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to MDC Home Page1. Opening weekend deer kill second-largest on record, in
spite of cold, wind and snow
2. Volunteer
water quality monitors honored
3. Conservation
gifts fit outdoorspeople's holiday needs
4.
Commission to meet in Columbia & Jefferson City
5. Outdoor Calendar
Available via Internet at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/news/out/1997/out.html.
If you turn out the biggest lynx on the smoothest prairie you ever saw, he will efface himself before you count twenty. The grass may be but three inches high, and the lynx twenty-three, but he will melt into it, and wholly escape the searching eyes of the keenest observer. One would not think an empty skin could lie more flat.-Ernest Thompson Seton, "Wild Animals at Home"
Inclement weather can diminish hunters' zeal, but conditions on the opening weekend apparently weren't severe enough to keep hunters out of the woods.
JEFFERSON CITY--The wind blew, the snow flew, and officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation wondered what deer hunters would do. They persevered, posting the second-biggest harvest on record for the opening weekend of firearms deer season.
Check stations statewide processed 109,605 deer during the first two days of firearms deer hunting Nov. 15-16. That is 6,730 more than last year and only 586 below the record opening-weekend harvest of 110,191 set in 1995. The Conservation Department recorded three firearms-related deer hunting accidents, none fatal.
The state's top three harvest counties were all in the northern half of the state. Hunters checked 2,921 deer in Macon County, 2,297 in Boone County and 2,118 in Adair County. Regional totals were: Northeast, 26,059; Northwest, 23,115; West-central, 14,758; Central, 13,979; East-central, 8,060; Ozark, 7,456; Southwest, 6,973; Southeast, 5,294; Kansas City, 2,515; and St. Louis, 1,396.
Firearms deer season runs through Nov. 25. Missouri's annual deer harvest will not be known until figures are in from muzzleloader deer season (Dec. 6-14), the late segment of the firearms season (Jan. 3-4) and archery deer season, which closes Jan. 15.
-jim low-
One person, one stream, one lake at time, these Missouri citizens are making a difference in the quality of our most basic natural resource.
JEFFERSON CITY --Improved water quality is the reward all Missourians reap from the efforts of volunteer water quality monitors. Recently 13 monitors or their organizations received another reward for their efforts to protect water resources. The Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Conservation Federation of Missouri presented plaques to the monitors for their achievements.
"We've recognized several outstanding volunteers," says Conservation Department Volunteer Coordinator Robin Tillit. "They are people who are dedicated to working within their communities to maintain good water quality, educating others about the importance of protecting our water resources and solving any problems on the streams they monitor."
The award recipients initiated projects ranging from discovering and reporting sewage leaks to teaching school students about the importance of good water quality and petitioning state lawmakers to address water quality issues. The volunteers achieved those accomplishments through their participation in the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. That program teaches Missourians about physical, chemical and biological aspects of stream health and provides training and equipment for measuring water quality.
Awards went to:
--Mark Bard, who monitors water quality on Big Sugar Creek in McDonald County;
--Larry Ruff, for work on Spencer Creek in St. Charles County;
--Jerry and Margie Williams, monitors on Wilson Creek in Greene County;
--Jean Mayer, a volunteer monitor on the Sac River in Cedar County;
--Bill Hastings, Little Piney River monitor in Phelps County;
--Tim Smith, who collects data from Clear Creek in Greene County;
--Bob King, who monitors Center Creek in Jasper County;
--Debra Eisenmann and Susan Wisehart, monitors with the Ozark Resource Center, which observes Bryant Creek in Ozark County;
--Mike Diel, who monitors Mussel Fork Creek in Macon County;
--Scott Dye and the Family Farms of the Future, streams of Putnam County;
--Mary Ann Carr, who monitors the Jacks Fork River;--Ken Hogue and the Lonedell Scouts, Pierce Creek monitors in Franklin County.
To become a volunteer water quality monitor in your community, call the Missouri Department of Conservation's Stream Unit at 573/751-4115, or write to Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
-arleasha mays-
Put gifts from the Conservation Department under the tree.
JEFFERSON CITY--Stop looking at those boxer shorts with the cartoon characters on them, or the plastic frog that croaks when you walk past. The Missouri Department of Conservation offers a wide variety of useful gifts for outdoor enthusiasts that includes books, videos, compact discs, calendars and permits. Some are great gifts for children.
Perhaps most useful is a permit for an upcoming hunting, fishing or trapping season. Plan to buy a gift certificate from the Conservation Department. Gift certificates cost the same as permits. The permits, which become valid March 1, 1998, are mailed to the person named on the gift certificate about February 1, 1998.
