For the 26th year, the city of Luverne has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
At their March 9 meeting, Luverne City Council members formally recognized city finance director Barb Berghorst for her efforts in qualifying the city for the award.
“Thanks for the great job you do,” Mayor Pat Baustian told Berghorst.
He pointed out that when Berghorst started working with the city in 1991, it had a bond credit rating of BBB minus. Today, it’s AA minus.
Berghorst thanked the council but also credited her staff for their hard work.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. It represents a “significant accomplishment by a government and its management.”
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the city of Luverne for its comprehensive annual financial report every year since 1994.
It is a prestigious national award recognizing conformance with the high standards for preparation of state and local government financial reports.
Berghorst is the person primarily responsible for achieving the award for Luverne.

Alice Elizabeth Larson (Hoiland), age 87, formerly of Bloomington, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on March 20, 2021, at the Reflections Care Suites in Northfield, Minnesota.  
Alice was born Oct. 8, 1933, to Selmer and Martha (Ormseth) Hoiland.  She grew up on a farm near Luverne, Minnesota, attended Shady Nook Country School initially, and graduated from Luverne High School in 1951.
Alice attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and then transferred to the University of Minnesota to study nursing, graduating in 1956. She felt she studied at the U of M during an exciting time in medicine, with advances in open heart surgery.
Mutual friends introduced Alice to Roger Allan Larson, and they married in January of 1956.  They made their home first in St. Paul and then in Bloomington, where they raised their two sons.
Alice worked at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Minneapolis before becoming a school nurse. She worked at Washburn, F. Wilson Pond, Kennedy, and Riverside, finally retiring from Oak Grove Intermediate School after more than 25 years with the Bloomington Public Schools.  Alice was patient, kind, and a good listener, a perfect combination for students needing an excuse to visit the nurse.
In the community, Alice served on committees for Project Charlie (chemical dependency education) in Bloomington for years.  She taught Sunday School at Grace Lutheran Church in Bloomington when her boys were small, and sang in the choir.
Alice enjoyed golfing and traveling with Roger. They planned vacations around golfing at some of the world's most iconic golf courses.  In retirement they enjoyed winters in Arizona. Later Alice provided years of care and support for Roger after he developed Alzheimer's disease.  Alice moved to Northfield in 2018 to be closer to family. She treasured her visits (in-person, window, virtual, phone) with her family, and friends old and new.
Survivors include her son, John (Laurie) of Northfield, Minnesota; son Tom (Dawn) of Cincinnati, Ohio; grandchildren, Annaka Marie Larson (Andy Tolan) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Emily Alice Larson (Bill Fischer) of Joplin, Missouri, Joseph Larson (Annie) of Richmond, Virginia, and Rachel Larson (Alejandro Trujillo) of Mason, Ohio; and her great-grandson James Tolan-Larson; brother Stephen Hoiland (Sharon) of Apple Valley, Minnesota, brother-in-law Alan Welle of Willmar, Minnesota, and sister-in-law Shirley Hagen of Apple Valley; nieces, nephews, and friends.
Alice was preceded in death by her husband, brother David Hoiland, and her sister, Laura Welle.
Interment will be private at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.  Memorials preferred to University of Minnesota School of Nursing Undergraduate Scholarships (www.nursing.umn.edu) or the Luverne High School Dollars for Scholars (www.luverne.dollarsforscholars.org).
Arrangements are with Bierman Funeral Home and Crematory, Northfield. www.biermanfuneralhome.com
(0401 V)

