All Outdoors, October 30, 1998

1. "Delisting" of peregrine falcon will take a year

3. Annual bounty of tree seedlings available

"I love being out in all seasons, in spring's gradual emergence, in the profligate bursting forth of summer, the weary fullness of early autumn. But when the leaves come down and the first snowflakes fall, I feel an intensity, an awareness, a sense of purpose generated by no other time of the year."-Charles Fergus, "A Rough-Shooting Dog"

ALERT: Firearms deer season opens Nov. 14, and many deer hunters may not be aware that Any-Deer and Bonus Deer permits will be on sale only until Nov. 7. Regular, bucks-only deer permits will be on sale throughout deer season, but hunters who want to harvest does or take more than one deer must buy the necessary permits by Nov. 7. This is the first year that these "quota" permits have been sold over the counter, so many hunters have not yet established the habit of buying quota permits a week before the opening of deer season. A reminder in your publication would be a significant service to these readers.

1."Delisting" of peregrine falcon will take a year

The Endangered Species Act makes federal agencies prove their case before listing a plant or animal as endangered. Taking them off the list is just as hard.

JEFFERSON CITY--With a recovery only slightly less miraculous than that of the mythical phoenix, peregrine falcons have rebounded from near extinction to thriving in less than 25 years. The species is doing so well, in fact, it has become a prime candidate for removal from the federal endangered species list. The species could be removed from endangered status by late 1999.

Amy Salveter, endangered species coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, says the Show-Me State's native breeding population of peregrine falcons died out in 1911. Falcons that nested in other states continued to visit Missouri on their annual migrations, but even those birds eventually grew scarce.

The peregrine falcon's plunge toward extinction went unnoticed until the last moment, but the species' current nesting population is near 40 percent of historical levels.

By the time the species was declared endangered throughout North America in 1969, its eastern population had been wiped out and western peregrine numbers were 80 to 90 percent below historical levels. In 1975 peregrine falcon numbers dipped to an all-time low of 324 nesting pairs in North America.

According to Salveter, the DDT used to exterminate insects was equally effective in terminating peregrine falcon reproductive efforts. Falcons that ingested DDT contaminated prey metabolized the pesticide into a substance called DDE. DDE caused the birds to produce eggs with shells that were calcium deficient.

The resulting thin-shelled eggs often broke during incubation. That problem caused nesting failures that brought peregrine falcon reproduction to a virtual standstill in some areas of the country. A ban on DDT use in the early 1970s was key to the birds' recovery.

Salveter says that implementation of recovery programs created under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) played a major role in restoring falcon populations. Development and activation of recovery programs are required for each species placed on the endangered list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) plan to aid peregrine falcons included protecting and enhancing breeding and wintering habitats, increasing productivity in the wild, releasing captive-bred young, prohibiting the direct taking of the birds and identifying all threats to the birds' survival.

An estimated 6,000 captive-bred peregrine falcons have been released in the United States since 1974. The Conservation Department has released 31 falcons in Missouri. Those releases helped boost the number of peregrine falcon breeding pairs in North America to 1,593 this year. That is well above the overall recovery goal of 631 pairs.

The resounding success of the peregrine falcon recovery has been touted as proof that ESA works. With the species' population stabilized and no major threats to its survival, USFWS is considering delisting the peregrine falcon. It will only be delisted if an investigation of its recovery shows that removal from the endangered list is unlikely to harm it.

Salveter says the process begins with an evaluation of the delisting proposal. Substantive proposals are then published in the Federal Register, beginning a 30- to 60-day public comment period. At the conclusion of the comment period the USFWS writes a status review of the species, then decides whether delisting is warranted. This process takes about a year.

Removal from the endangered species list doesn't mean the loss of all protection for a plant or animal. A delisted species is monitored by state and federal wildlife officials for five years. If it becomes evident during that period that ESA protection is needed, USFWS relists the species.

Even if delisted, the peregrine falcon will remain protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). That MBTA prohibits the taking, killing, possession, transportation and importation of migratory birds, their eggs, parts or nests, except when specifically authorized by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The USFWS currently is accepting public comment on the proposal to remove peregrine falcons from the endangered species list. Written comments will be accepted through Nov. 23 and should be sent to Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003.

- Arleasha Mays -

2. Natural Events Calendar goes on sale

The Conservation Department's calendar provides daily windows on nature.

JEFFERSON CITY--The Conservation Department's 1999 Natural Events Calendar is now on sale, with more than three dozen stunning color photographs and daily notes that provide intimate insights into the Show-Me State's natural life.

