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DES MOINES, IOWA -- From the Office of Governor Chet Culver:

Governor Chet Culver has deployed additional AmeriCorps members to the state fish hatchery at Lake Rathbun, which is threatened by flooding. The team from the AmeriCorps North Central Campus in Vinton Thursday will join about 35 Department of Natural Resources AmeriCorps members already deployed.

“The fish hatchery and the ecosystem at Rathbun are both tremendously important to the region affected by this flooding,” Culver said Thursday. “All Iowans should be proud of our ranking as the No. 2 state in the nation when it comes to volunteer service, and the dedication of these AmeriCorps volunteers who will work alongside members of the community to save the Rathbun hatchery is yet another example of the difference that spirit of service can make.”

Repeated spring and summer rains in and around Lake Rathbun have doubled the size of the lake, which is threatening to flood many of the facilities that draw an estimated 800,000 visitors to the area each year. The deployed teams will help with sandbagging and moving equipment to the fish hatchery building, where 80,000 walleyes have been relocated. Other fish, including catfish, are expected to be lost if the hatchery ponds flood.