Copyright ©2008 Conservation Commission of Missouri. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Conservation Department programs are available to help ensure the future health of Missouri's forest land.
JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri's tree farmers hold the key to the future of our state forests. With public land comprising only 15 percent of the state's forested land, private landowners are vital to the future well-being of our forestry resources. Through proper care and management of their timberlands, private landowners are largely responsible for protecting and enhancing our forests.
Tree farmer Tom Cawi enjoys and takes great pride in being a good forest steward. Cawi lives in Highland, Ill., but owns 40 acres of land in Washington County, Missouri, where he grows mostly shortleaf pine.
"I bought the 40 acres in 1963 and started planing in '64," says Cawi. "I planted shortleaf pine on the northern half and have predominantly hardwoods on the southern half, because of the slope of the ground."
A boilermaker employed in St. Louis for 17 years, Cawi became a tree farmer to get closer to the land and enjoy the outdoors. The farm quickly became a family project.
"We planted 12,500 shortleaf pine on mostly old gravel," says Cawi. "It was slow work, but the coverage has been great except one year." He says he chose to plant shortleaf pine largely because "it is the original tree that was there before settlers came. I wanted to return the hillside to where it originally was. It's getting greener and looks prettier every year. Some of it was trashy, but the woods are on the comeback."
The trees will provide wood for a nearby pallet factory, for chips and for saw lumber.
A certified tree farmer, Cawi works closely with the Missouri Department of Conservation for assistance in managing his tree farm. He also enjoys conducting tree observations for the Forestkeepers Network, the volunteer forestry stewardship program that helps citizens monitor forest health.
The Conservation Department has many services that can help landowners manage their forest lands. The advisory and management services provide assistance that enables private landowners to meet their long-term goals for wildlife habitat, aesthetics and wood production.
Advisory services include training sessions, consultations and help with evalupating and choosing land management options.
Management services available from the Conservation Department include advice on tree planting, pest identification and how trees can be used for soil and watershed protection. To receive management assistance, landowners must agree to develop and follow long-term forest management plans.
For information on managing your forest land, contact the nearest Conservation Department office and ask for the resource forester in your area. Information about managing private forest land also is available on the Internet at www.conservation.state.mo.us/forest/ .
-Arleasha Mays-
A private group offers a $1,000 prize for introducing others to the outdoors.
JEFFERSON CITY--Steve Fischer of Columbia took on a task many men would avoid--he took his wife, Denise, trout fishing for the first time--and was rewarded for it. "She didn't catch anything," Fischer, a fisheries research biologist, says, "but she loved the experience." Denise became so interested in fishing that not long after returning home from the trout trip circumstances found them at a farm pond closer to home, and Denise made one cast and caught the biggest bass of her life.
Fischer was singled out for his mentoring efforts by a new program aimed at encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to introduce wives, children, friends, neighbors and co-workers to outdoor sports. The Missouri Department of Conservation has joined this nationwide movement to introduce people to outdoor recreation. Called "Step Outside," the program encourages trips outdoors similar to the one Fischer made.
The idea behind "Step Outside" is to take someone, or a group, and help them participate in a sport they have never tried before, such as archery, black powder shooting, fishing or shooting clay birds.
The Conservation Department is one of a dozen state wildlife agencies that have signed on to the program. Nine companies that make sporting goods are participating, as are a number of sportsmen' clubs. Organizations involved include the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
As an example of how the "Step Outside" works, one Missourian introduced his child to archery. "I wanted my daughter to have the chance to experience bow target shooting," says Steve Miller. "I was pleasantly surprised when she caught on so quickly to the stance and form of the sport. We have gone out several times over the past two months, and her enthusiasm for the sport has caught the attention of one of her friends. Now we all three go out to the target range."
"Step Outside" includes a contest with a grand prize of up to $1,000 toward the purchase of outdoor equipment and supplies. Each time an individual or organization has a "Step Outside" outing or event, a Group Registration Form should be sent in so individuals or the organization can be entered into a drawing. Other prizes include a $500 gift certificate and four $250 gift certificates.
