Clear Lake Mirror Reporter

(Above) The Bald-faced hornet – a fearsome deliverer of pain.-Photo by Lowell Washburn.

Not all wildlife encounters end with warm fuzzies

by Lowell Washburn

Nothing compares to a day spent in the great out-of-doors.  Depending on individual interests, outdoor fun may include hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, biking or birding.  The list is virtually endless.

If you visit McIntosh Woods State Park near Ventura in the coming months you’re likely to see more than just a beautiful view.  A herd of goats will call the park home for six weeks beginning right after Labor Day. Yes, goats. About 40 of them will be chowing down on non-native honeysuckle, buckthorn and other nuisance vegetation that have crowded-out native plants in the park’s woodlands.

A semi driver involved in an accident which killed a former Clear Lake resident on the Avenue of the Saints has received a deferred judgment.

Austin James Lesher, 50, of Layton, Utah, was cited for failure to maintain control after a crash east of Mason City in early 2015 that killed Amy Hild, of Rockford.  Hild, the daughter of Steven and Debra Hild, was a 2005 graduate of Clear Lake High School.

An arrest has been made in the case of extensive damage caused to a Clear Lake home.

Christopher Larson, 31, of West Des Moines, Iowa was arrested on warrant in Polk County and brought to the Cerro Gordo County Jail on charges of first-degree criminal mischief.  His bond is set at $10,000.

Larson allegedly cut electrical cords, furniture and car tires at 705 South Shore Drive around midnight on April 28, causing nearly $28,000 worth of damage.