July 2004
Purple martins break all the rules in Sedalia
Friday, July 30, 2004
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| John Witte's small-engine repair shop in the middle of Sedalia is home to hundreds of purple martins each summer. Here he returns a freshly-cleaned nest container to its perch. It contains this year's last clutch of three late-fledging chicks. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY--John Witte dips his hand down into a gourd-shaped plastic container and comes up with a squawking, partially feathered bird whose beak still looks a little too big for its head. Dropping it into a cardboard box, he reaches for another, then a third.
"See there," he says, pointing at a mass of twigs and leaves in the now-empty nest container. "It's full of mites. I'll put them in a new gourd with clean cedar shavings. Otherwise the mites could get so bad it would kill the birds."
Witte, 62, hoists the fledglings in their new, parasite-free container, back up to their proper place 10 feet off the ground. On a nearby power line, two adult purple martins sit shoulder to shoulder, watching with apparent unconcern as Witte completes the process. Meanwhile, on every side,the city of Sedalia goes about its daily business.
Witte has accomplished what purple martin books and experts say is unlikely if not impossible. He has attracted hundreds of the birds to a 40- by 50-foot lot in the middle of a town of 20,000.
The lot on Magnolia Street is the location of Witte's small-engine repair shop. Seeing the modest patch of grass behind the shop, you might question his judgment. Seeing the birds, you have to admire his perseverance.
Witte's sister, who has been housing martins for years, got him interested. But when he read up on the insect eating birds' needs, it was clear his lot wasn't a good fit.
Instead of being in a large, open area, as experts recommended, Witte's lot was hemmed in by trees, streets and power lines. Starlings and house sparrows--natural enemies of martins, abounded. Nevertheless, he put out his first nest box, a metal 12-plex, in 1995. To coax birds in, he bought a recording of martin calls and played it through a loudspeaker all day long.
Three years went by with no sign of martins. He dutifully removed sparrow and starling nests as soon as they appeared, keeping his martin apartments ready for tenants. Then, one March day in 1999 he looked out his back door and saw a few pairs of martins checking out the digs.
"I got excited 'cause I had wanted them for so long," he recalls. "I don't know how many times I'd go to that door to see if they would stay. There's a lot of noise in this neighborhood, and I was afraid they would go somewhere else."
They didn't. Every year, a few more martins--perhaps the previous year's fledglings--have joined the colony. Today, Witte has five martin houses with a total of 96 compartments. This year 175 martins hatched, boosting the colony's size over 400.
Playing host to that many birds runs into work. Rousting out starlings--which kill young martins when they get the chance--takes time and energy. Then there's housekeeping.
"You have to take the young ones out and replace the nest material, or mites get them. I put sulfur powder in the floor of each compartment before the birds arrive to keep the mites down. Before I put cedar shavings in, I clean it out and use rubbing alcohol to kill any mites that are left."
Handling the chicks periodically allows him to keep detailed records on how many martins fledge and when. He records the information on data sheets, which he sends to a national clearinghouse each year, advancing scientific knowledge about martins.
More important for Witte, it makes him part of the birds' lives. He knows when the first birds hatch, when they fledge and when they leave each year. He is working on getting a federal permit to band birds, which would allow him to track the birds from generation to generation.
Witte still has his original metal martin house, plus two wooden, 14-compartment houses he built, a hexagonal plastic house with six holes and dozens of artificial gourd nests. The white plastic gourds are his favorite because they are lightweight, keep the growing birds cool, and are a breeze to take down and clean.
"About as soon as I get another house up I'm going to have all I can handle, keeping them clean the way I want them."
His advice to would-be martin landlords is to keep trying. Just last year, in an effort to make his property more attractive to his growing colony, he cut down a large hackberry tree. He also gets hundreds of chicken egg shells from a local restaurant each year, dries them in his kitchen oven to kill Salmonella bacteria, and puts the crunched-up shells in a feeder beneath his nest boxes. This calcium supplement ensures strong, healthy martin eggs.
Witte learned the ins and outs of attracting and caring for purple martins from The Purple Martin Update, a magazine published by the Purple Martin Conservation Association of Edinboro, Pa. For more information about the magazine, call 814/734-4420.
