The Conservation Commission met Aug. 21 in closed session and Aug. 22 in open session at the University of Missouri-Rolla. Commissioners present were:

Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City
Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre
Stephen C. Bradford, Cape Girardeau
Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis

The next meeting of the Conservation Commission was set for Oct. 17 in Hannibal, Missouri.

In closed session, the Commission approved the following hunting and fishing privilege revocations for Missouri Wildlife Code violations:

In open session, the Conservation Commission considered:

REGULATIONS:

2002-2003 WATERFOWL SEASONS:

Duck Season - 60 days within each of the three zones, with an opening framework date of the Saturday nearest Sept. 24 (Sept. 21, 2002) and a closing framework date of the last Sunday in January (Jan. 26, 2003).

Regular Hunting Days:

The season for canvasbacks is closed

Youth Hunting Days:

North Zone: Oct. 19-20
Middle Zone: Oct. 26-27
South Zone Nov. 16-17

(Participants in Youth Hunting Days must be less than 16 years of age and must be accompanied by a licensed adult at least 18 years of age who will not be permitted to hunt ducks. Adults need not be licensed if the youth possesses a valid hunter education certificate card.) Bag limits for ducks and geese will be the same as during the regular waterfowl season, including one pintail. The season for canvasbacks is closed, including the youth hunt.

Shooting Hours: One half hour before sunrise to sunset.
Bag Limit: 6 ducks daily with species restrictions of:

4 mallards (no more than 2 females)
3 scaup
2 wood ducks
2 redheads
1 pintail (during the prescribed season)
1 black duck
1 hooded merganser

Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag (in total 12; varies by species)

Coot Season
Coot season is concurrent with duck season in the respective zones with a daily bag limit of 15 and possession limit of 30.

Goose Season
Blue, Snow and Ross's geese - 107 days in the respective zones with framework closing date March 10.

North and Swan Lake Zones: Oct. 26 - Jan. 18
Middle, South and Southeast Zones: Nov. 2 - Jan. 26

White fronted geese - 86 days (2 goose limit)

North Zone and Swan Lake zones Oct. 26-Jan. 18

Middle, South and Southeast zones Nov. 2-Jan. 26

Canada geese and Brant - The federal framework allows 77 days statewide with no more than 30 days after Nov. 30 in the North, Middle and Swan Lake zones; framework closing date Jan. 31, 2003.

North Zone (except Swan Lake Zone)

Sep. 21-Oct. 6
Oct. 26-Nov. 24
Dec. 21-Jan. 18

Swan Lake Zone

Oct. 26-Dec. 1
Dec. 21-Jan. 18

Middle Zone (except Southeast Zone)

Sept. 21-Oct. 6
Nov. 2-Dec. 1
Dec. 21-Jan. 18

South and Southeast zones

Sept. 28-Oct. 6
Nov. 23-Jan. 26

The daily bag and possession limits include no more than 20 blue, snow, or Ross's geese daily (no possession limit) and two brant daily (four in possession) and two white fronted geese daily (four in possession).

In the North Zone (except Swan Lake Zone) and Middle Zone (except the Southeast Zone), the bag limit is three Canada geese daily (six in possession) during Sept. 21 - Oct. 6; and two Canada geese daily (four in possession) thereafter.

In the Swan Lake Zone, the bag limit is two Canada geese daily (four in possession). In the Southeast Zone and South Zone, the bag limit is three Canada geese daily (six in possession) from Sept. 28 through Oct. 6 and two Canada geese daily (four in possession) thereafter.

Falconry Season for Ducks, Coots, and Mergansers - (107 days)

North Zone

Sept. 14-Dec. 29

Middle Zone

Sept. 14- Sept. 22
Sept. 25-Dec. 31

South Zone

Sept. 14-Sept. 22
Oct. 16-Jan. 21

The daily bag and possession limits shall not exceed 3 and 6 birds respectively, singly, or in the aggregate during both regular duck hunting season and extended falconry seasons.

Light Goose Conservation Order
The hunting season for Blue, Snow and Ross's geese closes in the North and Swan Lake zones on Jan. 18, 2003 and in the Middle, South and Southeast zones on Jan. 26, 2003. Persons who possess a valid migratory bird permit may chase, pursue and take blue, snow and Ross's geese between the hours of one half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from Jan. 19 through April 30, 2003 in the North and Swan Lake zones and from Jan. 27 through April 30 in the Middle, South and Southeast zones. Any other regulation notwithstanding, methods for the taking of blue, snow and Ross's geese includes using shotguns capable of holding more than three shells and with the use or aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls or sounds or recorded or electrically amplified imitations of bird calls or sounds. A daily bag limit will not be in effect during Jan. 19 through April 30, 2003, in the North and Swan Lake zones and from Jan. 27 through April 30, 2003, in the Middle, South and Southeast zones.

The Commission also approved:
--Adding Virginia sneezeweed to the state endangered species list;
--Changes to regulations regarding licensed game-bird hunting preserves;
--Changes to regulations regarding dog training area permits and privileges.

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 (573) 751-4467, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. The deadline for the next meeting is Oct. 3, 2002.

The Commission heard the following presentations:

1. A presentation about conservation marketing;
2. An update on work at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.

The Commission received the following staff presentations:

1. Status report of major construction and development projects dated July 31, 2002;
   " Monthly financial summary dated July 31, 2002
2. Out-of-state travel detail report dated July 31, 2002.

ADMINISTRATION: The Commission also took the following action:

1. Approved responses to certain resolutions adopted by the Conservation Federation of Missouri at its annual meeting April 7, 2002;
2. Tabled acceptance as a gift of a 340-acre tract and a 180-acre tract in Crawford County;
3. Tabled acceptance as a gift of approximately 133 acres in Audrain County;
4. Approved a staff recommendation to seek an appropriation for fiscal year 2004 from the Conservation Commission Fund;
5. Approved disposing of approximately 96 acres of the Castor River Conservation Area in Bollinger County.
6. Approved a staff recommendation to reduce the out-of-state travel allocation for fiscal year 2003 by 30 percent.

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