May 2007
State, federal agents patrol rivers to protect sturgeon
Friday, May 25, 2007
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| Sturgeons, which have inhabited North America since dinosaurs roamed the earth, now need protection. Agents from the Missouri Department of Conservation are working with law enforcement officers from other states' conservation agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that commercial and sport anglers follow laws designed to protect the ancient fish. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-Cooperative patrols by state and federal wildlife law-enforcement agents over the past 18 months yielded a few arrests for poaching activities that could hamper recovery efforts for the endangered pallid sturgeon. Just as important, the patrols provided insights that will make future enforcement efforts more effective.
Sturgeon have inhabited the Missouri and Mississippi rivers since the age of dinosaurs. Three species are found in Missouri today. The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is classified as endangered by state and federal officials. Historic records indicate that individuals weighing 60 pounds once swam in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Today, few exceed 10 pounds.
The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), which is also is listed as endangered in Missouri, is by far the Show-Me State's largest sturgeon. One fish caught and released near Hartsburg in 1991 was estimated to be 8 feet long and weigh 200 pounds. Historic reports include individuals exceeding 300 pounds. The smallest and most common Missouri sturgeon is the shovelnose, (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), which seldom grows larger than 5 pounds.
Because they are plentiful, shovelnose sturgeon are subject to commercial as well as sport fishing. However, wildlife officials worry that increased commercial harvest of these fish for their eggs, which are processed into caviar, could lead to a population decline. For this reason, the shovelnose sturgeon catch is carefully regulated and monitored.
From January 2006 through May 2007, agents from the Missouri Department of Conservation conducted joint patrols with officers from Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife enforcement officials in Iowa and Wisconsin also conducted patrols in their areas. The patrols, which involved surveillance by officers on land, water and in the air, had several goals. The primary objective was to find anglers who were breaking laws designed to protect all three sturgeon species.
Officers succeeded in this, documenting violations including fishing in prohibited areas, taking endangered species, failure to report catches, fishing without licenses, failure to label fishing gear with the user's name and address and dead-setting - setting nets in such a way that captured fish die before they can be released if they are not legal species.
A secondary benefit of the joint operations was identifying obstacles to enforcing sturgeon regulations. Officers found inconsistencies among state laws governing sturgeon harvest particularly troublesome. Poachers can get around some states' rules by claiming they caught fish in states with less-restrictive regulations.
The first round of patrols also enabled officers from different jurisdictions to fine-tune the mechanics of joint operations.
"This experience we gained the past year and a half will be tremendously valuable in the future," said Conservation Department Protection Division Chief Dennis Steward. "The job of protecting these endangered - and in the case of the shovelnose, commercially valuable - species, is a long-term effort for us. The nature of the fish, where they live and the multiple jurisdictions involved make it a complex job, but one we are committed to."
Catfishing will be extra rewarding for some anglers
Friday, May 25, 2007
Returning tags to the Conservation Department can get you up to $150
JEFFERSON CITY-Fishing is hardly ever a paying proposition unless you buy a commercial permit and thousands of dollars worth of nets. This year, however, catfish anglers on several rivers could catch fish worth enough money to buy a lot of hooks and bait.
In its continuing effort to put catfish management on a firm scientific footing, the Missouri Department of Conservation has placed tags on thousands of blue and flathead catfish in lakes and streams throughout the state. Until now, those tags carried a $25 or $50 reward for anglers who reported catching the fish that carried them. This year, the agency is raising the ante.
Fish tagging is a time-honored method of learning how long fish live, how fast they grow, where they go and other useful information for fisheries managers. This information comes from anglers who catch tagged fish and return the tags following instructions printed on the tags.
The percentage of tagged fish caught and reported by anglers gives biologists a rough idea of what percentage of the overall fish population is caught by anglers each year. Knowing angler harvest rates is very helpful when establishing fishing regulations.
Tag returns from anglers can underestimate the actual harvest, however. Some anglers are glad to report tagged fish in return for information they get back about the fish they caught. For others, however, even a $25 reward isn't enough incentive to make a phone call and mail in a tag. Determining non-returns is a key part of every fish tagging study. So is estimating the number of non-returns accurately.
To get a better handle on the number of non-returns, the Conservation Department is offering a $150 reward for some tags. The assumption is that almost every angler will return a tag for that amount. Comparing the rate of return on $25 and $150 tags will tell researchers what percentage of fish with $25 tags are not being reported when anglers catch them.
Conservation Department workers have tagged more than 6,000 flathead and blue catfish combined that are 15 inches and larger in recent years. Most of those tags have rewards of $25 or $50. The reward amount and the phone number to call are printed on the tags. Anglers also need to report when, where and how each fish was caught and its length.
The "dangler" tags are small plastic ovals attached just under the dorsal fn on top of fishes' backs. Tagged catfish are swimming in Truman Reservoir and parts of the Fabius, Gasconade, Grand, Lamine, Marmaton, Platte, South Grand rivers, the upper Mississippi River near Hannibal and the Missouri River around the mouths of the Platte, Grand, Lamine and Gasconade rivers.
