AMERY
TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2019 VOL. 123 NO.7 www.theameryfreepress.com $1.00
Building so much more than a house BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Twenty years ago Y2K hype caused wide spread paranoia, Wayne Gretzky retired with the New York Rangers hockey organization as “The Great One” and “Believe” by Cher was the chart topping No. 1 song. When member’s of Amery’s Congregational Church Missions Team think back 20 years, they remember it as the year they took their first voyage to make an impact in another community with Habitat for Humanity. Joyce Schafer said the group’s first trip was to Brainerd, Minnesota. “We tend to stay within a six hour radius. The farthest Alec Keller-Betzold trip was probably Brookings, South Dakota, and we have done quite a bit of work in the U.P. of Michigan,” said Joyce. Pastor Barry Schafer said originally Sherry Monson went with First Lutheran Church to Cleveland, Ohio, to see how the process works. He explained that Habitat for Humanity requires volunteers to be at least 16 years of age. It works perfectly for the church as Confirmation takes place during a student’s junior year and in order for a student to participate in that rite of passage, they must
‘I started 10 years ago and that house set the tone for me.’
APRIL ZIEMER | AMERY FREE PRESS
Sam and Barb Erickson had their first encounters with this Red Tail Hawk last April. After bringing the bird to the U.M. Raptor Center, they were recently reunited when Sarah Bertsch brought him back to their home to be released after rehabilitation was completed.
Gentle hands provide a gentle landing for Red Tail Hawk BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
On Easter Sunday it is common for people to stumble upon brightly colored eggs in their yard, but Sam Erickson and his grandchildren came across something entire different that day while walking his property between Amery and Deer Park. The next day, Erickson told his wife, Barb, they had seen what may have been an injured Red Tail Hawk perched on a rock pile. The Erickson’s have quite a few wild birds around their property, which has a mixture of woods, fields, and lake around its perimeter. Barb tried her hardest on that Monday to try to find the bird, but sadly had no luck. “I looked all over out there and could not spot him. On Tuesday I was working in the garden and the hawk came walking along
the edge of the lawn. He didn’t attempt to fly or even flutter,” Barb said. It was late in the afternoon when Barb called her son, Matt Viebrock, who lives across the field from them and he made his way over. Barb next called the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, located in Roseville. They instructed her to phone the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. The Raptor Center explained how Barb and her son should go about capturing and handling the hawk. The two of them took and large blanket and approached the bird from behind. Barb said, “We gently laid the blanket over him and he didn’t struggle at all.” They placed the hawk in a large dog kennel overnight as it was too late in the day to bring him to the Raptor Center. First thing Wednesday morn-
ing, Barb drove her rescued bird to the center. After dropping him off, she continued relations with the University to follow the hawk’s progress. The Red Tail Hawk ended up having both the Radius and Ulna bones broken in it’s wing. “He was very dehydrated and quite thin. He evidently had gone without food for quite some time. They slowly got him eating again. That has to be done very carefully,” said Barb. The hawk had surgery to repair his fractures and had hardware put in place for almost six weeks. After the hardware was removed, the bird was placed into a rehabilitation cage where he could re-learn how to fly. The Raptor Center assured the Erickson’s that should the hawk become well again, they would gladly bring him back
SEE CONGO, PAGE 2
Davis resigns after 27 ½ years on city council BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Davis
SEE HAWK, PAGE 2
It seems as if less time spent in Amery and recent committee assignments have led Alderperson Rick Davis to end his long journey on the Amery City Council. Mayor Paul Isakson announced the resignation of Davis during the July 10 City Council meeting. Davis was not present, but Isakson read the letter of resignation that was written SEE DAVIS, PAGE 2
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