March 2007

Arbor Day seedlings need after-planting care

Follow these tips to ensure a leafy legacy.

JEFFERSON CITY-On April 6, more than 100,000 fourth-graders will receive tree seedlings from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The agency offers tips to ensure those seedlings provide shade for many years.

April 6 is Missouri Arbor Day, and for the 27th year in a row the Conservation Department is offering a free tree seedling to fourth-graders statewide. This year, the Arbor Day trees are white oaks, hardy, long-lived trees that will lend shade and beauty to several generations of Missourians*if they survive.

"The trees we give out on Arbor Day are seedlings," said Greg Hoss, supervisor of the George O. White State Forest Nursery near Licking, which raises the Arbor Day trees. "Giving out little trees allows us to offer one to every fourth-grader in the state. Seedlings are more fragile than larger trees, but they have a very good survival rate if they are planted properly and receive good care. The initial period is critical."

Hoss said one of the most important things to remember is to plant seedlings as soon as possible. Keeping the roots moist until they are planted also is critical, so keep seedlings in moss or other packing material. If you cannot plant seedlings within a day or two, store them in a cool place and add water as needed to keep the packing material moist.

Plant seedlings at least as deep as they were at the nursery. Gently spread the roots out in the planting hole. Avoid bending or bunching them. Firm the soil around the roots to eliminate air pockets. If a seedling pulls out of the ground easily when you tug gently on its top, the soil is not firm enough.

Tree roots must breathe. It is okay to carry them to the planting site in a bucket half full of water, but don't store them in water. Don't plant seedlings in saturated or sticky soil that could smother the roots.

Seedlings need protection from fire for several years after planting. Covering an area 2 feet in diameter around each seedling with mulch 2 to 3 inches deep helps ensure that fire will not sear tender trunks. Mulch also holds moisture in the ground and prevents the growth of weeds and grass that compete for water and nutrients. Excluding weeds eliminates hiding places for rabbits and rodents, which can gnaw at tree bark. Do not pile mulch against the trunk, however, as this can provide an entry point for insects, disease organisms and rodents.

The Conservation Department provides information on tree planting and care with each Arbor Day seedling to help fourth-graders care for their trees. Other Missourians can receive planting information by writing to MDC, "The Right Tree for the Right Place," P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, e-mail pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov, or accessing the publication online at www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/urban/rtree/. Also useful to tree planters is the "Standard Tree Planting Detail," which is available from the address above or at www.mdc.mo.gov/450.

-Jim Low-

New managed deer hunt system will reward persistence

Unsuccessful applicants will earn points to increase their odds for future hunts.

JEFFERSON CITY-Responding to hunters' requests, the Missouri Department of Conservation is changing the way it runs the annual drawing for managed deer hunts to give preference to applicants whose names are not drawn.

Between July 1 and Aug. 15 each year, the Conservation Department takes applications for drawings to determine who will get to take part in more than 80 special hunts. The events, which take place from September though January, include archery, crossbow, muzzleloader and modern firearm deer hunts. Some hunts help managers of state parks and other areas achieve deer-management goals. Some allow managers to allocate limited hunting opportunities while ensuring safety.

In the past, every applicant had the same chance of being drawn every year they applied. This was fair in the sense that everyone had the same chance of being drawn. However, it was unfair in the sense that hunters who got to hunt one year had the same chance the next year as hunters who had never been drawn.

"Quite a few people told us they wanted a system that gave an advantage to hunters who were not drawn," said Wildlife Programs Supervisor Bill Heatherly. "We developed a new system of preference points in response to those requests."

Under the new "Weighted Random Drawing System," applicants will receive one preference point for the year of the drawing and one preference point for each year they apply and are not drawn. Hunters who are not drawn this year will have two preference points if they apply again in 2008. If they are unsuccessful again next year, they will have three preference points when they apply in 2009.

"Basically, having a preference point is like having your name put into a box with all the other applicants," said Heatherly. "A hunter who is unsuccessful four years in a row will have his or her name put in the box five times the next time he or she applies, providing a five times greater chance of being drawn than a hunter who was drawn the previous year."

Points remain valid even if hunters do not apply in some years. However, hunters who are drawn lose any accumulated preference points and start the next year with one point.

Heatherly pointed out that, while the Weighted Random Drawing System multiplies unsuccessful applicants' chances of success, the system is still random, so every hunter has a chance of being drawn each year they apply.

"Your buddy could get drawn two or three years in a row while you aren't," he said. "It's still the luck of the draw."

Hunters may only apply for one hunt each year. Because many more people apply for managed hunts than can be accommodated, the overall likelihood of any given hunter being drawn in a given year is small.

Hunters can shift the odds in their favor, however. Applicant success rates range from 3 percent for some hunts to 100 percent for others. To help hunters decide which hunts to apply for, the Conservation Department publishes applicant success rates for the previous year's drawings on its Web site, www.mdc.mo.gov/7454.

-Jim Low-

Dogwood display could come a little early

Unseasonably warm weather likely will set flowering trees' "clocks" ahead a week or so.

JEFFERSON CITY-Missourians can expect to see spring burst forth in bloom a little earlier this year, thanks to warmer-than-average weather. A catastrophic ice storm that struck in January is not expected to make a significant dent in the vernal display.

Peak dogwood blooming normally occurs the second or third week in April near the Arkansas border. Trees near the Iowa State line normally lag as much as three weeks behind, or about a week per 100 miles north.

Ozark Region Forestry Supervisor Tom Draper with the Missouri Department of Conservation said serviceberries, the earliest-blooming wild trees, were in full bloom in the West Plains area March 23. Redbud trees in the Ozarks already were beginning to bloom. He said forecasted rainfall and temperatures in the 80s lead him to believe dogwood trees will bloom as much as a week early, or around April 7.

Forestry Field Programs Supervisor Bill Altman owns property in Laclede County, where some of the worst ice damage occurred. "Some dogwoods in that area sustained significant ice damage, but others did not," said Altman. "Dogwoods are understory trees, and where they had a significant canopy, they were protected to some extent. The ice tended to build up more on the larger trees over them. I think the storm will have some effect on the dogwood show, particularly in isolated places, such as yard trees in towns. But there should be many that were not damaged significantly."

At least two Missouri communities plan events to coincide with dogwood blooming each spring. The Thayer Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Dogwood Daze May 5 with a pancake breakfast, a city-wide yard sale and a golf tournament with more than $100,000 in prize money. For more information, call (417) 264-7324, or visit www.thayerchamber.com/events.htm.

Camdenton will celebrate its Dogwood Festival April 19 through 22 with a parade, an arts and crafts show and a Miss Dogwood Pageant. For more information, call (800) 769-1004, or visit www.camdentonchamber.com/dogwood.htm.

Scenic routes for dogwood viewing include:
* Highway 19 between Montgomery City and Thayer.
* Highway 5 between Versailles and Gainesville.
* Highway 142 between Doniphan and Bakersfield.
* Highway 72 between Cape Girardeau and Rolla.
* Highway 63 between Kingdom City and Thayer.
* I-44 between Eureka and Rolla.
* Highway 50 between Eureka and Jefferson City.
* Highway 160 between West Plains and Springfield.
* Highway 60 between Poplar Bluff and Springfield.

-Jim Low-

Four schools win Trash Bash Cash

Elementary school classes pitch in to influence peers not to litter.

