Snow Falls Again but Goes Quickly
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75¢ COLBY Thursday February 20, 2014 Volume 125, Number 29 Serving Thomas County since 1888 8 pages FFREEREE PPRESSRESS Snow falls again but goes quickly An overnight snow storm closed the delayed for one hour. SAM DIETER/Colby Free Press Interstate outside Colby along with area Traffic was stuck in Colby for several hours Caleb Mattix (top left) shoveled the side- schools this morning. Though temperatures this morning as well. The Kansas Department walk in front of the First Presbyterian remained in the upper 20s, crusty ice and of Transportation closed both lanes of Interstate Church this morning after an overnight snow-packed roads, sidewalks and windshields 70 at 4:30 a.m. from here to Burlington, Colo., storm dropped close to three inches, created difficult conditions. due to poor weather conditions and visibility while shovelers aided by a Bobcat (top Private citizens and city and county workers issues, then extended the closure to WaKeeney right) cleaned up along Third Street east were kept busy this morning after about 2.8 at 6:45. The highway opened back up at 8:15. of Franklin. City workers got the big inches of snow fell here last night. Colby Two inches of snow fell in Brewster and machinery rolling (above) to clear Fifth Public Schools were closed for the day, along west of Oakley, and one and half inches fell Street in front of the Community Build- with Oakley, Brewster, Golden Plains and in Goodland. The National Weather Service ing. This Highway Patrol trooper had Oberlin School districts, Heartland Christian predicts windy but mostly clear skies into the a chilly start to his day as he watched School and Sacred Heart School. Goodland, weekend and day time temperatures in the 40s over the roadblocks barring Interstate Atwood and Hoxie schools were delayed and 50s, but a slight chance of snow Saturday 70 to traffic. The road reopened before for two hours this morning, according to the night. 9 o’clock. Rockin M Radio website, and St. Francis was Antelope herd blamed in spread of noxious weeds Training helps By Sam Dieter his problems. You can only get two or three Matt Peek, a research biologist at Colby Free Press Up to 40 antelope use that land, firearms antelope permits in this the department’s Emporia office, [email protected] he said. They seem to rest in the area, he said, and these are given as opposed to only 130 of them 10 same places where the thistle out by drawing. Many tags are years ago. With over 500 archery A Sherman County farmer grows, using the denser thickets given out for other weapons, in- permits being sold, the number trustees’ work claims pronghorn antelope are of weeds as a parking space. cluding bows and muzzle-loading permits given outdoor antelope wandering onto his land, spread- “I’ve seen antelope that’s en- firearms. has more than doubled in that By Sam Dieter christ told them to keep in mind ing noxious weeds, but state wild- tirely covered with Canada this- Hopper said he has met Ihrig time. Colby Free Press that all of these complaints will life officials he talked to won’t let tle,” he said. “They lay down in and given him the same sort of For his part, Sowers said later [email protected] probably sound convincing. They him shoot them. Game managers it.” options for dealing with animals he saw no proof of that antelope should remember that even if a see things a little differently. The problem has gotten worse that he offers to other landown- were spreading any kind of weeds. The Colby Community College complaint is legitimate, that does Chuck Ihrig, who farms south over the years, Ihrig said, adding ers. Both Hopper and Sowers “I have a hard time believing trustees had a training session at not necessarily change the priority of Goodland, said he has seen that he has only been seeing an- said they have never found direct that it’s because that’s where they their monthly meeting Tuesday for fixing it, he said. dozens of antelope on his land in telope and deer on his land in the evidence of antelope spreading were laying down,” he added. night and talked about what they He noted the number of trustees recent years, and along with them, last 15 years. Recently, Ihrig said, noxious weeds, and both say that While it is possible that animals need to work on as a board. who talked about the budget when an explosion of bindweed and he saw a herd of perhaps 100 an- there are many other ways for the could spread weeds, he added, Gary L. Sechrist with the Kan- he asked the board members what Canada thistle. He said the ani- telope along K-27 about six miles plants to move from field to field. the weeds are probably on Ihrig’s sas Association of School Boards they thought the board’s idea of mals seem to gravitate to patches south of Goodland. “Over the last nine years, Chuck land because he did not wait long told the trustees to reflect on why continuing improvement should of thistle on his land, adding that “They want you under their and I have conversed many times,” enough before plowing it after the board exists and to look at be, and several other times during they are relatively recent visitors thumb and they don’t want you Hopper said. “I’ve tried offering taking it out of the conservation different areas the board needs the training. to the area he farms. He said he bothering them,” Ihrig said of the solutions to Chuck, just like I have program. That land should have to focus on. He said the trustees Several of the members men- has received only limited coop- state agency. with other landowners.” been treated with weed killer and should keep their vision and stan- tioned the need to worry about the eration from government officials, The agency, the Department of The depredation permits let planted with a cover crop for a dards aligned among the board college’s financial situation. Oth- and feels the state has been going Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, he farmers shoot deer out of season, year before it was tilled, he said. members, and to assess their stan- ers mentioned keeping up with the out of its way to accommodate the said, puts seed on Conservation he said, but the department does Land that was used for the pro- dards. He added that this doesn’t times, or offering the right educa- animals because the produce hunt- Reserve land for plants that en- not give out-of-season antelope gram will still have a lot of seeds do much good if the climate, or tional programs to their students. ing revenue. tice the animals to graze there. Ih- permits. The department issues in it when it is converted back to culture, of an organization is not Trustee Kenton Krehbiel said On Jan. 10, Ihrig said, he invit- rig said he feels the department’s unlimited tags to hunt antelope farmland, and these can sprout suitable. the college should continue to im- ed District Wildlife Biologist Wes main goal is to bring in more rev- with a bow and arrow, Hopper when that ground is tilled. “If you don’t know where prove each day, month and year, Sowers and biology technician enue from hunters. said. A seven-person panel of He added that weed seeds can you’re going, you’re going to prompting Sechrist to say the Kurtis Meier, along with some “It’s not a playground for hunt- farmers, bankers and business spread in many ways, including wander in your work,” Sechrist trustees had the same opinion of neighboring farmers, to inspect ers,” he said. “We have to make a owners, none of them depart- wind, birds, other wild animals, said. continuous improvement, Kreh- some of the thistle-infested land. living off of it.” ment employees, sets the number livestock, people and trucks. Farm The trustees should pay atten- biel’s was just more general. He said he took the tract out of the He also said that Mike Hopper, of muzzleloader and firearm an- machinery especially can kick up tion to their main goals, he said, Conservation Preserve Program the conservation officer, or game telope permits for the state each mud with seeds in it. because if they do not focus on See “WORK,” Page 2 about three years ago. Sowers warden, for Cheyenne, Sherman year. These are given out by ran- Ihrig said he has other land in the most important jobs, they will gave him “depredation permits” and Wallace counties, has been dom drawing. Conservation Reserve, but took spend too much working on oth- to shoot five deer, he said, but he uncooperative in his dealings with This year, 184 of those permits this field out because the U.S. er people’s goals. If people have feels the antelope are the source of him on this issues. were given out statewide, said complaints about something, Se- See “ANTELOPE,” Page 2 Page 2 Colby Free Press Thursday, February 20, 2014 Area/State Weather Briefly The deadline for Briefly is noon the day before. The deadline for Mon- Your move day’s paper is noon Friday. School Carnival coming on Sunday KATHRYN BALLARD The Sacred Heart School Carnival will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Colby Free Press Sunday at the school. Come enjoy games, food and a drawing. For infor- Unlike today’s storm, the mation, call Laura Schwarz at 460-2813.