It is Monday and I have been cleaning up the Healing Garden at Sanford.
As I was working, I noticed little sprouts of bluegrass that have been hiding among the stems of perennials that I didn’t notice last year. That reminded me to remind you that this is the best time to remove perennials grass that may have begun invading your garden area.
Many of these grasses like blue grass or quack grass are rhizomatous, meaning that the root spreads underground, periodically sending up little grass plants. My pruning shears has a pointed tip so I can just push it into the soil under the grass and lift the grass root and then continue following that root, loosening the soil as I keep pulling to get the whole of the root dug out.
Right now the soil is moist and loose after thawing from winter, so now is the easiest time to get that grass removed. Wait just a couple of weeks and you’ll be looking at much more of a challenge to remove it.
Blue grass is a slow spreader, but quack grass spreads very quickly and grows the entire season into the fall until the ground freezes. It is not unusual for quack grass rhizomes to grow 3 to 4 feet in one season, whereas blue grass might grow 6 inches. Now you understand why quack can become a problem in a perennial garden or a strawberry patch quickly if you aren’t paying attention.
       Yesterday I went out and cut some lilac branches. I put several stems in a deep vase of water with preservative added and set them in a bright area but out of direct sun. The process is called forcing.
At this point in the season, it will take a couple of weeks for the buds to open. I enjoy the fragrance of lilacs, and getting a jump on the regular bloom season is a bonus I can’t pass up. If you are up for giving it a go, cut stems with fat buds from high on the bush so you get flower buds, not leaf buds.
So it is 70 out today, and tomorrow night they are predicting a low of 20.   Wow! … That’s why our part of the country is considered Zone 4 on the hardiness chart. It amazes me that plants like daffodils and tulips that are about 4 inches tall can tolerate that much cold. 
The heat will warm the soil today, and I am hoping that radiant heat will help protect the flower buds on the daffodils. The tulip buds are still protected because they haven’t emerged from the leaf swirl. Another factor that helps these early arrivals survive is the fact that we still have freezing temperatures most nights.
If the cold isn’t enough threat to your tulips, you can add rabbit damage. The fresh tulip foliage is a treat rabbits can’t resist. The best and least expensive deterrent I have found is garlic powder. Just a light sprinkle directly on the foliage changes the “flavor” enough to discourage the pests. You do have to reapply if it rains, but the tulips grow so fast usually only a couple of applications will do the trick.
 

Ralph was a heartbroken man who lived in poverty and filth. He felt like a failure in every way. Relationships seem shallow and insignificant. He knew something had to better than this, but what? He wanted change, but how do you change? Life was such a disappointment.  “Don’t worry, be happy” didn’t mean anything or satisfy the longing of his heart. What hope is there in life? There was no hope as he looked out the window of his life.
Yet, Ralph lived in a beautiful three-bedroom home, was married to a compassionate and loving wife. He drove a new Cadillac Escalade. He was a successful CEO of a very profitable company. On the outside everything looked great, but inside he was sinking into complete hopelessness. 
Sin destroys. Sin gives poverty and filth of heart. Sin is failure to be and do what God expects. Sin destroys.
One day as Easter was approaching, Ralph found a Bible in the local coffee shop. There was a bookmark at Matthew 21, so he started reading the story of Christ coming into Jerusalem with crowds cheering him as a king, cheering him as if he was more than a king. As he kept reading, he was amazed that in just a week the crowd turned from cheering Jesus to calling for his death. What happened that one day they loved him, the next day they hate him?
Continuing, Ralph read of Jesus’ trial, if you could call it that, but there was no evidence of him doing anything wrong. Then they executed Jesus on a cross. Ralph wondered, if Jesus is a king, if he is the Son of God, which he claimed, why would he let them beat him, leading to his execution? 
Ralph got another cup of coffee and read on. He read, Jesus died and one of his friends buried him. Ralph wondered if this was the end of the story. He could see the newspaper headlines, “Man Claiming to be God is Dead,” but he kept reading because there were a lot more pages in the Bible, so something had to happen after his death. 
To Ralph’s amazement he read that three days later this dead man came back to life. It wasn’t just one person who saw him alive, it was many. It wasn’t a ghost, because he ate fish with them, he talked with them, he even let them touch him. Jesus was alive.
Ralph wondered if this Jesus could do anything for his life. Could this Jesus help his life that was being destroyed by sin? As he read in the Bible, he understood that Jesus willingly came to earth, being obedient to God the Father and out of love for his father and humanity died on the cross to pay the price that God demanded as the consequence of sin.
Easter took on a new meaning for Ralph. Easter was not about bunny rabbits and Easter eggs but about giving purpose to life. Ralph’s life changed as he understood that Jesus sacrificed his life to give life to Ralph and all who believe.
Jesus is alive and extends true life to all who believe.  Do you believe?

The Star Herald reached out to churches for their worship information in the absence of in-person worship services, due to coronavirus social distancing. Those that responded are listed here. Those that would like to have information posted here should call the Star Herald or email editor@star-herald.com.
 
St. Catherine Catholic Church
203 E. Brown St., Luverne
St. Catherine Ph. 283-8502; www.stscl.org
Monsignor Gerald Kosse, Pastor
Public mass will be celebrated at FULL capacity of the church. Masses: 9 a.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. Sunday. No mass, communion service or rosary at care centers at this time. 5 p.m. Saturdays and 8:30 a.m. mass will be live streamed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/stccluverne/videos/. Visit www.stscl.org for more information. Thursday, April 1: 5 p.m. St. Catherine mass. Friday, April 2: 3 p.m. St. Catherine service. Saturday, April 3: 8 p.m. St. Catherine Easter vigil mass. Sunday, April 4: 8:30 a.m. Easter mass.
 