You also can learn more about at www.purplemartin.org or www.purplemartins.com.
- Jim Low -
A year in the life of John Witte's purple martins
Friday, July 30, 2004
SEDALIA, Mo.--John Witte, owner of John's Small Engines Sales and Service in Sedalia, beat the odds when he convinced a few purple martins to occupy nest boxes at his business on Magnolia Street in 1999. Since then, the colony has grown steadily. For six years, he has kept careful records on their arrival, nest building and departure. Here is a brief summary of the annual cycle.
• March 1-15--The first purple martin scouts arrive to check out nest boxes and await the arrival of females.
• April--Martin pairs furnish their separate compartments with twigs, grass, strips of bark and other nest materials. Green leaves are the last "furniture," indicating egg-laying is about to begin. Females lay one to seven speckled, 1-inch eggs one day apart. Incubation begins before the last egg is laid.
• Mid-April through May--Eggs hatch 16 days after incubation begins. All the eggs in a clutch hatch within 48 hours of each other.
• Mid-May through June--Martin pairs work tirelessly catching dragonflies, butterflies and other insects to feed to their babies.
• July--Young martins begin taking their first flights. Those that fledge earliest continue to use trees and power lines around Witte's workshop as home base while the colony continues to grow. They return to Witte's shop to spend the night after each day's foraging.
• August--Early in the month, the martins start the long trip to their winter home in South America. One day they are there, says Witte, the next day they are gone. By September, they have left North America.
• January--The martins begin their northward migration again. They filter into Missouri over the space of two months, beginning in March.
- Jim Low -
State fair includes conservation adventures
Friday, July 30, 2004
Step back in time with Lewis and Clark or explore your crafty side.
SEDALIA, Mo.-State fair goers with a taste for outdoor adventures won't want to miss the Missouri Department of Conservation's 2004 offerings. From Lewis and Clark living history to hands-on nature experience, the Conservation Department pavilion at the south end of the fairgrounds has something for every outdoor enthusiast.
The state fair runs Aug. 12 through 22 in Sedalia. The Conservation Department will have an authentic dugout like those used by the Corps of Discovery staffed by living historians with period dress and equipment. A diorama depicting a Corps of Discovery campsite--complete with replica tent, taxidermy mounts and plants--also will help fair visitors learn how Lewis and Clark's men and Sacagawea lived during their 28-month journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back.
Anglers will want to catch one of the fishing demonstrations at the Conservation Department's mobile fish aquarium. These will take place at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. daily. The demonstrations provide a unique opportunity to see how baits simulate the movement of prey to attract fish. A wide array of fish native to Missouri will be on display in other aquariums, too.
If you are more interested in land animals, check out the live displays of birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. And if your taste runs more toward wildflowers, you will want to visit an all-new glade garden showcasing beautiful native plants.
Conservation Department Public Relations Specialist Ralph Duren will take fairgoers on an audio tour of outdoor Missouri with his astonishing wildlife calling ability at noon and 3 p.m. Aug. 12 through 18.
From 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day, fairgoers can escape the summer heat in the air-conditioned Conservation for Kids room. There they can enjoy a host of hands-on exhibits, including a wildlife track-making table and animal furs, forest, prairie and cave exhibits and craft activities. Take time to say hello to Smokey Bear while you're there, too.
As always, Conservation Department experts on plants and animals, hunting, fishing and wildlife management will be available to answer questions. Conservation Agents will be there to field questions about hunting, fishing and trapping regulations, including changes in deer hunting rules.
- Jim Low -
Citizens help save conservation dollars
Friday, July 23, 2004
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| Littering is one of the most common forms of vandalism on areas managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Money spent repairing damage on hundreds of areas comes out of tax money intended for fish, wildlife and recreation. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY--The contractor who dumped more than five tons of roofing waste at Hungry Mother Conservation Area in Howard County might not have thought he was committing a serious crime. He also probably didn't expect an angry citizen to turn him in to the Missouri Department of Conservation, but someone did. The misbehavior cost him 10 days in jail and $742 in cleanup costs.