"Anglers don't have to keep a fish to get the reward," said Resource Staff Scientist Zach Ford, who oversees the catfish harvest evaluation project. "If they catch an 18-inch flathead and choose to release it, all they have to do is clip off the tag and send it in. They will get the reward marked on the tag, along with a letter describing where the fish was tagged. They get the tag back, too. Some people like to have them for keepsakes."
-Jim Low-
Free Fishing Days coming June 9-10
Friday, May 25, 2007
On one weekend a year, all you need to fish is a pole and bait.
JEFFERSON CITY-If spring weather and the prospect of a fresh-fish dinner are not enough to convince you to go fishing, the Missouri Department of Conservation has an added incentive - Free Fishing Days June 9 and 10.
The weekend after the first Monday in June is always Free Fishing Days. It is the Missouri Department of Conservation's way of thanking citizens for their support and encouraging people to get out and enjoy some of the nation's best and most abundant fishing opportunities. Through the purchase of hunting and fishing permits and the one-eighth of 1 percent conservation sales tax, Missourians support a network of lake and stream fishing access areas and community lakes statewide.
On Free Fishing Days, all you need to enjoy fishing on state waters is a fishing pole and bait. Do remember, however, that requirements for special permits still apply at some county, city or private fishing areas.
Areas open to free fishing June 9 and 10 include Missouri's four trout parks, Conservation Department-managed community lakes, Lake of the Ozarks, Thomas Hill Reservoir and reservoirs operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Don't forget Missouri's superb trout streams, including the Current, Eleven Point and North Fork rivers. If the possibility of landing an enormous catfish appeals to you, consider the Missouri, Mississippi and Osage rivers.
Missouri residents and nonresidents alike can fish without state permits on Free Fishing Days. However, normal regulations, such as limits on the size and number of fish you can keep, remain in effect, and Free Fishing Days is no excuse for unauthorized trespassing. Regulations are outlined in the 2007 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations. The free booklets are available at bait shops and other places where fishing equipment is sold. Some private fishing areas still require permits on Free Fishing Days.
Many state-owned fishing areas have special facilities for anglers with handicaps. For information about handicap-accessible fishing spots, visit www.missouriconservation.org/accessibility/. To discover fishing spots near you, visit www.missouriconservation.org/fish/prospects/ or consult the online Conservation Atlas, www.mdc.mo.gov/atlas/. You also can call the nearest Conservation Department office for help finding fishing spots close to home.
-Jim Low-
Late freeze brings colorful birds to feeders
Friday, May 18, 2007
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| Baltimore orioles were among the colorful birds that became more visible following unseasonably cold weather in early April. Special feeders, like this orange holder, appeal to the oriole's sweet tooth. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-Ornithologist Andy Forbes has been getting lots of calls lately from excited bird-lovers. They report seeing droves of gaudy-colored birds in their back yards and at their birdfeeders. Forbes says the birds are not unusual, but their increased visibility is.
Forbes' job for the Missouri Department of Conservation includes identifying birds over the phone. This spring he has received an unusual number of calls about rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles.
"It has been a wacky year," said Forbes. "Up and down temperatures, leaf-out, a freeze that killed all the leaves, another leaf-out and then torrential rains. Birds' migration has definitely been affected."
Forbes said one effect of the freeze is that birds have been closer to the ground. This is because freezing was most severe in tree tops, where birds like orioles and grosbeaks spend lots of time foraging for food.
Another effect has been increased visibility through leafless trees. That has worked two ways, allowing people to see birds and allowing birds to see feeders on the ground, encouraging them to supplement their natural diet with offerings from humans.
Baltimore orioles have a taste for sweets - so much so that special nectar feeders are made for their use. Grosbeaks, which normally comb treetops in search of high-protein insect food at this time of year, have been resorting more often to backyard bird feeders.
"As a result, people are seeing them more," said Forbes. "It seems very unusual, and in a way, it is. It's not unusual that the birds are here, but they are unusually visible this year."
Forbes suggested that people keep feeders full and enjoy the show while it lasts. The birds' migratory habits will take most of them north within a few weeks.
-Jim Low-
Squirrel, stream black bass seasons open May 26
Friday, May 18, 2007
The wait is almost over for Missourians longing for meals with fried squirrel and broiled bass as their centerpieces.
JEFFERSON CITY-Get out your rods, reels, shotguns and cast-iron cookware. Squirrel season and bass season in Ozark streams are almost here.
Missouri's seasons for hunting squirrels and catching and keeping black bass both open on the fourth Saturday in May. This year that is May 26. Squirrel season runs through Feb. 15, the while bass season continues through the end of February.
The bag limit on squirrels is six gray or fox squirrels per day. The possession limit is 12.
Bass regultions are more complicated. From March 1 through the Friday before the fourth Saturday in May, you can only keep smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass caught in streams if you are:
* north of the south bank of the Missouri River,
* in that portion of southeast Missouri south and east of Cape Girardeau following Highways 74 and 25, U.S. Highways 60, 67 and 160 and the west bank of the Little Black River to the Arkansas state line, or
* on the St. Francis River downstream from Wappapello Dam.
In the rest of the state-essentially the Ozarks-black-bass fishing is strictly catch-and-release from March 1 until the fourth Saturday in May.
Black bass may be caught and kept year-round on the Mississippi River and on impoundments statewide, subject to local creel and length limits.