Luverne Christian Reformed Church
605 N. Estey St., Luverne
Office Ph. 283-8482; Prayer Line Ph. 449-5982
www.luvernecrc.com — office@luvernecrc.com
Roger Sparks, Pastor
Sunday, April 4: 7:30 a.m. Easter Sunrise service. 9:30 a.m. Easter service. We are streaming Sunday services live on Roger Sparks’ Facebook page at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Send him a friend request if you’re not connected. You may also visit our website for delayed broadcasts. Also our services are on local cable TV at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays. In all circumstances, may we joyfully declare: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8.
 
First Baptist Church
1033 N. Jackson St., P.O. Box 975, Luverne
Ph. 283-4091; email: fbcluv@iw.net — www.fbcluverne.org
Walt Moser, Pastor
Friday, April 2: 6 p.m. Good Friday service with Holy Communion. Sunday, April 4: 10:30 a.m. Easter service. Sundays, 10:30 a.m. In-person worship service. Service is also on Facebook Live at 10:30 a.m.
 
Grace Lutheran Church
500 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne
Ph. 507-283-4431; www.graceluverne.org — graceluverne@iw.net
Ann Zastrow, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 8:30 a.m. Missions in Action. 5:30 p.m. Seder Meal. 6:45 p.m. Maundy Thursday worship with Holy Communion. Friday, April 2: 6:45 p.m. Good Friday service. Saturday, April 3: 5:30 p.m. Easter worship service with Holy Communion. Sunday, April 4: 7 a.m. Easter Sunrise service with Holy Communion. 9 a.m. Easter worship with Holy Communion. *Please register for the special services this week. www.graceluverne.org No Sunday school or Adult Bible study. Tuesday, April 6: 9 a.m. Staff meeting. Wednesday, April 7: 7 a.m. Men’s Bible study. Online, TV and Radio Worship options are still available. Online Sundays 9 a.m. on the church website www.graceluverne.org, click Worship tab or go directly to our Facebook page at Grace Lutheran ELCA, Luverne. TV: Vast Channel 3 will air our worship service Mondays at 4:30 p.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m. – NEW TIME! Radio: KQAD-AM Radio will air our worship service on Sundays at 8:15 p.m.
 
Bethany Lutheran Church
720 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne
Ph. 507-283-4571 or 507-449-0291 or 605-215-9834
pastorapalmquist67@yahoo.com
Andrew Palmquist, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 6:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday service with Holy Communion. Friday, April 2: 6:30 p.m. Good Friday Tenebrae worship. Sunday, April 4: 8 a.m. Festive Easter Sunrise worship of Our Risen Savior. Sundays, 10:15 a.m. Worship service; worship online as well. Mondays, 6:30 p.m. Zoom Bible study. See our Facebook page, Bethany Lutheran Church (Luverne). Also visit els.org with our sister churches for online worship opportunities.
 
American Reformed Church
304 N. Fairview Dr., Luverne
Ph. 283-8600; email: office@arcluverne.org
Mike Altena, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday service with Holy Communion.  Friday, April 2: 6:30 a.m. Community Men’s Bible study. Saturday, April 3: 12 Noon Youth room reserved. 1 p.m. Multipurpose room reserved. Sunday, April 4: 8:30 a.m. Easter worship service. 10:30 a.m. Easter worship service. 12 Noon Fellowship hall reserved. Tuesday, April 6: 12 Noon Staff meeting. Wednesday, April 7: 5:30 p.m. Midweek meal. 6:30 p.m. Pioneer clubs; Youth groups. Worship services are also broadcast on Vast Channel 3 on Mondays at 6 p.m. and Wednesdays at 4 p.m. DVD’s available upon request. To stay up to date on announcements, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @arcluverne.
 
First Assembly of God Church
1075 110th Ave., 2 miles west of Luverne on County Rd. 4
 
 
United Methodist Church
109 N. Freeman Ave., Luverne
Ph. 283-4529; email: luverneumc@iw.net
Thursday, April 1: 1-3 p.m. Food Shelf curbside. 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday service. Friday, April 2: Good Friday service. Saturday, April 3: 8 p.m. AA meeting. Sunday, April 4: 9:30 a.m. Adult Sunday school. 10 a.m. Easter egg hunt in the backyard. 10:30 a.m. Easter worship service. 4:30 p.m. Genesis to Revelation Bible study.
 