Conservation Agent Shawn Gruber had lots of help with the case. Local news media publicized the story of outrageous littering. This prompted an anonymous tip to Fayette police. When Gruber followed up the lead, he found a man whose fingerprints matched those on the roofing refuse. The tipster chose not to seek a reward for his help.
Conservation Department Director John Hoskins says citizens have an important role to play in stopping the damage and the financial drain that littering and other forms of vandalism create on conservation programs.
"The amount of money and staff time spent picking up trash and repairing damaged property each year is staggering," said Hoskins. "It is very difficult to put an exact dollar figure on it, because it takes so many forms."
Hoskins said few people appreciate the scale of the problem. Littering seems like a minor problem unless you take into account that the Conservation Department manages more than 900,000 acres statewide. Similarly, destruction of the Conservation Department's trademark wooden cantilever signs by gunshot, fire and vehicles might be only an annoyance if the Conservation Department didn't have to maintain signs on more than 900 areas.
Other leading forms of vandalism include:
•Printing graffiti on buildings.
•Stealing signs and other property.
•Driving in areas that are off-limits to vehicles.
•Cutting locks or breaking gates.
•Destroying trash containers.
Particularly puzzling to conservation officials is destruction of restroom facilities. Even seemingly indestructible concrete privies have been destroyed with explosives or other extreme methods.
Conservation officials say they plan to crack down on wanton destruction in several ways. One is employing hidden security cameras to catch vandals in the act. This tactic already is in use at some perennial problem areas.
The most powerful technique for catching vandals is to involve citizens who don't appreciate having their facilities wrecked and their outdoor recreation spots trashed.
"The number of people who visit conservation areas every day dwarfs our field staff," said Hoskins. "If all those people keep their eyes open and report vandalism when they see it, we can put vandals out of business."
The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation has a toll-free hotline where people can report vandalism. Cash rewards of up to $500 are available for tips that lead to convictions. Reports can be made by calling 800/227-1488 or any Conservation Department office.
-Jim Low-
Vandalism case history: One year, two counties
Friday, July 23, 2004
AVA, Mo.--The Missouri Department of Conservation deals with hundreds of cases of littering and vandalism each year. The cost in taxpayer money is enormous. Consider the list of vandalistic acts and Conservation Department responses from just two of Missouri's 114 counties (Douglas and Ozark) during the past fiscal year.
•Repaired barricade at Twin Knobs Tower.
•Repaired sign at Vera Cruz Access.
•Welcome sign at Cook Access destroyed.
•Repaired damage to grass at Rippee CA.
•Vandals tore up grass at Rippee CA again.
•Vandals ripped out and destroyed natural area sign, mashed and burned a trash barrel and picnic seat at Rippee C.A.
•Dumpster at Patrick Bridge Access filled with appliances, tires, etc.
•Lock broken off gate at Timber Knob Towersite (third time).
•Twin Knobs Tower gate broken into again.
•Grass at Rippee CA destroyed again.
•Trash barrel shot up at Hebron Access.
•Dumpster at Patrick Bridge Access filled with household trash again.
•Six lantern posts on camp sites at Patrick Bridge Access burned.
•Fixed barricade where people had been disposing of dead dogs near parking lot at Shannon Ranch CA.
•Replaced stolen sign at Rippee CA.
•Very large wedding party left Rippee CA littered with bottles and other trash and destroyed a fire ring.
•Doors on Hebron Access restrooms damaged beyond repair.
•Large rocks placed around parking lot at Vera Cruz Access to keep vehicles on pavement.
•Repair sign again at Vera Cruz Access.
•Signs uprooted and broken and firearms damage to equipment at Grundy Memorial CA.
•Replace vandalized signs at Grundy Memorial CA.
•Rocks removed from perimeter of Vera Cruz CA.
Time and money the Conservation Department spends dealing with vandalism and litter come out of resources that could be spent creating fish and wildlife habitat, providing recreation facilities and catching poachers. Citizens can reduce this waste by reporting vandalism to the nearest Conservation Department office or calling 800/227-1488.
-Jim Low-
Surplus property to be sold Aug. 14 in Brookfield
Friday, July 23, 2004
Jeeps, pickups, boats, motors, copiers and office equipment are just a few of the items to be sold at the Conservation Department surplus property auction.