The Missouri Department of Conservation tailors black bass regulations to individual lakes and streams in an effort to produce the best possible fishing. To find regulations for a particular area, check the 2007 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, available wherever fishing permits are sold. The same information is available online at www.missouriconservation.org/2115.
-Jim Low-
Workshops will help hunters adapt to nontoxic shot
Friday, May 18, 2007
A series of workshops offered by the Missouri Department of Conservation aims to make participants better, more effective hunters.
JEFFERSON CITY-Hunters who want to improve their ability to shoot doves and waterfowl with nontoxic shot can get help in workshops sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting in Missouri in 1987. This year the ban will be extended to include all types of hunting using shotguns on 21 conservation areas (CAs). The workshops are designed to help hunters learn to use steel and other types of nontoxic shot effectively and minimize wounding loss.
"Steel and other types of nontoxic shot are effective alternatives to lead," said Hunter Education Coordinator Bryan Bethel. "In some ways, they work better than lead shot, but to get the best results, you have to understand how they perform and adjust your shooting habits accordingly. Those of us who learned to shoot using lead shot have to learn new habits, but once you master those skills, you never look back."
The Conservation Department will offer workshops in five areas from June through August. Each will be held in an area with a concentration of public dove and waterfowl hunting land. The workshops are open to anyone. However, space is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Workshops are scheduled daily at different locations in each of the five areas. Workshop dates are:
* June 11 through 14 in southeastern Missouri. Contact Dee Dockins, 573/290-5858, ext. 235, for registration information.
* June 25 through 28 in the St. Louis area. Contact Kurt Otterstein, 636/300-1953, ext. 233.
* July 10 through 13 in northwestern Missouri. Contact Mike Perry, 816/271-3111, ext. 231.
* July 23 through 26 in central Missouri. Contact Brian Flowers, 573/882-8388, ext. 288.
* Aug. 13 through 16 in the Kansas City area. Contact Zeb Jordan, 660/885-8179, ext. 246.
The workshops were developed for the Cooperative North American Shotgunning Education Program. The curriculum is based on knowledge gained from exhaustive field research on steel shot performance.
Topics to be covered include:
* Characteristics and performance of lead shot and nontoxic alternatives.
* Selecting the best loads and chokes for different types of hunting.
* Keys to effective shooting with nontoxic shot.
* Reducing waterfowl wounding loss.
* New developments in nontoxic shot.
* Shotguns and chokes that can safely handle nontoxic shot.
CAs where nontoxic shot will be mandatory this year are B. K. Leach Memorial, Black Island, Bob Brown, Columbia Bottom, Cooley Lake, Coon Island, Duck Creek, Eagle Bluffs, Fountain Grove, Four Rivers, Grand Pass, Little Bean Marsh, Little River, Marais Temps Clair, Montrose, Nodaway Valley, Otter Slough, Schell-Osage, Settle's Ford and Ten Mile Pond.
-Jim Low-
Conservation agents crack down on set-line violations, off-road vehicle misuse
Friday, May 18, 2007
Failure to check lines every day is the most common violation.
WARSAW, Mo.-Anglers who ignore regulations on trotlines, limb lines and other unattended fishing devices are more likely to be ticketed, due to stepped-up enforcement efforts by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Off-road vehicle (ORV) users might want to pay close attention to where they roam, too.
Along with their usual season duties, conservation agents will put special emphasis on these two activities this summer. Protection Division Chief Dennis Steward said it isn't just about protecting wildlife. Public safety and the overall health of outdoor areas are at stake.
Unattended lines, collectively known as "set lines," include trotlines, throw lines, limb lines, bank lines and jug lines. All are legal in most Missouri waters, as long as they are attended daily. Unanchored, free-floating jug lines must be personally attended at all times. Steward said failure to properly check and attend to equipment is one of the most common violations of set-line regulations.
"There are good reasons for the 24-hour rule for set-lines," said Steward. "Requiring anglers to check lines every day prevents hooked fish from dying on the line and being wasted. It also ensures that set lines are not left high and dry when water levels fall. That is a safety issue for others using the same waters. A hook dangling in the air is an accident waiting to happen."
Another set-line regulation sometimes neglected by anglers is the requirement to label each line with the user's name and address. Such labels provide accountability for anglers and enable conservation agents to contact them about their lines.
"Agents are putting special emphasis on checking set lines and making sure their owners are doing things right," said Steward.
Steward said conservation agents' other major emphasis this summer will be stopping misuse of ORVs. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Jeeps, four-wheel drive trucks and other vehicles capable of traversing rugged terrain can be tremendously destructive when operated where they do not belong.
Off-roading on conservation areas destroys vegetation and leads to soil erosion. Operating vehicles in streams destroys fish habitat and muddies the water, smothering fish eggs and other aquatic life. Whether it occurs on land or in streams, ORV misuse also diminishes the quality of others' outdoor experience.
Fishing violations, as well as illegal ORV activities, are Class A misdemeanors, and are punishable by fines of up to $1,000 and a year in jail. Steward noted that the Conservation Commission has recently upped the ante on irresponsible off-roading in streams.
"A number of people have had their hunting and fishing privileges suspended for ORV abuse," he said. "That is a pretty high price to pay for something you could be doing legally somewhere else. Missouri has places where folks who enjoy off-roading can do it legally."