To receive contest registration forms, write "Step Outside" Group Contest, 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470-2359, or access the forms in the Contest section of the "Step Outside" web site at www.stepoutside.org .
The organization also offers a book to help you get started with "Step Outside." It provides tips for making each outing a success, tips for helping new recruits continue participation in traditional outdoor sports and tips for working with a variety of audiences. The book, "Guide to Getting It Done," is available from the same address as the contest forms.
Every summer a Pittsburgh, Penn., bar association conducts a "Bench/Bar" conference at a mountain resort where lawyers and judges adjourn to meet amid an atmosphere of recreation and relaxation. While golf and tennis are popular, shooting clay targets with shotguns also attracts many lawyers and judges.
Four participants, attorneys who had never shot before, said they enjoyed the experience. That's the type of activity "Step Outside" hopes to encourage.
The "Step Outside" organization suggest:
--Invite a garden club out to shoot, and provide instructors to assist them.
--A supervisor for a group of people at work can invite employees to a day of target shooting, archery or fishing. This builds team spirit, and everyone has fun.
--A retailer of fishing and hunting gear can invite a professional women's organization, Scout troop or ball team to the fishing hole or target range for instruction. Each month a different group from the community can be invited.
- Jim Auckley -
The Conservation Department hopes to control feral hogs before problem spreads
JEFFERSON CITY--More feral hogs have been sighted on public lands since the Conservation Department first noted that wild pigs need to be eradicated. Conservation personnel have reported a half-dozen hogs on the Smokey Waters Conservation Area (CA) at the confluence of the Osage and Missouri rivers.
A law making it illegal to release hogs into the wild has been drafted and introduced into the Missouri Legislature. Both the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Conservation Federation of Missouri have passed resolutions to eradicate feral hogs where they occur in the state. People who encounter wild hogs are encouraged to kill them in any number and by any method.
Missouri's feral hogs, sometimes called razorbacks, are crosses of a variety of hogs, from pot-bellied pigs to European boars. The Conservation Department has evidence that the wild pigs also are living on public lands surrounding Stockton Lake, Schell-Osage CA, Niawatha Prairie CA, Providence Prairie CA and the White Ranch CA.
The Conservation Department believes some of the hogs have simply escaped confinement in years past, but it is likely that others have been released by people to create a population for hunting. Pigs gone native can carry brucellosis, leptospirosis, pseudorabies and other diseases that affect domestic stock. They also carry undulant fever, a brucellosis-like disease that infects humans.
Foraging wild hogs damage crops and natural habitats and devastates ground-nesting wildlife. Wild hogs are even known to attack people.
- Jim Auckley -
Low, clear water at Missouri's four trout parks isn't expected to hurt anglers' opening-day success.
JEFFERSON CITY--Headed to one of Missouri's four trout parks for the spring fishing season opener? Because March 1 falls on a Wednesday this year, the crowds may not be quite as large as in years when the opener falls on a weekend, but the fishing should be as good as ever. The Missouri Department of Conservation has more than 20,000 reasons to be streamside at one of the state's trout parks March 1. That is how many trout that will be available for anglers when the 6:30 a.m. siren kicks off catch-and-keep fishing season at Missouri's four trout parks.
The Conservation Department stocks about three fish for every anticipated angler for the opening day of the trout season. About 300 of the trout will be "lunkers," fish weighing three to five pounds. The Conservation Department expects 2,100 to 2,700 anglers to gather at Bennett Spring State Park, west of Lebanon, depending on the weather forecast. Hatchery managers at Montauk State Park, southeast of Licking, and Roaring River State Park, near Cassville, each expect opening day attendance of 1,800 to 2,000 anglers. The anticipated attendance for Maramec Spring Park, southeast of St. James, is about 1,600.
