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to MDC Home Page"There are also other times I would like to try, especially two that are accounted most wonderful and have most often eluded me: the day before yesterday, and the week before last. For was it not then that the fish bit so marvelously well and ducks flew so slow and plentiful?" -- Havilah Babcock, "The Bug in the Clock" from Jaybirds Go to Hell on Friday and Other Stories
The Conservation Department has a new plan designed to ensure recreation, forest products and stewardship of the state's forest-based resources into the 21st century.
JEFFERSON CITY -- How many acres of Missouri's state-owned forests are used for wildlife or recreation, and how many acres are also managed through timber cutting? The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has recently released a plan for managing forests on conservation lands that answers these questions.
By formalizing its forest management policy, MDC has given Missourians a picture of how forests are used on conservation areas. Forestry field programs supervisor Carl Hauser says the Missouri Conservation Commission asked the agency's staff to establish how much of the agency's land is managed for natural values, timber, wildlife, research and intensive recreation to accommodate high levels of public use. "We wanted to show how much forest land should be allocated to various management categories," Hauser says.
Most lands (83 percent) are open to a variety of uses, with 10 percent of those set aside for old-forest growth and not available for timber harvest. Most rural forest lands fall within this category.
Some 7 percent of MDC forest lands are used more for a narrowest of values, such as unique plant and animal communities. They are relatively roadless, nonmotorized areas with no timber harvesting and limited or no development. An additional 3 percent of MDC forest lands are designated primarily for research, education or demonstration. Timber harvesting may occasionally occur on a large scale or may never occur, depending on research objectives. Timber production or wildlife habitat would probably not be a factor. The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project and the Presley Conservation Education Center are examples of this category.
The final 7 percent of forested tracts are used for urban and intense recreation. Rockwoods Reservation in the St. Louis area and Burr Oak Woods just outside Kansas City are examples of this category. In these areas managed for high public use, aesthetic concerns are more important than other uses.
Missourians were given a chance to comment on the policy, and MDC received about 100 letters. "Some asked for less timber cutting on conservation lands, and some asked for more," Hauser says. MDC forest managers were asked to assign tracts to one of four categories. "Our staff didn't change categories, but noted how the lands were currently designated," Hauser adds.
As new lands become available, they will be assigned a category based on a planning team's recommendations and public input. MDC will continue to focus on user surveys and telephone surveys to gauge public opinion, information that will be used to guide future forest uses. -
jim auckley-
Any-deer and bonus permits are still available, but don't get caught in a last-minute rush.
JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri deer hunters will be glad to know that Any Deer Hunting Permits still are available in most of Missouri's deer management units. In fact, bonus, antlerless-only permits and even second bonus permits are still available in many units. So, there's no rush to buy your permit, right? "Yes," say conservation officials, "and no."
It's true, the supply of deer hunting permits is ample in many areas.
There is no limit on the number of Antlered-only Deer Hunting Permits in
any of the state's 59 deer management units. As of Sept. 1, Any-deer Hunting
Permits were sold out or unavailable in only 11 units. First-bonus Deer
Hunting Permits were sold out in 31 units, leaving 28 units with these permits
still for sale. Of the 25 units where Second-bonus Deer Hunting Permits
were allocated, 16 still have these permits available. Since this year's
permit sales system doesn't require hunters to apply ahead of time for either-sex
or bonus permits, hunters in many units could wait until the day before
deer season to buy permits. That's what conservation officials fear may
happen.
"We've got more quota permits available this year than ever before,"
says Bill Heatherly, wildlife programs supervisor with the Missouri Department
of Conservation. "Particularly in the northern and western parts of
the state, we have enough hunting opportunity to accommodate nearly everyone.
The only thing that worries us is the possibility that all the people who
don't already have permits will wait until the night before deer season
to buy them. That could create problems for permit buyers and vendors."
Heatherly says the MDC's computerized point-of-sale permit system has been augmented to handle more transactions during peak permit sales periods. But deer permit sales are expected to top 600,000 this year, and as of Aug. 1 only about 321,000 permits had been sold. If nearly 300,000 permit buyers show up at vendors in the two or three days before deer season, long lines and extended waits are inevitable. "It isn't necessary to rush right out and buy your permits today," says Heatherly. "But it would be a good idea to do it well ahead of the season."
Full details about deer hunting permits and regulations are found in the 1997 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Information pamphlet, available wherever hunting permits are sold.-
jim low-
This grass-roots conservation movement now has more than 20,000 members. Its continuing growth seems to be headed into new directions.
BOURBON, Mo. -- Mark VanPatten beams like a proud father when he talks about the birth of Stream Team No. 1,000. Part of his pride stems from the program's phenomenal growth, which began in 1989. But he's also proud that the state's 1,000th Stream Team has a proven commitment to stream conservation and the knack for grass-roots stewardship that typifies Stream Teams 1 through 999.
VanPatten's paternal feelings toward Missouri Stream Teams is understandable. Although he has only been Stream Team coordinator for the Conservation Federation of Missouri since 1993, he was president of the Roubidoux Fly Fishers when that group became Stream Team No. 1. The Conservation Federation and the Missouri Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources are the program's cosponsors, but VanPatten has been involved from the start.