Steward said ORV owners should get permission from landowners before riding on private property. However, there also are public areas set aside especially for ORV riders in Missouri. These include:
* Finger Lakes State Park in Boone County, (573) 443-5315.
* St. Joe State Park, 8,238 acres in St. Francois County, (573) 431-1069.
* Sutton Bluff Recreation Area in Reynolds County, (573) 729-6656.
* Chadwick ATV and Motorcycle Area in Christian County, (417) 683-4428.
-Jim Low-
Spring turkey harvest down 11 percent
Friday, May 11, 2007
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JEFFERSON CITY-Hunters checked nearly 45,000 turkeys during the three-week spring turkey season. Although that number still is impressive by most states' standards, weather conspired to keep the spring turkey harvest well below last year's figure.
Hunters shot 44,949 turkeys during the regular spring turkey season April 16 through May 6. Last year's figure was 51,018.
When combined with the harvest during the youth season March 31 and April 1, the 2007 spring turkey harvest is 48,476. That is an 11 percent decrease from last year's figure of 54,712. The record spring harvest occurred in 2004, when hunters killed 60,744 turkeys in the youth and regular seasons combined.
This year's top harvest counties were Franklin, with 880 turkeys checked, Texas with 791 and Callaway with 734. Regional harvest totals were: central, 6,904; northeast, 6,612; northwest, 6,602, southwest, 6,163; Kansas City, 5,654; Ozark, 5,470; southeast, 4,121; and St. Louis, 3,423.
Juvenile male turkeys made up approximately 22 percent of this year's spring turkey season harvest. Missouri's overall turkey hunting success rate was approximately 33 percent. However the actual proportion of hunters who filled tags is slightly lower than one in three, because some hunters killed two gobblers.
Jeff Beringer, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said weather and a poor hatch two years ago are to blame for this year's harvest dip. The most immediate effect was from record-breaking hot and cold weather days apart in late March and early April.
Unseasonably warm weather throughout March and the first three days of April pushed turkey nesting ahead of normal. Beringer said some hens already had laid half their eggs by April 4, when temperatures plummeted into the 20s and teens at night several nights in a row.
"That extended spell of extremely cold weather hit turkeys just like it did mushrooms," said Beringer, referring to this year's disappointing crop of morel mushrooms. "Spring follows a regular progression. Turkey breeding was progressing just fine but the extreme cold temperatures disrupted that progression."
Within days, turkey hens that had been laying eggs were back to wintertime behavior patterns. Beringer said volunteer observers in a study of turkey gobbling behavior sent in multiple reports of hens roaming the landscape with gobblers in late April, rather than sitting on nests full of eggs. That meant that male turkeys didn't have to gobble as much to attract hens, which made them much less likely to respond to hunters' calls.
Beringer summed the situation up saying, "It was a problematic season for hunters."
Making the season even more vexing for hunters was the fact that turkey nesting success has been substantially below average two of the past three years. That was the result of cold, wet weather during the time when hens were incubating eggs and caring for tiny hatchlings that were not yet protected by feathers. The hatch was particularly disappointing in 2005, when observers reported the second-lowest number of poults - young turkeys - since the Conservation Department began keeping records.
The poor hatch in 2005 was especially noticeable to hunters this year, because 2-year-old male turkeys are the most vocal. "It is much harder to hunt birds that don't give away their location by gobbling," said Beringer.
Turkeys' weather woes do not seem to be over yet. In addition to the possibility that eggs were lost to freezing in April, heavy rains in early May caused widespread flooding in low-lying areas. Many turkeys that had the bad luck to nest in those areas almost experienced nest failures and will have to renest if they are to regain lost ground.
The only good news in all this is that turkeys had slightly better nest success in 2006, so hunters should hear more gobbling during the 2008 season if weather is anything like normal.
Harvest totals in recent years have been:
* 2003 - 58,421
* 2004 - 60,151 (record)
* 2005 - 57,692
* 2006 - 54,712
* 2007 - 48,476
While the number of turkeys bagged was down this year, hunters had the safest spring turkey season in 35 years. The Conservation Department recorded only two firearms-related accidents. Neither was fatal.
-Jim Low-
Turkey season has fewest accidents in 35 years
Friday, May 11, 2007
Hunter education is credited with long-term improvement of spring turkey hunting safety.
JEFFERSON CITY-The biggest news to come out of this year's spring turkey hunting season has nothing to do with the number of turkeys killed, but rather with how few hunters were hurt. For the first time in 35 years, the spring turkey season's accident toll fell to two.
Safety has been an issue since the first modern turkey season in 1960. With turkey numbers increasing, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved a three-day hunting season with a limit of one. By 1963, when the Conservation Department began keeping records of turkey hunting accidents, the season had been expanded to four days, and there were 1,778 licensed hunters. There was also one firearms-related turkey hunting accident, in which a hunter lost his life.
Over the years, turkeys grew more numerous, and so did hunters. Between 1970 and 1972 turkey hunter numbers doubled, from 10,000 to 20,000. During the early history of Missouri's turkey season, the number of turkey hunting accidents averaged fewer than two per year. Some years there were none.