First Presbyterian Church
302 Central Lane, Luverne
Ph. 283-4787; email: Firstpc@iw.net— www.fpcluverne.com
Jason Cunningham, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday/Good Friday combined services with Holy Communion. Sunday, April 4: 8 a.m. Easter Sunrise service. 8:45-10 a.m. Easter Brunch. *Must RSVP to attend brunch. Social distancing will be practiced. Egg bake, breakfast pastries and fresh fruit salad to be served. Call or email Emilie, eboelman@vastbb.net or call 283-4787. 10:15 a.m. Easter service. In-person Worship service and through Facebook Live Sunday. Our Facebook page can be found under First Presbyterian Church of Luverne. We are also on the local Luverne cable station at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. on Thursdays.
 
St. John Lutheran Church
803 N. Cedar St., Luverne
Ph. 283-2316; email: stjohn@iw.net
www.stjohnlutheranluverne.org
Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday worship with Holy Communion. Friday, April 2: 7 p.m. Good Friday worship. Sunday, April 4: 7 a.m. Easter Sunrise worship. 9 a.m. Easter service. Worship service is 75 people. Services will be available on the Vast channel 3 Sunday and online at the city website, cityofluverne.org.
 
Living Rock Church
500 E. Main St., Luverne
Ph. 449-0057; www.livingrockswmn.org
Billy Skaggs, Pastor
 
New Life Celebration Church
110 N. Oakley, Luverne
Ph. 449-6522; email: newlifecelebration@gmail.com
 
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
305 E. 2nd St., P.O. Box 36, Hardwick
Ph. (507) 669-2855; zionoffice@alliancecom.net
Jesse Baker, Pastor
 
Ben Clare United Methodist Church
26762 Ben Clare Ave., Valley Springs, S.D.
igtwlb@WOW.net
Bill Bates, Pastor
 
First Lutheran Church
300 Maple St., Valley Springs, S.D.
Ph. (605) 757-6662
Mark Eliason, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday service at First Lutheran. Friday, April 2: 7 p.m. Good Friday service at First Lutheran. Sunday, April 4: 10:30 a.m. Easter worship service at First Lutheran Church. Masks are highly recommended. Facebook live. Video worship via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdQwVxFcU4
 
Palisade Lutheran Church
211 121st St., Garretson, S.D.
Ph. (507) 597-6257 — firstpalisade@alliancecom.net
Mark Eliason, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday service at First Lutheran. Friday, April 2: 7 p.m. Good Friday service at First Lutheran. Sunday, April 4: 10:30 a.m. Easter worship service at Palisade Lutheran Church.
Masks are required. Worship will be streamed live on Facebook. Video worship via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdQwVxFcU4
 
First Presbyterian Church
201 S. 3rd St., P.O Box 73, Beaver Creek
Ph. 507-935-5025
email: lori.firstpres@gmail.com
Sundays, 9:30 a.m. Worship Service. Second Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m. Session meeting.
 
Magnolia United Methodist Church
501 E. Luverne St., Magnolia
Ph. 605-215-3429
email: magnoliamnumc@gmail.com
Nancy Manning, Pastor
Sunday, 9 a.m., in-person with livestream available on the church’s Facebook site.
 
Steen Reformed Church
112 W. Church Ave., Steen
Ph. 855-2336
Jeremy Wiersema, Pastor
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday service. Sunday, April 4: 9:30 a.m. Easter worship service. Sunday, 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Worship service in-person with livestream available on Facebook and YouTube. Radio worship on KQAD Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
 
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
112 N. Main St., Hills
Ph. 962-3270
Thursday, April 1: 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday worship with Holy Communion. Friday, April 2: 7 p.m. Good Friday service. Sunday, April 4: 7 a.m. Easter Sunrise service with Holy Communion at Bethlehem. 9 a.m. Easter worship service with Holy Communion at Tuff Chapel. 10 a.m. Easter service with Holy Communion at Bethlehem. No Sunday school. Worship will be streamed live to Facebook at Bethlehem of Hills. You can find more info on our website blchills.org.
 
Hills United Reformed Church
410 S. Central Ave., Hills
Office Ph. 962-3254
hillsurc@alliancecom.net
Alan Camarigg, Pastor
Friday, April 2: 7 p.m. Good Friday service. Sunday, April 4: 9:30 a.m. Easter worship service.