VanPatten says it is particularly gratifying that Missouri's landmark 1,000th stream team -- Explorer Post No. 2429 of Bourbon -- has a proven track record of making things happen. The group is six years old. Like most Explorer posts, it is coed, with members ranging from 14 to 18 years of age. Aggressive fundraising and community service efforts have enabled the Explorer post to conduct an annual stream cleanup, operate a recycling program and participate in the work of providing food and housing for the needy in Crawford County. This past summer, they traveled to Germany, where they met European Scouts and rappelled down the sheer walls of a medieval castle. Post members also take local trips that include camping, rappelling, canoeing and other outdoor activities.
"We got involved in Operation Clean Stream in 1992," says adult leader Joan King. "Mark VanPatten did a career day for the Post and Clean Stream caught their attention. This year they decided they might as well make it official and become a Stream Team."
The 100-member Explorer post is sponsored by the Bourbon Booster Club. The post has adopted the upper Meramec River in Crawford County as their special responsibility. King says the youths haven't decided what other projects to undertake. However, besides the promotion of Project Stream Team within their Scout district and council, they will work to increase awareness of recycling and water conservation among Bourbon area elementary school students.
VanPatten says the growth of Missouri Stream Teams was phenomenal from the start, and has continued to accelerate. As recently as four years ago, program coordinators guessed there might be as many as 750 Stream Teams by the program's 10th anniversary. Now, just eight years after the start of Missouri Stream Teams, they have far surpassed that goal. VanPatten hesitates to guess how many teams that might be formed by the year 2001, for fear he may undershoot the mark again.
VanPatten attributes the program's rapid growth to two factors. One is a powerful desire among Missourians for an active role in stream stewardship. The other reason is the approach that the Conservation Federation, the MDC and the DNR have used. Rather than trying to direct stream teams' activities, the sponsoring agencies have tried to encourage and enable them to pursue their own interests.
"This has always been a volunteer-led program," says Joe Bachant, MDC streams programs coordinator. "We haven't tried to dictate what happens at the local level. Every team has a reason for being, and that's different for every team. But when a Stream Team has an idea, a legitimate goal to pursue, we do whatever we can to help them achieve it."
Bachant says the most common interest for Stream Teams to date has been water quality, but the program is starting to branch out into other areas. Education is one facet of stream conservation that is receiving significant attention for Stream Teams. Bachant says many teams also are interested in urban stream environments. Stream Teams in small towns and major cities share an interest in using waterways to provide greenways, parks and open spaces that enhance the quality of life."The rate of growth of Stream Teams shows no sign of slowing down," says Bachant, "and the program continues to evolve. As individual Stream Teams find common ground with each other and form associations and cooperative projects, their influence is going to multiply, too. This movement is going to influence environmental quality public attitudes far into the future."-
jim low
Strengthening environmental education efforts is the goal of this two-day conference.
OSAGE BEACH -- Members of a Missouri educators' organization rarely talk
about education without also talking about the environment. The Missouri
Environmental Education Association (MEEA), a fledgling organization about
to reach its first birthday, will join the Missouri Departments of Conservation,
Elementary and Secondary Education, Natural Resources and Agriculture and
the Conservation Federation of Missouri in sponsoring the Second Annual
Conference on Environmental Education.
"This will be a very large, very enthusiastic gathering of environmental educators from all over the state," says Conference Cochair Cheryl Riley. "We expect close to 600 participants and over 30 exhibitors."
The conference, scheduled for October 24-26 at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, will attract classroom teachers, naturalists, youth group leaders, community educators, natural resource agency staff, and others. The conference will provide opportunities for educators to network with peers, learn about innovative education efforts throughout Missouri, and take home hands-on environmental education activities and resources.
More than 50 presentations and hands-on workshops are scheduled to help educators with everything from writing grant proposals to gauging the health of forest stands in their communities. How to teach about biodiversity, waste management, or watershed stewardship are just a few of the topics to be covered.
Other conference highlights include an evening performance by Douglas Wood, an internationally-acclaimed song writer and children's book author. Alan Durning, founder of Northwest Environment Watch and former researcher for the Worldwatch Institute, will present the keynote speech.
Registration for the conference is $125 for those who sign up by Oct. 3. Late and on-site registration will cost $150. The fee covers conference participation and meals. Classroom teachers can apply for scholarships from the Conservation Federation of Missouri to help defray these costs. Pre-conference workshops will be held throughout the day October 24. Registration for the pre-conference workshops is limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Workshop fees range from $15 to $40.
For more information about conference registration, call Susan Brouk at (573) 882-2429. Tan-Tar-A is offering a special, flat rate room fee of $85.50 per night to conference participants. For room reservations call (800) 826-8272.-
kim wade-
(Editor's note: Due to a change of names at the Conservation Commission's October meeting site, information in last week's issue of All Outdoors may be confusing to some readers. The Holiday Inn-Hannibal has changed its name to the Ramada Inn Conference Center. That information is corrected in the following reprint from last week's issue. - Jim Low)
HANNIBAL, Mo. -- The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next regular meeting Oct. 3 in Hannibal. The commission will not meet in September.
The Oct. 3 meeting will begin with a closed, executive session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the Ramada Inn Conference Center (formerly the Holiday Inn-Hannibal), 4141 Market St. The open portion of the meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m.
Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for a presentation or other business should be sent to: Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180; fax (573) 751-4467. Requests must be received by noon Sept. 22. Persons requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements at the same address, or by phone at (573) 751-4115.
Commissioners are: Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg, chairman; Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, vice-chairman; Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, secretary; and Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre, member.-
jim low-
News Services Coordinator
(314) 751-4115, ext. 243
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