Then in 1973 the number exploded to 16. After that, the toll gradually increased to a peak of 29 in 1988. It is no coincidence that hunter education became mandatory that year.
"The number of hunting accidents overall had become a serious concern," said Hunter Education Coordinator Bryan Bethel. "Turkey hunting accidents weren't the only reason, but they certainly were part of what led to mandatory hunter education."
Since 1988, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, has been required to successfully complete an approved hunter education course that includes firearms and hunting safety. Last year Missouri certified its 1 millionth hunter education graduate.
The results have been as dramatic as the conditions that led to mandatory hunter education. From 1979 through 1988, the number of reported spring turkey hunting accidents averaged 18 per year. From 1998 through 2007, the average has been 6.9.
Even more impressive than the reduction in accidents per year is the decline in the number of accidents per hunter. In 1972 there were only two spring turkey hunting accidents, approximately one per 10,000 hunters. The worst years on record were 1961 and 1973, when the Conservation Department recorded approximately one accident for every 1,800 spring turkey hunters. In contrast, this year's average was approximately one per 75,000 hunters, about 40 times fewer than in the bad old days before mandatory hunter education.
"We still have some bad years," said Bethel. "As recently as 2004, we had nine spring turkey hunting accidents, including one fatality. But the number of accidents per hunter has dropped dramatically, and the trend is downward. When we have a year like this, you can almost foresee the time when more than 100,000 hunters go through a three-week hunting season without anyone getting hurt. That's the goal."
-Jim Low-
Apply for pond-stocking by July 15
Friday, May 11, 2007
Owners of new or fishless ponds can get help starting their own fishing hole.
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri pond owners have until July 15 to apply for fingerling catfish, bass and bluegill sunfish from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The agency says benefits aren't limited to those whose ponds receive fish.
The Conservation Department's warm-water hatcheries produce millions of fish each year. Most go to establish or maintain fishing in public waters. However, the agency produces enough extra to help establish fishing holes in privately owned lakes and ponds, too.
Fish provided to private landowners are fingerlings - small fish less than a year old. The Conservation Department supplies three sport fish species - bluegill sunfish, largemouth bass and channel catfish - that can develop self-sustaining fisheries with proper management. Under favorable conditions, fingerlings can grow to catchable size in two or three years.
The fish are provided at no cost, and pond owners are not obligated to allow public fishing. However, the Conservation Department encourages those who receive free fingerlings to provide reasonable access to fishing - at least for family, friends and neighbors.
To qualify for fish from the Conservation Department, ponds must be at least 8 feet deep to prevent winter kills. Those less than 5 acres must be fenced to exclude livestock. Furthermore, only new or fishless ponds qualify. Most fingerlings that are released into ponds with existing fish populations are eaten by the larger fish.
Applications for the program are available at Conservation Department offices, from conservation agents and at most agricultural agencies. Or you can visit www.mdc.mo.gov/7255 and click on "pond stocking application" to download an application form. Completed forms are due no later than July 15.
Conservation Department personnel inspect applicants' ponds for suitability. Those who qualify pick up bluegill and channel catfish fingerlings at central locations in each county in September or October. They receive largemouth bass the same way the following June.
Stocking sunfish and catfish first gives them time to grow before the bass are big enough to eat them all. Establishing a balanced population of predator and prey species ensures against starving bass or overpopulated, stunted sunfish.
Anglers can harvest bass in most ponds by the third summer after stocking. Natural reproduction replaces bluegill and bass removed by fishing. Catfish must be restocked periodically.
Missouri has more than 300,000 farm ponds, so the Conservation Department's pond stocking program has enormous potential for increasing fishing opportunities statewide. Besides creating fishing spots close to home for thousands of Missourians, the program relieves pressure on public fishing areas.
-Jim Low-
Colorado files charges against sixth Missourian in poaching case
Friday, May 11, 2007
Five others have paid fines totaling nearly $30,000.
CAPE GIRARDEAU-The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDW) has filed charges against another Missouri resident in a six-year-old case opened by a Missouri Conservation agent.
Colorado officials charged Larry "Booker" Derousse Jr., Ste. Genevieve, with three felony counts of willful destruction of wildlife - mule deer. The charges were filed April 26 in the District Court of Garfield County in Glenwood Springs, Colo. Derousse posted a $25,000 bond at the Sheriff's Department in Ste. Genevieve County, Mo., and was released. He is to appear in court in Colorado May 23.
The charges stem from an undercover investigation by officers with the CDW and the Missouri Department of Conservation. The investigation began in 2001, when Agent Rob Sulkowski of Ste. Genevieve County became suspicious of the out-of-state activities of Renegade Outfitters, owned by Gregory Jerome Jaeggers, Ste. Genevieve.
Sulkowski and Conservation Agent Darin Pettit of Cape Girardeau County worked closely with Colorado officers on the investigation, which culminated in a sting operation in Colorado in the fall of 2005. A search warrant was served in Missouri at Jaeggers home and resulted in the seizure of multiple game mounts. Investigators questioned several Missouri residents at the time of the sting.
Five other Missourians arrested during the same investigation already have pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Senior Judge Robert Brown in Glenwood Springs, Colo.