BROOKFIELD, Mo.--Dozens of outboard motors, boats, pickup trucks and other equipment will go on the auction block at the Missouri Department of Conservation's surplus property auction in Brookfield Aug. 14.
The Brookfield auction will start at 10 a.m. at the Conservation Department office at 115 Pershing Road. On sale will be:
•Cameras and lenses
•Tape and video recorders
•Office furniture and equipment
•Cell phones and radios
•Generators
•Shop equipment
•Chainsaws, lawn mowers and other power tools
•Water pumps and air compressors
•John boats, motors and trailers
•Tractors and farm implements
•A motor grader and a bulldozer
•Trucks, SUVs, sedans and camper shells
•Flatbed, ATV and utility trailers
Auction items will be on display from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Aug. 13 and starting at 8 a.m. Aug. 14. A complete list of sale items and terms of sales are available at the registration desk the day of the sale.
All property must be paid for on the day of the sale and before removal. The Conservation Department accepts cash, MasterCard or Visa credit cards or personal checks with proper identification.
The Conservation Department plans another auction Oct. 16 in Salem. For lists of sale items, call the Conservation Department General Services Division at 573/522- 4115, ext 3279 or 3283.
-Jim Low-
Camping gear sweetens deal for Lewis and Clark journalists
Friday, July 23, 2004
One lucky family will win a set of camping equipment from Bass Pro Shops and Coleman Co. in the Conservation Department's journaling project.
JEFFERSON CITY--Two outdoor-recreation giants have donated camping equipment as an incentive for Missourians to step into the moccasins of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Bass Pro Shops of Springfield, Mo., and Coleman Company of Wichita, Kan., donated the goods to encourage Missourians to take part in the Missouri Department of Conservation's "Journaling with Lewis and Clark" program. The program leads participants on a journey of discovery to eight Conservation Department interpretive facilities scattered around the state.
At the first area they visit, participants get a blank journal. As they make the rounds of the eight sites, they record information about different animals and get the appropriate journal page stamped at each site. They also receive a distinctive enamel lapel pin for that site.
Lewis and Clark journalists who visit all eight sites are entered in a drawing for the camping equipment. The winner will receive a four-person dome tent, two sleeping bags and two camp pillows from Bass Pro Shops and a two-burner camp stove, a 50-quart cooler and a camp lantern from Coleman. Three runners-up will receive two-burner Coleman stoves.
To get started, all you need to do is visit one of the eight sites and ask for program materials. The sites are Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center (CNC) in Blue Springs, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area (CA) in St. Louis County, The Discovery Center Urban Conservation Campus in Kansas City, Lost Valley Fish Hatchery near Warsaw, Powder Valley CNC in Kirkwood, Runge CNC in Jefferson City, Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center in Branson and the Springfield CNC in Springfield.
- Jim Low -
Teal season set for Sept. 11-19
Friday, July 16, 2004
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| Missouri's early teal season has been set for Sept. 11 through 19. The brief season offers waterfowl hunters a chance to hunt the fast-flying little birds in shirtsleeve weather. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY--A dip in numbers of blue-winged teal has pared Missouri's early teal season by seven days, leaving hunters with a little more than a week to pursue the speedy little ducks.
Teal season runs from Sept. 11 through 19 statewide. The daily limit remains four, with a possession limit of eight. Shooting hours are from sunrise to sunset.
Blue-winged and green-winged teal are smaller than most other ducks. Because the blue-winged variety begins fall migration months earlier than larger ducks, the early season is hunters' main opportunity to bag them.
Their fast, erratic flight makes blue-winged teal challenging game birds. However, other characteristics make teal hunting a favorite activity of many waterfowl hunters.
For one thing, teal arrive in Missouri before cold weather. This eliminates the need for expensive insulated parkas, thermal underwear and bulky chest waders. Oftentimes, teal hunters wear short-sleeved shirts and sneakers.
Also, teal are easy to attract. While hunters might use 200 or more decoys to draw in mallards later in the season, six to 12 decoys is plenty for teal. And teal are less wary than other ducks. It is not uncommon for them to approach while hunters are in plain sight. That means no work camouflaging boats and constructing elaborate blinds. You can just stand quietly beside a willow sapling or lie down on a sand bar under a tarp.
