July 2005
Claws: The Amphibian Menace
Friday, July 29, 2005
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| The African clawed frog is one of many exotic plants and animals that could damage Missouri’s ecology if it becomes established here. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-A voracious predator could be at large in Missouri, devouring everything in its path. It has slimy, blotchy brown skin, lidless eyes, and powerful hind legs equipped with wicked claws. So, why aren't Missourians fleeing in terror?
Maybe because the creature in question - the African clawed frog - is only 4 inches long. Size aside, however, this is a dangerous animal. Jeff Briggler, a herpetologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, says the little frogs could do big damage to wildlife here unless Missourians keep them where they belong-in captivity.
The frog, whose scientific moniker is Xenopus laevis, is native to the cooler regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Their first large-scale importation into the United States occurred in the 1940s and 1950s, when they were used in human pregnancy tests. When better laboratory techniques came along, scientists and pet dealers took advantage of the frogs' hardy versatility. They reproduce readily in captivity, survive well as household pets, and make good subjects for scientific experiments. In recent years, they have become popular live scientific specimens for schools.
All that would not be a problem if their owners didn't occasionally decide to free the adaptable critters. African clawed frogs can tolerate a wide range of water conditions. They burrow into mud to survive cold winters, and they can stay there for over a year to escape drought or other unfavorable conditions. Predators tend to shy away from the unassuming frogs on account of toxins in their skin. No wonder they live up to 15 years in the wild.
During that long life, females produce as many as 2,000 eggs per spawning session. They can spawn several times a year. This alone would be a concern, but on top of threatening to crowd out native animals by sheer numbers, African clawed frogs will eat anything they can cram into their capacious mouths, including other amphibians.
Oh, and they carry diseases for which native North American amphibians have no resistance. The African frogs have been blamed for mass die-offs of leopard frogs in Arizona and Colorado and tiger salamanders in North Dakota, Maine, Utah and Canada. They are believed to have been responsible for the extinction of two native frog species in Australia.
Where they have gotten loose, efforts to eradicate African clawed frogs have failed. Missouri is not among the 11 states where they are know to live in the wild, and state officials would like to keep it that way.
"This is clearly not an animal anyone wants to get loose here," said Briggler. "Our amphibians could really take it on the chin if they got established in the wild. Imagine a spring night without the familiar chorus of native frogs. That would be a sad thing."
Briggler said Missourians can prevent this melancholy scenario by finding new homes for unwanted pets, rather than dumping them in creeks or ponds.
"The idea of setting an exotic animal free can be very appealing," he said. "They look harmless, but once you know how destructive they can be, you would never consider letting one go."
The African clawed frog is just one of many destructive exotic plants and animals. For more information, visit www.mdc.mo.gov, and click on "Nature" and "What invasive species threaten Missouri?"
- Jim Low -
Citizens have important role in forest pest control
Friday, July 29, 2005
Missourians who travel out of state this summer should inspect outdoor gear and firewood for unwanted guests.
JEFFERSON CITY-Summer is an exciting time for Missourians who enjoy camping, hiking and fishing. From June through August, they visit state and national parks, seashores and other outdoorsy destinations. For Missouri foresters, however, this is a time of vigilance. They know that returning vacationers can unknowingly bring back destructive forest pests.
The two main worries for Missouri are the gypsy moth and the emerald ash borer. One of the primary ways these pests spread is by hitching rides with interstate travelers. Rob Lawrence, a forest entomologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, says Missouri citizens have an important role to play in keeping both the gypsy moth and the emerald ash borer out of the state.
"The Conservation Department works with state and federal agencies to monitor for gypsy moths," said Lawrence. "But the traps are only intended to tell us when moths are present, not control their numbers. And with the emerald ash borer, we have no way of detecting its presence until trees start dying. Our first and best line of defense is alert travelers who know what to look for."
In the case of the gypsy moth, what Missourians should look for is eggs. You have to look closely. The eggs come in flat, velvety, sandy brown masses measuring three-quarters to 1.5 inches in diameter.
Gypsy moths will lay eggs on anything in their path during the summer. Camping equipment is a good place to start looking, but gypsy moth eggs can turn up on anything that has been outdoors, even if it hasn't been in the deep woods for long periods.
States with known gypsy moth infestations include Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and most states in the northeastern United States. Travelers returning from these areas should inspect all items that have been outdoors for gypsy moth eggs. Any egg masses that are found should be scraped off before returning to Missouri.
Missourians who find egg masses after returning home should contact the nearest Conservation Department office or call the Missouri Department of Agriculture Plant Industries Division at 573/751-5505.
While gypsy moth eggs can turn up on almost anything from automobiles and trailers to tents and lawn chairs, emerald ash borers are more predictable. The metallic green beetles' larvae live beneath the bark of green and white ash trees. When they go state-hopping, it is almost always in firewood or nursery stock.
Nursery owners and agriculture officials work hard to keep the beetles out of nurseries. That leaves firewood for travelers to take care of.
"The best way to ensure that you don't bring emerald ash borers into Missouri is not to bring firewood home from other states," said Lawrence. He said the pest has decimated ash tree populations in Michigan and has gained a foothold in ash trees in Indiana and Ohio. Travelers to these states should leave firewood behind.
Emerald ash borer larvae create S-shaped trails under infested trees' bark. Early symptoms of damage in living trees includes 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. Adult emerald ash borers are metallic green, bullet-shaped beetles up to a half-inch long. If you see telltale signs of emerald ash borers, contact Lawrence at 573/882-9909, ext. 330, Robert.Lawrence@mdc.mo.gov.
For more information about emerald ash borers, visit www.emeraldashborer.info/.
-Jim Low-
Past outbreaks show forest pest dangers, citizens' role
Friday, July 29, 2005
Missouri has had one close call and one good catch.
JEFFERSON CITY-Although Missouri has never had a serious outbreak of gypsy moths or emerald ash borers, it has had close calls. Two cases show how quickly problems can develop and how important alert citizens are to preventing infestations.
In 1992, Arkansas officials discovered a gypsy moth outbreak only 80 miles south of Springfield, Mo. An investigation revealed an extremely dangerous and surprisingly advanced situation. Egg masses were spread over an area of 60 to 80 acres.
One windy day could have blown hatching gypsy moth larvae over tens of thousands of acres, making the outbreak extremely difficult - and expensive - to contain. If the wind had been out of the south, Missouri could have experienced multiple infestations.