Jaeggers pleaded guilty to five counts and received fines, costs and restitution totaling $12,847. Jaeggers also received three years probation, forfeited all illegally taken wildlife and received a lifetime hunting and fishing suspension. Charges on which he pleaded guilty were outfitting without a registration, two felony counts of illegal sale and willful destruction of big game and two counts of willful waste of wildlife.
Keith Charles Sweiss, Bloomsdale, pleaded guilty to four counts: willful destruction of wildlife (mountain lion, a felony), willful waste of wildlife, illegal possession of deer and illegal transfer of a permit. His fines, costs and restitution totaled $6,257.50. Sweiss also received a deferred three-year jail term for the mountain lion violation and a three-year hunting and fishing suspension. He forfeited a muzzle-loading rifle.
Richard Wayne Schroeder, Festus, pleaded guilty to six counts: willful destruction of wildlife (black bear, a felony), willful waste of wildlife, illegal possession of deer, illegal transfer of a license and two counts of hunting without a license. His fines, costs and restitution totaled $6,216.50. He received a three-year deferred jail sentence for the felony conviction and a three-year hunting and fishing suspension.
Steven G. Fallert, Ste. Genevieve, pleaded guilty to three counts: illegal taking of a bull elk, hunting with an illegal license and the illegal transfer of a license. He forfeited a bull elk mount and received fines and costs totaling $2,986.
Mikel A. Stewart, Ste. Genevieve, pleaded guilty to three counts: illegal taking of a bull elk, hunting with an illegal weapon and hunting without proper daylight fluorescent orange. He received fines and costs of $1,506 and forfeited a bull elk mount.
Those whose hunting and fishing privileges were suspended by Colorado also lose their privileges in 23 other states that are members of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. Those states are Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
-end-
Conservation Commission to meet May 17-18 in Jefferson City
Friday, May 11, 2007
JEFFERSON CITY- The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next meeting May 17 and 18 at Conservation Department Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd. Jefferson City.
The Commission will hold a budget workshop at 1 p.m. May 17 followed by a closed executive session at 3 p.m. and an open session thereafter. The Commission will reconvene in open session at 8:30 a.m. May 18.
Commission meetings are open to the public. People requiring special services or accommodations to attend can make arrangements by contacting Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, phone at (573) 751-4115, fax (573) 751-4467.
Commissioners are: Stephen Bradford, Cape Girardeau, chairman; William F. "Chip" McGeehan, Marshfield, vice-chairman; Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis, secretary; Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, member.
-Jim Low-
New Bagnell Dam license benefits landowners, wildlife, recreation
Friday, May 04, 2007
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| Anglers on both sides of Bagnell Dam can expect better fishing in the future, thanks to new requirements written into the 40-year hydroelectric plant operating license issued to Ameren-UE in March. The Missouri Department of Conservation was instrumental in developing provisions to benefit landowners, fish and wildlife. The new license also will boost the area booming fish- and wildlife-based tourism industry. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
LAKE OF THE OZARKS-State conservation officials say a license recently issued to operate the Osage Hydroelectric Project has benefits for fish and wildlife, for citizens trying to protect their land and for the burgeoning nature-based tourism industry on Lake of the Ozarks.
On March 30, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a license that allows Ameren-UE to continue operating Bagnell Dam on the Osage River in Camden County. The license - the third granted in the hydroelectric plant's history - is the product of more than a year of negotiations between Ameren-UE, citizens along the lower Osage River and Lake of the Ozarks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources. Missourians will get much more than just electricity from Bagnell Dam for the next 40 years.
Union Electric began acquiring land for Bagnell Dam and 50,000-acre Lake of the Ozarks in 1927. Large reservoirs were rare at the time, and streams were plentiful. Planners gave little thought to how the dam and its electricity generating activities would affect people, land and wildlife downstream. Over the following decades, however, the impacts became clear.
Although the hydroelectric plant provides only a small part of Missouri's power needs, it plays a key role in meeting peaks in power demand. For example, when air-conditioners are working overtime to cool homes and businesses, Ameren-UE can release water through Bagnell Dam's turbines, quickly adding electricity to avoid having to buy power from more expensive sources. When demand falls off drastically after sunset, the utility can shut off the flow of water until the next peak in power demand.
This pattern of use causes rapid rises and drops in the river downstream from Bagnell Dam. Besides being inconvenient for hunters, anglers and recreational boaters, the rapid fluctuations contribute to erosion of stream-side agricultural fields. Changes in the water level on Lake of the Ozarks cause problems for thousands of people who have homes, sea walls and fishing and boat docks at the popular recreational destination.
Then there are fish kills. Some fish are sucked into water intakes on the lake side of Bagnell Dam and killed by the violent passage through hydroelectric turbines. Others die in the violent currents created by flood flows through the dam's spillways.
Fish and wildlife also suffered from poor water quality caused by the hydroelectric plant. Oxygen-poor water drawn from deep below the surface at the dam to turn turbines fill the river and leave aquatic life gasping for breath.
The Conservation Department brought all these concerns to the table when the Osage Hydroelectric Project's previous, 30-year license neared its February 2006 expiration date, and negotiations for the next license began.
