1. River still calls the shots on private wildlife area
2. Landmark wildlife funding bill reaches 100 sponsors
3. Regulation changes affect activities on conservation areas
4. Outdoor Calendar
"It is not the language of painters but the language of nature to which one has to listen."Vincent van Gogh
The Missouri River is still taking an active role in shaping wildlife habitat that once was prime cropland.
MARSHALL, Mo.--Plans by Bryce and Brad Evans to develop a wildlife area on 1,450 acres of rich agricultural property in Saline County northeast of Slater are proceeding apace, but the brothers have found it's still the brawling Missouri River that calls the shots.
The brothers bought the land in the Missouri River bottoms with the idea of making it a topnotch row-crop farm. The Great Flood of 1993 spoiled that vision. The brothers didn't see much of the land for three months, and when the water went down it left scour holes and hundreds of acres of sand. Reclaiming the land for farming was out of the question.
Switching goals, the Evans, who enjoy fishing and hunting, came to the Conservation Department for help; if they couldn't farm the land, they would turn it into a first-class area for wildlife. They had visions of duck hunting on wetlands on their property, and wanted to use "quality management" to raise trophy-size white-tailed deer.
The levees blown out by the 1993 flood would be left open, and the land would serve as a buffer to future flooding. "The Conservation Department did a heck of job," says Bryce Evans. "They helped us set this up from the beginning. Some staff went above and beyond the call of duty because they were intrigued with what we were trying to do."
Instead of growing corns and soybeans, the land would grow trees that would have commercial value and provide habitat for wildlife. By planting certain types of trees, the Evans could provide the "mast"acorns and nutsthat would help wildlife thrive. They enrolled the land in the federal Emergency Wetland Reserve Program (EWRP). It paid them $700 per acre for some of the flood-damaged land in return for their agreeing never to farm the land again.
EWRP also provided financial aid in turning the land to other uses, such as growing trees. And though they could never grow crops there again, EWRP would allow them to harvest a portion of the trees eventually.
In 1994 the brothers planted a quarter of a million tree seedlings, bought from the Conservation Department's tree nursery, on the farm. In areas that were expected to flood, they planted lowland trees like cottonwoods, pin oak, pecan, silver maple and green ash. They planted slightly higher areas with oaks and walnut trees, and planned to develop commercial walnut and pecan plantations on two areas above the flood plain. They used a Conservation Department tree planter that can "sow" up to 4,000 trees per hour, putting them in long rows seven feet apart.
But the next year, 1995, the Missouri River came roaring back and flooded the area again. Floodwater killed most of the tree seedlings. The Evans brothers tightened their belts and replanted, only to see the same thing happen in 1996 when another flood swept the river valley. "We considered planting a third time last year," Bryce Evans says, "but the trees weren't available." Meanwhile, the area is growing up in cottonwoods.
Oak and walnut trees still grow on the hills above the bottomland, but much of the wildlife area is now covered with thousands of small cottonwood trees. Aside from some pecans and maples, these trees grew from seeds brought in by the river itself. "There are just a few of the original trees that were left because of the floods right after the plantings again," Bryce says. "It's pretty sad to watch it. You can't do much with Mother Nature; we just guessed wrong both times. That's a typical deal with farming. We do food plots and we put in some structures to hold water for the wildlife. We are seeing a lot of turkeys and even bobcats. Its going to be a miniature Grand Pass Conservation Area, and that makes us happy."
The cottonwoods won't provide the mast the Evans had planned for wildlife, but they do provide some habitat, and they may be commercially valuable in the future as pulp wood. Considering the condition of the land, growing trees on the tractwhatever kind they might beis probably its best use.
The brothers had bought other land, including 600 acres of Missouri River bottom land and 240 acres abutting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's new Big Muddy Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists mostly of land that was damaged in the 1993 flood. The Evans also have bought some of the land on the hills surrounding their wetland area.
We are only shooting a few deer off of 2,000 acres, and that's the key. Right now we are growing the herd. It's so thick in there you can't be sure how many deer you have. We are allowing some hunting, but we are being selective in what we shoot. I've passed over as many as 20 bucks before harvesting one."
In Missouri, most buck deer are taken by hunters before they have a chance to become older and grow really large antlers. If the deer are allowed to mature through selective hunting, the fertile river bottom property should grow some monster bucks in future years.
"Through the EWRP we put some water control structures in there to flood 40 or 50 acres for duck hunting," Bryce says. "It's been a phenomenal scenario for the wildlife area. It didn't work for the trees, but we did everything we could do. There are some pecan and walnut trees. It's sad to think we went from 98 percent survivability on our trees down to 2 to 4 percent. There's no question some of the trees on the higher ground made it.
"Ten years from now I'd like to see an area managed for waterfowl, turkey and deer. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to harvest some of that wood down the road without adversely affecting the wildlife. You need to do it for browse for the deer; when it gets mature it will change the whole complexion for wildlife. Obviously, its helping a lot of different kinds of wildlife, from song birds to small mammals. We want to make our land into as good a wildlife area as it can be."
Bryce has sons 10, 8 and 6 years old. "My older son has hunted on the area and all of the boys are fishing there. They are a gung-ho bunch of kids, and it's a great place to introduce them to the outdoors. So far they love it." - Jim Auckley -
Paint-ball aficionados, hunters and anglers need to check regulation changes recently approved by the Conservation Commission.
JEFFERSON CITY--The Missouri Conservation Commission recently approved rule changes that affect a wide range of activities beginning March 1, 2000.
At its June meeting, the Commission voted to prohibit the increasingly popular sport of paint-balling on conservation areas (CAs) without special authorization. Other activities similarly regulated on CAs include caving, rock climbing, rappelling, skiing and scuba diving.
The Commission recently voted to institute quiet hours in campgrounds on CAs between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily. Furthermore, visitors who are not occupying campsites must leave campgrounds on CAs by 10 p.m.
The Commission also authorized the Conservation Department staff to negotiate a new reciprocal agreement with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission concerning fishing privileges and regulations on the Missouri River between the two states. Nebraska residents will be allowed to fish anywhere on the river, on either bank and in backwaters on either side of the river with a Nebraska fishing permit. Anglers fishing in these areas with a Nebraska permit will be governed by Nebraska regulations. In return, Missouri residents will receive the same privileges, and will be governed by Missouri regulations. If the Conservation Department and Nebraska can work out the details, the new reciprocal fishing privileges on the Missouri-Nebraska boundary waters will take effect on March 1, 2000.
Other changes to the Wildlife Code of Missouri recently approved by the Conservation Commission include:
The Commission also changed wildlife labeling requirements. Wildlife stored by the owner, given to another or prepared and served will have to be labeled with the species of the wildlife, in addition to the existing requirements. - Jim Low -
JEFFERSON CITY--The Missouri Conservation Commission's next meeting will be July 30 at the Regal Riverfront Hotel, 200 South Fourth St., Saint Louis. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. following a closed executive session.
Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180; fax 573/751-4467. Requests must be received by July 16. People 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: Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, chairman; Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, vice-chairman; Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre, secretary; and Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg, member. - Jim Low -