Quick action saved the day, however. A quarantine and the use of effective eradication treatments extinguished the gypsy moth hot spot.
"At that time, Arkansas wasn't trapping as intensively as we do now," says Rob Lawrence, forest entomologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "It showed how important it is to stay alert for gypsy moth outbreaks outside the main infestation area in the upper Midwest."
In 1995, a Dent County couple noticed some velvety patches on a golf cart they had brought with them from Delaware. Their previous home area had suffered defoliation by gypsy moths two years in a row, so they knew what the pest could do. They had seen an article with photos of gypsy moth eggs in Missouri Conservationist magazine, so they knew what they had on their hands.
They took a sample to the Conservation Department office in Salem, and the forester there took it to Jefferson City, where it was identified the same day.
This quick response allowed the state officials to spray a 5-acre area with a biological insecticide before the infestation could spread. The product they used contains a protein produced by a native bacteria, Bacillus thuringensis. It is toxic to immature stages of butterflies and moths, which swallow the protein while eating. The bacterial protein has no effect on other insects, plants or animals.
The gypsy moth came to the United States from Europe in the 19th century as part of an experiment with silk worms. Some of those gypsy moths escaped into the wild in Massachusetts in 1869. That started a sort of slow-motion environmental disaster.
Wherever it spreads, the gypsy moth denudes oaks and other trees, destroying forest resources, reducing food supplies for wildlife and causing other harmful effects.
Lawrence said the main gypsy moth-infested area in the northeastern United States has gotten too big for any hope of eradication, and it is only a matter of time until the slow-spreading infestation reaches Missouri. At present, the pest is established in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and most states in the northeastern United States. The southern edge of the infested area expands 5 or 10 miles a year, putting it on pace to reach Missouri in about 25 years. However, every year the state can delay their arrival is worth millions of dollars.
Each gypsy moth caterpillar consumes about 9 square feet of leaf area before changing into an adult. This, coupled with the moth's huge reproductive capacity, often leads to total defoliation of trees. Trees usually recover from one year's defoliation, but repeated loss of leaves often is fatal.
Oak trees are the gypsy moth's favorite food. Because oaks dominate much of Missouri's forest land, experts believe the pest will be especially damaging here. It could change the character of Missouri forests, with accompanying shifts in the supply of natural foods. Deer and turkey, which rely heavily on acorns, could suffer.
Tourism also suffers in areas where trees are denuded by gypsy moths. Bare hillsides are more vulnerable to erosion, and dead timber increases the likelihood of forest fires.
-Jim Low -
Citizens offer insights about hellbender's decline
Friday, July 22, 2005
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Clifford Keith has watched with dismay as gravel buries some of the state's best hellbender, smallmouth bass, and goggle-eye habitat on the Niangua River. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)  |
| Chris Liesman, left, showed Conservation Department Herpetologist Jeff Briggler where he catches hellbenders on the Gasconade River. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
LEBANON-Clifford Keith and Chris Liesman are miles apart in geography and experience. However, they have a common interest in an uncommon animal and the rivers they love. Their stories reflect concerns for both.
Keith, 74, is a lifelong resident of eastern Dallas County. As a youth, he fished the Niangua River and guided paying clients who came to catch smallmouth bass, goggle-eye and trout. He still fishes the river for pleasure and does a little guiding.
Liesman, 48, grew up fishing and guiding clients on the middle section of the Gasconade River. Although his work as a general contractor took him to the St. Louis area 20 years ago, he recently returned to buy a cabin near Jerome. Weekends find him and his family on the Gasconade River once again, casting for smallmouths and setting trotlines for channel catfish.
Keith and Liesman have never met, but they both read news stories about the hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, a giant salamander. The animal is in decline, and the Missouri Department of Conservation urges people to report hellbender sightings. Both men have seen hellbenders, so they called Conservation Department herpetologist Jeff Briggler.
"I used to see them everywhere when I would go gigging," said Keith when he called in his report. "Most of the places where they used to be are gone now. At the rate we're going, they won't be here for long."
The places where Keith used to see hellbenders were the same ones preferred by smallmouth bass, goggle-eye and trout - deep water where a steady flow of cold, oxygen-rich water washed over rocks ranging in size from basketballs to Volkswagens. He was eager to show someone from the Conservation Department what is happening to such places.
Keith met Briggler early on the morning of July 11 at Bennett Spring Access at Highway 64. Clad in blue-and-white pinstriped bib overalls and a floppy, brimmed hat, he clearly was at home on this river, where his family has lived for generations. The retired businessman now has a small herd of black Angus cattle.
Keith said hellbenders, which he calls by the local name "water dogs," used to be a common sight on the Niangua.
"Sometimes you'd go gigging at night and you wouldn't see no fish. If the moon was a-showin' and the fish was hid, you'd see water dogs everyplace."
Keith's custom-made aluminum canoe wasn't even in the water yet when he pointed out the first of several problems he believes plague the Niangua River.
A bulldozer had made half a dozen 30-foot wide cuts in the steep bank across from the boat ramp, making it easier to launch and land canoes. Upstream, several hundred yards of gently sloping river bank and adjacent bottom land had been bulldozed down to bare gravel subsoil.
Keith said such development in the Niangua River flood plain has caused huge amounts of gravel to wash into the river, filling in holes.
"Right down through here, the water used to be 8 or 10 foot deep; you can wade it now," Keith said ruefully.
Briggler, who has visited the site to count hellbenders for years, confirmed that the hole along the Bennett Spring Access once was the best hellbender habitat on the Niangua River. Gravel inundation has erased the habitat, and along with it, the hellbenders.
Launching the canoe, they left behind the scene - but not the phenomenon. The river was beautiful, with mist rising from the swirling water, birdsong cascading from overhanging trees and the air perfumed by buttonbush blossoms. But around every bend, Keith pointed to new gravel bars and holes whose depth he said had decreased by half or more due to gravel deposition:
"That used to be over your head. The flood last spring filled it all up. . .
"Down there where the water dogs used to lay, you could see 50 at one time. Now it's filled up with gravel. . .
"That big gravel bar there slid in a year ago. It used to only be 10 feet wide. . .
"Everybody used to come to this hole to fly-fish. The water was over your head, and you could catch 18- or 20-inch brown trout. Now there's nothin'."
