Copyright ©2008 Conservation Commission of Missouri. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
1. Missouri's bald eagle recovery continues
2. Partners iron out waterfowl fluctuations
3. Conservation Commission approves 60-day duck season
4. Commission to meet Sept. 29 in St. Charles County
5. Outdoor Calendar
Available via Internet at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/news/out
"The geese were ready. Then came that hour when the flock rose against a feeble afternoon sun, myriads of them flying up from the surface of the lake with a heavy sweep of wings. Wave after wave leaped into the air until a titanic line took shape and rolled away down the sky, heading southward through starlight and sunlight, without a map, without a plan. And yet there was a pattern to their flight, for guided solely by instinct, they traveled with unerring certainty trails laid down centuries before this autumn day."Eva Rodimer, "The Year Outdoors"
Slated for removal from the endangered species list at the national level, the bald eagle remarkable recovery extends to Missouri.
JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri's reputation as a great place to raise young appears to be spreading among the bald eagle population. This year 47 pairs of eagles successfully nested in the state, raising an estimated 90 fledglings, or young eagles that leave the nest to make their own ways in the world.
Both the number of eagle nesting pairs and chicks fledged in Missouri have increased steadily since 1985. For about the past three years the state has averaged five to ten new nests annually. Increases that Missouri Department of Conservation Ornithologist Jim D. Wilson considers remarkable.
"Years ago when we began releasing young eagles I couldn't image anything like this," says Wilson. "When I was asked what I would term a successful restoration, optimistically I said I would be happy to see 50 nesting pairs by the year 2000. It seems very likely we will reach that goal."
Missouri eagles came close to exceeding Wilson's prediction this year. Staff with the Conservation Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Army Corps of Engineers found 53 active nests in the state. Six of those nests failed to produce young. Two of the massive nests, which can weigh in excess of 100 pounds and measure eight feet across, fell. One of the fallen nests, at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge had been productive since 1985. Wilson suspects the four abandoned nests were started by young eagles, whose inexperience made them incapable of successfully raising young.
The state's abundance of good habitat has Wilson optimistic that the number of eagles nesting in Missouri will continue to rise. Active nests were located in 29 counties throughout the state.
The Conservation Department began its bald eagle restoration program in 1981. This involved bringing nestling eagles from healthy populations in northern states and releasing them from artificial nests in Missouri.
The birds were extirpated from Missouri decades earlier. Chemicals such as DDT contaminated eagles' food supplies, poisoning the birds or causing them to lay defective eggs. Loss of nesting habitat due to human development and agriculture also reduced the number of areas suitable for eagle nesting.
The banning of DDT and other pesticides and the reintroduction of bald eagles throughout the Midwest have helped the national bird make a comeback. Wilson says while some eagles nesting here were released in Missouri, others moved here on their own as the number of eagles increased in northern states.
Wilson says the Conservation Department will continue tracking eagle nesting activity and taking action to assure that the birds stay. That action includes advising landowners on how to protect the birds found on their property and banding the young eagles to learn about their survival and movements.
- Arleasha Mays -
A plan for restoring North American waterfowl ensures there will be plenty of nesting habitat available when rainfall is sufficient to produce bumper crops of ducks
JEFFERSON CITYNorth American duck populations are at record levels. The 1999 fall flight of ducks is predicted to be the largest in more than 25 years, with something like 105 million birds flying south this fall. Habitat has been good across much of North America with many prairie potholes brimming with water.
Along with the water, much credit for improved waterfowl numbers goes to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) that was launched over a decade ago. The plan is a blueprint for restoring and managing the continent's waterfowl populations. Conservation agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico, private landowners, corporations and nonprofit conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited all have played important roles in the NAWMP.
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan is based on the idea that abundant, quality habitat is the key to healthy wildlife populations over the long term.
This year's record duck populations are the result of good rainfall that filled the prairie basins where most ducks breed and nest and of habitat created by the NAWMP and two federal programs, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetland Reserve Plan (WRP). NAWMP supporters know the importance of habitat to healthy populations of ducks and other wetland wildlife. They also know that habitat will be even more important in future years when dry weather cycles inevitably return.
"The NAWMP outlines a plan for the recovery and maintenance of waterfowl populations in North America," says Dave Graber, a wildlife research biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "The plan was a recognition that a coordinated approach would be needed to bring back waterfowl."
Graber adds that the abundance of waterfowl this year can be attributed in part to NAWMP. "We are fortunate in that we have had some habitat plans that have worked, and also that it's just really wet on the nesting prairies right now. CRP is an example of a government program that was supported by waterfowl interests and they really pushed to get conservation provisions in the Farm Bill.
