Sports from the week of December 10, 2003

Cagers win easily

KMS held to 14 points

The Panther girls' basketball team notched their first win of the season with a 46-14 blowout over 212 Conference rival Kerkoven-Murdock-Sunburg at Tracy Friday night.

The Panther defense overwhelmed the Lady Saints while allowing them only four points in the first period and only three points in the entire second half of the game. Steph Kaup led the Panthers on offense with 17 points, including 3 three pointers and also had 5 assists. Kaup was followed by Tessa Nelson with 11 points to go with her 6 rebounds and 6 blocks. Kasey Loeslie added 10 points and 3 steals to the Panther total.

The Panthers jumped off to 14-4 lead at the end of the first quarter and improved that to 25-11 at the intermission. Tracy/Milroy/Balaton added 14 points to their total in the third period while holding KMS to 1 point and went on to out-score the Lady Saints 13-2 in the final period.

Goltz is second team all-conference

Tracy/Milroy/Balaton graduate and former Panther athlete Jeremy Goltz now playing football at St Johns University has been named to the All MIAC second team as a free safety. This season St Johns had nine first team All-MIAC selections and four second team All-MIAC selections.

St John's, 12-0 for the season, and will play Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute next Saturday in the NCAA Division III semifinals at Collegeville, Minnesota.

Goltz made five tackles and had 1 interception in the 31-25 win over Linfield College of Linfield Oregon in last Saturday's playoff game in Collegeville.

Beaver damage seems higher this year

By Tom Conroy

As local producers remove the last of their crops from the fields, it quickly becomes apparent if there has been any wildlife damage. While there are usually few incidences of beaver damage, this year could be an exception.

Damage caused by beavers appears to be slightly higher this year, possibly due to drier conditions, according to Jeremy Holtz, assistant area wildlife manager at Slayton. "Although beavers can be positive contributors to wildlife management, for example by constructing dams that can form small wetlands that provide resting areas for migrating waterfowl, they can also cause problems," Holtz noted.

Beavers cut down trees (or even sometimes cornstalks) to construct dams and the restriction of water flow can cause drainage problems for upstream landowners, Holt explained. To deal with problem beavers, the DNR offers the following advice and information.

To protect trees in your yard, purchase ¹" hardware mesh and construct a 30" cylinder around the base of the trunk. Energized fencing may be necessary to protect larger areas, such as cornfields. This fencing may be available through a cooperative agreement with the DNR (contact the DNR wildlife office in Slayton or the office nearest you for details.)

If a beaver pond on your property is desirable, but the water levels are too high for comfort, a Clemson Beaver Pond Leveler (a device that allows water to drain through a beaver dam) can be helpful. If you want to remove the dam entirely, it is usually necessary to remove the beaver first; otherwise, the dam will be quickly rebuilt.

Live trapping and relocation of beavers is not recommended, and the use of poison is prohibited. However, if the damage is occurring on your own land you may shoot or trap the beaver without a permit or license although you are required to contact your local Conservation Officer within 24 hours. If the beavers are on someone else's land, you need permission from the landowner and a free permit from a DNR Conservation Officer. (Check to make sure that discharging firearms or trapping will not violate local ordinances.)