Keith said it is only a matter of time until gravel chokes all the deep holes downstream from Bennett Spring. At the head of one surviving hole, he pointed out a tongue of light-colored gravel snaking along the bedrock bottom. With the next pulse of floodwater, he predicted, the following slug of gravel would slide on downriver, swallowing up nooks and crannies now inhabited by hellbenders and fish.
A mile or two downriver from Bennett Spring, Briggler noted with dismay a new resort, with deluxe cabins situated less than 50 yards from the river's edge. The spot is one where he has found as many as 10 hellbenders in the past. Now, with protective vegetation gone, the river is gouging into the exposed bank, releasing tons of gravel.
"This was just done recently, before the flood we had this spring," said Keith. "Any time you fool with those banks with a 'dozer, you're asking for trouble. With the bank eroding like that, it won't be long until the river is up to their buildings."
Drifting downriver, Keith pointed out another change in the river. Scores of trees whose roots once held river banks in place lay on their sides. Upturned root wads littered the water on both sides of the river. They left raw wounds in the river banks from which they had fallen.
In some spots, downed trees were so numerous that canoeists have to get out and walk their craft through the mazes of tangled roots.
Keith blames increasing traffic on the river for the loss of trees. Pointing to bare roots at the water line, he suggested that the waves from boats increase the rate of bank erosion. Special motors up to 100 hp can propel boats through a few inches of water by means of powerful water jets. They churn up the stream bottom and kick up large wakes that crash into the shoreline day after day.
Keith is philosophical about jet boats, however. "I quit worrying about 'em. After another flood, the river's gonna fill up with gravel so they can't get in here anymore."
Both Keith and Briggler commented on the fact that the Niangua's water, normally crystal clear at this time of year, had a pronounced green color due to algae growth. The tint was dark enough to make steering the canoe around rocks and stumps difficult.
"There's a lot of reasons for it," Keith said after noting these signs of change. Most of the reasons he cited were related to increasing recreational use of the river.
According to Keith, declining water quality has paralleled the exponential increase in canoe traffic and accelerating development in the river's flood plain. A few years ago, he said, hundreds of canoeists used the Niangua River on summer weekends. Now their numbers run in the thousands.
"Those people have to go to the bathroom somewhere. There are no toilets on the river, so where do they go? In the river. They've got to."
Briggler said another major contributor to organic waste in the river is riverside cabins, resorts and other developments. Designing and installing septic systems that will contain waste in an area riddled with sinkholes, caves, losing streams and springs is difficult.
Although the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey conduct water-quality sampling on the Niangua River, neither collects samples in the area that Keith is concerned about, downriver from Bennett Spring Access. That makes it difficult to confirm Keith's and Briggler's theories. But waste from such sources would increase algae growth and decrease water quality. Hellbenders, which absorb oxygen through their skin, are especially sensitive to such changes.
Having showed Briggler the problems facing hellbenders and other bottom-dwelling wildlife on the Niangua River, Keith asked what the Conservation Department is going to do to solve them.
"That is a huge project," said Briggler, noting that the entire stream corridor needs to be protected from disturbance. Furthermore, he said, regulating canoe liveries and real-estate development is outside the agency's authority.
"Are you gonna turn some hellbenders loose in here?" Keith asked.
"No, said Briggler," shaking his head. "We can't even get them to reproduce in the wild, let alone in captivity. What we've got left in the river is what we've got to work with."
"Well, I've got faith in you'uns," said Keith. "I remember years ago when there weren't no deer or turkey. Used to be, you went down through here and you couldn't see nothin' but cans and bottles. And through the Conservation's efforts, now you don't see very many. They've cured that problem."
Leaving Keith, Briggler drove east to meet Liesman at his cabin on the Gasconade River. A burly giant of a man, Liesman wore cut-off camouflage shorts and a yellow tank top. A tail feather from a wild turkey festooned his camo hunter's hat. Relaxed and jovial, Liesman clearly is in his element on the river, renewing his Pulaski County roots.
He also remembers catching hellbenders constantly as a youth. The number has fallen off drastically in recent years. However, he caught three this spring on a trotline set for channel catfish.
"When I caught three water dogs I knew they were still hanging in here for some reason. Then I read about the Conservation Department looking for them and decided to call."
Liesman released all three of the hellbenders, but he worried about their chances for survival. All had swallowed hooks. Rather than risk injuring them while trying to remove the hooks, he simply cut the line as the Conservation Department recommends. He asked Briggler about this.
"Our studies show that it only takes a week or two for a hook to rust out of a hellbender's stomach," he said.
Liesman paddled his canoe to the exact spot where he caught the hellbenders. It was classic hellbender habitat, a 300-yard hole with water 4 to 8 feet deep beneath wooded bluffs. Hefty chunks of limestone lined the bank and the river bottom, creating ideal homes, not only for hellbenders but for smallmouth and Kentucky bass, goggle-eye and suckers.
Unlike the Niangua River below Bennett Spring, this stretch of the Gasconade River was not swimming in gravel, however. Commercial development is sparse here. The river lacks large springs like Bennett Spring, and while it has a well-earned reputation as a smallmouth stream, low summer flows have prevented it from becoming a canoeing Mecca.
Liesman's own cabin doesn't contribute to stream-bank erosion, due to its location well away from the water. Moss-covered rocks line the banks, a lush carpet for prowling minks and water thrushes.
In spite of all this, Briggler wasn't optimistic about finding hellbenders in the main pool. He showed why by tapping the top of a submerged rock with his canoe paddle. The action raised a cloud of fine mud particles.
"If a rock has silt like that on top of it, you're not gonna find a hellbender underneath," he said decisively. "They want a place with enough current to keep the bottom clean."
Briggler and Liesman both commented on the green cast of the river water. Like the Niangua 50 miles away, the Gasconade was experiencing an algae bloom, possibly because of an extended dry spell and above-average temperatures. The same conditions had reduced the river's flow, contributing to the silty conditions.
Briggler predicted that any hellbenders would be found at the head of the pool, where a shallow riffle provided lively current. Besides keeping the bottom clear of silt, the current mixes air and water in such areas, increasing the oxygen available to fish and amphibians.
To test his theory, he donned a wet suit, goggles and a snorkel and went in search of hellbenders. Poor visibility in the dingy water complicated the job, and a 45-minute search failed to turn up any of the big salamanders.
Briggler took a break and answered questions about Missouri's biggest salamander. He said hellbenders begin life as silvery-white eggs the size of nickels or quarters. Males fertilize the eggs by spraying them with a cloud of sperm as they emerge from females' bodies.