The little ducks visit ponds, lakes, creeks and rivers throughout the state. Teal hunters can stop at local wet spots to hunt before or after work.
The Missouri Conservation Commission approved dates for teal season in June. However, the approval was contingent on final approval by federal officials. That final approval was, in turn, dependent on the outcome of annual surveys of game bird populations, particularly teal.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has population-based standards for determining the length of the early teal season each year. If the population index for blue-winged teal is at least 4.7 million, the season is 16 days long. Season length decreases to nine days if the blue-winged teal population index is between 3.3 and 4.7 million. A population index of fewer than 3.3 million results in closure of the early teal season.
Last year's teal season ran 16 days, as it has in four of the past 10 years. This year, the surveys showed North American teal numbers of barely over 4 million, triggering the shorter season.
- Jim Low -
Managed deer hunt applications now open
Friday, July 16, 2004
Applying is as easy as making a toll-free call or going online.
JEFFERSON CITY--It's time for Missouri deer hunters to apply for managed hunts, and the Missouri Department of Conservation makes the process easy. All you need is a telephone or an Internet-connected computer.
From July 1 through Aug. 15, hunters can apply for one of Missouri's 73 managed deer hunts by calling 800/829-2956. The service is available from 4 a.m. until midnight seven days a week. Telephone applications are easy with the Conservation Department's interactive voice response (IVR) system. To apply by phone you need a touch-tone telephone and your conservation identification number.
The other option is to log onto www.missouriconservation.org/hunt/deer and select "managed deer hunt information."
All applications received by the Aug. 15 deadline receive the same consideration. Successful applicants receive notices of their selection by mail. Hunters can check the status of their applications on the IVR system or the Conservation Department Web page after Sept. 11.
Only a Resident or Nonresident Managed Deer Hunting Permit is valid at a managed deer hunt. The number of deer that may be taken with a single permit depends on the hunt. In some, up to three deer may be taken, and in one hunt, four deer are allowed.
Full details about the hunts and applications are contained in the 2004 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Information booklet, which is available from permit vendors statewide. The same information is available online at www.missouriconservation.org.”
- Jim Low -
LEWIS AND CLARK QUIZ
Friday, July 16, 2004
When did the Corps of Discovery leave Missouri on their way to the West Coast, and when did they return to the Show-Me State?
Answer: They crossed what is now the Missouri-Iowa state line July 18, 1804. They returned more than two years later, Sept. 9, 1806. They reached St. Louis Sept. 23, 1806.
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Special hunt offers disabled hunters a shot at doves
Friday, July 09, 2004
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| Hunters with mobility impairments are invited to take part in a dove hunt specially tailored to their needs. The hunt is set for Sept. 3 at Ten Mile Pond Conservation Area in Mississippi County. Cosponsors of the event are the Missouri Department of Conservation and the National Wild Turkey Federation. For more information, call Larry Neal, 573/334-8881, or Tim Hendershott, 573/335-9350. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
EAST PRAIRIE, Mo.-- Hunters with mobility impairments will get a special shot at dove hunting at Ten Mile Pond Conservation Area. The Conservation Department and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) are sponsoring a special event for hunters with disabilities Sept. 3 at the conservation area in Mississippi County. This is the second day of dove season, so odds are good the hunting will be excellent.
The Conservation Department will provide hunting areas for the exclusive use of hunters who have reservations for the event. NWTF volunteers will serve as guides, helping hunters get to and from the field and retrieving downed birds.
Participants will need to arrive at Ten Mile Pond CA headquarters at 5:30 a.m. and must leave the fields by 1 p.m. They must have small-game and migratory bird hunting permits and hunter education certification cards. For reservations, call Larry Neal, 573/334-8881, or Tim Hendershott, 573/335-9350.
- Jim Low -
Young wildlife best left in the wild
Friday, July 09, 2004
Survival of fawns and other young animals is best in their natural homes.
JEFFERSON CITY--Each year, dozens Missourians find fawns without their mothers nearby and decide the young deer have been abandoned. Believing they are performing a good deed, they bundle the adorable, spotted animals off to the nearest Missouri Department of Conservation office. It’s a scene that’s as tragic as it is common.