JEFFERSON CITY-Four schools have won cash prizes for winning entries in the No MOre Trash campaign sponsored by the Missouri departments of Conservation and Transportation.

No MOre Trash is a statewide anti-litter campaign targeting youths. As part of the program, elementary school classes are encouraged to enter a trash-can decorating contest. This year's grand prize winner is Marj Locker's eighth-grade class at the Southwest Livingston County R-1 school in Ludlow, Mo. Her class received a $500 prize for turning a trash can into a litter-eating penguin.

Winning classes in three grade categories received $100 prizes. Those winners were:
* Grades K-2 - Coverdell Elementary, St. Charles, submitted by teachers Rebecca Pryor and Jennifer Rothermich.
* Grades 3-5 (tie) - Brown Elementary, Florissant, submitted by teacher Linda K. Goedeker and Macon County R-IV, Cambria, submitted by teacher June Levett.
* Grades 6-8 - Blair Oaks High School, Jefferson City, submitted by teachers Linda Farris and Greg Medlin.

To learn more about the No MOre Trash! program, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/nomoretrash/.

All Missourians are encouraged to join No MOre Trash! Bash Month efforts to make Missouri litter-free. Throughout April, citizens are urged to conduct litter pick-ups or educational and other programs to raise awareness about litter problems. Each volunteer who reports an anti-litter activity to the No MOre Trash! program will receive a lapel pin.

-Jim Low-

Hummingbirds are on the way

Check this Web site for daily updates on the tiny birds' progress.

JEFFERSON CITY-If hummingbirds have not yet reached your part of Missouri, they soon will. You can get up-to-date information on ruby-throated hummingbirds' northward migration at www.hummingbirds.net/map.html.

The Web site is run by Fenton resident Lanny Chambers. He updates the migration map daily with reports from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. He has been tracking ruby-throated hummingbird migration since 1997 and relies on reports from visitors to the Web site for information about first sightings of the spring.

The earliest Missouri sighting reported on Chambers' Web site in the past nine years was March 26. The latest first sighting was April 9. This year, the first report came on March 22 in Salem. That sighting was followed by a sighting in Ballwin on March 25 and sightings in Sullivan and Ste. Genevieve on March 26. Based on these sightings, the birds seem to be on pace for arrival weeks earlier than normal this year.

Hummingbirds typically arrive in southern Missouri three to four weeks before they reach the state's northern border. The period between southern and northern Missouri reports has varied from 18 to 34 days.

For information about ruby-throated hummingbirds and how to attract them to your home, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/8177.

-Jim Low-

Workshop to teach Missourians to Grow Native!

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo.-Participants in St. Francois State Park's Grow Native Workshop April 21 will learn how to use native wildflowers and shrubs in landscaping, then learn by doing as they plant the park's first butterfly garden. At 1:30 p.m., a Grow Native! presentation from native-plant experts will discuss popular wildflowers for home landscaping, benefits of using native plants, landscape design tips and attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. At 2:30 p.m. in the park campground, participants will help plant a butterfly garden. Tools and gloves will be provided. For more information, call (573) 358-2173.

-30-

Taneycomo trout respond to new management

Anglers at Lake Taneycomo are finding more big trout, thanks to regulation changes the Missouri Department of Conservation made 10 years ago. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Regulation changes have restored this southwest Missouri lake's reputation for big rainbow trout.

BRANSON, Mo.- March is always a good month to talk about trout in Missouri. Usually the discussion focuses on the March 1 trout opener that draws thousands of anglers to the state's four trout parks. This year, March has special significance for another trout hot spot with equal trout renown - Lake Taneycomo.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of special management regulations on this White River reservoir near Branson. A decade's worth of sampling data and angler observations shows these regulations have played a vital role in increasing the number of large rainbow trout lurking in the lake.

Taneycomo's special management regulations went into effect March 1, 1997. They apply to a three-mile stretch extending from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Within this area on the upstream end of the lake, all rainbow trout between 12 and 20 inches must be released immediately. Only flies and artificial lures can be used in the special management area. On the remainder of the 22-mile lake, there is no length limit or bait or lure restrictions.

These days, this special management area is little more than a footnote for many of the thousands of anglers who fish Taneycomo. Everyone knows it is there, but many people don't understand its significance.

To comprehend this area's importance, you have to understand the reservoir's history, how the lake is managed, and the angling conditions that existed there 10 years ago.

Lake Taneycomo is owned by Empire District Electric Company. It gained renown for its bass fishing following its impoundment in 1913. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Table Rock Dam in 1959, the cold-water discharge from that dam's depths created excellent conditions for trout in the old river channel between Table Rock Dam, near Branson, and Powersite Dam, near the community of Ozark Beach. Lake Taneycomo's trout fishery quickly rose to prominence under the management of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Sustaining the lake's trout population is the Department of Conservation's Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery, located on the west end of Taneycomo, and the Neosho National Fish Hatchery. The lake receives approximately 700,000 rainbow trout and 10,000 brown trout each year. These trout generally range from 10 to 11 inches long when they are stocked.

Those fish attracted heavy fishing pressure. By the early 1990s, studies showed many trout were caught almost as soon as they were stocked. As a result of this and related factors, the number of large fish in the lake was declining. In 1991, Department of Conservation surveys showed only 1 percent of the rainbow trout in Taneycomo measured 13 inches or greater. The next year's surveys produced an equally slim number of 8 percent in the 13-inch-or-larger category.

Surveys such as these spawned a number of public meetings and studies focused on putting size back into Taneycomo's rainbow trout population and creating some form of trout retention that would allow overall numbers to increase, as well. The result was the formation of the special management area. The key to the area's success lay in the slot-length stipulation and the lure restriction. Creating a catch-and-release slot-length range of 12-20 inches would give trout time to feed on the lake's abundant invertebrate populations and grow. Allowing only flies and artificial lures in the area would also increase trout survival. Studies show the survival rate of trout released after being caught with flies and artificial lures is higher than those caught on natural bait because they aren't usually hooked as deep.

Since the institution of these special regulations, data shows the percentage of large fish is increasing. Contrast the above numbers to the 2006 electrofishing data, which indicated 53 percent of the rainbows in the lake were in the 13-inch-and-over range.

The density of trout has also improved, particularly in the special regulations area. Although trout are no longer stocked above Fall Creek (all trout are now stocked below that point), the management area has become a rainbow congregating area. In 1996, before the regulation change, electrofishing sampling data showed a capture rate of 27 trout per hour above Fall Creek. In 2006, the capture rate in the same area was 226 (and that was down from several previous years when the hourly catch rate exceeded 300).

"Recent trout population sampling at Taneycomo reveals a tremendous fishery which provides diverse fishing opportunities for all ages and skill levels," said Matt Mauck, a Department of Conservation fisheries management biologist who oversees the fisheries management of Taneycomo. "The special management area has created an environment where anglers catch more and larger trout with the potential for selective harvest of fish over 20 inches and less than 12 inches."

Department of Conservation Southwest Regional Fisheries Supervisor Chris Vitello, who was involved in implementing the regulation changes, echoes Mauck's comments.

"We really didn't set specific objectives for trout size and numbers when we were developing the special management area, but I think it's safe to say that increases of 10 times and more in rainbow trout electrofishing catch rates and the improvements we have seen in size structure have exceeded the most liberal expectations," he said.

Vitello and Mauck stress that the current high tide of angler satisfaction at Taneycomo doesn't mean management challenges at the reservoir are finished.