The eggs normally are in long strings, like huge pearls. The male guards the eggs for four to six weeks beneath a flat rock. The young are less than an inch long when they hatch. Their bodies are transparent, but they soon turn dark brown or black.
Young hellbenders have external gills, but they lose these at about two years of age. They grow an inch or two each year until they are 12 to 15 inches long. Growth slows after that, but they continue to grow their entire lives. Some top 20 inches.
Once they reach adult size, hellbenders have few predators. In captivity, hellbenders have survived 55 years. In the wild, they are thought to live at least 30 years, but like much of their life history, this is still a matter of conjecture.
Female hellbenders may produce as many as 700 eggs, but they don't begin breeding until they are 7 or 8 years old, and may only breed every second or third year.
Briggler promised to take Liesman up on his invitation to return and try to document the Gasconade River hellbender population when water conditions are more favorable. On the drive home, though, Briggler was discouraged.
"I'm even more disappointed after today. Seeing what is happening on the Niangua makes me wonder if there is any hope there. It's such a big problem, and things seem to be going downhill fast."
Briggler says he will keep trying, though. He remembers Keith's parting words.
"Some time or another in everything, somebody has to do something."
For more information about hellbenders, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/herpetol/ and click on "The Hellbender." Or, you can write to Missouri Department of Conservation, The Hellbender, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, or e-mail pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov.
- Jim Low -
Hooked on Fishing offers scholarships for young anglers
Friday, July 22, 2005
Six anglers age 8-14 will receive $5,000 savings bonds.
JEFFERSON CITY-If you know a youngster age 8 to 14 with a passion for fishing and a flair for storytelling, Hooked On Fishing International (HOFI) has a contest for them. The winners will receive a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond and other prizes.
HOFI, based in Tulsa, Okla., is the nation's largest producer of youth fishing events. It set up the Kids All-American Fishing Team Scholarship Program to reward exemplary young anglers. Winners will be selected based on how well they articulate their passion for fishing and how well they represent today's youth as models for all Americans. Fishing ability is not a factor.
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in public, private or home school and have signed permission from their parents or legal guardians. The application process involves listing extracurricular activities and writing an essay of up to 250 words about their best fishing trip ever.
Applications must be postmarked by Aug. 12. HOFI will announce winners in October. Every applicant will receive a free t-shirt. For more information, visit http://www.kids-fishing.com/, and click on “KAAF Program.”
-Jim Low-
Commission to meet Aug. 17-18 in Sedalia
Friday, July 22, 2005
Dedication of a new regional office is on the agenda.
SEDALIA, Mo.-The Missouri Conservation Commission will meet Aug. 17 and 18 at the Conservation Department's new office at 2000 S. Limit, Sedalia. The Commission will meet in executive session Aug. 17 and in open session at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 18.
Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, fax 573/751-4467, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. The deadline for the next meeting is Aug. 4.
People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements by writing to the same address, or by phone at 573/751-4115.
Commissioners are: Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, chairman; Stephen Bradford, Cape Girardeau, vice-chairman; Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis, secretary; Chip McGeehan, Marshfield, member.
-Jim Low-
Early career choices reveal new conservation commissioner's longstanding interest in fish and wildlife
Friday, July 15, 2005
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| William F. "Chip" McGeehan, Marshfield, is Gov. Matt Blunt's first appointment to the Missouri Conservation Commission. If confirmed by the Missouri Senate, McGeehan, a former Conservation Department employee, will serve until June 30, 2011. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-Missourians seeking insights into the character of their newest Conservation Commission nominee need look no farther than back issues of Missouri Conservationist magazine. This and other early evidence documents an abiding interest in fish and wildlife.
William F. "Chip" McGeehan was the author of an article titled "Scalely Story," in the July 1972 issue of the Conservation Department's magazine. A full-page photo of the future conservation commissioner holding a fish scale accompanied the article. The text explained how microscopic examination of fish scales helps fisheries biologists determine how to manage lakes and ponds.
McGeehan was qualified to write the article on account of his employment as a fisheries assistant for the Conservation Department. Although career changes eventually took the budding author far afield, he eventually came back to conservation in what he describes as "a lifelong dream come true."
Gov. Matt Blunt announced McGeehan's appointment July 11. If confirmed by the Missouri Senate, the Marshfield resident will replace Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City. His term will run until June 30, 2011.
McGeehan, 55, is a 1968 graduate of Jefferson City High School. He studied fisheries and wildlife management at the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning a bachelor of science degree in 1972. He subsequently took graduate courses at Southwest Missouri State University.
During his college summers, McGeehan worked for the Conservation Department as a fisheries assistant surveying fish populations in private ponds. In the winter, he worked at the Conservation Research Center in Columbia, preparing fish scales for analysis by research biologists.
McGeehan's career track switched to sales for several years. Later, he started a McDonald's restaurant franchise. His passion for conservation never waned, however.
Like many Missourians, his formative outdoor experiences consisted of hunting and fishing with his father.
"I got my first bow when I was about nine," he said, "and I had a single-barrel shotgun. I used to prowl the woods feeling like I was Daniel Boone."
McGeehan still is an avid bowhunter and angler. He continues to pursue his interest in wildlife management on a 1,000-acre ranch on the James River near Marshfield, where he runs 150 head of bison.
"Being chosen for this appointment is a lifelong dream come true," said McGeehan. "I don't know what my legacy will be, but I want to be a good steward to the land and give back more than I have received. I'm going to be the best commissioner I can be 24-7."
Missouri voters established the Conservation Commission with constitutional amendment through the initiative petition process in 1936. Under the provisions of Amendment 4, the governor appoints commissioners to six-year terms. No more than two commissioners may be from the same political party. The commission has exclusive authority for the control, management, restoration, conservation and regulation of the bird, fish, game, forestry and all wildlife resources of the state.
The other three current commissioners are: Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, chairman; Stephen Bradford, Cape Girardeau, vice-chairman, and Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis, secretary.
-Jim Low -
Electric utility continues falcon restoration saga
Friday, July 15, 2005
A project that started as the solution to a problem has turned to fascination for workers at the New Madrid Power Plant.
NEW MADRID, Mo.-A coal-fired power plant seems an unlikely place to find living symbols of wild nature, but that's how it is in this Missouri Bootheel town. The story of how a 1,200-megawatt power plant became home to a succession of peregrine falcons has its roots in a problem.
