North Dakota
Emerald ash borer confirmed in LaMoure County
BISMARCK — Emerald ash borer has been confirmed for the first time in North Dakota in LaMoure County, according to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.
NDDA said in a news release issued Thursday that adult emerald ash borers (EAB) were collected this week from a trap placed in LaMoure County, 9 miles north of Edgeley, North Dakota. Upon follow-up from NDDA staff, additional larvae were collected and officially confirmed as EAB. North Dakota is the 37th state to detect EAB, the NDDA said.
“The North Dakota Department of Agriculture and our partners have been preparing for emerald ash borer’s eventual arrival for many years,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “We have been placing and monitoring traps each summer and promoting awareness through outreach events, training and communication with the public. Now that it is unfortunately here, we urge North Dakota residents and travelers to be proactive to keep EAB from spreading.”
EAB is a wood boring insect originally from Asia, first found in the U.S. in 2002. It has since spread to 37 states and killed hundreds of millions of ash trees.
“North Dakota has more than 90 million ash trees that are at risk in native, rural and urban forests,” State Forester Tom Claeys said. “Ash trees make up between 20% to 80% of the trees along city streets and parks. Unless treated, infested ash trees can be killed in a few years.”
NDDA maintains a quarantine restricting movement of regulated commodities from infested areas. The quarantine will be extended to LaMoure County. Travelers should leave firewood at home and purchase or gather from local sources. Moving regulated materials from a quarantined to a non-quarantined area can result in civil penalties of up to $5,000.
NDDA will collaborate with the North Dakota Forest Service and North Dakota State University Extension to determine the extent of the infestation, continue monitoring ash trees and conduct outreach in the coming months. The ice storm that the area endured in December of 2023 will complicate efforts to find infested trees due to tree damage sustained in the storm.
Residents should check their ash trees for signs of an infestation, which include dieback S-shaped tunnels, also known as serpentine galleries, under the bark, small D-shaped exit holes and woodpecker activity in the upper canopy of the trees.
One option to protect high-value trees are insecticide treatments. Treatments are not recommended until EAB is detected within 15 miles. Residents who choose to treat their ash trees are urged to select a reputable tree service company with a certified applicator able to do these treatments. Most treatment options are restricted use and can only be done by a tree care professional.
For more information, or to report a tree you think may be infested, visit
www.ndda.nd.gov/eab
.
North Dakota
North Dakota voters to decide single-subject requirement for future constitutional amendments on June 9
BRECKENRIDGE — Coaches, teammates, friends and family gathered in the south parking lot of Breckenridge High School for another state tournament sendoff.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
This year, it was Troy Berndt taking the ceremonial convertible ride. He is headed to St. Michael-Albertville High School for the Minnesota Class A State Track and Field Meet on June 4-6.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
He will be running in the third heat of the 400-meter prelims, scheduled for 4:52 p.m. June 4. There are seven athletes in each heat, 21 total, and nine will advance to the finals at 6:20 p.m. June 5.
The top two finishers in each heat advance, along with the next three best times. Berndt’s personal best time of 50.67 has him seeded 13th, but the 10th-, 11th- and 12th-seeded runners are less than five hundredths of a second ahead of him. The eighth- and ninth-seeded runners are also close, at 50.33 and 50.39, respectively.
Berndt dropped nearly seven-tenths of a second from his previous personal best at the Section 6A West Subsection Meet on May 21, running 51.35, and shaved another 0.68 seconds off at the Section 6A Championships on May 28 with a time of 50.67. If he keeps lowering his time, he will have a shot at reaching the podium against the best runners in Class A.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
Results and photos will be available online immediately following the race June 4 and in the June 10 print edition of the Wahpeton Daily News.
Corbin Lee is a sports reporter for the Wahpeton Daily News and Richland County News-Monitor. Corbin can be reached by calling (701) 291-3551 or emailing corbin.lee@wahpetondailynews.com.
On this day in 1971, Rugby repeated as North Dakota’s high school sand greens golf champion behind medalist Dwight Stempson’s winning performance.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
Rugby Repeats As Sand Greens Golf Champion
RUGBY, N. D. — Rugby repeated as North Dakota high school sand greens golf champion here Wednesday, posting a four-man total of 293 strokes for 18 holes.
Led by medalist Dwight Stempson’s medalist 36-35 — 71, the Panthers were eight strokes ahead of runnerup Stanley, which had a 301. Following were Garrison 311, Beulah 315, Leeds 322, Ashley 323, Bottineau 328, Pembina 329, Tioga 332, Parshall 341 and Hettinger 342.
Stempson and teammate Bruce Carlson each had one-under par 71s, but Carlson was unable to be at the regional and wasn’t qualified for individual honors.
Rounding out the Rugby totals were Delwin Wilson 40-37 — 77 and Dennett Hutchinson 35-39 — 74. Gary Kirchoffner, 41-39 — 80, was Rugby’s fifth entrant with the best four-of-five scores counted.
Runnerup Stanley was led by Steve Springan’s 34-38 — 72 and Joe Springan’s 36-38 — 74. Their two-man total of 146 strokes was good enough for the doubles title. Two strokes back with a 148 was the duo of Stempson and Wilson. Stan Saathoff and Mike Stepina of Garrison each had 76s for a 152 total and the Ashley combo of Steve Maier (76) and Dave Kretschmar (78) was fourth with a 154.
Stempson was the driving contest winner with a distance of 280 yards. Chris Knutson of Garrison headed the pitch and putt competition.
Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.
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