For the second straight year, the Luverne Cardinals girls’ hockey team traveled to the Xcel Energy Center for state tournament action.
Last year the Cardinals opened the state tournament against Breck, the eventual state champions. The Cardinals fell to Breck 8-1. In the consolation bracket, the Cardinals lost to South St. Paul 8-4.
Fast forward a year and the Cardinals fell to undefeated Proctor/Hermantown 8-0 in the opening round.
The opening period was a competitive affair with the Cardinals killing off two penalties in the first 10 minutes.
With the game tied at 0-0, it appeared that the Cardinals and the Mirage were going to head into the locker room deadlocked. Then with 43 seconds left in the period, Proctor/Hermantown’s Alyssa Watkins put one between the pipes to give the Mirage a 1-0 lead.
In the second period the Cardinals simply had no answer for Watkins and the Mirage.
Watkins scored a goal 14 seconds into the period to extend their lead to 2-0.
She scored four more goals in the period, and her teammate Reese Heltzman added one for good measure to put the Mirage up 6-0 after the first two periods.
In the third period the Mirage added two more goals to make the final score 8-0.
With the loss, the Cardinals finished the season with a 16-5 record.
It marked the final game for LHS seniors Regan Feit, Roz Oye, Shelby Kracht, Rylee Gee, Brynn Thier and Sophie Holmberg.
Gee finished her final season as a Cardinal with 20 goals and 16 assists.
Oye scored 13 goals and recorded 12 assists for the season.
Kracht recorded 12 assists and scored four goals.
Thier recorded 11 assists and scored three goals.
Feit recorded seven assists and scored three goals.
Holmberg recorded seven assists and scored one goal.
The Cardinals will return three of their top four goal leaders, Kamryn Van Batavia, Reghan Bork and Peyton Behr, next year.
Mallory Nelson, Anika Boll, Mallory Von Tersch, Cheyenne Schutz, Zariah Holmgren and Brenn Siebenahler will all return as the Cardinals will look to try and make it three straight trips to the state tournament next season.

For a second straight year Luverne’s Ella Reisdorfer competed at the Class A Gymnastics State Tournament.
Last year as a seventh-grader, Reisdorfer earned a spot at state on the bars. This year she punched her ticket on the beam by recording a score of 8.875 at the section meet.
At the state tournament, Reisdorfer tied for 18th with two other individuals with a score of 8.80.
The two other individuals that tied with Reisdorfer were Britney Krumrel of Big Lake and Maura Panahon from Mankato West.
“Ella did a great job of representing Luverne at the state meet,” Luverne head coach Phoebe Flom said. “She stuck her beam routine, even after we added her back tuck back into the routine. I am so proud of her.”
Libby McGreary from Benson/KMS earned first place in the beam with a score of 9.50.
Worthington’s Hali Bullerman finished 11th in the beam with a score of 9.10.
Gracia Elias, another Worthington gymnast, finished 14th with a score of 9.05.
All-around, Jada Olsen from Perham/New York Mills placed first with a score of 37.800.
Anna Mielke from Watertown-Mayer/Mound-Westonka finished second in the all-around with a score of 37.375.
Sawyer Gorman from Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa finished third in the all-around with a score of 37.175.