One of David Childers' jobs as materials management supervisor for the Associated Electric Coop's New Madrid Power Plant is to oversee pest-control. So, when pigeons took up residence there, multiplied out of control and began leaving runny white calling cards all over the plant, it became a problem he had to deal with.
And a tough problem it was. The size of the facility and the height of some of its structures made pigeon control next to impossible. Then Childers got a creative idea from Associated Electric's Director of Power Production, Duane Highley, in Springfield. Why not get falcons, which eat pigeons and other birds, to take care of the problem?
Highley had heard about other power plants along the Mississippi River combining conservation and pigeon management with good results. Childers, who is an avid outdoorsman, took the idea and ran with it. He personally built a nest box and had a maintenance crew mount it on the plant's emissions stack 27 stories up, hoping a passing falcon would spy the box, see the pigeons and-putting two and two together-find a nice girl falcon to settle down with him.
That was in 2001. When, after three years, the box still stood empty, Childers enlisted the Missouri Department of Conservation's assistance. Before long, Childers, his workers and Conservation Agent Rodney Ivie were playing nursemaids to four peregrine falcon hatchlings purchased from a breeder in Idaho.
The first clutch of three males and one female falcon survived. They never seemed entirely comfortable in their new home, though. They soared around the power plant for a few weeks after being released, but eventually all drifted away.
Some people might have been discouraged, but Childers and the rest of the New Madrid Power Plant staff were hooked. They had gotten to watch four of the world's most amazing predators grow from gawky infants to supreme rulers of the sky. They sparred in midair before spellbound audiences at break time. They were seen giving chase to a variety of birds.
The pigeons, understandably, were less enthusiastic. They made themselves scarce while the falcons were about.
Determined to secure the pigeon-discouraging services of a permanent falcon family, Childers and Co. brought in another group of four falcon chicks this year. The birds-another set of three males and one female-arrived in mid-June. By the end of the month they were entertaining power plant workers with displays of aerial prowess.
On a typical day, they workers look out the window and see a pair of young peregrine falcons grasping each other's talons in flight just outside plant windows, making forays over the Mississippi River or perched atop an 800-foot smokestack.
The power plant is, once again, not safe for pigeons. Four growing falcons are switching their voracious appetites from dead quail provided by their human surrogate parents to birds they catch on the wing.
Childers says he is optimistic about one of this year's falcon brood staying put.
"We gave these birds a few more days before we released them. The falcon project team is a lot more experienced now, and we have met the chicks' needs a little better. I have a good feeling that these birds have imprinted on the power plant. There is always a chance that last year's birds can still return with a mate, so now we have eight good chances for a permanent nesting pair here in the Bootheel.
Childers said the benefits of the falcon program go beyond pigeon control. At first, power plant employees were lukewarm to the idea of falcon restoration, but that changed dramatically when the birds arrived. As they grew and eventually took to the air, New Madrid Power Plant workers found themselves united in fascination with the birds.
"This is something that goes beyond our daily work routine," said Childers. "It's more than megawatts. The involvement in environmental stewardship is something we are all proud of. People stop you at church, in the grocery store or just about anywhere and ask 'How are the falcons doing.' It shows a commitment from Associated Electric to strive to maintain and improve the environment while providing an economical, reliable power supply to rural electric cooperatives. We've done that, so much so that once-endangered peregrine falcons can live within our plant site."
So, what began as a way of controlling pest pigeons has become a four-year walk on the wild side. Work will never be the same for Associated Electric employees who now watch the sky around the New Madrid Power Plant with a new sense of wonder.
To view photos of the falcons, visit www.aeci.org.
-Jim Low-
Shallow watering won't help drought-stressed trees
Friday, July 15, 2005
Trees need water where their roots are, several inches beneath the soil surface.
JEFFERSON CITY-With a hot, dry weather pattern already established, sprinklers can be seen in yards across Missouri. Ironically, this watering could be harmful to trees in the long run. The Missouri Department of Conservation advises home owners to water trees deeply or not at all.
Rainfall in much of Missouri has been considerably below average this summer. The University of Missouri's online historical weather data service shows a total of 4.03 inches of rain has fallen at Monroe City since May 1, compared to an average of 8.72 inches for the previous five years. That can spell trouble for trees that already are under stress from other factors.
Healthy trees can survive dry spells. However, to reduce drought stress and prevent the death of less vigorous trees, homeowners should supplement natural moisture with deep watering.
If your trees show signs of distress, including leaves that wilt or turn brown around the edges, you probably should water them immediately. To be most beneficial, watering must penetrate into trees' root zone. Lawn grasses are very efficient water users. If you only water a lawn for an hour or two, almost all the water will not get below the grass roots.
Tree roots lie in the 6 to 12 inches of soil beneath the grass. Reaching them over a large area requires several hours with a lawn sprinkler. You can measure the amount of water delivered by placing a coffee can or other straight-sided container in the area as a makeshift rain gauge. To be sure you have watered deeply enough, however, sink a shovel blade into the watered area and see how far down the soil is wet.
A more efficient tree-watering technique involves turning down the hose flow to a slow trickle and placing it beneath the tree. By moving the hose every half-hour or so, for several hours, you can deliver water directly to tree roots without having to soak through hundreds of cubic feet of upper-level soil first.
Frequent, shallow watering actually can harm trees by encouraging shallow root development. Watering less often, but deeply, is much more beneficial to trees.
Water twice a month during the summer to ensure that your trees don't experience unnecessary stress. Young trees should be watered weekly. Although trees' need for water is obvious in the summer, they also need regular watering during dry spells throughout the fall and winter.
Check the soil before watering to see if it is really necessary. Too much water can hurt trees as much as drought.
Trees, especially young ones, also benefit from mulching. One to two inches of wood chips, pike bark or other coarse mulch over the tree root zone offers several benefits. Most important, it slows evaporation of water from the surface of the soil. Mulch also limits the growth of plants that compete with tree roots for nutrients and moisture and reduces lawn mower damage to tree trunks.
More information about tree care is available at www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/helpcare.htm. You also can order free publications about tree care by writing to MDC, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. and requesting:
•Watering Trees (Publication No. F00072)
•How healthy are your trees? (No. F00020)
•Mulch, Your Tree's Best Friend (No. F00111).
-Jim Low-
Crappie die-off at Long Branch Lake focuses attention on lake management
Friday, July 08, 2005
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| Summer fish kills are not uncommon in Missouri, but they are preventable. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-A recent die-off of crappie at a north-central Missouri reservoir seems to be over, but officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation say that private lake owners should keep an eye on their fish as the dog days of summer approach.