That puts total anticipated attendance at the four parks at about 8,000. The opening day attendance record at trout parks was set in 1992, when March 1 fell on a Sunday and 14,947 anglers bought tags.
If rainfall continues below average, anglers may find lower than normal water levels at some trout parks. Roaring River in particular has seen the effects of Missouri's ongoing drought. The discharge of Roaring River Spring has been averaging 6.7 million gallons a day compared to a normal average of 20 million gallons a day. The reduced flow has even affected operations.
In January, Roaring River Hatchery Manager Jerry Dean transferred 10,714 trout to the Conservation Department's Chesapeake Hatchery near Mount Vernon for holding until conditions at Roaring River improve. He sent another 18,368 trout to Lake Taneycomo, replacing fish that would have been stocked in the lake from the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery. Those fish can be "paid back" later in the season.
"I really hope we get some rain soon," says Dean. "We need it for the hatchery, but I don't think it's going to have a negative effect on fishing in the park. We will stock the same number of fish, and because the water level is down that will concentrate the fish more densely in available water."
Missouri's other three trout parks also have low, clear water. That could change almost overnight with above-average rainfall, however.
All anglers must purchase a daily trout tag to fish in the parks. The tags, sold only in the parks, cost $3 for adults and $2 for children under age 16. Anglers aged 16 to 65 and nonresidents over age 65 also need valid fishing permits to cast lines in the trout parks. Since current fishing permits expire Feb. 29, anglers are advised to purchase permits early to avoid waiting in long lines for new permits March 1.
Fishing permits are available at Conservation Department service centers and nature centers and from private vendors throughout the state. Anglers may pursue trout with a Daily Fishing Permit ($5), a Resident Fishing Permit ($11) or a $19 Resident Hunting and Fishing permit. Nonresidents may purchase fishing permits for $35. Trout anglers fishing outside the four trout parks also need a $7 Trout Permit if they plan to keep any trout.
The daily limit at the trout parks is five trout. Anglers should be familiar with regulations before heading to the parks. Statewide regulation information is included in the "Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations," which is available free of charge at permit vending locations.
Anglers who plan to visit Bennett Spring State Park are reminded of the 18-inch minimum length limit on brown trout caught in the park or in the Niangua River. Only one brown trout may be kept daily, and it must be included in the five-fish daily limit.
Each trout park has unique regulations regarding lure restrictions and zones that are not included in the summary of statewide fishing regulations. Details of these regulations are provided in leaflets available at each park. Anglers should pick up one of these leaflets and familiarize themselves with fishing zones and bait restrictions before fishing.
- Jim Low -
Free pamphlets cover every aspect of managing lakes and ponds for sustained fishing opportunities.
JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) "aquaguides" can be your guides to better fishing. The pamphlets offer advice for enhancing and troubleshooting problems in ponds and lakes. MDC's Fisheries Division has published several new and revised guides designed to help you grow bigger fish and improve the health of your pond.
"Fathead Minnows in New Ponds and Lakes" can help you establish a self-sustaining fish population that will provide years of fishing fun. The guide explains how using fathead minnow as forage helps get sportfish off to a good start. It also contains easy to read instructions on stocking rates and procedures and ways to increase minnow spawning success.
There are new aquaguides for those who want to manage their impoundments for specific species. Largemouth and crappie anglers can pick up the guides "Managing Your Pond for Trophy Largemouth Bass," and "Managing Crappie in Small Impoundments." Those leaflets detail the water clarity, food and harvest requirements for creating healthy largemouth bass and crappie populations.
Several of the new or revised aquaguides provide information for improving the health of existing ponds. Tackling weed problems can be done easily with the series of guides aimed at controlling aquatic vegetation. Using grass carp, chemicals and other methods for controlling algae, submerged and floating plants, cattails and duckweed are among the topics covered. The guides also are useful for learning the amount and type of vegetation needed in an impoundment and ways to determine when your impoundment has too many or too few aquatic plants.