Spring is upon us and prescribed fire season will be here and gone in the blink of an eye.
Fire scares the heck out of most people and it should. Utilizing fire to benefit wildlife habitat is not something you can pick up in a weekend or two. 
I have been active in prescribed fire projects for almost 20 years. Still today, I have a very high respect for fire, and this is the primary reason that in all of the fires I have participated, I have never had to call a volunteer fire department to save my behind.
There are many reasons for this, but the primary one is that I never light a fire if conditions are not just perfect. As a result, I don’t get as many prescribed fires done as those professional, paid-for-service, organized operations do. They have enough equipment and manpower to be able to overcome some situations where the wind might be too strong or the difficulty index makes it too hard for me and my band of volunteers to handle.
Prescribed fire is poorly understood by most people. All they see and understand is that the fire burns up the grassland birds that are trying to nest in late April and early May. It is true that some nests get destroyed, but only in rare cases does the hen perish.
Pheasants, which are my passion, usually build a nest in mid-May and then lay, incubate and hatch a clutch in the second week of June. There are always a small percentage that start a little earlier and those that start later.
Lighting a fire to wildlife habitat can be akin to fertilizing your yard, as I covered in a recent column. The best explanation for spring burning is “short-term pain for long-term gain.”
The few nests that are lost to spring burning in most cases will be recovered when the hen nests again in nearby property. This is why you try to never burn the entire area at one time.
Burning 25 percent of a spot each year in a four-year rotation keeps the habitat the most robust it can be. This allows the carry capacity of the property to increase.
Carry capacity is the total amount of animals a spot can provide for. Grasslands in great shape can result in reproduction efforts significantly higher than in lower quality grasslands.
All of the science supports prescribed habitat fires for the total overall increase in wildlife populations. Fire as a management tool is highly desired but has never been used to its maximum potential. This is because the burning season is so short and there are very few people qualified or confident enough to use it.
The best prescribed burn is one where the grass is so green it will hardly carry the fire. The greened-up species are usually undesirable, and by burning late, you set that back and help the desired grasses.
Later is usually better.
The downside to a late burn is that any acres enrolled in a Farm Bill program like CRP cannot be burned after May 15, as that is considered the primary nesting season.
If you only have one burn to do, you can get blown out, rained out or help-deficient out and still get done before May 15.  If you have 20 burns to complete, you don’t have the luxury of waiting for the perfect conditions for each burn.
You can’t wake up one morning in April and decide you want to do a burn. Preparatory work for these efforts is done in the fall.
A tractor and a mower are used to mow a path 15 feet wide, and the debris is usually moved off to the side. This allows the grasses in the burn break to green up early and act as a fire break as the fire won’t easily cross these areas. You will need a burn permit, and in my county these are free and last for two years.
You have to call in to the law enforcement dispatch and let them know when you ignite your fire. That way, they won’t send the fire department to the scene when the neighbor calls in with a smoke sighting. When the fire is extinguished, you call them again to let them know you are done.
One of the coolest sights is watching a prescribed fire that is protected all the way around and burns into the night without the need of much oversight.
I did one last year that ended at 1 a.m. and looked like lava flows in the darkness. The next time you see a spring prescribed fire or hear someone complaining about them, you can teach them the science and biology behind this practice. Controlled fires can be wildlife’s best friend.
 
Scott Rall, Worthington, is a habitat conservationist, avid hunting and fishing enthusiast and is president of Nobles County Pheasants Forever. He can be reached at scottarall@gmail.com. or on Twitter @habitat champion.

Rylee Gee has been playing the game of hockey for as long as she can remember.
It’s a game that she fell in love with at an early age.
“I love that hockey is so much more than a skills sport,” Gee said. “You can have the ability to stickhandle and shoot and skate, but it will be tough to get anywhere without your team. Everyone can have a strength that they bring to the game, and no two players are exactly alike.”
The Luverne senior just played in her final game as a Cardinal at the Class A State Tournament on Friday, March 26. Gee played a key role in the Cardinals making it to the state tournament back-to-back years.
In her final season as a Cardinal, Gee scored 20 goals and recorded 16 assists.
“I'm going to miss the close team and the extra, extra supportive community,” Gee said.
“The difference about being a Cardinal and just being a hockey player is the second you put on that Cardinals jersey, you represent the whole community.”
She said she enjoyed contributing both on and off the ice.
“You never know what you can go out and do to make an impact in your community, and for some of us, that impact is bringing respect and sportsmanship to the game of hockey,” Gee said. “That's what I'm going to miss.”
The good news for Gee is that Friday’s game won’t be the last competitive hockey game she plays in. Gee recently committed to play hockey at Lindenwood University in Missouri.
“It means so much for me to be able to continue playing hockey past high school,” Gee said.
“It was every young hockey player’s dream to one day play in the big leagues, and over time I have grown to love the game so much. ACHA might not be the Olympics or anything, but it means the world that I get to be part of a team full of other players that love the sport just as much as I do.”
Gee was one of 20 to receive the prestigious Sibley Scholarship from Lindenwood University, awarded for exemplary student leaders.
This competitive scholarship recognizes students who exhibit high academic achievement, community service, co-curricular involvement and leadership.
“At the beginning of my college search, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted,” Gee said. “I had toured a handful of colleges and I hadn't really found anything that felt like ‘the’ school. When I went onto the Lindenwood campus, I felt comfortable.”
Located just outside of St. Louis, the campus is a mix of a big and small town that Gee grew up in.
“Overall, the university has beautiful buildings and views. The coaches and players were so welcoming, and the dorms, commons, and sports facilities were excellent,” she said.
“The school also had been extremely cooperative with academic scholarships and even helped me toward one of the most prestigious academic scholarships offered by the university.”
During her time at Lindenwood, Gee plans to major in pre-engineering and would like to put time toward a graphic arts degree.