"Those conservation provisions, the wet weather and activities within each of the joint ventures have made a huge difference," Graber says. "People who worked for passage of CRP were some of the same people who made the NAWMP blueprint a reality."
Joint ventures are regional partnerships that coordinate planning, implementation and grant awards for key habitat needs in different parts of the country. Between 1986 and 1997, these partnerships channeled more than $1.5 billion into waterfowl habitat, research, monitoring and education.
NAWMP will pay dividends when dry weather returns to the prairie pothole region of North America where many waterfowl nest. "Dry cycles are essential because that's what's important for recharging the productivity of those basins," Graber says. "They have to go dry . . . you can't have water in them all the time and expect them to remain productive.
"They go through a cycle . . . in relatively dry periods they get pretty dense vegetation like cattails. The most productive wetlands are about 50 percent wetland and 50 percent open marsh. It's a good combination when you have a lot of water, but eventually its going to need to dry out and revegetate open-water areas.
"I think the key is that there will continue to be some wet staging areas and some upland cover. There will be a down period, and when that happens I would hope that with the conservation provisions and joint ventures that have occurred . . . hopefully the birds won't decline to the point they did back in 1985 when we had record lows."
The work of NAWMP is not limited to breeding grounds. Graber says the plan also recognizes the importance of wintering and migration habitat, and work is underway to ensure the future of these areas, too.
As an example, one conservation program encourages landowners to keep rice fields flooded through the winter and early spring. This gives waterfowl high-protein food and puts them in good shape for spring migration, nesting and egg laying.
Missouri is directly involved in the upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes Joint Venture, one of 13 joint ventures in North America. In Mexico, regional partnerships exist in many parts of the nation to accomplish the plan's goals.
"The carrying capacity of the lower Mississippi basin for waterfowl should be more than it would have without the joint ventures and without the Plan," Graber says. "There will certainly be cycles and waterfowl will decline again, there is no doubt, but hopefully it won't be to drastic lows."
In launching NAWMP, supporters said a comprehensive habitat program was required to replace upland cover for nesting ducks and wetlands used by waterfowl throughout the year. The challenge for NAWMP was to build upon existing efforts with a broad framework for habitat and population restoration. It was estimated that achieving the goals of the plan would allow 2.2 million United States and Canadian waterfowl hunters to harvest 20 million ducks annually.
In a 1998 update of NAWMP, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt said, "The 1986 North American Waterfowl Management Plan launched a new era in wildlife conservation, setting out a blueprint for developing public-private partnerships to conserve natural resources. Today, thousands of partners in our three nations have established a continental conservation legacy, one that is based on sound science and a landscape approach."
The update notes that, "Tremendous achievements in habitat conservationthrough the efforts of many Plan partners, new programs for wildlife habitat conservation, changes in agricultural conservation policies and programs, and exceptionally good hydrological conditionshave contributed to a striking rebound in most populations of ducks, geese and swans."
However, the update warns that, "The continuing growth of global population, the increasing demand for agricultural production and the quest for an ever-increasing standard of living, combined with an inevitable return to average or below-average hydrological conditions, will likely depress waterfowl populations in the future. Thus, if waterfowl populations are to be sustained, conservation efforts must continually be adjusted."
The ducks are back, and the habitat provided by NAWMP should, in future years, help stem the roller-coaster plight of waterfowl populations seen in the past.
- Jim Auckley -
This year's season again includes special opportunities for young hunters.
JEFFERSON CITY--Sixty days of duck hunting and 107 days of snow goose hunting are among the 1999-2000 waterfowl seasons approved by the Missouri Conservation Commission at its August meeting. The regulations also provide several days of duck and goose hunting set aside just for youths.
Duck and coot seasons
The Commission approved a 60-day duck season. Duck hunting in the North Zone will open Oct. 23 and continue through Dec. 21. In the Middle Zone the season will run from Oct. 30 through Dec. 28. In the South Zone duck season will open Nov. 13 and run through Jan. 11.
Shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise until sunset. The bag limit will be six ducks daily, with the following species restrictions: four mallards (no more than two females); three scaup; two wood ducks; one pintail; one black duck; two redheads; five mergansers (no more than 1 hooded); one canvasback. The possession limit will be twice the daily bag.
Coot season will run concurrently with duck season in the respective zones, with a daily bag limit of 15 and possession limit of 30.