After using MDC aquaguides to enhance your pond, you can refer to the Fish Dealers List for advice on where to get your fish. The Fish Dealers List has information on commercial fish dealers located throughout the state.
The Fish Dealers List and aquaguides are available free of charge. They can be downloaded from the MDC public web-site at www.conservation.state.mo.us. You also can get them by writing to: Missouri Department of Conservation, Fisheries Division, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
- Arleasha Mays -
Paddlefish, smallmouth bass and walleye are among the fish affected.
JEFFERSON CITY--With a bevy of new fishing regulations slated to go into effect March 1, the Missouri Department of Conservation suggests that anglers get a copy of the 2000 Summary of Fishing Regulations and keep it handy throughout the fishing season.
Regulation changes that will apply statewide or affect large numbers of anglers include:
--Creating a statewide, 15-inch minimum length limit for walleyes and saugers, except on Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes and their tributaries, the Current and Eleven Point rivers and their tributaries and on Long Branch and Table Rock Lakes, where the minimum length limit is 18 inches.
--Extending complimentary hunting and fishing privileges for disabled veterans to those veterans who have been prisoners of war. To qualify, you must have been honorably discharged and carry a certified statement of eligibility from the Veterans Administration.
--Establishing a 30-inch maximum length limit on the commercial taking of shovelnose sturgeon and changing equipment requirements on some commercial fishing gear.
--Setting a 34-inch minimum length limit (measured from the eye to the fork of the tail) for paddlefish on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake and Truman Lake and their tributaries.
--Closing the Osage River between Bagnell Dam and the U.S. Highway 54 bridge to snagging, snaring and grabbing from March 15 through April 30.
--Requiring anglers to stop snagging, snaring or grabbing for any species of fish after taking a daily limit of two paddlefish on Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks and their tributaries and on the Osage River below Highway 54.
--Expanding the smallmouth bass special management area on Big River and establishing smallmouth special management areas on the Eleven Point River, on the Mineral Fork and Osage Fork of the Gasconade River and on Ten Mile Creek in Carter County.
--Setting a daily limit of 10 channel, blue and flathead catfish in the aggregate for Bull Shoals, Table Rock and Norfork lakes.
Anglers who ply the Missouri River between Missouri and Nebraska will have an easier time complying with fishing regulations in that boundary water. Under a newly approved reciprocal agreement, licensed anglers from Missouri and Nebraska alike will be allowed to fish anywhere on the river between the two states. This includes both banks and backwaters on either side of the river. Anglers need only a Missouri or Nebraska fishing permit to fish these waters. Anglers must abide by the regulations of the state where they are licensed, regardless of where they are fishing and must abide by the most restrictive of the two states' regulations when fishing the other state's waters.
Full details about these and other general fishing regulations are found in the 2000 Summary of Fishing Regulations, which is available free wherever fishing permits are sold.
Fishing regulations for community lakes and conservation areas are posted at each area. Some area regulation changes effective March 1 include:
--Permitting the taking of carp, buffalo, suckers and gar by gig, longbow and crossbow at Deroin Bend, Thurnau and Worthwine Island conservation areas (CAs) during statewide seasons;
--Restricting fishing to flies, artificial lures and unscented soft plastic baits and requiring that all fish be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught on Coot Lake at James A. Reed Memorial WA from Nov. 1 through Feb. 19;
--Setting daily limits at Bellefontaine Lake at two for black bass and 15 for crappie;
--Removing the 18-inch minimum length limit on walleye at Che Ru Lake, Lake Jacomo in Jackson County, Fellows Lake in Springfield and Lake Paho CA and substituting the statewide minimum length limit of 15 inches. Lake Showme in Memphis and Mozingo Lake in Maryville will have a 18-inch minimum length limit on walleye.
--Prohibiting fishing at Prairie Lake on Weldon Spring CA during the area's prescribed waterfowl hunting season;
--Prohibiting boats on Williams Creek Lake in Mount Vernon;
--Removing the prohibition against using privately owned boats at Farrington Park Lake in Windsor;
--Removing the prohibition against using motors of more than 10 horsepower at Holden City Lake and substituting a requirement that such motors be operated only at slow, no-wake speed.
