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September 12, 2007

Smithsonian scientist studies local fossil collection

Dr. John Pojeta Jr., a paleontologist with the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Geological Survey, visited Phil Burgess of Prairie du Chien Sept. 8 and 9 to study Phil's extensive collection of fossils.

"He's got a fabulous collection of stuff," said Pojeta about Phil. "He is absolutely bitten by field work and collecting fossils." Phil, who has spent the majority of his life collecting fossils, has more than 100,000 specimens at his home. His fossils and agates weigh several tons.

While Phil's whole collection is interesting, Pojeta came to Prairie du Chien specifically to study poly-placophorans, also known as chitons. Chitons are a rare type of mollusk, which were covered with eight overlapping plates.

One interesting thing about Phil's half-a-billion-year-old chitons is that they have not previously been found in Crawford County. For that matter, they have not previously been found in a layer of rock known as the Oneota Dolomite Formation anywhere in Wisconsin.

Pojeta said that Phil's finds, made within the past decade, prove that chitons ranged far more extensively than had previously been thought, probably throughout most of North America.

Phil's specimens were found in the same age rocks as chitons found in Missouri. Pojeta also said that two of Phil's specimens show more features than those found in Missouri.

"Very little is known about chitons in all rocks," said Pojeta. "These things do get around."

Pojeta and others continue to try to understand the early evolution of mollusks based upon their fossil record. He said that Phil's chitons may lead to new interpretations of how mollusks evolved from non-bivalved to bivalved. Some examples of bivalved mollusks are mussels, scallops, oysters and clams.

"Phil's specimens have structures that we can't see in the Missouri chitons," said Pojeta. "These features are important for making the correct interpretation."

Many of Phil's specimens will end up in the Department of Paleontology at the Smithsonian Institution and will be used for scientific research. Pojeta also said that he will continue to converse with Phil and that an article will eventually be published in the Journal of Paleontology. The article may change the interpretations of what previous authors had thought about the Missouri findings.

"I'm learning a lot about my own collection," said Phil. "I'm finding out how much I don't know is what it boils down to. He (Pojeta) is on cutting edge of knowledge. That's what's so neat with having him come here."

"Working with Phil and others has been a real eye-opener as to what is available," said Pojeta, who has been a research associate with the Smithsonian since 1969 and is an Emeritus Scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "These hobbyists provide a tremendous resource for scientific study."

"Phil is an enlightened hobbyist who is not overwhelmed by it and is very knowledgeable," said Pojeta. "We are able to have technical conversations and can understand what each other is talking about. So he is to be patted on the back for that."

Pojeta noted that there is but a small paid workforce to find and collect specimens for scientific study. "There is, however, a wonderful group of amateurs to obtain specimens," he said. Pojeta has worked with hobbyists in Missouri, Illinois, New Jersey and now Wisconsin.

Pojeta said that Phil's finds, made within the past decade, prove that chitons ranged far more extensively than had previously been thought, probably throughout most of North America.

Phil's specimens were found in the same age rocks as chitons found in Missouri. Pojeta also said that two of Phil's specimens show more features than those found in Missouri.

"Very little is known about chitons in all rocks," said Pojeta. "These things do get around."

"Phil's specimens have structures that we can't see in the Missouri chitons," said Pojeta. "These features are important for making the correct interpretation."

"There's only one of Phil as far as a lifetime of collecting fossils," said Pojeta. "He has a good little museum."

There's only one of Phil as far as a lifetime of collecting fossils," said Pojeta. "He has a good little museum."

A special geology

by Phil Burgess

We live in one of the most pristine counties in Wisconsin. Due to its long geologic history, Crawford County not only has great scenery but also has abundant wildlife of many sorts, an abundance of pure water, rich soil, and excellent, varied recreation for people with all interests. But the underlying rock foundation of our county as well as much of the tri-state area in general, is really quite fragile in nature. To begin with, much of the upland regions are classified by geologists as karst, which means that they are underlain by limestone, a rock that is susceptible to solution by groundwater, resulting in the development of caves and sinkholes. Many of the area ridge land farmers are familiar with this - there are many caves and sinkholes in Crawford County (i.e. Kickapoo Caverns near Wauzeka). There are two limestone layers that are karstic - first is the Dunleith formation, which underlies the ridge along Hwy. 27 between Prairie du Chien and Eastman, and secondly is the Prairie du Chien group, which is commonly overlain by a layer of St. Peter sandstone, which forms the bedrock on the upland plateau over much of the rest of the county. The hillside slopes and valley floors are underlain by the porous Jordan sandstone . . . underneath this is the St. Lawrence dolomite . . . finally, the deepest valleys in the northeastern part of the county are cut into the soft, shaly Tunnel City Group., All of these rock formations were deposited in a shallow sea hundreds of millions of years ago, and were originally soft sediments on the ancient sea-floor.