Conservation Department officials say wild animals almost always are better off in the wild than in captivity. For adopted fawns, the next stop is a private wildlife rehabilitation facility, where the deer are hand-fed until they are mature enough to be released back into the wild. Few of those deer survive the transition from captivity to living free.
Fawns adopted by humans lose the chance to learn survival skills from their mothers. They learn what to eat and where to find it, what to be afraid of and how to avoid predators from their mother's examples. Fawns raised in artificial settings have to learn on their own.
This is unfortunate, because in most cases it is unnecessary. Most whitetail fawns brought to Conservation Department offices were not deserted. Their mothers simply were not visible when well-meaning humans happened along.
The confusion occurs because people expect deer to act like humans. Human mothers don't leave their babies alone in clumps of grass, so people assume when they find a fawn alone that it has been abandoned. They don't realize that what is good for human babies is not necessarily good for wild ones. Does visit their fawns only long enough to nurse them. By staying away the rest of the time, they avoid drawing predators' attention to their young.
People who take fawns out of the wild often do so within sight or earshot of their mothers. The good news is that the mistake can be corrected. Contrary to popular belief, deer and other wildlife won't desert their young just because they have human scent on them. Chances are good that a doe will find her fawn if it is returned to the area where it was picked up, even if it has been gone for a day or two.
Conservation Department offices statewide receive hundreds of calls each spring and summer from people who find young birds, raccoons, opossums and a variety of other wildlife that they believe have been abandoned. In most cases nothing is wrong, and human intervention is inappropriate. Birds often grow too large for their nests before they are able to fly. They fall or jump out, and parents continue to bring food for them on the ground.
"Rescuing" a young animal from this situation is likely to result in its death.
Most people aren't equipped to supply young animals' dietary needs. If a child brings home a baby bird or rabbit, return the animal as quickly as possible to the place where it was found. If you have a flightless bird in your back yard, keep your pets indoors for a few days. The parent birds will continue to care for the little one until it can fly.
Some young deer, birds, rabbits and squirrels do die, victims of predators, inclement weather or just bad luck. But Conservation Department biologists say that' how nature works. Predators need food to survive, and nature produces many more baby animals than needed to sustain wildlife populations. Death, they say, is a necessary part of life in the wild.
- Jim Low -
LEWIS AND CLARK QUIZ
Friday, July 09, 2004
Question: What was Pvt. Alexander Willard found guilty of by a court martial, and what was his punishment?
Answer: Lying down and sleeping while on guard duty the night of July 11, 1804, near the site of present-day Big Lake State Park. He received 25 lashes on each of four consecutive nights.
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Teamwork the key to Cass County quail success
Friday, July 02, 2004
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| Tom Lampe, chairman of the Cass County Chapter of Quail Unlimited, has made a crusade of improving quail habitat. The group's strategies could be a blueprint for quail restoration anywhere. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
HARRISONVILLE, Mo.--People in Cass County are hearing the once-familiar cry "Bob White!" more often these days. It isn't Mrs. White calling her wayward son, but bobwhite quail declaring their return to places where they have been scarce or absent since the 1970s.
It is a sweet sound to hunters. It also is encouraging to nature lovers who know that many other birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians thrive in the places favored by bobwhites.
To whom do Cass Countians owe this good news? Lots of people.
One of those others is Tom Lampe, chairman of the Cass County Chapter of Quail Unlimited. The retired mechanical engineer has hunted quail for 50 years. He took an interest in managing the birds on his 500-acre farm about 15 years ago. When he retired in 1994, he got active in local efforts to bring back bobwhites, whose numbers have been dwindling for more than three decades. In the last 10 years, Lampe has turned himself into a quail management expert.
Earlier this year, he took a driving tour of his home area with a professional quail expert, Quail Unlimited (QU) Great Plains Regional Director Jef Hodges. Cruising gravel and blacktop roads in Hodges' pickup, Lampe offered a running commentary on the quail management successes and missed opportunities of various landowners around Harrisonville. This farm routinely harbored 10 coveys in years gone by but now has only one or two. That spread had only two coveys three years ago, but last year it had eight.