- Jim Low -
The experience of states where animal-rights groups have succeeded in banning hunting and trapping provide practical lessons in wildlife management.
JEFFERSON CITY--In a world where any type of food you can imagine is just a trip to the grocery store away and where much of what we eat comes from factories or corporate farms, you might think of hunting and trapping as unnecessary. You couldn't be more wrong. While hunting and trapping no longer are the only means of putting food on the table, they are indispensable for helping humans and animals coexist.
With ever-expanding city boundaries and growing wildlife populations, hunting and trapping are the only practical means of managing conflicts between people and wildlife. Americans in several states have learned that the hard way following enactment of laws to ban trapping and/or hunting.
In Massachusetts, a ban on trapping led to increases in the number and boldness of coyotes, which contributed to a tragic attack on a small child in 1998. Some residents of the Denver, Colo., suburb of Greenwood Village are being stalked by coyotes and losing pets to the predators because voters prohibited the use of leghold traps there.
In contrast is Montana's program to increase cougar-hunting quotas and controls following the 1989 death of a four-year-old who was attacked by a cougar. With the option of using hunting to control mountain lions, Montana wildlife officials were able to cut the number of human-cougar conflicts in half.
"Fortunately in Missouri we haven't had the level of wildlife nuisance problems other states are having because we use scientific-based, lethal methods for managing wildlife," says Dave Hamilton, a wildlife research biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "In many of the states experiencing problems, trapping or hunting bans were passed based on emotional appeals from animal-rights groups. These groups don't care about the problems they can cause, and they don't have to take responsibility for consequences of their actions. We do."
Hamilton says the goal of responsible wildlife management is to maintain a balance between people and animals. Wildlife professionals are constantly researching ways to control wildlife populations while ensuring their survival. Consistently, that research finds hunting and trapping are the most effective methods for keeping animal populations in check.
A recent study by Utah State University's Jack H. Berryman Institute found that approaches suggested by animal-rights groups, such as animal contraception, trap-and-relocate programs and "letting nature take its course" either aren't effective or aren't practical means of addressing animal overpopulation problems.
The approach of doing nothing to manage wildlife can result in unexpected and serious problems. If allowed to grow out of control, an animal population can threaten the well-being of other species by destroying shared habitat and increasing the risk of disease transmission.
While animal contraception is promising for a few species, it does not address all problems. The cost of such programs for numerous and widely dispersed wildlife populations is extraordinary, requiring millions of dollars. Draining state wildlife management budgets for such ineffectual programs depletes funds for other, more efficient approaches. Contraception creates ecological risks, too. Contraceptive vaccines can cause long-term genetic and physiological problems for wildlife populations.
Hamilton says that relocation has proven prohibitively expensive for most species. Even in cases where people are willing to pay whatever relocation costs, it usually fails to control wildlife numbers. This is partly because of the difficulty of removing enough females and the tendency for animals from outside the area to move in and replace animals that are removed. In many cases the relocated animals return to their original homes within days.
Relocation often simply moves the problem, rather than solving it. And though relocation is an appealing idea for people who don't want to see wildlife harmed, harm usually occurs anyway. The stress of being handled and released in strange surroundings often proves fatal. If the relocated animals survive, they face competition with resident wildlife for food and territory. Relocation also creates the potential for spreading disease and disrupting the ecological balance of the relocation area.
The Berryman study found that without hunting and trapping several species populations could more than double in ten years. It is estimated that without hunting the whitetail deer population for the Midwest and northeastern United States would increase by 350 percent. With the frequency of deer-automobile accidents already unacceptably high in many areas, and complaints of property damage by deer on the rise, it seems unlikely that such a population increase would be acceptable to most people.
