events
sometimes impact trails and facilities in the parks. Current information
is also available by calling individual park offices directly.
Cabin Availability
All cabins are reserved for the
Fourth of July weekend; however, the following state parks have one or more
cabins available to rent for the weekend, beginning June 23:
· Backbone
563-924-2527
· Black Hawk 712-657-8712
· Lacey-Keosauqua
319-293-3502
· Lake of Three Fires
712-523-2700
· Nine Eagles
641-442-2855
· Palisades-Kepler
319-895-6039
· Pine Lake
641-858-5832
· Union Grove
641-473-2556
· Waubonsie
712-382-2786
These cabins normally require a one-week
minimum stay, but are available for only a two night minimum stay this weekend by
contacting the individual park office.
Iowa’s state parks have a total of 93
family cabins, multifamily cabins, camping cabins and yurts. They can be
reserved a year in advance for those who want to plan ahead for next year’s
Fourth of July.
Media Contact: Todd
Coffelt, Chief, State Parks Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources,
515-725-8485.
The
Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding boaters and anglers to
check for unwanted hitchhikers on their boats and equipment this Fourth of July
to help protect Iowa lakes and streams.
Aquatic
hitchhikers, everything from zebra mussels to Eurasian watermilfoil, move from
one waterbody to another by hitchhiking on boats, in bait buckets and on other
equipment used in the water.
“Aquatic
invasive species can create serious problems for Iowa waters by reducing native
species and making lakes and rivers unusable by boaters, anglers and swimmers,”
said Kim Bogenschutz, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Iowa DNR.
These
invasive species often grow quickly and spread fast when brought to another
lake or stream due to lack of natural controls.
“Boaters and anglers can help prevent the
spread of aquatic invasive species to new waterbodies by cleaning, draining and
drying their boat and equipment after each time on the water,” said Bogenschutz.
·
CLEAN
any plants, animals, or mud from your boat and equipment before leaving a
waterbody.
• DRAIN water from all equipment
(motor, live well, bilge, transom well) before leaving a waterbody.
• DRY anything that comes into
contact with water (boats, trailers, equipment, boots, clothing, dogs). Before transporting to another waterbody
either: Spray your boat and trailer with hot, high-pressure water; or dry your
boat and equipment for at least five days.
• Never release plants, fish, or
animals into a water body unless they came out of that water body and empty
unwanted bait in the trash.
It
is illegal to possess or transport prohibited aquatic invasive species. It is
illegal to transport any aquatic plants on water-related equipment in Iowa. Signs
posted at public accesses remind boaters to stop aquatic hitchhikers and
identify infested waters.
Boaters
must also drain all water from boats and equipment before leaving a water
access and must keep drain plugs removed or opened during transport. It is also
illegal to introduce any live fish, except for hooked bait, into public waters.
Find
more information about aquatic invasive species and a list of infested waters
in the 2017 Iowa Fishing Regulations booklet.
Media
Contact: Kim Bogenschutz, Fisheries
Bureau’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program, Iowa Department of Natural
Resources, 515-432-2823.
Sixty
new maps with fish structure locations for lakes across the state have been
added to the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fishing-Maps.
Symbols
on each map mark fish structures such as cedar trees, rock piles, rock fields
and pea gravel beds that have been strategically placed to attract fish for
anglers. Fish hide in these structures
throughout the year.
Anglers
can catch multiple species from one structure. “Bluegills may be spawning on
top of a rock reef in pea gravel beds, while groups of crappies are suspended
on the sides of the rock reef near large boulders,” said Lewis Bruce, fisheries
technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Find
more information about a specific structure such as GPS coordinates on the
interactive Fishing Atlas or a downloadable GPX fish structure file on the Fishing Maps webpage. These tools
are updated each year as new content is available.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lewis Bruce,
Fisheries Research, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-769-2587.
|