Lampe's on-the-ground knowledge of quail management is more than just book-learning. He has applied his knuckles to doors seeking partnerships with landowners, and he has invested more than a little boot leather helping quail conservation partners figure out how quail can be part of their lives again.
By all accounts, he and his fellow QU chapter members have made a stunning success of the endeavor. In 2002 they won first place in QU's National Habitat Award program. Their work, along with the efforts of Missouri's other 22 QU chapters, have made the Show Me State second in the nation in planting seed for quail habitat.
In recent years, the Cass County Chapter has invested $58,000 in 73 quail habitat projects. Smart planning has allowed them to parlay that work on a relatively small amount of land into quail benefits on an estimated 7,000 acres.
Part of their success has been based on grassroots organizing and fundraising. QU chapters get to keep 60 percent of the money they raise. The national organization offers advice about how to spend the money for maximum quail benefits, but the dedicated volunteers who raised the cash get to decide how most of the money is spent.
Members of the Cass County QU Chapter receive help from several sources. The Missouri Department of Conservation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts offer financial and technical assistance to landowners who want to improve their land for quail and other wildlife. Chevrolet supports quail conservation by donating 4X4 Chevrolet Silverado trucks for QU's field staff. But the greatest challenges of quail management are philosophical, not material.
Quail thrive in landscapes that have a patchwork of crops, grass land and forest divided by wide, brushy edges. That is exactly the situation created by farming methods 30 to 40 years ago, the bobwhite quail's golden age.
Gradually, things changed, though. Mechanization led to larger fields with fewer fence rows. "Clean" farming methods encouraged farmers to plow right up to the edges of fences and wooded tracts. Natural gas and electricity replaced firewood as a source of home heating, and steel fence posts replaced wooden ones. When farmers quit cutting trees around the edges of woodlots, those edges grew up in forest, and quail lost the brushy borders where they once found shelter from snowstorms and places to escape predators.
Another change is the type of plants used for livestock forage. In the heyday of quail abundance, cattle grazed on a mix of native warm-season grasses and legumes. Big and little bluestem, Indian grass, switchgrass, timothy, clover and lespedeza provided both food and shelter for quail and other small animals. Today, cool-season grasses have largely replaced the historic diversity of Missouri pastures. They offer almost no food for wildlife, and their dense turf is impenetrable to quail.
"The change was so gradual that people didn't notice it," said Hodges. "In fact, people tell us over and over that nothing has changed, but it really has, and it really hit quail hard."
Because nine-tenths of Missouri's land is privately owned, the battle to bring back bobwhite quail will be won or lost on private land. Lampe said the success of Cass County's program been has due to "getting out there and talking to landowners and selling the program. You can't sit in your office and wait for them to come to you."
"Our cooperators fall into two categories," said Nick Prough, a private land conservationist with the Conservation Department. "One group is production farmers, who have to make a living from their land. The other is hobby farmers--people with 40 or 80 acres who might do some farming, but who buy land mainly for wildlife. The two groups' goals and needs are very different."
Prough said production farmers have to be convinced that making changes for quail won't hurt their bottom line. Hobby farmers may be less concerned about commercial profitability, but lack equipment to carry out their management goals. Both groups sometimes need advice and financial help to make their wildlife goals affordable.
One of the keys to getting quail back is realizing that some of the habits of "clean" farming--such as burning brush piles and keeping weedy fence rows mowed--work against wildlife. And since normal farm operations no longer include cutting firewood and fence posts, successful quail management has to mimic the effects of these activities. Examples include cutting trees and letting them lie along wooded borders and enrolling 50- to 70-foot strips around fields in the Conservation Reserve Program so they aren't plowed up or grazed every year.
The most productive strategy in Cass County QU's tremendous success has been fencerow renovation. This approach addresses one of the biggest negative factors in quail decline in recent years--lack of good escape cover. When brushy fence rows grow up in trees, their quail value vanishes. Renovation means setting back plant succession by "chop and drop" treatment of trees. The Conservation Department and QU help offset the cost of using contractors who have access to tree clippers which clip off trees as large as 10 inches and lay them down along field borders.