An example of the kind of problems that occur when hunting and trapping are taken out of wildlife managers' tool box can be found in western states where hunting mountain lions has been stopped entirely. Cougar populations have increased sharply, and they are decimating populations of endangered bighorn sheep and greatly reducing mule deer populations.
Another example is Alaska, where restrictions on wolf hunting have led to the decimation of moose, a vital source of meat for native communities. Wolves now frequent some rural communities, killing and eating pet dogs. Authorities are considering lethal options but emotional arguments to protect wolves continue to cause heated debates.
In contrast to non-lethal methods of controlling wildlife populations, hunting and trapping are efficient and cost-effective. Hunters and trappers pay for the privilege to participate in these activities through the purchase of licenses. Those fees, in turn, pay for wildlife research and management programs.
"Humans have altered the ecology of the land so several species are without their natural predators to keep their numbers in check," says Hamilton. "Without trapping, it is nearly impossible to prevent enormously expensive damage to private and public property. People created this situation, not nature, and we have to take responsibility for it. Missourians expect the Conservation Department to protect the state's resources, and so far they have allowed us the necessary tools to do the job."
"People tend to have this belief that nature will take care of itself, that natural systems allow predator-prey relationships to balance out. But the bottom line is, we don't have any natural systems anymore . . . people are a part of all our ecosystems, and we have to manage wildlife with people's needs in mind, too."
- Arleasha Mays -
It's not too early to be making house plans for the new millennium's first crop of bluebirds
JEFFERSON CITY--It's still the middle of winter, but it's the perfect time to be laying plans for bluebird production for the coming spring and summer.
"We suggest people have bluebird houses out by the first of March," says Jim D. Wilson, ornithologist with the Conservation Department. "February is a good time to put up boxes. The birds may not be nesting as early as March 1, but they start selecting the ones they will soon be using." Boxes that are already in place need to be cleaned out in February and readied for the birds to use, Wilson adds.
Many people place bluebird houses on trees or fence posts. Wilson suggests adding a predator guard to posts to help keep out marauding raccoons and snakes. Old aluminum printing plates, often sold by newspapers, can be wrapped around poles. No guard is totally effective, but they may help.
Boxes are best placed in the open where predators cannot drop in from overhanging trees. Bluebirds are territorial so the houses should be spaced about 100 yards or more apart.
The bluebird - Missouri's state bird -is prolific. A pair will nest two or three times during the season. It is a good idea, if possible, to clean the old nest materials out of boxes between broods and prepare them for the next feathered family. The nesting season runs from March to August, and the birds usually lay three to six eggs. The incubation period is 13 or 14 days. The young are ready to fly from the nest 15 to 18 days after hatching, and the parents stop feeding them a week to 10 days later.
Wilson, who has written a booklet about bluebirds, says that, generally, bluebird numbers have been on the upturn the past 15 years. The many nest boxes that have been put in place probably have played a role in that success. A study called the Breeding Bird Survey showed high numbers of bluebirds in recent years, and the birds generally are common in rural areas.
Winter is a good time to build bluebird boxes. They are simple to construct, and a complete house can be built from a 1- x 6-inch board 5 feet long. Pine or other easily worked wood is recommended. Painting is not necessary. If you choose to paint your boxes, use light gray or tan paint. Dark colors absorb sunlight, making nest boxes too hot for baby birds.
Some people really get carried away with the project and build large numbers of houses. Bud Taylor of St. Louis maintains 165 bluebird houses on a ranch near St. Clair. Taylor estimates his houses produced more than 1,200 bluebirds in 1999.
Like many people who are nuts about bluebirds, Taylor checks on the progress of the birds using his boxes and keeps records of their success. Taylor recommends houses with an entrance hole measuring exactly 1.5 inches, a leak-proof roof and drainage holes in each corner of the bottom of the house.
For a free copy of Wilson's booklet, which includes nest-box plans, write to Bluebirds in Missouri, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. You can also request, from the same address, Woodworking for Wildlife, a free booklet that contains plans for several types of bird houses.