"Contending with low-flow conditions and sub-optimal dissolved oxygen concentrations are significant challenges that currently face Taneycomo's fishery," Vitello said. "Furthermore, as the Ozarks continue to develop, a balance between urban expansion, increased angling pressure and resource conservation will become increasingly important."

-Francis Skalicky-

Diana Mulick is Missouri Conservationist of the Year

Her legacy will include helping to create a cadre of young conservationists.

JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri's 2007 Conservationist of the Year is a teacher whose ambitions extended beyond the classroom to encompass all outdoors. She leads the list of 10 Missourians chosen by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) for outstanding contributions to conservation.

Diana Mulick, O'Fallon, received the year's top honors for a lifetime of work with young Missourians. A professional educator, Mulick taught kindergarten in the Ritenour schools, retiring in 1998. She was not content to promote awareness of the natural world in the classroom, however, and her work continued beyond retirement. Projects she has undertaken for CFM during her 30 years as a member included multiple terms as Education Committee chair and helping organize the fall conference for many years.

Mulick's crowning achievement is the creation of the Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC). This innovative program brings high-school and college students who have demonstrated an interest in conservation into CFM as equal partners. The CLC has a voting representative on the CFM Board of Directors, and members play key roles in developing the organization's policies.

Measures of the CLC's success can be seen in its growth from 12 participants six years ago to more than 50 today. The National Wildlife Federation has invited youth and adult members of the CFM to explain the program at a national convention, with an eye toward creating CLCs in other states.

The CFM named Joyce Haynes of the McDonald County Newspaper Group its 2007 Conservation Communicator of the Year for bringing conservation information to young newspaper readers. In 2006, she designed 12 special newspaper pages with conservation messages for children.

Joe Pitts, an environmental education specialist for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is the CFM's Conservation Educator of the Year. His work included mentoring thousands of professional and lay teachers. He is the leader of the Project WET conservation education program and was instrumental in bringing the national program to Missouri.

This year's Conservation Organization of the Year is the West Central Missouri Chapter of Quail Unlimited (QU). Established in 1993, the group of 100 dedicated conservationists works with private landowners to implement state and federal conservation initiatives at the local level. Since 2000, the chapter has channeled more than $106,000 into 175 habitat projects that have impacted more than 30,000 acres. For the past four years it has won QU's National Habitat Award, the only chapter ever to do so.

Fred Crouse, a consulting forester who retired from a 33-year career with the Missouri Department of Conservation, is this year's Forest Conservationist of the Year. The award recognizes lifetime achievements as a forester and a tree farmer. A past chairman of the Missouri Tree Farm Committee, Crouse has devoted much time to this and other organizations that promote sustainable forestry.

Evelyn "Lynn" Pierce, CFM's Hunter Education Instructor of the Year, distinguished herself by teaching hunter education classes in several southwest Missouri communities. She is active in recruiting new hunters into special programs and events, such as youth hunts and hunts designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Professional Conservationist of the Year Duane Chapman is a past president of the Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and chaired that group's Legislative and Environmental Issues Committee from 1998 to 2004. In his job as a research biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, he has helped legislative and regulatory officials develop policies on gravel mining.

Water Conservationist of the Year Vicki Richmond received her honor for diverse achievements on the Blue River in Kansas City. With her help, the Friends of the Lakeside Nature Center Stream Team No. 175 formed the Blue River Rescue, which has removed an average of 75 tons of trash from a 7.2-mile stretch of river annually and has planted more than 35,000 trees to stabilize stream banks and reforest the stream corridor.

The James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) is CFM's second Water Conservationist of the Year award winner. In the 10 years since its formation, the JRBP has undertaken initiatives to protect water quality in the James River's watershed, which covers nearly 1 million acres. It works with government agencies and private conservation groups to protect stream corridors, seal abandoned wells, protect woodlands from overgrazing, reduce overuse of fertilizer and improve grazing practices to benefit soil and water conservation. The JRBP currently is developing a watershed management plan and creating an action plan to implement that plan.

Wildlife Conservationist of the Year Paul Nelson is a forest ecologist with the Mark Twain National Forest. The Bonnots Mill resident retired from a career as chief of operations and resource management for the DNR - State Parks. During his tenure at DNR, Nelson was instrumental in developing the system used to inventory, assess and track remaining examples of Missouri's many ecosystems. The work resulted in publication of The Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri, a 550-page, full-color compendium of the state's biological diversity.

Anyone can nominate candidates for Conservationist of the Year Awards. For more information, call (573) 634-2322 or visit www.confedmo.org/.

-Jim Low-

Bait dealers need to register with Conservation Department

Those with a financial interest in fishing have a special role in preventing invasive aquatic animals from entering Missouri.

JEFFERSON CITY-Where do anglers go before a fishing trip? The same place they visit afterwards to show off their catch. The Missouri Department of Conservation hopes a partnership with bait shops will yield benefits for all involved.

A new Missouri Wildlife Code provision went into effect March 1, requiring live-bait dealers to register with the Conservation Department. Registration is free, and is required only for those who sell live fish or crayfish. Bait shops that sell only earthworms, crickets, mealworms or wax worms need not register.

The simple, one-page registration form asks only for contact information and the type of live bait the applicant sells. Forms are available online at www.mdc.mo.gov/12483, from conservation agents or from any Conservation Department office. Registrants do not have to submit regular reports or meet any other regulatory requirements.

With such minimal demands, you might wonder why the Conservation Department is asking bait dealers to register.

"Bait shop owners are important links in the sport-fishing industry," said Fisheries Program Supervisor Mike Kruse. "They are key partners in helping us manage aquatic systems, but we have never had any effective way to contact them. This is a way to open up communications about a variety of things that concern us both."

Kruse said the Conservation Department is concerned, for example, about the effect invasive aquatic animals could have on Missouri's fisheries resources. Species like the rusty crayfish have the potential to upset the natural ecological balance and cause serious damage to the state's tourist industry.

"The rusty crayfish originally lived only in parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan," said Kruse. "Their use as bait probably has contributed to their spread far beyond their original range. Rusty crayfish reproduce rapidly, and they prey on other crayfish. They also feed on plants, and they can significantly reduce the amount of water plants where they become established. Those changes take a toll on popular game fish, like bass and goggle-eye."

Kruse said the rusty crayfish is one example of invasive species "that are appearing all the time." Bait shop owners might not know the hazard posed by species like the rusty crayfish, but with a list of bait dealers the Conservation Department can contact them early about new invasive species, how to identify them and what to do if they find them.

He said bait shop owners have just as much to tell the Conservation Department. "Just about anyplace there is a major body of water, there is somebody selling bait. They are the ones who are most likely to see rusty crayfish or other exotic invasive species first. Their daily contact with anglers puts them in a perfect position to report changes in lakes or streams that could affect their livelihoods and the experiences of Missouri anglers. They are our best hope of finding out about developing situations in time to take effective action."

Kruse said past surveys conducted through conservation agents turned up 372 live-bait sellers statewide. So far, only 149 have registered. Conservation Department Protection Division Chief Dennis Steward said agents are informing bait sellers of the new requirement, rather than writing tickets.

"It takes time for people to learn about any new regulation," said Steward. "Early in the process, we take an educational approach. We hope bait shop owners will voluntarily register as word gets out."

-Jim Low-

First Fish Program recognizes young anglers' achievements

Conservation Department program commemorates proud moments in young anglers' lives.