The first hint of a problem came in mid-June, when anglers began reporting dead crappie to conservation agents and fisheries biologists. The phenomenon peaked around June 18. Laboratory analysis of dead fish pointed to overpopulation as the culprit, rather than disease or parasites.
"The fish I examined had little or no fat reserves," said Conservation Department Fish Pathologist Scott Syska. "Most were in various stages of spawning."
When spawning, fish fan the mud off of round nest areas with their tails, keep other fish away from their nests, lay and fertilize eggs and then defend the eggs against predators. The process is physically demanding. Fish that go into the spawning season without adequate fat reserves for energy can die from the stress.
"The evidence is very strong that these fish died from spawning stress," said Mike Anderson, a fisheries management biologist for the Conservation Department. "At Long Branch, this is not surprising. We have known for some time that the lake had more crappie than the available food could support."
Anderson said unseasonably warm weather prompted crappie to begin spawning earlier than normal at Long Branch Lake this spring. Then an unusually long, severe cold spell caused water temperature to plummet and put the spawn on hold for weeks. The drawn-out spawning period increased physical demands on already stressed fish.
With the too many crappie at Long Branch Lake, Anderson said a die-off not only was natural, it could help the crappie population. The die-off alone is not a complete solution, so the Conservation Department is working on the problem from a different angle.
The reason Long Branch Lake has too many small crappie is a lack of suitable food. The main item on the crappie's menu is gizzard shad. However, the shad have grown faster than crappie can eat them. Most now are too large for crappie to eat.
To remedy this problem, the Conservation Department plans to stock hybrid striped bass at Long Branch Lake. Hybrids are predators with big appetites for big shad.
Fisheries biologists hope that, as numbers of large shad decline, they will be replaced by smaller ones that crappie can eat. That is expected to translate into better crappie growth rates.
Anglers also will enjoy catching the hybrids, which are strong fighters.
Summer fish die-offs are nothing new to Missouri. However, most are caused by very different factors than those at work in Long Branch Lake's crappie population.
Most of the time, fish kills result from a combination of low water level, elevated water temperature and excess fertility. This leads to excess aquatic vegetation.
Aquatic plants are necessary for healthy fish populations. They put oxygen into the water and provide food and cover that fish need. It is possible to have too much of a good thing, however.
Excessive vegetation can hamper fishing, swimming and boating. The most common culprit is algae. Most people call it "moss." Under certain circumstances, excess algae can be more than a nuisance.
Plants normally produce more oxygen than they use, but on cloudy days they may cause a net loss of oxygen. Several days of overcast weather can cause algae to die. As it decomposes, it uses up even more oxygen. The amount of oxygen in lake water can fall to levels that are harmful or even fatal to fish.
Oxygen levels usually are lowest just before sunrise. If you see fish gulping air at the surface, you can provide temporary relief by spraying water across the surface of the pond with a high-pressure hose nozzle or by mixing air into the pond surface with an outboard boat motor.
If there is enough algae in your pond to interfere with fishing or swimming, you probably should reduce its growth. Chemical treatment is effective, and it is harmless to fish if done properly. Copper sulfate or other copper-based herbicides are the most common types for algae control and are usually available at farm supply stores.
Killing vegetation can lead to oxygen depletion as described above. To avoid this, treat vegetation only when daytime temperatures are below 80 degrees. Also, don't treat more than a quarter of the pond at one time.
Mats of algae also can be removed by hand with a rake or other tool from small areas such as swimming sites. Dispose of the algae below the dam to keep nutrients from washing back into the lake as it decomposes.
Excess vegetation is a symptom of an underlying problem-excess nutrients in the water. Anything that puts phosphorus or nitrogen in pond water can trigger excessive algae growth. Common sources of nutrients include wild or domestic waterfowl droppings, fertilizer runoff from lawns or crop fields or drainage from livestock feedlots or malfunctioning septic tanks or sewage lagoons. Without solving these problems, removing or killing vegetation is only a temporary fix.
To reduce the effects of nutrient runoff, you can establish buffer zones of unfertilized land with undisturbed vegetation around lakes. Such buffers should be at least 100 feet wide.
Repairing faulty sewage systems or diverting animal feedlot runoff away from the pond may be solutions in other cases. You can trap nutrients by creating a wetland between the source and the lake. It's also a good idea to check for leaks in sewage lines and lagoons.
A free publication is available to help pond and lake owners identify common aquatic plants and learn more about control options. Copies are available from Missouri Department of Conservation, Nuisance Aquatic Plants in Missouri Ponds and Lakes, Distribution Center, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov.
-Jim Low-
Missourians urged to stop aquatic hitchhikers
Friday, July 08, 2005
Boaters and anglers can help keep the Show-Me State safe from exotic invaders.
JEFFERSON CITY-If you could protect Missouri fishing, prevent increases in utility bills, save private property from damage, protect human health and avoid ecological damage to Show-Me State lakes and streams, would you? A national awareness-raising campaign says you can, with four simple steps.
"Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers" is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation. The goal is simple-to prevent zebra mussels, rusty crayfish, Asian carp and other non-native animals and plants from causing economic, recreational and ecological damage. The precautions the program promotes are simple, too. They include: --Remove any visible mud, plants, fish or animals from boats and trailers before transporting them to other waters. --Drain water from boats, motors, trailers and live wells before transporting. --Clean and dry equipment, clothing, pets or anything else that comes in contact with water before leaving the area. --Never release plants, fish, worms, crayfish or other animals outside the area they came from.
Anglers have a particularly important role to play. Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers urges them not to dump unused bait into the water.
Minnows, worms, crayfish and other bait animals can become serious pests if they survive. To properly dispose of bait, place the container holding it inside a plastic bag and seal the bag before placing it in a trash receptacle. This will ensure that bait animals don't crawl out.
For more information about protecting Missouri from invasive aquatic plants and animals, visit www.protectyourwaters.net.
-Jim Low-
Apply now for managed deer hunts
Friday, July 08, 2005
All you need is a telephone or an Internet connection
JEFFERSON CITY-If you have ever wished you could hunt deer in a state park, a national wildlife refuge or a nature preserve, now is your chance. Pick up a phone or go online and apply for a spot in one of the 85 managed deer hunts administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation this fall.