- Jim Auckley -
LAKE OZARK, Mo.--The Missouri Conservation Commission's next meeting will be held March 24 at the Country Club Hotel, Rt. HH and Carol Road, Lake Ozark. 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 March 13. 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 -
Hypothermia can strike at temperatures above freezing if a person is in the water for a lengthy time.
JEFFERSON CITY--It may be the dead of winter, but plenty of anglers are still pursuing their favorite sport. Crappie anglers are catching fish on Missouri's big lakes. Lake Taneycomo near Branson, can be downright crowded on winter weekends as people pursue rainbow and brown trout. Most of these anglers are fishing from boats, and boating in cold weather brings with it the danger of hypothermia.
It has been estimated that more than 1,000 people die of hypothermiabelow-normal body temperatureevery year in the United States. Some of these victims are outdoors pursuing winter sports, and it only takes 15 or 20 minutes in a cold lake to start the process that can claim a life.
People shiver when they begin to get cold. Shivering is the body's attempt to raise its temperature through exertion. When the body temperature drops below 95 degrees, the shivering can turn violent and the victim may lose the ability to speak normally. As the body temperature drops, muscles tighten up and thinking is inhibited. At 80 to 78 degrees the person may become unconscious; with a body temperature below 78 degrees, death is imminent unless the victim is treated quickly.
A person who falls into the water during cold weather needs to avoid panic and zip up or completely button up any clothing they are wearing. They should not swim, unless it is to reach a floating object or overturned boat, because movement will speed the loss of body heat.
If they are wearing a life jacket, they should draw their knees up to their chest and float; this will decrease heat loss. Several people in the water can huddle together. These actions may double the amount of time a person can survive in chilly water.
Tips from the Boat Owners Association of America for people who find themselves in the water include:
--Do not remove clothing. Button, buckle, zip and tighten collars, cuffs, shoes and hoods. Because half of heat loss comes from the head, cover the head.
--Devote all efforts to getting out of the water. Act quickly before use of hands is lost. Board a boat, raft or anything floating. Turn a capsized boat over and climb in. If the boat can't be righted, climb on top.
--Do not try to swim, except to reach a nearby boat, another person or a floating object you can climb or lean on. Swimming releases warm water between the body and clothing and may cut survival time by 50 percent.
Even if it's painful, remain as still as possible. Intense shivering and severe pain in cold water are natural body reflexes. These will not kill, but heat loss will.
If with other people, huddle together for warmth. If not hold knees to chest and clasp arms around calves to retain body heat.
Deaths from hypothermia are especially tragic because they can usually be prevented. If you rescue someone from cold water and they are shivering, get the person to shelter and warmth as soon as possible. Apply heat to the upper body and groin. Give them warm liquids, but not liquor. Get them out of wet clothing and, if available, put them into a sleeping bag with another person.
- Jim Auckley -
Missourians have until March 3 to submit written comments, or they can express their desires at a public meeting March 6.
JEFFERSON CITY--The Missouri Department of Conservation's internal draft report concerning chip mills will be the subject of a month-plus public comment period and a public meeting March 6.
The Conservation Department recently released the draft report, which was set aside while still in draft form after Gov. Mel Carnahan formed an ad hoc committee to study the same issue. To give Missourians an opportunity to read the draft report, copies have been placed on file at department of Conservation and Natural Resources offices statewide and on the World Wide Web at www.dnr.state.mo.us/deq/chipmills/.
The Governor's Advisory Committee on Chip Mills will discuss the draft report at a public meeting March 6 at the DNR Conference Center at 1738 E. Elm St., Jefferson City. The public can give oral comments on the draft report at a meeting that afternoon. The times for the meetings have not been set yet.
Written comments can be submitted to the Advisory Committee on Chip Mills, c/o Llona Weiss, Missouri DNR, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65109. Further information is available by calling 800/361-4827 or 573/751-4732.
News releases about the chip mill issue are available via internet at www.dnr.state.mo.us/newsrel.
- Jim Low -
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