"The people of Missouri have let Ameren-UE use the Osage River to generate electricity for profit for 70 years," said Conservation Department Assistant Director Denise Brown. "In return for that very valuable privilege, we asked for reasonable accommodations between the needs of wildlife and power generation. We succeeded to a large degree."
Brown said some of the accommodations will be made immediately. Others will take several years to develop and implement. The end result will be a better balance of benefits to Missourians, from electricity to recreation and protection of private property.
One major accommodation will be increased dissolved-oxygen levels in the river below Bagnell Dam. Ameren-UE will replace two of its existing hydroelectric turbines with more efficient ones that mix more air with water flowing out of the turbines. This will hasten the return of more healthy conditions for fish and other aquatic wildlife after power-generation runs.
Ameren-UE also agreed to double the amount of water it releases to maintain flows in the lower Osage River when it is not generating electricity. While the new minimum flow of 900 cubic feet per second still is small compared to the river's natural flow, it will make a significant difference in the amount and quality of aquatic habitat available to fish and the plants and animals - such as crayfish and insects - that fish rely on for food. Increased minimum flows also will ensure better spawning habitat and make boating more practical in the river downstream from Bagnell Dam.
Under the terms of the new license that the Conservation Department helped develop, Ameren-UE is required to develop new measures to prevent fish kills. One is placing a net in front of turbine intakes on the lake side of the dam to keep fish out.
The new license also restricts the way and the rate at which Ameren-UE can release water from Bagnell Dam to maintain a stable lake level following heavy rains. In the past, water has been released rapidly and through only a few flood gates. The water was moving so fast that it killed fish below the dam, sometimes ripping the heads off large paddlefish during their spring spawning runs. Under the new license, releases will be spread out over a longer time and will have to be channeled through more gates to reduce the violence of the flows.
In the past, rapid changes in the amount of water released after flood events have contributed to erosion by creating unnaturally rapid drops in water level downstream. Earthen banks that became saturated with water during high flows collapsed when the water receded rapidly, because of the weight of the water inside them. The new license requires Ameren-UE to change flows more gradually, allowing water to seep out of stream banks as the water recedes. Again, river boaters will benefit from less drastic water level fluctuations.
Ameren-UE accepts responsibility under the new license for improving habitat for freshwater mussels and other plants and animals that are part of a healthy stream ecosystem. The company also will take responsibility for stocking to replenish fisheries in Lake of the Ozarks and below the dam. The utility will increase water-quality monitoring and expand its analysis of erosion problems in the lower river to find ways to further reduce the impact of its operations.
"The requirement to manage lake levels similar to the past few years will result in better spawning conditions for fish," said Fisheries Programs Coordinator Bill Turner, who helped negotiate terms of the license. "It also will keep the lake level more stable. This is a really big win for tourism on Lake of the Ozarks."
-Jim Low-
Federal wetlands program lets Carroll County farmer have his cake and eat it, too
Friday, May 04, 2007
Pat Jenkins saw a 60-percent increase in crop yield when he traded flood-prone land for upland acreage, using income from the Wetland Reserve Program.
DeWITT, Mo.-Patrick Jenkins knows what it is like to farm flood-prone land. He also knows how much more profitable it can be to trade chronically wet acreage for higher ground, and he understands that some crops cannot be measured in bushels per acre.
Jenkins' farming roots run deep into Missouri history. His forebears settled near the Grand River in 1842. From his hunting cabin, he can see the cemetery where his great-grandfather is buried.
"I grew up farming," said Jenkins. "I started out on a tractor when I was 12. I've got great-nephews who are farming."
Jenkins knew from generations of experience how productive the fertile river bottoms of eastern Carroll County could be. The same depth of experience told him that farming in a river bottom is an uncertain proposition.
Part of his landholdings, a 600-acre farm along Big Creek, a tributary of the Grand River, was a good example. He grew corn and soybeans on a little more than half the land. In good years, his crop yield was 150 bushels of corn per acre. In wet years, the stream chewed away at earthen levees protecting his land. Poor internal drainage cut deeply into yields.
As much as he loved the land, he could see its problems, and he could tell a good deal when he saw one.
"I try to keep track of government programs," he said. "After the '93 flood they had the Emergency Wetland Reserve Program (EWRP). I had a tract of land along Grand River that I put in that program."
Under the federal program, Jenkins received payments for taking flood-prone land out of crop production. Three years later, he decided that a similar deal available through the regular Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) was a good idea for his river-bottom farm.
WRP is a federal Farm Bill program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It is a key part of President George W. Bush's program to ensure that the United States has no net loss of wetlands and, if possible, a 3 million-acre increase in wetlands by 2009.
WRP encourages landowners to take flood-prone acreage out of crop production voluntarily and make changes on enrolled acres to benefit wildlife. To make this affordable, the program offers cash payments for 30-year or permanent conservation easements.
Some landowners choose to sell land after selling easements that prevent future farming. That is what Jenkins did with his EWRP acreage. On his WRP land, however, he took a different approach, making use of federal matching funds to enhance his wet acres' value for wildlife.
"I love to hunt and fish, and it seemed like one of those things where you can have your cake and eat it too. I put this 600 acres in WRP and went and found another tract of land to do a 1031 exchange with. Actually, I bought a better farm to farm. I've got another farm to farm and a place to hunt and fish."