As the sediments slowly hardened into rock, they lost their water content and shrank, and as the land was gradually elevated above sea level stresses were generated that caused the rock formations to break into joint systems. These joint systems, which trend in a northwest-southeasterly and northeast-southwesterly direction, cut across all the formations and range in width from less than an inch up to several feet. They are continuous for many miles, and can be seen in area rock quarries and road cuts. The main river valleys usually have thick layers of stream-deposited (alluvial) sand and gravel overlying the bedrock and nearly all of the land is covered in some extent by wind-deposited silt known as loess (our fertile, black soil). Both the fractured nature of the bedrock countywide due to the joint systems, and also the karst character of the limestone on the higher terrain make Crawford County especially vulnerable to groundwater contamination. Any contaminants entering either sinkholes or enlarged joints can readily travel for miles underground unimpeded, causing potential heath hazards even miles away from the source of contamination. Also the porous alluvial sands and gravels can transmit potential pollutants considerable distances. Consider, for instance, how widespread nitrate contamination of ground water is throughout southwest Wisconsin. Some of the surface water percolating underground through the huge system of hidden fissures re-emerges miles away as springs - there are many dozens of springs both large and small throughout the county. The rest of the water fills voids in the fractured limestone and porous sandstone, where it becomes a part of our groundwater aquifer.

Another factor to consider is the ruggedness of the land . . . during extreme runoff events, surface contaminants can rapidly travel long distances from upland areas down hill into neighboring watersheds, with potentially harmful results to communities downstream. Crawford County is still relatively unspoiled, and for the most part it¹s surface and ground waters are still pure. Future wise land management for both industrial, domestic and agricultural use will ensure that they stay so . . . let¹s all do our share to help!

West receives 25-year prison sentence

Sentencing hearing sheds light on life filled with physical abuse and drugs

Grant County Circuit Court Judge George S. Curry sentenced Mona J. West Tuesday afternoon to 25 years in prison for shooting Gus D. Brown III to death on Aug. 14, 2006. West, 43, of rural Eastman, will be eligible for extended supervision after she serves the 25 years.

Curry, who presided over the Crawford County case, had three options in sentencing.

´Life means Life. (no eligibility for extended supervision).

´Eligible for extended supervision after 20 years.

´Eligible for extended supervision at a specific date set by the judge.

Extended supervision is subject to the rulings of the Parole Board. Extended supervision involves the numerous conditions associated with parole or probation.

West was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide in Crawford County Circuit Court on June 21. She had entered a no contest plea as part of a plea agreement between West and District Attorney Tim Baxter.

During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Baxter argued for a sentence of 25 years with no extended supervision. West's attorney, Russell Hanson of Westby, argued for a 20-year sentence followed by extended supervision.

West shot Brown, 43, once in the back and once in head, with her .380 semiautomatic pistol at approximately 11:30 p.m. Aug. 14, 2006.

West called the Grant County Sheriff's Department at approximately 6:30 a.m. Aug. 15 to report the shooting. She later turned herself over to a Crawford County Sheriff's deputy at the Murphy USA gas station located near Wal-Mart in the town of Bridgeport.

Brown's body and West's handgun were found in the mobile home he shared with West at 29446 Highway 27 near Eastman.

"I'm horrified by what happened. We were drinking a lot that night. I don't know what happened. I must have went crazy. There are no words to express how sorry I am," said a crying West at the sentencing hearing. "I felt threatened."

West also had Hanson read a passage from the pre-sentence investigation report. "I wish we had both gotten help before it was too late," West is quoted in the report. "Gus was a nice person. He was my friend and I miss him."

In a handwritten letter to The Courier Press prior to Tuesday's sentencing hearing, West said that Gus Brown was not her boyfriend, but rather, she and Brown shared the mobile home due to rent and expense reasons. She also said that Brown became jealous and abusive physically and mentally and that he had raped her prior to the shooting.

"The reason I pled guilty is that I am having extreme anxiety about testifying to what I'd been through, and would like to just be sentenced, and have it done with," she said in the letter. "For the record, I am sorry that I shot him, and wish to apologize to his friends and family. His death was not intentional in the way that I had ever planned or intended to kill him. I did not want him dead, and wish I could have handled the situation differently. For the shooting had occurred during a horrible drunken fight."

