Gomers -- What's going wrong

A NEW LOW FOR PHEASANTS: Pheasant numbers in Iowa are at an all-time low - again. For the third time in four years, the state's annual August roadside count of upland game found that the pheasant figure fell to yet another record low: 6.5 birds per 30-mile route. It's also the seventh decline in eight years. Pheasants Forever officials say the trend of snowier winters and wetter springs in recent years is the major culprit, along with loss of habitat tied to more extensive crop farming. They estimate it would take four consecutive years of favorable weather for pheasant numbers to fully reverse the recent trend.

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FEWER DIVORCES, NEGATIVE REASONS: Last year, Iowa's total of 6,715 marriage dissolutions was the lowest since 1968 (6,511). However, experts in family issues say the recent drop is mostly related to the recession (fewer couples can afford the expense of divorce). In the longer term, the number of divorces has gradually declined in Iowa since 1997, but researchers say it's not because more spouses are more committed or getting along better. Instead, in addition to economic reasons, more couples are forgoing marriage in the first place.

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