Another important strategy has been to make planting native, warm-season grasses practical for landowners. Native grass seeds are fuzzy, which can cause problems in planting. Few landowners can afford to buy special equipment just to sow small plots of native plants, so Lampe's QU chapter bought three special seed drills, which it lends out.
Equipment loans and cash incentives have been instrumental in convincing Cass County landowners to adopt quail-friendly management practices. In all, Lampe's QU chapter has renovated 12.5 miles of fence row and planted hundreds of acres with seeds to benefit quail. By supplying habitat elements that were missing in otherwise good quail areas, they have created a quail haven on 7,000 acres of farm land with work on a fraction of that acreage. And since these border areas were not in agricultural production to begin with, renovation doesn't cause any loss of crop or forage yield.
"We're still not back to what it was in the '70s, but we are making progress. Our biggest challenges are lack of interest and lack of awareness."
Lampe said another key to the Cass County success story is having the right person to point landowners in the right direction. Conservation Department Private Land Conservationist Nick Prough is the right person for Cass county. "When he came on board a couple of years ago things really kicked into high gear," Lampe said.
"Partnerships are why we have been able to do as much as we have. Money from QU and landowners, plus state and federal programs is a powerful combination."
To learn more about bringing quail back to your land, and programs to help with the effort, contact Jef Hodges at 660/885-7057, bobwhite@iland.net.
- Jim Low -
Missouri leads the way in stopping poaching
Friday, July 02, 2004
The Missouri Department of Conservation's Protection Division administrator chairs an 18-state organization dedicated to stopping poaching.
JEFFERSON CITY–Missouri hunting, fishing and trapping permit suspensions carry a lot more weight these days thanks to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. The compact is coalition of 18 state wildlife agencies created to help enforce restrictions placed on people who break wildlife laws.
The organization, currently chaired by the Missouri Department of Conservation, makes poaching too costly to take a chance of getting caught doing something wrong.
Members of the compact are Missouri, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. South Dakota is scheduled to join the organization in September. Compact states honor other member states' hunting or fishing privilege revocations. If you get your hunting privileges suspended in Missouri, you can forget your Colorado elk hunt. Run afoul of Wyoming fishing authorities, and you can hang up your fly rod in Missouri for the duration.
When the compact was established in 1989, only a handful of states belonged. The number of member states and the impact of the organization have gradually increased. For example, in 1998 suspensions totaled just 86. The next year, the number jumped to 837. Last year, 1,873 people lost their ability to hunt or fish in the 18 Compact member states. Altogether, 3,726 people have had suspensions under the agreement.
The compact wasn't set up to penalize people who commit minor, one-time violations like keeping a fish that's half an inch too short or unintentionally killing one too many pintails. In Missouri, you have to commit multiple violations or do something serious enough for your case to be referred to the Conservation Commission for action.
The Interstate Violator Compact actually works in favor of many hunters and anglers who commit lesser violations. Before the Compact was organized, member states had trouble collecting fines from nonresidents. To ensure compliance with court instructions, officers often were required to have a nonresident post a bond or appear in court before leaving the state where a violation occurred. Now violators from compact states often are spared this inconvenience; officers can issue simple citations, confident that if violators don't do what's right, they will find themselves unable to hunt or fish in their home states.
Compact states have ultimate discretion in observing other states' suspensions. Although it is in each state's interest to honor most suspensions, they can evaluate the merit of every suspension and choose which to honor. Missouri's Conservation Commission has done this in some instances, such as when the act causing the suspension is beyond its scope.
"We feel like the wildlife violator compact is an excellent program," said Missouri Protection Division Administrator Dennis Steward. "It prevents chronic offenders and those who commit outrageous wildlife crimes from escaping the consequences of their actions by crossing state lines. We believe its serves as a real deterrent to violations, and our primary goal is to encourage better behavior by would-be violators."
LEWIS AND CLARK QUIZ
Friday, July 02, 2004
Question: Near what Missouri state park did the Corps of Discovery camp on July 3, 1804?
Answer: Lewis and Clark State Park in Buchanan County. The campsite is believed to have been on or very near what is now Little Bean Marsh Conservation Area.
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