In the letter, West also stated that Brown knowingly gave her hepatitis B, which she says may kill her because she already had liver encephalopathy, a condition in which the liver does not filter out toxins such as alcohol, and the brain cannot function properly, therefore affecting her judgement.

Testing has shown that West did indeed have liver encephalopathy and hepatitis B.

Two doctors that talked to and studied West also have indicated that she had post traumatic stress syndrome because she had been beaten many times in the past by abusive men. These doctors also said that West had suffered organic brain injuries.

"She suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and organic brain injuries from the many times she was battered and nearly killed in the past," said Dr. Robert Most, who spoke via telephone on West's behalf at the sentencing. Dr. Most is a psychiatrist and the medical director of Crawford County Human Services. He said that West also suffered from major depression and had alcohol problems.

"She was under extreme stress and about to be raped," said Most about the night of the shooting. "It had happened once before. She felt threatened. The sentence of first degree intentional homicide is way out of line."

Judge Curry also read some of West's statements from the pre-sentence report. "I was not in my right mind," West said in one portion of the report. "I knew he could be violent." Curry also read statements by West that said that Brown had been twisting West's arm in an attempt to force her to perform oral sex just prior to the shooting that night. Statements in the report made by West also indicate that Brown may have been jealous over another man named Buddy. Brown was also angry that West was going to move in with "that guy Buddy," and that Brown then wouldn't be able to pay the rent on his own, according to statements made by West in the report.

District Attorney Baxter said that Brown had no prior criminal record indicating that Brown had a history of physical abuse and that West never reported any alleged abuse by Brown to authorities at any time prior to the shooting.

Baxter and Curry also noted that the statements made by West in the report were only West's version of what happened. They said that Brown doesn't have a chance to tell his side of the story. Curry also noted that there was "some premeditation" on the part of West because she had to go and get her gun from elsewhere in the home. Also, she shot Brown in the back and then took the time to stand almost directly over him and shoot him in the top of the head at point blank range.

"She did not give a concrete reason to end Mr. Brown's life," Baxter said.

Curry said that West clearly has shown remorse throughout and that she admits 100 percent responsibility for her actions. Defense attorney Hanson also pointed out that West has no criminal history and has always worked to support herself.

Curry also said, however, that West had a severe alcohol and drug problem including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and numerous other drugs. "You've experimented with just about every type of drug that I can think of," Curry said. "And, that is very corrosive." Curry said that West knew that these drugs caused her not to think rationally and made her less able to control her impulses, yet she chose to take the drugs anyway.

West will get credit for 392 days served.

September 10, 2007

PDCI inmates a big help in flood cleanup

Inmates from Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution (PDCI) are continuing to help in the aftermath of the August floods in Vernon and Crawford counties.

"We had two crews out yesterday and today," said Corrections Unit Supervisor Dan Winkleski, who noted that inmates will continue to help for an indefinite period.

Winkleski said that Roger Martin, the head of Crawford County Emergency Government, had asked for volunteers from PDCI, who responded immediately to the cleanup effort. At first, one crew of six minimum security inmates and one correctional officer responded. Shortly thereafter, six such crews were working, and at the height of the effort, eight crews (a total of 48 inmates) were helping out.

Winkleski said that the inmate workforce has been scaled back recently because their role in the flood aftermath has changed. "At first, it was a response effort," he said. "Now it is a recovery effort."

Crews of inmates helped to clean up, unclog and repair several dams and spillways in Vernon County, where they also cleared debris and cleaned up parks. In Crawford County, inmates helped to haul mud and cleanup homes and businesses in Gays Mills, Steuben and Soldiers Grove.

"The inmates were very eager to volunteer," said Winkleski. "They feel good about giving back to the community. The people were very appreciative for all the help. I heard that some people who had no other help began to cry. This is something very worthwhile."

In many instances, inmate crews worked alongside National Guard personnel, Department of Natural Resources personnel, personnel from numerous local agencies and citizen volunteers.

Deputy Warden Rick Gutknecht said that not only did the crews visible in the field do an outstanding job, so did the PDCI staff behind the scenes.

"This is an example of our staff pulling together again and working together as a team, directly or indirectly," said Gutknecht. "This was a total team effort throughout the institution and within the Department of Corrections." Gutknecht said that many correctional officers put in overtime to fill in for the correctional officers out in the field helping with flood cleanup. He also noted that the various departments in the institution, such as the food staff and the laundry staff did extra work.

"We maintained our normal staffing patterns," said Gutknecht. "And, some of these people (staff) were affected by the flood themselves."