Youth hunting days
There will be one Youth Hunting Day for waterfowl a week before duck season opening date in each zone. Youth hunting day will be Oct. 16 in the North Zone, Oct. 23 in the Middle Zone and Nov. 6 in the South Zone.
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. 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 season.
Goose seasons
The season for blue, snow and Ross' geese will be split in the North Zone, where hunting will open Nov. 6 and run through Jan. 16 and reopen Feb. 5 and run through March 9. The Middle Zone also will have a split season, Nov. 6 through Jan. 16 and Feb. 5 through March 9.
In the Swan Lake Zone, blue, snow and Ross's geese may be hunted from Nov. 20 through March 4. In the South and Southeast zones, they may be hunted from Nov. 25 through March 9.
Bag limits for blue, snow and Ross' geese are the same statewide20 daily, with no possession limit.
White-fronted goose season varies by zone. In the North Zone, the season will be divided into three segments: Oct. 2 through Oct. 18, Nov. 6 through Nov. 28 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 16.
In the Swan Lake Zone the season will be in two segments, Oct. 23 through Oct. 31 and Nov. 20 through Jan. 30.
The Middle Zone will have a three-segment season, Oct. 2 through Oct. 18, Nov. 6 through Nov. 28 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 16.
The South and Southeast zone's season will run from Nov. 13 through Jan. 30.
The daily limit for white-fronted geese is two daily, with a possession limit of four.
Canada goose and brant hunting will run for 50 to 70 days, depending on the zone.
The season in the North Zone will be 70 days, split into three segments, Oct. 2 through Oct. 18, Nov. 6 through Nov. 28 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 16.
The season in the Swan Lake Zone has a 50-day season split into two segments, Oct. 23 through Oct. 31 and Nov. 20 through Dec. 30. No hunter is allowed to fire more than ten shells at Canada geese daily in this zone.
The Middle Zone has a 70-day season with a three-segment splitOct. 2 through Oct. 18, Nov. 6 through Nov. 28 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 16.
The 70-day, three-segment season in the South and Southeast zones is Oct. 2 through Oct. 11, Nov. 13 through Nov. 28 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 30.
In the Swan Lake Zone, the limits for Canada geese are two daily and four in possession. In the North Zone and Middle Zone, the limits for Canada geese are three daily and six in possession from Oct. 2 to Oct. 18 and two daily, four in possession, from Nov. 6 to Nov. 28 and from Dec. 18 to Jan. 16.
In the South and Southeast zones, the limits for Canada geese are three daily (six in possession) from Oct. 2 to Oct. 11 and two daily (four in possession) from Nov. 13 to Nov. 28 and from Dec. 18 to Jan. 30. The limit on brant is two daily and four in possession.
Other regulations
Falconry season for waterfowl is splitSept. 11 through Sept. 26 and Oct. 13 through Jan. 11. The daily bag limit and possession limit should not exceed three and six birds respectively, singly or in the aggregate, during both regular duck hunting season and extended falconry seasons.
Several significant changes are included in the 1999-2000 waterfowl
hunting seasons. Changes for duck hunters include:
--A weekend opening in each zone.
--A reduced bag limit of three scaup.
--A limit of five mergansers in the overall duck bag limit.
Changes for goose hunters include:
--Discontinuing the Schell-Osage Zone and establishing the Southeast
Zone.
--An additional 10 days in the Canada goose season.
--An additional week in the early October segment of the Canada
goose season in the North and Middle zones.
--A bag limit of three Canada geese during the early October segment.
--Additional days for Canada goose hunting in December and January.
--Rescission of the extended blue, snow and Ross' geese season
pending completion of an environmental impact statement by the
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but subject to Congressional
action on proposed legislation.
Waterfowl hunters also should be aware of changes in federal baiting regulations. These changes allow hunting in areas where natural vegetation (not including planted millet) has been manipulated. They also allow use of natural or agricultural vegetation to conceal blinds, and allow hunting despite inadvertent scattering of grain during the course of hunting. Instead of the "strict liability" standard in place previously, the law now prohibits the taking of migratory game birds by the aid of baiting, on or over any baited area, if the person knows or reasonably should know the area is a baited area.
- Jim Low -
ST. CHARLES, Mo.--The Missouri Conservation Commission's next meeting will be held Sept. 29 at the new Jim Tom Blair Regional Office on August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County. 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 Sept. 17. 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: Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre, chairman; Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg vice-chairman; Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, secretary; and Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, member.
- Jim Low -
Copyright ©2008 Conservation Commission of Missouri. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use