JEFFERSON CITY-A child's life is a series of firsts - the first tooth, the first step, the first word and the first birthday. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a program to commemorate one of those signal events - a young angler's first fish.

"I suspect that a lot of people can remember their first fish," said Randy Noyes, who started the Conservation Department's First Fish Program (FFP). "Mine was a 5-inch green sunfish I caught out of a little pond on my family's farm near Ten Mile. It was early summer, and I was in a rush, because I had just been given my first fishing rod, a bamboo cane pole. It only took me about 10 minutes to catch the first fish. I must have been using worms for bait."

To this day, said Noyes, the sight of a plastic bobber dancing on the water still makes his heart skip a beat.

While Noyes has mental images of that first fish, he doesn't have a photo of it. Today, with digital cameras in devices from cell phones to binoculars, many more youngsters' first fish are being captured for posterity. The FFP offers a way of turning those images into permanent mementoes.

Proud parents, aunts, uncles or friends of young anglers can get certificates suitable for framing for their protégés. Applications are available at www.mdc.mo.gov/fish/kids/. Print out the form, and fill it out. Mail the completed application, along with a photo of the angler holding his or her first fish, to the Missouri Department of Conservation, Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. All photos are returned with the certificates.

If you cannot download the form, you can send in the nominee's age, name, address and phone number, along with the species, weight and length of the fish, when and where it was caught and by what method - pole and line, set line, etc. If you do not have a photo, the Conservation Department can substitute a shiny foil First Fish Award seal on the face of the certificate.

-Jim Low-

Conservation Department changing feral-hog strategy

Ecological damage and the threat of diseases carried by feral hogs like this Eurasian boar are leading reasons the Missouri Department of Conservation wants to eradicate the animals from its areas. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

An active, three-pronged approach will replace a hunting-based strategy under which hogs have multiplied.

JEFFERSON CITY-With numbers of feral hogs on the rise, the Missouri Department of Conservation is gearing up to eradicate the destructive pests on its areas. Agency officials say they hope to lead the way in developing policies and techniques to reduce threats to human and veterinary health and to the state's economic and ecological well-being.

Feral hogs - free-ranging swine without owners - have been present in Missouri since settlers let livestock roam without fences. Disease, predators and casual hunting have been all that kept feral hog numbers in check in areas where populations persisted. Conservation Department officials estimate the state's feral hog population today at between 5,000 and 10,000.

Even in small numbers, however, feral hogs are bad news. Their habit of rooting for food contributes to soil erosion and reduces plant diversity. They compete for food against native wildlife, such as deer, and they devour the eggs of ground-nesting birds such as quail and turkeys. They can transmit potentially devastating veterinary diseases, such as pseudorabies and brucellosis, not to mention maladies that affect humans, including leptospirosis.

Seeing such problems associated with feral hog populations in other states, the Conservation Department began encouraging hunters to shoot feral hogs on sight as early as 1999. This approach resulted in limited success a few years; then feral hog numbers began to rise again.

"One of the reasons that hunting didn't work was that hunting alone is not enough," said Private Land Field Program Supervisor Rex Martensen. "Hogs are intelligent animals, and they adapt quickly to being hunted. After a few are killed, the rest become extremely wary, and the effectiveness of hunting drops off sharply."

Another reason hunting alone does not work is the fact that hunting creates an incentive for a few people to ensure hogs' survival. Martensen said the Conservation Department has strong evidence that hogs are being brought into Missouri illegally and released on public land. What else, he asks, could explain the appearance of Eurasian boars in areas previously inhabited only by feral domestic hogs?

Since hunting has not worked, the Conservation Department is adopting a multi-faceted approach similar to that used by state and federal officials in Kansas. It involves traps, sharpshooters and helicopters along with other control methods.

Like sport hunting, trapping is effective only up to a point. Hogs not captured in the first few attempts become trap shy. Some of these trap-savvy animals can be taken at night by sharpshooters using night-vision optics. In some terrain, trap-shy hogs can be taken from the air, using helicopters to locate and pursue them.

The Conservation Department is working with Kansas officials and the USDA Wildlife Services to learn aerial hunting techniques. Training scheduled for later this month on conservation areas in southwest Missouri will get the process started.

"To some people, this might seem like going to extremes," said Martensen, "but the stakes could hardly be higher. Hogs running wild and those brought into Missouri without veterinary health certification could carry diseases capable of devastating the state's agricultural economy. Large-scale livestock operations in other states have been decimated by swine pseudorabies spread by feral hogs."

Another feral hog-transmitted disease, leptospirosis, affects people as well as most animals. Its flu-like symptoms make leptospirosis hard to diagnose. Antibiotics cure most human cases, but about one person in 10 develops a form of Weil's disease, which can be fatal.

Domestic animals can contract leptospirosis from ponds or other water that is contaminated by infected animals. The disease settles in the kidneys and can cause abortions and stillbirths.

Swine brucellosis has been found in wild hogs in Missouri and other states. The human form of brucellosis, undulant fever, causes recurring fever, fatigue and joint pain.

The Conservation Department owns or manages only about 1.7 percent of Missouri's total acreage, so eradicating feral hogs on conservation areas is not a solution to the problem.

"Getting rid of feral hogs on Department land is the responsible thing to do to protect those areas and Missouri's livestock industry," said Martensen. "But the really important thing about this program is to show that it can be done and how. If we can do it, there are plenty of folks ready to join us and do their share."

Martensen said potential partners in the Conservation Department's feral hog-eradication effort include other government agencies, nongovernmental conservation organizations and livestock producers. The Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation have supported past Conservation Department efforts to eradicate feral hogs.

"Everyone in Missouri has a stake in getting a handle on this problem now, before it becomes a crisis," said Martensen.

-Jim Low-

Share the Harvest venison donations top 140 tons

Hunters feed more needy Missourians than ever before.

JEFFERSON CITY-Show-Me State hunters continue to feed more of their fellow citizens in need, donating more than 140 tons of venison through the Share the Harvest (STH) Program in 2006.

STH encourages hunters to donate all or part of the venison from deer they shoot to food pantries and other charitable organizations. The program, which is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation, began modestly in 1992. That year, the Columbia Area Archers and the St. Louis Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation collected several hundred pounds of venison. This year, STH donations came from more than 6,500 hunters, and totaled 322,469 pounds, or 161.2 tons. That tops the previous record of 275,886 pounds, which was set in 2004.

The program has grown steadily since its inception, with especially rapid growth in recent years. Venison donations have more than tripled in the past four years. Hunters in northeastern Missouri led regional donation totals with 95,458, pounds, or 29 percent of the state's total.

This rapid increase is largely the result of promotion by the Conservation Federation and financial support from the Federation and other sponsors, who put up cash to pay for commercial processing of whole deer donated through STH.

Meat is the dietary need that food pantries have most difficulty obtaining. Getting the equivalent of more than 1 million quarter-pound hamburgers each year is an enormous boost to efforts to feed the hungry.

STH is a statewide program, but the real work takes in local communities. Conservation agents approve organizations, such as sportsman's groups or civic clubs that want to organize STH programs. They work with food pantries or other charities and one or more commercial meat processors.

Most Share the Harvest programs also have local sponsors, such as banks or large retail stores. Some have several sponsors that help fund the effort. Hunters who donate whole deer qualify for help with meat processing costs. In many cases, money contributed by local and statewide sponsors is enough to pay the entire cost of processing.

