The Sun 07.08.2020

Page 1

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020

Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897

VOL. 122 NO. 49 www.osceolasun.com $1.00

SPORTS: Boat responsibly. Wear a life jacket. PAGE 6

Local keeper’s tips to promoting honeybee health Think about bees BY C.L. SILL EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM

A scientist, a beekeeper and a minister walk into a bar. Richard Kretzschmar’s life reads like the beginning one of those rule of three jokes. Except that in his story, he plays all three characters. The 84 year old is both a botanist and a Methodist minister by trade — and he keeps bees on the side. Kretzschmar grew up in St. Louis, Mich. He earned an undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University, before earning a masters in botany from the University of Tennessee and a divinity degree from Vanderbilt University. He’s spent his life embracing the intimate connection between religion and appreciation for

the natural world. He’s a master of shepherding flocks, whether they’re humans or honeybees. Kretzschmar has been keeping bees for over 40 years. He first became interested in them while serving as a campus minister at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. Another faculty member was a beekeeper and showed Kretzschmar the ropes. “I was interested in the society,” Kretzschmar said. “They all go through this series of different responsibilities.” Kretzschmar is currently tending to just one hive, though he’s had as many as five in the past. He’s a fierce advocate of bees and their importance to human life. “We like to eat,” Kretzschmar said. “And a lot of our food comes from plants that need to be pollinated.” Honeybee numbers

Staffing changes for Amery, Baldwin and Osceola offices

have become mainstream news in recent years as keepers across the country report high colony losses. In the winter of 2019-20, it’s estimated 22.2 percent of all managed honeybee colonies in the United States were lost, according to the Bee Informed Partnership. That’s actually down significantly from the 2018-19 winter, when 37.7 percent of colonies were lost. But the numbers in the last decade are still trending upward. Causes for increased bee loss varies. Varroa mites and several diseases are cited as causing part of the decline, as is increased exposure to pesticides used in agricultural production, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Kretzschmar said he C.L. SILL | THE SUN

SEE BEES, PAGE 2

Richard Kretzschmar tends to his colony of honeybees at his home in Osceola.

Fishing still an escape licenses being sold between just March, April and May - that’s over 100,000 more licenses than 2019 in the same three months. “It is definitely a pleasant surprise to see the early season results. I was not expecting to see an increase in sales (and especially the size of the increase – interestingly, first-time buyers are a major component of the increase in sales),” Karl Scheidegger told the Sentinel. “I thought most people would be staying at home and hesitant to go outside with so much uncertainty. Outdoor participation is booming (and fishing license sales), whether it’s a welcome distraction from the current situation, a function of stir craziness or just because of less competition for our precious time.”

Scheidegger works out of Madison as part of WDNR’s Division of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He said Wisconsin is one of 34 states seeing an increase in residential fishing licenses this year. Minnesota reported a growth of 57% of increase in resident sales. According to the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation reported that fishing licenses have gone up 2% across the country in January through April from 2019 to 2020. Resident license purchases have gone up 6.7% while non-resident licenses have gone down 20% during that same time period. According to the WDNR, over 920,000 fishing licenses have

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Readers and advertisers of Sentinel Publications, owners of the Amery Free Press, Baldwin Bulletin, Burnett County Sentinel, Country Messenger and The Sun, will see bylines and faces from sister offices sharing duties in other offices. April Ziemer, editor of the Free Press, will now serve as editor of the Free Press and Baldwin Bulletin. Jason Schulte, editor of the Baldwin Bulletin, will now serve as editor of The Sun and Country Messenger. Casey (C.L.) Sill, editor of the The Sun and Country Messenger, continues to write weekly items for the group and is taking on the marketing representative duties for the Baldwin Bulletin. “Our team is strong and will continue to provide the coverage readers expect and deserve,” said Tom Stangl, group publisher. “We’ve not been immune to disruptions in the coronavirus pandemic. We are using all of our resources to give readers and advertisers the best coverage.”

BY JONATHAN RICHIE SENTINEL EDITOR

Residential fishing licenses across Wisconsin are at a fiveyear high but non-residential license are at a five-year low, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. These trends are similar to those at the national level. With the COVID-19 pandemic having an effect on almost all aspects of life. We are socially distanced and incredibly isolated, but more people are out fishing than in previous years. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has sold more fishing licenses so far in 2020 than they did in 2018 and 2019. In fact, this is a five year high Wisconsin with 734,514

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The Sun 07.08.2020 by The Sun - Issuu