"Our support functions behind the scenes; they all did a tremendous job," said Winkleski.

Winkleski said that the staff at PDCI receives training as part of the Incident Command System (ICS), which was formed by the Department of Corrections in order to efficiently and effectively respond to disasters when called upon, either within or outside the institution.

"The department of corrections has been very committed to see that all staff receives some training in ICS," said Gutknecht. Winkleski noted that the ICS has been in effect in the institution for about two years and training has been relatively heavy. Before the ICS, institution staff have been training in emergency preparedness for many years.

In addition to PDCI staff, Winkleski said that local emergency government, law enforcement, EMS personnel and other agencies also receive ICS training at the institution. "It allows us to integrate so that we are all talking the same language," he said. "There is training across the board for the federal, state and local levels."

Train derails near Spook Cave

On Sept. 6, at approximately 3:32 p.m., the Clayton County Sheriff's Department received a call of a train derailment near Spook Cave in rural McGregor.

Upon investigation, there were 38 cars that had derailed, including six engines. Three rail cars were in the creek and had spilled their load of soybean meal. A fourth car was hanging in the creek, but did not spill its load.

One engine had damage to the fuel tank, which was leaking. The Monona Fire Department was called and the leak was contained. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was called for the spillage.

The cause of the derailment is unknown and the investigation continues.

Committee will consider options identified by Gays Mills residents

Although it soon became apparent that no single action would solve the needs and problems of residents affected by the flood, it was even more apparent that the citizens of Gays Mills wanted to remain a community when they met Sept. 7 for their first major discussion of the village's future.

Some people have already moved back into their homes, but many others have not, either because of the extent of the damage to that particular house or because the thought of another flood has left them so frightened they want to relocate to higher ground. Many feel they are in a sort of limbo. "It's still home," Mason Evan said of his flood-damaged house, "I want to stay here but I can't live in it." He said a contractor had inspected his house and told him it couldn't be raised above flood level. "I don't know what to do," he said.

Mike Petit, representing his 75-year old mother, said she doesn't want to spend a lot of money to fix up the house. Another resident, Dee Poulson, said she wanted to know if her house could be moved or raised up. "It's scary," she said, "there was four feet of water in the house when we went back to rescue our cats." Another resident, who said he wanted to stay in Gays Mills, expressed concern about some of the business. "They don't seem to be able to get the help they need," he said, "and without an economically viable downtown we might as well pack up and leave." Laura Brown, from the Crawford County Extension Office, said those in need of business counseling should call her office for help.

The meeting produced no solutions, but did produce more discussion on some of the options to consider. One option, diking the village, had been examined by the Corps of Engineers in the late 1970's and early 1980's. County Board Chairman Ron Leys noted there are some communities in the area which have successfully used levees or dikes, and cited Guttenberg, Iowa as one example. A woman who had grown up in Dubuque said that after the big flood in the 1960s the city decided to build the dike. "It was an eyesore at first," she said, "but now it's a beautiful area."

Two other river-related suggestions were also offered. Kay Smiley suggested that, rather than a dike, a dry dam, which could hold back large quantities of water, be constructed upstream. Simply cleaning the silt and debris from the Kickapoo River was offered as another possibility. A representative from the Soldiers Grove Lions Club said their group was working with the Corps of Engineers trying to clean the river.

Raising houses above flood level is also an option for some houses, said Dale Klemme, Community Development director, and simply repairing the house in place but moving the utilities out of the basement could solve some problems. In other cases, he said, it may not be possible to raise or move a house, and that house would be acquired and the residents relocated. One man said he would like to see some entity stabilize the homes that people don't want to return to so that they could be restored and resold.

Klemme said that to get the help required, consensus and endorsement is needed from the Village Board. He said he was asking the board to gather individuals from the affected community to form a recovery strategy committee, examine all the options and formulate a plan, and suggested those interested give their names to Maura Otis, the deputy village clerk. The board will be appointing a committee this week.

Klemme said it was necessary to formulate a plan within a matter of weeks "before people go and do things themselves and then realize they can't be reimbursed because they didn't work through a program option."

Klemme said his office is currently pursuing two programs: emergency assistance through the Department of Commerce, through which people whose houses are no longer occupiable can apply for money; and the possibility of a hazard mitigation grant from FEMA, through which it might be possible to get funds for acquisition, relocation and clearance for uninhabitable house. There is, however, a stipulation that no other building could take place on those sites.

Klemme asked residents to look at the challenge as an opportunity to have something better than before. "You need to plan the recovery so it turns out the way you want it to," he said.