Ask CITYVIEW
8/2/2023What is the hottest day in the history of Iowa?
July 3-5 were the hottest recorded days in the country since 1979, and, globally, June 2023 was the hottest June on record. In Des Moines, on those days, the highs reached 90, 91 and 81. According to coolweather.net, the hottest day in Des Moines occurred in 1983, reaching 108 F. In Iowa, they listed the hottest day taking place in Keokuk in 1934, when the temperature peaked at a sweltering 118 F.
What are Iowa’s trapping laws? What happens if I trap something that’s protected?
When it comes to hunting and trapping, there are laws in place to protect different species that dictate how you can and can’t go about trapping them.
CITYVIEW reached out to the State Conservation Officer at the DNR, Nate Anderson, about what to do in this situation.
“The short answer is no, they would not receive a citation. That’s assuming that the trapper is licensed, the trapping season is open, and they call the local Conservation Officer and let them know what was trapped. If the animal is in a box-style trap, the easiest answer is to open the door and let the critter loose,” said Anderson.
You cannot use box traps unless it is for trapping muskrats. You cannot set or maintain, on land, any foothold or leghold trap with metal serrated jaws, metal-toothed jaws or a spread inside the set jaws greater than 7 inches as measured to the outside edge. Each trap you set must be properly tagged so they can be identified by the DNR. If not, the DNR is allowed to confiscate the trap.
“In Iowa, almost every mammal is protected by law. We just have to follow the seasons and regulations that allow for taking furbearers,” said Anderson.
How many fireworks-related arrests were made over the 4th of July weekend?
After being banned for more than 80 years in Iowa, lighting fireworks became legal in 2017. The law states you’re allowed to set off fireworks from June 1 to July 8, and Dec. 10 through Jan. 3, at varying hours.
This year, as in years past, Des Moines police officers were instructed to not make arrests or write citations for noise-related complaints due to fireworks.
Paul Parizek, the public information officer for the City of Des Moines police department, responded with these statistics when asked about arrests or citations given in relation to fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend (June 30 to July 4).
Officers responded to a total of 2,656 calls for service during that time, and 674 of them (approximately 25%) were fireworks-related complaints. The highest number of complaints made during the holiday weekend came on July 4 with 282.
Two fireworks ordinance violation citations were issued, one on June 24 and the other on June 29. These citations resulted in $625 fines. According to Parizek, for an arrest to occur, the intent to injure another person, or intentionally damage someone’s property, must happen.