Applications for the hunts opened July 1 and will remain open through Aug. 15. You can apply by calling 800/829-2956. The service is available from 4 a.m. until midnight seven days a week. You need a touch-tone phone to apply by telephone. However, there is no need for lots of button punching. The Conservation Department's interactive voice response (IVR) system allows you to speak your responses to a series of questions.
To complete the application process, you need your conservation identification number. You can find this on previous permits or on your Conservation Heritage Card. If you don't have a conservation identification number, call 573/751-4115, and one will be assigned to you.
The other option is to log onto http://www.mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/mgm-deer/showhunts.cgi. Everything you need, other than your Conservation Heritage Card number, is there.
All applications received by the Aug. 15 deadline get 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 2005 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Information booklet, which is available from permit vendors statewide. The same information is available online at www.missouriconservation.org."
- Jim Low -
Conservation offerings add cool excitement to state fair
Friday, July 08, 2005
Visit the Conservation Department grounds at the south end of the fairgrounds to beat the heat and learn about landscaping for wildlife.
SEDALIA, Mo.-Prize-winning dairy cows, carnival rides and wildlife landscaping ideas are all part of this year's Missouri State Fair here Aug. 11-21.
Veteran fairgoers know that when heat, noise and dust grow tiresome, they will find a cool refuge at the south end of the fairgrounds. That is where the Missouri Department of Conservation's exhibits are located. You feel cooler and calmer after a few minutes looking at aquariums containing native fish, turtles and amphibians.
This year, you also will be able to pick up fishing tips during demonstrations at the Conservation Department's mobile aquarium. The portable, 3,200-gallon aquarium will be the site of fishing demonstrations at 1, 4 and 6 p.m. daily.
You can learn how to create refuges for wildlife, too. The theme for this year's conservation displays and programs is "landscaping for wildlife." The Conservation Department's area has been converted into a demonstration of how to turn home environs into havens for birds, rabbits, quail, frogs and lizards.
The theme will carry over into the air-conditioned Discovery Room. There, youngsters will learn how to enjoy wildlife close to home. They also will find naturalist programs with live animals. And there is a room full of exciting natural objects, all meant to be handled. The Discovery Room is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The Operation Game Thief (OGT) traveling exhibit will give fairgoers a chance to see trophy taxidermy mounts and other items seized from poachers. Visitors will get to see how citizens are using the toll-free OGT hotline to turn in game-law violators.
While at the Conservation Pavilion, landowners can pick up their free deer and turkey hunting permits. All other permit types will be on sale.
Also during the state fair, the Conservation Department will dedicate its new regional office at 2000 S. Limit in Sedalia. That event will take place Aug. 18.
For more information about the state fair, call 800/422-3247 or visit http://www.mostatefair.com/.
-Jim Low-
Retiree chooses Missouri River for rite of passage
Friday, July 01, 2005
Darrol Gasawski gave himself three weeks to savor his transition from the workaday world to a life of leisure.
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| Darrol Gasawski took the scenic route home after retiring June 1. He floated the Missouri River from Omaha, Neb., to St. Charles, Mo., stopping to sightsee along the way. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
Last year, Gasawski's job as a data processing specialist for Union Pacific in St. Louis disappeared in a puff of corporate reorganization. The railroad offered him a choice: move to Omaha or find other work. Rather than lose the retirement he had worked years to earn, he relocated to Nebraska. But he never warmed up to the flat, treeless plains.
One of Gasawski's long-time ambitions had been to take an extended solo canoe trip. Under other circumstances, choosing the river for this long-anticipated odyssey might have been difficult. Omaha's location on the Missouri River made the choice easy. Planning the voyage became a way of assuaging his yearning for home.
On June 5, a bevy of Gasawski's coworkers gathered at a river access 12 miles upriver from Omaha. They questioned whether the pile of gear laid out on the concrete boat ramp would fit in his 16-foot aluminum canoe. Gasawski had no such doubts. He had packed everything into the boat the night before. It fit perfectly.
The same methodical approach served Gasawski well over the following weeks. His equipage included:
--Two loose-leaf binders filled with topographic maps of his entire route
--A hand-held global positioning system (GPS)
--A cellular phone
--A digital camera
--A radio
--A solar-powered battery recharger
--Several gallons of water
--A four-person tent
--A lawn chair
--Notebooks and pens.
When he shoved off from N. T. Dodge Park, he began a transition from one life to another, as well as a return home.
His progress was speeded by circumstances beyond his control. When Gasawski began his journey, the Missouri River was just beginning a steep rise. Heavy rains throughout the river's lower basin would push the water level above flood stage at Jefferson City June 15. That flood tide pushed Gasawski toward St. Charles at a faster-than-normal pace.
Not that the river itself was flowing very fast. Without paddling, the current carried him along at just under 3 miles per hour. More important was the fact that, with the river that high, there was no reason to linger along the way. In fact, there was no place to linger, no islands to lounge on, no inviting sand bars for beachcombing and almost no dry land between the levees on which to pitch camp.
"The floating was really good, but late in the afternoon I start thinking, 'Oh, I have to get out now and wade through mud then go through weeds and find someplace to put my tent.'"
Each afternoon, he had to carry his gear to the top of a levee and pull his canoe high enough to ensure it didn't float away during the night. The levees were awash in Reed canary grass, an invasive exotic plant that tends to take over at the expense of trees and other native plants. He had to stomp down the 6-foot-tall grass before he could pitch his tent each day.
Gasawski occasionally found a bit of sand to camp on, but he had traveled more than 400 miles before spying his first sandbar near Lupus, Mo. Ironically, he saw very little rain during the three-week-plus trip.
Besides the high river, Gasawski had to contend with heat. The weather turned unseasonably hot and muggy, making long hours of floating less pleasant than he had hoped.
"The afternoons were really uncomfortable," said Gasawski. "There is no shade on the river most of the day, so you are in the sun all the time. I tried to get on the river early, sometimes as early as 5 a.m., so I could rest during the hottest part of the day."
What with the heat and the high water, Gasawski considered discontinuing the trip until later in the summer, when water levels fell. His friends were meeting him at intervals along the way to replenish his supplies and give him a chance to shower, so he could have quit at several points along the way. But he hated to abandon his original goal of floating from Omaha to St. Charles without interruption. In the end, he stuck it out, taking 22 days to cover 606 miles.