Photos in the 1999 calendar run the gamut from natural beauty at Greer Spring to the high drama of a deadly battle between scorpions and the candid comedy of a wren performing the splits.

Daily entries note when the sun is nearest Earth and the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks, when hellbender breeding activity reaches fever pitch, when frost flowers appear, when fawns lose their spots and much more.

Single copies of the calendar cost $5 plus 31 cents sales tax at conservation nature centers and regional Conservation Department offices. You can order by mail from The Nature Shop, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Add $2 for shipping and handling on single copies. For shipping charges on more than one copy, call 573/751-4115, ext. 325. Supplies are limited, so buy early.

- Jim Low -

3. Annual bounty of tree seedlings available

It's not Wall Street, but investing in this growth stock yields green rewards.

LICKING, Mo.--Missourians will be able to order tree and shrub seedlings from the Conservation Department's forest nursery later this month. Foresters encourage residents with a yen to plant trees this spring to act soon, because popular species of trees and shrubs quickly sell out.

The Conservation Department offers more than 50 varieties of tree and shrub seedlings for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control and wildlife food and cover. Most seedlings come in bundles of 25 and range in price from $3 to $12. A handling charge of $5 is added to each order. Holders of the Missouri Conservation Heritage Card can receive a 15 percent discount (up to $20) off their seedling purchase.

The small, bare-root seedlings offered in this program are intended for conservation projects, not ornamental or landscape purposes. The Conservation Department will provide a list of wholesale and retail commercial nurseries to anyone wanting large trees or shrubs.

"Something new this year is walnut and pecan seedlings from certified seed," says Conservation Department Nursery Superintendent Greg Hoss. "This means the seedlings were grown from seed from improved orchards where only the best-looking trees with the best nut production are maintained." These trees should grow quickly and have good form.

Hoss says the nursery has a large supply of dogwood seedlings this year. New to the list this year are:

--Willow oak, a tree with long, slender, willow-like leaves that is fast growing and will flourish statewide;

--Witch hazel, a shrub good for stopping stream bank erosion that also produces wildlife food and cover;

--River birch, a tree with peeling, flaking bark that has an attractive appearance in winter; and

--White ash, a potentially large tree that will grow well on most sites.

Other seedlings available for order include shortleaf pine, the only pine native to Missouri, and black walnut, the "black gold" of Missouri's trees because of its high value when mature. Other good choices include pecans, valued for their nuts, and bald cypress, a tree that may live 1,000 years.

Cottonwood is one of the largest and fastest growing trees available from the Conservation Department. If you order it, you get cuttings rather than seedlings. Willow cuttings, used to anchor stream banks in place, are also available. Several species of oak seedlings are available, including pin oak, the fastest growing of the oaks.

This year's bounty of flowering dogwood seedlings was produced at George O. White State Forest Nursery near Licking from seed collected from wild trees.

Want more wildlife on your property? Consider ordering blackberry shrubs. They provide food and habitat for many wildlife species. Aromatic or "fragrant" sumac, also available, forms natural thickets over much of the state, and many birds eat its fruit.

Two special bundles of shrubs are available. The Conservation Bundle is $10 for 30 seedlings and includes five each of eastern white pine, flowering dogwood, black gum, scarlet oak, bald cypress and redbud. The Wildlife Cover Bundle is $12 for 50 seedlings and includes 10 each of jack pine, pin oak, wild plum, hazelnut and persimmon.

Order forms should be available from most Conservation Department offices by Thanksgiving, and may be returned by fax to speed processing. You send no money with the order, but are billed later based on which species of trees and shrubs were available when your order is filled.

When ordering, you select the month (February through May) when you want your seedlings shipped or when you want to pick them up at the nursery.

Two "Naturescaping" bundles of seedlings are included this year. Bundles are selected to supplement rather than substitute for traditional ornamental landscaping. The Naturescaping Bundle No. 1 includes six ornamental plants-two flowering dogwoods, one black gum, one sassafras, one pawpaw and one yellowwood. This bundle is recommended for people who want to add a mix of native trees to their property. Cost is $17.50, including shipping, for the carton of six potted plants.

The Naturescaping Bundle No. 2 will improve habitat and food sources for a number of Missouri wildlife species. Plants in this bundle, which also costs $17.50, are two blackhaw viburnum shrubs, one purple coneflower, one pale purple coneflower, one prairie blazing star and one Missouri primrose.

Both bundles come from a private nursery, but the order form for them is included with the Conservation Department seedling order form.

The last date for ordering seedlings is April 1. Write to the Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City MO 65102-0180, or phone 573/751-4115 to request an order form. The form includes instructions on how to plant seedlings.

- Jim Auckley -