"Share the Harvest is a grassroots effort at heart," said Conservation Federation Executive Director Dave Murphy. "Local sponsors work out the practical details of where hunters bring deer, how deer get processed, how the processing is paid for and who gets the meat. We are just here to make it possible. Local people make it happen."

Statewide STH sponsors include Bass Pro Shops, Shelter Insurance, Drury Hotels, Safari Club International, Whitetails Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

For more information about Share the Harvest, visit www.missouriconservation.org/hunt/deer/share/ or contact the Conservation Federation at (573) 634-2322, mofed@socket.net.

-Jim Low-

Missourians have easier access to Canada goose solutions

You can get permission online to addle or oil goose eggs.

JEFFERSON CITY-Missourians who have problems with resident Canada geese now can apply online for permission to solve their own problems.

Thirty years ago, the sight of Canada geese nesting around municipal and suburban ponds was thrilling evidence of the success of conservation efforts. Today, most Missourians take the geese for granted. For others, the big birds are nuisances. Their droppings foul lawns and ponds, and the big birds become unpleasantly territorial in the spring, when they are nesting.

Like all waterfowl, Missouri's resident giant Canada geese come under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Until recently, people with goose problems had to get permission from federal officials to kill geese or interfere with their nesting. That changed a few years ago, when the FWS delegated some of this authority to state wildlife officials. Now, landowners can get permission for one goose-control method more easily than ever.

Rex Martensen, private land field program supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said landowners now can go online (epermits.fws.gov/eRCGR/geSI.aspx) and get permission to treat giant Canada goose eggs so they won't hatch.

"If you tear up a goose nest and destroy the eggs, the birds will just build another nest and lay more eggs," said Martensen. "Geese can be pretty cagey, so you might not find the second nest. Then you have more geese and more problems. If you treat their eggs to prevent them from hatching and leave them in the nest, they will try to incubate those eggs until it is too late to try again."

Egg treatment can take two forms - applying a thin coating of corn oil or shaking eggs. Oiling prevents oxygen from getting to the developing embryos, so they die. Addling simply means shaking vigorously. This also kills developing embryos.

Other forms of lethal goose control still require a state-issued permit. These permits are available through local Conservation Department offices.

Details of egg oiling procedures are explained at mdc.mo.gov/7868. For a print version, write to MDC, Controlling Conflicts with Urban Canada Geese in Missouri, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 or request the publication by e-mail to pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov.

-Jim Low-

Classes protect loggers, forests, streams

Professional Timber Harvester instructor Joe Glenn takes frequent pauses during demonstrations to explain cutting techniques and answer questions. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Neophytes and experienced timber harvesters all learn valuable lessons in these classes.

CUBA, Mo.-The temperature hovered in the high single digits in Crawford County the morning of Feb. 16. Even with a merciful lull in the wind, the eight figures huddled around the tailgate of Joe Glenn's pickup squinted against the cold. Their presence in such weather said something about their interest in the day's activity, a practical exercise in tree cutting.

Glenn, an instructor in the Missouri Forest Products Association's (MFPA) Professional Timber Harvester Course, was teaching a Level I timber harvesting class, following up on a Forest Management class the week before. On hand to assist Glenn was Nate Forbes, a resource forester for the Conservation Department. The agency provides material and staff support for timber harvester classes.

The previous week's instruction covered "best management practices" designed to protect land, water and future forests, logging as a wildlife management tool, timber harvest layout and forest evaluation and surveying.

Glenn's class was designed to teach the skills needed to put forest management principles into practice. To start the day, Glenn asked each of the participants to tell the group a little about themselves and what they hoped to learn.

Jerry Sindelar said he works in an auto-body repair shop in O'Fallon. He belongs to a rod and gun club that owns 200 acres of mostly forested land, and has a little acreage himself. He heats with wood. "I have been cutting trees for 30 years, but I'm probably not doing it right," he said. "I ain't hurt nothing yet, but I want to learn to do it right and take care of the woods for my grandkids."

Sue Cox is horticulturalist who does landscape design for a private golf course in Eureka. She took the class with her husband, Wayne, a retired auto worker who has been cutting his own firewood for 25 years. Like Sindelar, they own a little forested acreage, and they want to improve the quality of their timber.

"I'm not in it for the money," said Sue, "but for the knowledge. We burn wood, but I'm doing this to understand the whole ecology of the forest and how to do it correctly. I have taken down big trees, but I never knew all the things to watch for that could be a danger and how to tell for sure which way a tree is going to fall."

Bryan Martin, a retired union carpenter from De Soto, also knew a thing or two about felling trees. He learned his way around a chainsaw as a boy and still cuts firewood for extra income. Still, he admitted to having had "a few incidents with trees." In one, his chainsaw threw back a cedar limb, and the pointed end pierced his leg. In another incident, a tree with grapevines growing in its top twisted on its stump, grinding an expensive chainsaw into useless, twisted metal.

Dave Sanders works in real estate in St. Charles. About five years ago, he and wife bought some forested land in Randolph County. They put a stop to the "high-grading," harvesting the best trees and leaving the forest with only weak or commercially worthless trees, and have been working with Conservation Department foresters to improve the remaining timber.

"I got a little educated on it, but now I am at the point where I need to do some cutting," said Sanders. "I have cut wood recreationally for about 15 years."

Like Martin, Sanders has had a tree grab his saw. "It's still there, with the tree gradually growing around it," he said with a smile. "After that big one ate my saw, I said, 'This is crazy not being educated on it.' I'm here for safety. I want to cut trees for a long time.

Ronnie Baker is a crop farmer in northeastern Missouri. He said he enjoys cutting firewood to supplement his income during the winter. "It gets me outdoors and keeps me in shape."

Baker said many of his trees could be harvested for saw timber, which is more valuable than firewood. He has most of the equipment needed to get logs to a sawmill, but he doesn't know enough about felling large trees to ensure that he does not split logs and ruin their value. Also, he doesn't know enough about the logging business to be sure he gets a fair price for his trees. "I'm here to get educated," he said.

Carl Moellinger, a retired Hermann area resident, owns the farm where he grew up. "I'm interested in leaving it better than I found it," he said. He said he has been cutting trees most of his life and hasn't had any close calls, "that I am aware of."

Having taken the measure of his class, Glenn launched into the topics for the day. He discussed how to select chainsaws and other equipment for felling and removing trees from the woods. He spent an hour talking about safety equipment, such as helmets, face masks, hearing protection and protective chaps, pants and coveralls. The nuts-and-bolts information was sprinkled liberally with real-life illustrations that ranged from humorous to harrowing.

One involved a pair of loggers, one of whom got his chainsaw stuck in a tree that didn't fall in the expected direction. The second logger got his saw stuck trying to extricate the first one, cutting in the same place. The duo appealed to a forester for help, and when he brought out his chainsaw, they insisted that he cut the troublesome tree in exactly the same place that already had captured two chainsaws. He declined their advice, freed their equipment, and still shakes his head at their inability to learn from experience.

One of the class participants contributed his uncle's tragic death in a logging accident. Glenn was talking about a phenomenon known as a "barber chair," where a tree trunk splits, causing part of the lower trunk opposite the direction the tree is falling to break free and snap up with devastating force. Loggers usually position themselves opposite a tree's natural direction of fall, putting them directly in the path of barber chairs.