The "1031 exchange" Jenkins mentioned is a way of legally avoiding capital gains taxes on WRP payments. Instead of accepting cash for his WRP easement, he rolled the money over into a new farm on higher ground.
The new farm has proved to be good trade. Whereas Jenkins' WRP acres never produced more than 150 bushels of corn per acre, he harvested 240 bushels of corn per acre on the new land in 2004, a 60 percent increase in productivity.
"The economics of purchasing uplands with money from WRP easement on floodplain ground secured Mr. Jenkins' ability to farm," said Missouri Department of Conservation Private Land Program Supervisor Bill White. "He still owns and manages the restored wetlands on his original ground."
Jenkins used federal matching funds to install levees on his wettest land, creating two permanent 40-acre marshes. Stop-log water-control structures allow him to hold water at different levels on up to 300 acres. He also planted trees on 37 upland acres.
"I kind of have a mini Grand Pass." He says proudly, referring to one of Missouri's top public waterfowl hunting areas. "I have five main pools and I can run water any direction in them."
Jenkins' marshes attract large numbers of waterfowl. Last year he and famed wildlife photographer and outdoors writer Judd Cooney shot 130 snow geese on the area in one day during the federal conservation order. The conservation order is intended to allow hunters to reduce the North American snow goose population, which is so large it is damaging their habitat.
Best of all, Jenkins gets to see wildlife on the area throughout the year.
"You can only eat so many ducks," he said. "Watching them is as much fun as hunting. I get a lot of waterfowl on the area in the spring, too."
Landowners have voluntarily enrolled more than 2.1 million acres in WRP. Missouri landowners have enrolled 790 tracts totaling 116,839 acres and received $147.6 million in return.
To learn more about WRP, contact local US Department of Agriculture service center or visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/WRP/.
-Jim Low-
Trail adopters make a difference for outdoor recreation
Friday, May 04, 2007
Maintaining hundreds of miles of trails on conservation areas would be nearly impossible without citizen involvement.
STOCKTON, Mo.-Dave Talley loves trail riding. For him, nothing can match the intimate contact with nature he experiences touring wild areas atop a horse. That is why he worked up a sweat with a hand saw at Stockton Lake in March.
Talley and other members of the Heart of the Ozarks Chapter, Show-Me Missouri Back Country Horsemen have adopted the 14-mile Hulston Mill Trail. The hike/bike/horse trail is part of a trail network the Missouri Department of Conservation administers around Stockton Lake. They are part of the agency's Adopt-A-Trail Program.
Normally, trail maintenance involves picking up litter and trimming trees and bushes periodically to keep the trail open. The March cleanup was a horse of a different color.
"The ice storm in January was worse than anything we have ever had since they started keeping weather records," said Talley. "Trees were just smashed to the ground. We put in 125 hours of work in one weekend. Our group and other chapters got all the trails back open."
Talley trail maintenance is a labor of love for him and other Stockton trail users - including hikers.
"We trail ride out in these wilderness areas, and our main concern is keeping them and taking care of them so we can enjoy that type of recreation. The Adopt-A-Trail Program is the perfect way to do that."
The Ozark Chapter's first project was to clean up the Hulston Mill Trail. The first time out, they gathered more than a pickup load of trash. After that, they picked up whatever new litter they found on periodic rides. Apparently people using the trails felt differently about dropping litter where there was none. Each time, the horsemen and women found less to pick up.
"Now it's a busy weekend if we get two trash bags full," said Talley.
The Ozark Chapter also keeps an eye out for trail conditions that require equipment to fix and for damage to facilities or signs that need replacing. They report these to the Conservation Department for action.
"We trim trees and pick up trash two or three times a year on an organized basis." said Talley. "It's mostly just routine maintenance - cutting branches that grow over the trail and picking up gum wrappers."
He said most of the people in his chapter are 40 or older. In their youth, it was easy to find places to ride along little-used country roads. Most roads are paved now and far too busy for safe riding. The number of suitable trail-riding routes is dwindling.
"Having public areas where we can ride is really a blessing. You get to see things riding horses that you would never see any other way. Wildlife isn't nearly as flighty when you are on horseback as they are if you are on foot.
"We know that in working on these trails, we are going to be able to keep enjoying the wilderness. As a trail rider, you love the horses, and you love having natural areas to ride in. We want to pass that on. We want future generations to be able to enjoy what we have enjoyed."
The Conservation Department has more than 800 miles of trail on 148 areas - more than the agency's staff can keep up with. The Adopt-A-Trail Program gives nature lovers a way of helping maintain their favorite trails and an excuse to visit them several times a year.
Trail adopters include families, Boy and Girl Scout troops, hiking clubs and other organizations with an interest in the outdoors or a strong connection to a particular area.
Volunteers monitor, maintain trails and trailhead facilities. Common work projects include clearing loose rocks, sticks and branches that accumulate on trail surfaces, cutting back limbs and brush, cleaning water bars and drainage ditches, clearing debris from bridges, stairs and viewing decks and picking up trash.
To adopt a trail on your favorite conservation area, contact Conservation Department Recreation Specialist Teresa Kight, (573) 522-4115, ext. 3636, Teresa.Kight@mdc.mo.gov.
-Jim Low-