Permits available include resident fishing, small-game hunting, combination hunting and fishing, and non-resident fishing and small-game hunting. If you are looking for a big gift that keeps on giving, consider a lifetime small-game hunting or fishing permit ($400) or a lifetime conservation partner permit good for both fishing and small-game hunting ($800).
To buy a gift certificate for a permit, you need the recipient's conservation number from an old permit. If that is not available, you will be asked the person's name, address, telephone number, date of birth, social security number, hair and eye color and height and weight.
Gift certificates for resident permits are available from MDC's 21 larger offices across the state, or by telephoning the Jefferson City office at 573/751-4115, or 800/544-6727. Certificates for non-resident permits are available only at offices in St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Joseph and Jefferson City. Gift certificates for permits are available through December 31.
Other gifts from the Conservation Department include "Critter Rock," a collection of music available on CD or cassette tape that children will go bonkers over. Naturalist Jan Syrigos sings nine original, environmentally friendly tunes, including "Reptile Rap," "Hairy Not Scary" and "Ribbit, Ribbit"-all songs about animals. The package includes lyrics and special sing-along tracts. The CD is $10, the cassette $8.
Also for kids is a CD-ROM game "Habitactics." In one part, you match animals to their most important habitats. In another, you are challenged to conserve land near a city. The game is $10.
Is your significant other looking for a place to camp, hike, fish or hunt on public land? Consider giving them "issouri's Conservation Atlas,"a book that includes county highway maps for all of the state's 114 counties. Conservation areas, state parks and national forest lands are shown on the maps, along with directions to find them. An index describes facilities, activities and the fish and wildlife you can expect to find on the more than 900 areas listed. The soft cover atlas is $15.
MDC's new video "Furbearers of Missouri" explores the lives of 14 wild mammals. Many people are familiar with raccoons, but we don't often see animals like river otters or mink. This video shows how they live, hazards they face and what we can do to conserve them.
For a gift that will be welcome all year, consider a subscription to the "Missouri Conservationist." The 36-page magazine, published monthly by MDC, features a variety of articles that encompass the whole outdoors, from gathering mushrooms to camp cookery and hunting.
The magazine also has information on recent outdoor happenings, upcoming events and, quarterly, an insert for children. The magazine is free to adult Missouri residents, $5 annually for non-residents. For a subscription, write to Magazine Circulation, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 or telephone 573/751-4115, extension 249.
The "1998 Natural Events Calendar" is a fascinating way to mark the passage of the seasons. It features dozens of striking color photos including wildlife, wildflowers and wild habitats. More than 200 dates mark natural events such as when redbuds bloom, when chigger season begins and when wild fruits ripen. The 10- by 14-inch calendar, which costs $3, also will remind you when to put up bird feeders, check for bagworms or buy hunting or fishing permits.
Just in time for Christmas giving, MDC has two books on sale. "Wildlife Drawings," by the late famed artist and film maker Charles W. Schwartz, has been marked down to $9. Printed on art-grade paper and bound in cloth, the book features more than 100 of Schwartz's best drawings in pencil and ink. Informal commentary by the artist accompanies each drawing. "Eye of the Eagle" is a collection of photographs by Don Wooldridge with text by Bill Nunn, former editor of Missouri Life. Wooldridge spent many years as photographer for the "Missouri Conservationist" magazine prior to his death. Of nearly 200 photos, 120 are in full color. The book in hard cover is $10. Soft cover is $6.
MDC books, videos, CDs and tapes are available at conservation nature centers and service centers in St. Louis, Blue Springs, Springfield, Jefferson City and Cape Girardeau. To receive a catalog and order form, write to Nature Shop, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Orders from Missouri residents are subject to sales tax, and mail orders carry an additional postage and handling fee.
Orders for MDC items should be placed no later than Dec. 15 to ensure delivery by Christmas. Be sure to include shipping costs ($2 for orders up to $11, $5 for orders from $11.01 to $60) and, for Missouri residents, 6.225 percent sales tax. If you have MDC's Heritage Card or order five or more items, you can receive a 5 percent discount.
-jim auckley-
JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Conservation Commission's next meeting will be split between Columbia and Jefferson City. The Commission will meet at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Fish and Wildlife Research Center, 1110 S. College Ave. in Columbia. The Commission's regular monthly meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. Dec. 18 at Conservation Department headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City, following a closed executive session.
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 Dec. 5. 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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