"You will hear a big pop," said Glenn, "and then you have about as much time as it takes to take one step to make a decision that determines whether you live or die. Sometimes you don't have that much time. If a barber chair hits you in the head or the body, you will die. It hits that fast and that hard."

"That's how my uncle died," said Martin, "It hit him on the chin." His quiet testimony brought a moment of hushed reflection to the group.

With the instructional portion of the class done, the group ate sandwiches for lunch and then hiked into the nearby woods for a practical demonstration, followed by individual, hands-on training in tree felling.

Glenn's already unhurried pace slowed even further during this phase of the class. He engaged participants in a discussion of which tree should be felled first to set up a workable sequence where each tree could be dropped without damaging others and so it could be removed with minimal disturbance to the forest.

He paused before and after each step in a demonstration in which he felled a 10-inch white oak. During these pauses, he pointed out key considerations for safety and practicality, then answered every question in detail as he scanned his students faces to be sure they understood.

To provide absolute control over where a cut tree falls, Glenn taught participants how to use a notch and a back cut that create a strong hinge to direct the tree to a predetermined point of impact. Before cutting down the white oak, he walked out 40 feet to the point where he wanted the trunk to come to rest and laid a stick on the ground as a target. When the tree fell, it landed precisely on the stick.

Glenn outlined the following five-step plan for tree felling. 1) Hazard assessment, including weak or hanging limbs, vines or other entanglements that could affect direction of fall and trunk flaws that could cause erratic behavior. 2) Lean assessment - which way the tree "wants" to fall naturally. 3) Escape route selection, to enable the logger to move to safety as the tree falls. 4) How to determine the width of the wood hinge needed to control the tree's fall. 5) A back-cut plan to give the logger maximum protection when he releases the tree to fall.

This last item involves the use of a "bore" or "plunge" cut. After cutting a notch on the side of the tree where he wants it to fall, the logger plunges the tip of the chainsaw blade all the way through the center of the trunk. Then, without removing the saw, he cuts toward the notch until a wood hinge of the desired width and thickness remains.

This sets up a "release cut." The logger removes additional wood from the side of the tree opposite the notch so he can stand in a safe place as he cuts away the last bit of wood holding the tree up. Then he can move quickly and directly out of the danger zone as the tree falls.

"I don't care how many trees you have cut, Joe can make you a better, safer timber harvester," said Forbes. "He has a wealth of experience, and he has trained under some of the world's foremost experts. We hear over and over again from experienced loggers that they were glad they took his class."

The Professional Timber Harvester Course, consisting of the Forest Management Class and Level I Timber Harvester classes described above, plus Level II, III and IV logging classes, offers something for even the most experienced loggers. Topics include the use of advanced cutting and wedging techniques, cutting spring poles, calculating tree lean limits, bucking and limbing methods, planning efficient harvest layouts and use of power tools other than chainsaws.

The cost of the full, five-day course is $135 MFPA for members, $155 for nonmember Missouri residents and $250 for nonresidents. For more information, contact the MFPA, Suite 1, 611 E. Capitol Ave., Jefferson City, MO 65101-3038, (573) 634-3252, or visit www.moforest.org.

-Jim Low-

Conservation Department has resources to help anglers pinpoint fishing hot spots

Global positioning technology makes finding manmade fish-attracting structures a cinch.

JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri's many large reservoirs have always been tremendous fishing spots. However, finding concentrations of fish in vast expanses of water can be tough until you discover some reliable spots. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a shortcut to help anglers find places where fish congregate.

For years, the agency has been creating "fish-attracting structures" with everything from cast-off Christmas trees to commercially manufactured structures made of recycled plastic. Such sites traditionally were marked with buoys or signs on shore. The only hitch was that you had to motor around until you discovered them. Now, the Conservation Department has ways to shorten this search.

The Conservation Department Web page, www.missouriconservation.org, has detailed information about fish attractors on many lakes, and the agency continues to post information about additional areas. Some maps consist of lake outlines with numbered brush- and rock-pile fish attractor locations keyed to lists of map coordinates for each. Other maps - like those for Fellows, Pomme de Terre, Stockton and Table Rock lakes in southwest Missouri at www.mdc.mo.gov/areas/swest/ - are interactive, allowing anglers to zoom in on aerial photos and access GPS coordinates for dozens of fish-attractor structures.

To access the fish-attractor locator maps, click on the region you are interested in at the bottom of the Conservation Department Web page, www.missouriconservation.org.

-Jim Low-

New license plates celebrate Missouri caves

Missouri cave lovers can help take these license plates from the drawing board to reality.

JEFFERSON CITY-Missourians who have a soft place in their hearts for dark, wet holes in the ground can apply now for special license plates celebrating Missouri as "The Cave State." You could be the first in your area to sport one on your vehicle, because no one has a Cave State license plate yet. The Missouri Department of Revenue won't issue any until it receives 200 applications.

Tennessee actually has more documented caves than any other state - more than 9,000 at last count. Missouri has more than 6,200.

The Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy (MCKC) and the Missouri Caves Association are doing their best to close the gap, searching for the thousands of caves they believe have yet to be discovered and conserving those that already are known. The MCKC hopes to raise money for cave exploration and conservation work by selling the specialty license plates.

At least 200 people must apply for the plates before the Missouri Department of Revenue will begin issuing them. So far, the MCKC has received nearly 100 applications. To apply for a Cave State license plate, visit the MCKC website, www.mocavesandkarst.org/, or contact MCKC Vice President Alicia Lewis, P.O. Box 190456, Saint Louis, MO 63119, phone (314) 892-4351, e-mail caversquirrel1@aol.com.

The proposed Cave State license plate will show an outline of the state with a cave explorer and a bat inside and bear the legend, "The Cave State." Applying for them is free. When the state has enough applications and begins issuing plates, they will cost $25 per year, plus the usual state fee for personalized plates.

MCKC Board Member Bill Elliott said making the plates available would have benefits that extend beyond cave conservation. One is boosting the state's economy.

"Missouri has a national reputation for its caves, and that reputation brings us a lot of tourism revenue," said Elliott. "People come to see commercial caves, such as Marvel Cave in Branson, Crystal Cave and Fantastic Caverns north of Springfield, Bridal Cave at Lake of the Ozarks and Mark Twain Cave south of Hannibal. Spelunkers (cave explorers) come from all over the nation to see our less famous caves, too. License plates that advertise this resource will boost our tourism industry. Our show caves also have educational value."

Missouri also has several publicly owned caves that draw thousands of out-of-state visitors annually. These include Onondaga Cave at Onondaga Cave State Park, Ozark Caverns at Lake of the Ozarks State Park and Fisher Cave at Meramec State Park, all operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Elliott said benefits from license plate sales will extend beyond public and commercial caves. Three out of four caves in Missouri are on private property, and the MCKC's mission includes helping landowners who are interested in preserving and managing their caves and the unique creatures found there.

Elliott is chairman of the National Cave & Karst Management Symposium Oct. 8-12 in St. Louis.

"Karst" is a scientific term for land that is honeycombed with caves, sinkholes, springs, losing streams and natural tunnels. For more information about the MCKC, visit www.mocavesandkarst.org/.

Perry County has more caves than any other Missouri county, with 656 documented caverns. Shannon County is second with 535, followed by Greene County with 360. The state's longest documented cave is Crevice Cave in Perry County, with 28.2 miles of passage. Missouri's abundance of caves is the result of extensive limestone and dolomite rock formations, which are easily dissolved by rainfall percolating through them.

