CONSERVATION ACTION
News of the November 21, 2000 Conservation Commission meeting
Contact: Carolyn Auckley, (573) 751-4115;
E-mail: Carolyn.Auckley@mdc.mo.gov

The Conservation Commission met November 21 at the Conservation Department's Northwest Regional Office. Commissioners present were:

Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg
Randy Herzog, St. Joseph
Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City
Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre

The next meeting of the Conservation Commission was set for December 14-15, 2000 at the Conservation Department Central Office, 2901 West Truman Boulevard, Jefferson City, Missouri.

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) 751-4467, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. The Commission heard the following presentations:

Volunteer Service Awards to Don Metzinger and Donna Soper for 2,000 hours of volunteer service at the Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center, Blue Springs.

• Pete Kahrs, Osage Catfisheries, Inc., Osage Beach, to provide new information regarding black carp.
• Dr. James McCarthy, President, Missouri Western State College, to discuss a Community Assistance Program for pond improvement on the campus.
• Sterett, W. Schanze, City Manager; Marci Bennett, Convention and Visitors Bureau Director; and Bill R. McKinney, Parks and Recreation Director, City of St. Joseph; to discuss St. Joseph's Riverfront Development Plan.
• Ralph D. Franklin, Linn Creek, Missouri, to discuss proposed sale of the Alice Ahart Mansfield Conservation Area.

REGULATIONS

The Commission accepted the Report of the Regulations Committee, approving recommendations for the 2001 turkey hunting seasons and consideration of a separate two-day youth spring turkey season.

Spring Season. The 2001 spring turkey hunting season will be twenty-one (21) days in length (from April 23 through May 13, 2001). A person possessing the prescribed turkey hunting permit may take two (2) male turkeys or turkeys with visible beard during the season; provided only one (1) turkey may be taken during the first seven (7) days of the season (from April 23 through April 29) and only one (1) turkey may be taken per day (from April 30 through May 13).

Youth spring turkey season. The season will be two (2) days beginning annually on the Saturday nine days prior to the Monday opening of spring turkey season. A Missouri resident possessing a Youth Deer and Turkey Hunting Permit or the prescribed turkey hunting permit and who is 15 years of age or less on the opening day of the youth spring season, may take only one (1) male turkey or turkey with visible beard during the youth spring season. A turkey harvested during the youth spring season will count toward an individual's spring season bag limit, thus they may not harvest a second bird during the first week of the spring season

ADMINISTRATION:

The Commission also took the following action:

• Authorized entering into a contract for construction of the Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Training Complex additions located on the Bois D'Arc Conservation Area.
• Authorized changing the threshold for adding inventory to the Department's centralized inventory file.
• Authorized selling 0.57 acres of the 34-acre Lipton Conservation Area in Jackson County to IO Property LLC, Independence, Missouri.
• Authorized purchasing 8.29 acres of Mississippi River flood plain in Cape Girardeau County from Union Electric Company for use as a public fishing access.
• Authorized modifications to the Department's policy, Exotic Plant Species, in the Area and Resource Management Policy Manual.
• Approved one area name.
• Approved the 1999-2000 Annual Report for the Department of Conservation, and authorized publication and distribution.
• Approved staff recommendation to retain the Alice Ahart Mansfield Conservation Area.
• Approved a plan to assist the Missouri aquaculture industry with snail control in commercial fish rearing ponds by providing, at cost, certified sterile triploid black carp for a 5-year period. The plan also calls for immediate destruction of illegally possessed fertile diploid black carp.

Received Elk Feasibility Study. Staff presentation to be held at the December 14 Commission meeting.