All his previous canoeing experience had been on small rivers, such as the Current, Jacks Fork and Gasconade. Floating the Big Muddy required some adjustments in his approach. For one thing, he found that he no longer needed to keep his bow pointed downstream and constantly scan the water to avoid running into rocks or being swept under obstructions by the current. The Missouri River was different, with relatively slow current, vast expanses of open water and visibility measured in miles rather than yards.
"At first I had the small-river mind set. It's almost always windy on the Missouri, and keeping the bow pointed downriver was tiring. Finally I realized, why bother, as long as I stay in the channel it just doesn't matter. If I paddled, I could average 5 miles per hour. One day I just drifted all day, and I made 2.9 miles per hour.
"When I drifted, I just watched the scenery go by. I had a notepad with me; I wrote down my thoughts about what I saw and what I was experiencing, the birds I saw, the few trees I could identify, the sounds. I wrote those down. I brought along Audubon guides to trees, flowers and birds to help me identify what I saw."
Gasawski logged many memorable moments while covering an average of 27.5 miles a day. The visual highlight of the trip came just downriver from the I-70 Bridge near Rocheport.
"I put in right at I-70 and got on the river a little after 5 a.m. and there were a lot of cloud banks floating around. You got this effect with the rocky bluffs and clouds partially hiding it, and it would peek out, then disappear and peek out again. There were wispy cloudbanks on the river and it made a real nice effect. I counted 37 vultures sitting on power line towers beside the river. That was kinda fun."
He also saw five bald eagles during his trip, including one that let him approach close enough for a good photo and another that was feasting on a duck.
In more than three weeks of floating, he saw only about half a dozen barges. Most of those were associated with sand dredging operations or were carrying rock to maintain wing dikes and other navigation structures.
Gasawski experienced first-hand a new ecological challenge to the Missouri River-exotic carp. He learned to stay out of the slack water behind rock dikes because these areas harbored silver carp, an Asian species known for its jumping ability. The glittery-white fish, which can exceed 30 pounds, launch themselves in rainbow-arc jumps when startled by boats.
One of the airborne fish landed atop Gasawski's gear-filled canoe before flopping back out. Another punched him in the back as it rocketed out of the water. He decided to stay in the river's current rather than risk being knocked out of the canoe by a scaled missile.
Gasawski's most pleasant surprises came from people in river towns. Wherever he stopped, people were captivated by his adventure and were eager to help. Sometimes that meant watching his canoe and gear while he walked into town for ice and other supplies. Often, people went much further than that, however.
Looking for a campsite north of St. Joseph, Gasawski asked about camping on a farmer's land. The landowner invited him to spend the night in his "cabin." It turned out to be an air-conditioned hunting lodge. Gasawski appreciated sleeping in a real bed for a change, but the most appreciated amenity was a hot shower.
In Waverly he stopped to buy more ice. A man there offered to run the errand for him.
"He just went up to get me some ice, and he came back with about $10 worth of snacks. He wouldn't even let me pay him for it. That happened a few times."
Gasawski played tourist in some river communities. He met his girlfriend for sightseeing in Lexington, Mo., and visited Fort Osage in Jackson County.
Like Lewis and Clark before him, he kept meticulous notes. Using his GPS unit, he recorded latitude and longitude for every photograph he took.
"I know I won't remember where I took all of my pictures. This way I can tell exactly where they were."
Although the trip didn't turn out exactly as Gasawski had envisioned, it met his goal as a transition to retirement. As he drifted with the current, with no place he had to be and no one to answer to, the tension and distractions of the workaday world melted away. Weekdays and weekends merged. Occasionally he forgot what day it was.
Would he do it again? Gasawski says he isn't sure. "There are a lot of places I would like to go back and visit again with more time to spend, but I think I would like to do that as day trips. I don't know if I would want to float it all in one trip again."
Throughout his trip, Gasawski used his cell phone to check in daily with Doug Leer, one of his friends in Omaha. Leer relayed the information to another of Gasawski's friends, Mike Joiner. Besides letting them know he was okay, he reported how far he had traveled and gave a brief summary of the day's events. Joiner posted the reports on a web site for the benefit of other friends. Eventually, Gasawski's voyage drew wider attention, with several thousand people checking on his progress.
To see photos and maps of Gasawski's trip and read his daily reports, visit http://www.joineronline.com/.
- Jim Low -
Bullfrog's new title won't keep it out of the frying pan
Friday, July 01, 2005
Grabbed, gigged, shot or hooked, frogs make tasty fare.
JEFFERSON CITY-By act of the Missouri State Legislature, the bullfrog has a new title-State Amphibian. However, its newly elevated status won't prevent thousands of Missourians from plying rivers, lakes and ponds each summer in search of the main ingredient for a plate of frog legs.
Fried, sautéed, grilled or baked, frog legs are gourmet fare. Missouri law allows those with valid fishing permits to pursue bullfrogs and their smaller cousins-green frogs-with gigs, hand nets, snares, fishing lines, longbows or bare hands. A hunting permit entitles the holder to take bullfrogs and green frogs with a .22-caliber rim-fire rifle or pistol, pellet gun, longbow, crossbow, hand net or with bare hands.
The season opens at sunset June 30 and runs through Oct. 31. The daily limit is eight green frogs and bullfrogs in the aggregate. The possession limit is 16. If you choose the right frogs, 16 legs is a lot of food.
Unlike most other game, frogs can be pursued at night with the aid of artificial lights. In fact, a high-powered spotlight is almost essential for success.
The bullfrog is North America's biggest frog, measuring well over a foot when stretched out in a leap. Large specimens can weigh more than a pound, much of which is legs. Green frogs are more modest-sized, topping out at about 8 inches.
Green frogs have folds of skin that run from the back of each eye down the sides of their backs. Bullfrogs lack this feature. Male and female green frogs and bullfrogs can be distinguished by the size of the circular tympanic membrane (the frog's ear) behind the eye. If the membrane is much larger than the eye, the frog is a male. If it is about the same size or smaller than the eye, it is a female.
Frogs continue to grow throughout their lives. Their size depends on age and available food. They will eat insects, crayfish, amphibians, small mammals, birds, snakes, small turtles and baby muskrats and minks.
Bullfrogs and green frogs use their sticky tongues to subdue prey, but that's not their only method of securing food. Large frogs are more likely to lunge at their targets. Once they get a grip with their wide, sturdy jaws, they use their front feet to shove food down their gullets. Frogs are prey for minks, raccoons, herons, snakes and, of course, humans.
For more information about catching frogs, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2003/06/40.htm.
-Jim Low-