-Jim Low-

Thousands of paddlefish await snaggers

Paddlefish season opens March 15 and runs through April 30. The Missouri Department of Conservation has stocked more than 500,000 paddlefish in Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Reservoir and Table Rock Lake in the past 15 years, creating an abundant supply of the big fish. However, paddlefish snagging success depends heavily on warm spring rains to trigger the fish's spawning runs. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

The Conservation Department has stocked more than half a million fingerlings in the three lakes over the past 15 years.

JEFFERSON CITY-When done properly, paddlefish snagging has a rhythm. Pull back on the line with its treble hook, then let it sink. Reel in a little, then heave back on the stout rod again, let it sink and reel in again. Mirroring that rhythm is the Missouri Department of Conservation's paddlefish stocking - 33,000 fingerlings annually, with pulses of up to 66,000 fish every third year. The result is a fishery that lures paddlefish fanciers to lakes and streams warmed by spring freshets.

Paddlefish live in the Missouri, Mississippi and Osage Rivers. However, most fishing for the big, odd-looking, but delicious fish takes place on three lakes - Truman Reservoir, Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake - where the Conservation Department maintains paddlefish populations through annual stocking.

Paddlefish are nearly impossible to catch on conventional tackle. This is partly because they strain tiny plants and animals from the water for food. They don't take baits or lures. As a result, the only effective way to hook paddlefish is to jerk lines with large three-pointed hooks through the water in hopes of striking a passing fish

The only time paddlefish are found in sufficient concentrations to be snagged effectively is in the early spring, when they swim upstream in search of suitable spawning habitat. Paddlefish in the lower Osage River and in Lake of the Ozarks congregate in large numbers when they reach Bagnell and Truman dams. Anglers at Truman and Table Rock lakes find spawn-driven paddlefish concentrated in the lakes' narrow upper arms

Paddlefish begin migrating upstream when spring rains increase stream flows and raise water temperatures to 50 degrees. The snagging season, which runs from March 15 through April 30, is set to coincide with spring spawning runs. However, the intensity of the spawning urge - and therefore the quality of paddlefishing - depends on warm spring rains. A dry or cold spring reduces snagging action.

Rest assured, however, that Missouri's primary snagging waters have plenty of paddlefish. The Conservation Department's stocking goals call for putting 15,000 fingerlings each in Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake every year and stocking a "pulse" of up to 30,000 paddlefish in each lake every third year. At Table Rock Lake, the goals are 3,000 fingerlings annually and a pulse of 6,000 every third year. The agency also aims to stock 750 paddlefish fingerlings in the Black River each year.

Over the past 15 years, Blind Pony Hatchery near Sweet Springs has supplied more than 500,000 paddlefish for these waters. Paddlefish are long-lived, with large fish reaching ages of 20 to 30 years. Paddlefish 17 years old average over 50 pounds.

Both snaggers and people piloting boats for snaggers must have valid fishing permits. Paddlefish must be 34 inches from their eyes to the forks of their tails to be kept at Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, Table Rock Lake and their tributaries. In other waters, the minimum length limit is 24 inches.

On Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake and their tributaries, and on the Osage River below Bagnell Dam, anglers must stop snagging once they have two legal paddlefish in their possession. For more details about paddlefish snagging regulations, get a copy of the 2007 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, available from permit vendors statewide or at www.mdc.mo.gov/2115.

The Conservation Department posts paddlefish snagging reports for Truman Lake, Lake of the Ozarks and the lower Osage River online at www.mdc.mo.gov/7253. For more information about paddlefish, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/7251.

-Jim Low-

Ash trees could go the way of the American chestnut

A double whammy of health problems may decimate ash trees of all species.

JEFFERSON CITY-At the end of the 19th century, forests in the eastern half of North America harbored millions of stately chestnut trees. By the close of the 20th century, the species was virtually wiped out. Foresters and arborists say the same could happen to the continent's ash trees.

The chestnut devastation was the work of a fungal disease unwittingly brought from Asia. Today a similar situation exists with ash trees and another Asian import, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, or EAB).

This handsome, half-inch beetle's larvae tunnel under ash trees' bark, destroying their circulatory systems. Green ashes (F. pennsylvanica) seem to be the pest's preferred host, but no North American ash species is resistant. Infested trees all die. The emerald ash borer already have been found in Maryland, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Some of these infestations are well-established and are spreading slowly.

As if this were not bad enough, ash trees in the northeastern quarter of the United States also are in decline due to a disease known as ash yellows. It is caused by germs known as "phytoplasmas." Like the EAB, the ash yellows organism damages trees' inner bark, interfering with transport of water and nutrients. Forest health experts suspect that insects spread the disease. Green ash and white ash (F. americana) are the species most often affected.

Adverse conditions, such as the droughts that have plagued parts of Missouri in recent years, make ash trees more susceptible to both afflictions.

Since arriving in North America, the EAB has killed more than 20 million ash trees and caused economic losses running into the tens of millions of dollars. Rob Lawrence, a forest entomologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the pest could be equally devastating in Missouri, where green and white ash trees are important components of native forests. He noted that ash trees are even more prevalent in urban areas, where their straight trunks and vigorous growth has made them popular park and residential landscape trees. "This beetle has the potential to devastate both rural and community forests," said Lawrence.

Ash wood is hard, tough and straight-grained, which makes it good material for bows, tool handles, baseball bats and musical instruments. Ash trees account for 3 to 10 percent of trees in natural woods in Missouri and as much as 30 percent of urban trees.

Ash trees are important ecologically, too. Mature ash trees often develop cavities that certain bird species need for nesting. Their seeds provide food for cardinals, finches and other birds, and their presence lends diversity to Missouri forests, making them less vulnerable to devastation by diseases or parasites.

"This insect has the potential to remove the ash component entirely from our forests," said Lawrence, "something similar to how chestnut blight removed large chestnut trees from Eastern forests, and potentially worse than what Dutch elm disease has done to elms. This is not a part of normal forest ecology. This is a non-native insect killing trees that have previously never been exposed to this insect and have no resistance to it."

Lawrence said the loss of ash trees in urban areas would have a huge economic impact. Dead trees quickly become safety hazards if left standing, and the cost of tree removal is high.

The Conservation Department works with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the USDA Forest Service to conduct EAB surveillance. The agencies are checking areas considered to be at high risk for infestation. These include campgrounds, parks and areas where large numbers of ash trees have been planted since the mid-1990s. Last year, state and federal agencies surveyed 69 campgrounds, recreation areas and urban areas. They also are monitoring nurseries where trees are raised. So far, no EABs have been found here.

Citizens have a role to play in keeping the EAB out of Missouri. When EABs go state-hopping, it is almost always in firewood or nursery stock. Nursery owners and agriculture officials are taking measures to keep the beetles out of nurseries. That leaves firewood as a source of infestation.

Missourians need to be aware of the danger of bringing infested firewood into the state. The best way to do this is not to bring firewood home from other states. If you accidentally bring firewood into Missouri, burn it immediately.

Missourians also can help by being alert to telltale signs of EAB infestations and reporting them immediately so state officials can contain them.

EAB larvae create S-shaped trails under infested trees' bark. Early symptoms of damage in living trees include dead branches in the crown, and the sprouting of many small branches on the trunk. When the adults emerge through the bark, they leave D-shaped holes up to three-sixteenths inch in diameter. Other wood-boring insects leave oval or round holes of various sizes.

