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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, May 2, 2023 | Vol. 5 Issue 18
Landscaping as an extension of living
A new perspective on the home garden and beyond No hazardous materials were known to have leaked from the train cars into the Mississippi River following a train derailment April 27. (Photo courtesy Matt Howell)
Train derailment along swollen Mississippi River contained On Thursday, April 27, at 12:13 p.m., BNSF Railway received a preliminary report of a train derailment near Desoto, Wis., which affected the main track. Desoto is approximately 30 miles south of La Crosse, Wis., and less than 10 miles upstream from Lansing, Iowa. Two of the three locomotives, and approximately 20 cars carrying “freight of all kinds” were reported to be derailed on the bluff side of the Mississippi River. It was reported that two cars were in the river but did not contain any hazardous materials. Wisconsin’s Crawford County Sheriff’s Office officials noted there was
H ME&Garden Series By Kate Klimesh Be prepared for a complete paradigm shift in thinking about gardening and landscaping. While many consider visual accents in key areas of a person’s grounds the norm – flowers bordering the house, a tree in the yard, bushes along the property edge – Kevan Klosterwill, a Decorah-based landscape designer and historian, sees things quite differently, and invites others to take a deeper look at their home gardens. “Our yards are the primary —and often the only — way we engage with the nonhuman world. How we choose to manage them impacts who we are and how we understand our place in the world,” says Klosterwill, who is currently in progress renovating his family’s own outdoor space utilizing several various “garden” types and landscaping features. “Do we run loud machines and spray chemicals that poison plants, insects and humans to maintain a monocultural lawn that’s little used? Or are we tending, weeding and nurturing our landscapes, moving our bodies and learning to observe plants and animals in the process?” Klosterwill grew up in Athens, Georgia, and earned bachelors and master degrees in Landscape Architecture there. He then went on to the University of Virginia for his PhD in the Constructed Environment. His dissertation focused on regenerative agriculture, perma-
Kevan, Alden and Zoë Klosterwill enjoy their time outdoors, and have been working to design their yard thoughtfully, pictured above. Kevan has a PhD in the Constructed Environment, with a passion for landscape and design.
Having moved from Georgia, the newly transplanted Decorah residents are testing a familiar magnolia in their yard, filled with beauty, function and food.
culture and other carbon-positive landscape and gardening strategies as community-driven strategies to address climate change. He and his family relocated to Decorah, his wife Zoë’s hometown, following their birth of their son Alden. “We bought our home on Franklin Street in Decorah in 2020,” Klosterwill explains.
weekend pop-up event Fri, May 5 & Sat, May 6 | 10am-5pm Sparrow’s Candles & Gifts | Downtown Decorah
sangria • scones • bonbons cookies • pot de cremes • fudge ganache & fudge samples mother's day & teacher appreciation gifts
cottage-made, small-batch gourmet treats
“When we first moved in, there was gravel from sidewalk to the back fence, and only a handful of scattered shrubs. We moved out 50 to 60 wheelbarrows full of gravel and began renovation on our small 6,000 sq. ft. lot to create a distinct sequence of outdoor rooms that included all the things we liked to do outside.” And with a young son, he and his wife Zoe were definitely looking to maximize their space. Some of the considerations he took into account included the overall climate of Decorah, the local microclimate of his home — which is shaped by the uplands of nearby Phelps Park, which softens harsh winds — and adjacent houses, which shape breezes and shade, as well as the local ecology. He also thought carefully about how best to utilize native plants, and responsibly introduce exotics which wouldn’t escape to cause problems elsewhere. The
garden is also a trial space for Klosterwill, who is testing marginally hardy Southern transplants in this sheltered spot, including oakleaf hydrangea and umbrella magnolia, native to the Appalachians. The entrance to the outdoor space is through a wooden gate, and they have thoughtfully planted shrubs and flowers along the entrance to shield visitors from seeing all the way through to the backyard and create a sense of arrival. When fully grown, two witchhazels and an ironwood tree will shelter this front walk. Shrubs not only provide privacy for the family, but encourage a pause to experience this as a separate and distinct space within the yard, with its own purpose and beauty to enjoy. Next, the path leads through a sunny spot that hosts a miniature prairie featuring milkweeds and coneflowers, with more exciting accents like seven-foot tall delphiniums thrown in to mask a blank wall. Working with some features that were already in place, he planned and planted a shade
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no need for evacuation. BNSF field personnel responded to assess the derailment site, and containment efforts for the derailed cars and their cargo was initiated. Flooding on the Mississippi River has been an issue for past week in the area, with cresting estimates in the major flood stage – just under 24 feet – and Lansing’s Black Hawk bridge had closed just days earlier. Volunteers sandbagged the town of DeSoto Tuesday, April 25, only to respond two days later to the train derailment.
Derailment
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Lansing’s Tiki Bar near the marina is hidden due to rising flood waters, which was expected to crest around twenty feet over the last weekend. The flooding is due to melting snow and heavy spring precipitation. (Submitted photos)
Rising Mississippi greets Lansing and area river towns Large amounts of rain and snow in the Driftless area and north has caused the mighty Mississippi River to encroach into many river towns over the past week. In Lansing, the beloved Black Hawk bridge was closed Tuesday, April 25, due to rising waters expected to crest over 20 feet, considered major flood stage. Other temporary road closures included X52/ Great River Road, as well as S. Front Street and S. 3rd Street in Lansing. Vehicles traveling had to use La Fayette Ridge Drive onto Lansing Harpers Road/ X42 going into Lansing. Many businesses have closed or postponed events, including LIFT, Lansing’s Food Pantry. With the help of volunteers, LIFT was evacuated of food and closed due to flooding potential the previous weekend. All food and items were distributed Monday, April 24, to clients ahead of the closure, and
Road closures due to the flooding include the landmark Black Hawk bridge, connecting Lansing to Wisconsin. LIFT will remain closed until local clean-up efforts are complete. On the Lansing, Iowa, Facebook page, many photos have
Flooding
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