CONSERVATION ACTION

News of the November 6, 1998 Conservation Commission meeting

Contact: Jo Radmacher, (573) 751-4115;

The Conservation Commission met on November 6 at the Department of Conservation's Northwest Regional Office in Saint Joseph. All Commissioners were present:

Randy Herzog, St. Joseph

Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City

Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre

Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg

The next meeting of the Commission was set on December 10-11 in Jefferson City.

PRESENTATIONS

Commission meetings are open to the public. Those wishing to be placed on the agenda for a presentation or other business must send a written request to Director, Department of Conservation, P. O. Box 180, Jefferson City MO 65102-0180, or FAX to (573) 51-4467, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. The Commission heard presentations by:

· President George Nichols and Past Present Arthur A. Benson II, The Missouri Prairie Foundation, on an update on its Grasslands Coalition and plans for launching a new statewide campaign.

· Rick Barnes, Barnes Realty Company, Mound City, on Department closure of a road into his privately-owned real estate development from the Commission-owned H. F. Thurnau Conservation Area, Holt County.

· Fisheries Division Administrator Norm Stucky on a preliminary overview of Corps of Engineers' Summary of the Preliminary RDEIS, Missouri River Master Water Control Manual, Review and Update Study.

· Forestry Division Administrator Marvin Brown on the Department's response to the Sierra Club's report Forestry Practices on Missouri State Conservation Lands which had been released to the media.

After careful review of the Sierra Club's report and the Department's response, the Commission unanimously went on record as finding the report inaccurate, misleading and distorted, and authorized the Director to take whatever steps are necessary to communicate to the press, the public and the Sierra Club leadership and membership the Commission's utter disgust and anger at Ken Midkiff's handling of the report and especially his refusal to meet publicly with the Commission to discuss the report. It further demands a public apology from Ken Midkiff for his slanderous statements about the professional integrity of the Department staff who prepared the response.

LAND ACQUISITION

The Commission acquires land only from willing sellers and makes annual payments to compensate local governments and schools for lost tax revenues at assessment levels current when acquired. Public access to acquisitions is appropriate only after closing of real estate transactions, at which time boundaries have been marked and further information is available. The Commission approved proceeding with:

· exchange of five isolated tracts in Wayne County totaling approximately 352 acres -portions of Graves Mountain and Coldwater conservation areas-for approximately 640 acres adjoining Coldwater Conservation Area in Wayne County owned by Worley Log, Lumber and Pallet Company Inc. of Piedmont.

· disposition of the 43.17-acre Caruthersville Rookery Conservation Area in Pemiscot County-effectively abandoned as a heron/egret nesting site since 1993.

· disposition of an approximately 0.57-acre portion of the Larry R. Gale Access in Camden County by auction sale or trade.

ADMINISTRATION

The Commission also:

· authorized proceeding with negotiating a lease/purchase agreement and development of a "conservation campus" in Cape Girardeau's North County Park.

· authorized entering into an interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

· approved modifying the Drug and Alcohol Testing policy in the Human Resources Policy Manual.

· approved the reformatted and revised version of the Policies and Procedures for Area and Resource Management Manual.

· approved the 1997-98 Annual Report for the Department of Conservation, and authorized publication and distribution.