Lawrence noted that Missouri has a number of native beetles that are metallic green, and ashes can suffer from many other conditions that cause them to die. If you think you may have EABs, check conclusive evidence, such as the S-shaped burrows and D-shaped exit holes, before calling authorities. If you do see signs of EAB, contact the nearest Conservation Department office.

For more information about EAB, visit:
* www.emeraldashborer.info/,
* www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/eab/eab.pdf,
* www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/features/firewood.htm.
* www.emeraldashborer.info/files/E-2938.pdf

For more information about ash decline, visit www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/phytoplasma/what.htm.

-Jim Low-

Marina worker finds zebra mussels at Lake of the Ozarks

The discovery points up citizens' critical role in preventing the pest from becoming established in Missouri.

CAMDENTON-Officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation have confirmed another case of zebra mussel infestation at Lake of the Ozarks. They credit citizens with finding the infestation and say pleasure boaters and anglers will continue to play a key role in preventing further outbreaks.

Fisheries Management Biologist Greg Stoner said a marina worker noticed adult zebra mussels on a boat in the Osage Arm of the lake. He said the boat was brought to the lake from out of state last September and has been in the water ever since. It had approximately 40 adult zebra mussels attached to its hull.

Stoner credited the marina worker for spotting the mussels in an out-of-the-way location.

"The mussels were not attached to the hull, where they would have been obvious to a casual observer," said Stoner. "All of them were either tucked up into the nooks and crannies by the motor's lower unit housing or actually inside the lower unit itself. This is very significant. Boat owners need to know that inspecting the hulls of their boats for zebra mussels isn't enough. Many boat hulls have anti-fouling coatings that prevent zebra mussels from attaching. You have to look around motor housings and up in recessed spaces, too."

Because the boat had been in the water for five months, Stoner said, it is possible the mussels released eggs into Lake of the Ozarks. "The possibility that there are larvae in the lake make it more important than ever for boaters and anglers to be aware of the danger of spreading zebra mussels and take preventive measures."

The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is native to the Caspian Sea region. Adults are dime- to quarter-sized. They attach to solid objects and gather food by filtering tiny plants and animals from the surrounding water. Females produce up to a million offspring a year. They can form dense colonies several layers thick, encrusting objects with their shells.

In some waters, zebra mussels thrive and produce heavy infestations. They can clog the water intakes of boat motors and power plants. They compete with native animals for food, and they can smother native mussels, many of which already are endangered.

The discovery at Lake of the Ozarks is just the latest step in the zebra mussel's two-decade march across the nation's midsection. Zebra mussels are believed to have entered North America in 1985 or 1986 when ocean-going ships discharged ballast water laden with zebra mussel larvae into the St. Lawrence Seaway. In 1988 they were found in Lake St. Clair. The next year live zebra mussels were found in Lake Michigan, and in 1991 the first zebra mussels turned up in the upper Mississippi River.

A year later they were in the Arkansas River between the Mississippi River and Oklahoma, and the next year they had made it down the Mississippi as far as southern Louisiana.

Missouri's zebra mussel saga began in 1999, with the discovery of a single adult mussel attached to a native mussel shell in the Meramec River near the I-55 Bridge. In 2000 a marina employee at Lake of the Ozarks spotted thousands of zebra mussels on a 32-foot cabin cruiser brought to Missouri from out of state. The worker's quick action in reporting his discovery prevented the boat from being launched into the lake with a load of zebra mussels.

In 2001, a small number of zebra mussel shells turned up in a filter screen at a power plant on the Missouri River in the Kansas City area. No live mussels were found, however. Zebra mussels were found in a Kansas lake in 2003 and in an Oklahoma lake in 2005.

The first report of zebra mussels in Lake of the Ozarks came last June when a dock owner found the invasive mollusks on submerged objects beneath a private boat dock. An inspection of nearby docks turned up approximately 50 of the mussels.

-Jim Low-

Boaters, anglers asked to take action against zebra mussels

Awareness and a few simple preventive measures can help keep this damaging invader at bay.

JEFFERSON CITY-Brian Canaday, who oversees the Conservation Department's efforts to keep invasive plants and animals out of Missouri, says the fact that Missouri has held the zebra mussel at bay this long indicates that citizens take the threat seriously. He urges Missourians to maintain their vigilance against an exotic mollusk that threatens economic and ecological damage.

"Boaters' and anglers' role in preventing the spread of zebra mussels is absolutely critical," said Canaday. "We cannot overemphasize the importance of taking preventive measures when moving boats from one body of water to another, particularly when bringing boats into Missouri from other states."

Immature zebra mussels, called veligers, are tiny and float free in infested waters. They can hitch a ride to new locations in even small amounts of water left in bait buckets, live wells, boat bilges or in the cooling systems of marine motors. Adults attached to the hulls of boats can survive out of water for several days.

If you are a boater, angler, water-skier, scuba-diver, sailor or canoeist, you can help prevent the spread of zebra mussels by taking the following precautions.
* Learn how to identify zebra mussels. For information, write to MDC, "Zebra Mussel Watch Card" and "Zebra Mussel: Missouri's Most Unwanted," P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Or send a request for these publications to pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov. If you suspect a new infestation, report it to the nearest Conservation Department office.
* Thoroughly inspect your boat and trailer and other items that come in contact with the water. Use a flashlight to check inside and recessed areas as well as exterior surfaces.
* Before leaving a lake or stream, scrape off any suspected mussels, however small, and put them in a trash receptacle away from the water. Remove all weeds hanging from the boat or trailer before leaving.
* Drain water from the motor, live well, bilge and transom wells and any other water from your boat and equipment while on land before leaving any water body.
* When you get home - before launching your boat again - thoroughly rinse and dry the hull, drive unit, live wells, live well pumping system, bilge, trailer, bait buckets, engine cooling system and other boat parts exposed to water. Use a hard spray from a garden hose. If your boat was in infested waters for a long period of time, or if you find any attached adult mussels, use hot (104 F) water instead of cold, or take the boat to a do-it-yourself carwash and use hot, high-pressure spray to "de-mussel" your boat. Do not use chlorine bleach or other environmentally unsound washing solutions.
* Trash leftover bait away from water before leaving any water body. Never take bait from one water body to another.
* Let boats, motors and trailers dry thoroughly in the sun for at least five days before boating again.
* In infested waters, the best way to keep a hull mussel-free is to run the boat frequently. Small juvenile mussels are quite soft and are scoured off the hull at high speeds.
* If possible, leave outboards or outdrives in the up position. Periodically inspect hulls and drive units, and scrape free of mussels. Pump hot water through your engine's intake on a regular basis to prevent mussel growth inside the engine's cooling system.
* Consult the Conservation Department before trying to control or eradicate zebra mussels or any other exotic pest. Pest species often thrive on disturbance. Do-it-yourself control treatments can make matters worse and can harm native species.

Several Missouri Stream Teams are monitoring lakes and streams for zebra mussels. If you would like to join the effort, call (800) 781-989 or visit the Stream Team web-site at www.mostreamteam.org.

For more information about zebra mussels, contact Canaday at (573) 751-4115, ext. 3371, or go to www.protectyourwaters.net.

To report a potential zebra mussel sighting, contact the nearest Missouri Conservation Department office or go to: www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/exotic/zebra/: www.missouriconservation.org/nathis/exotic/zebra/.

-Jim Low-