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| Teal numbers are up for the third year in a row. That is welcome news for Missouri hunters, who will enjoy another 16-day early teal season. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
He and his brothers decided to do things right.
SUMMERSVILLE, Mo.-The last thing a logger expects when he fells a tree is a standing ovation, but that is what Ron Tuttle and his family logging crew got when they attended that annual meeting of the Missouri Forest Products Association (MFPA) in Osage Beach in July.
Harvesting timber runs in the family. Tuttle and brothers Don and Gary Tuttle have more than 20 years of logging experience. They work in partnership, along with Don’s son Jason and Ron’s son Keith.
When the Missouri Department of Conservation began offering Professional Timber Harvester Training, the Tuttles took every course they could, learning the fine points of safety, directional felling, forest management and reducing damage to remaining trees.
"We learned there was a need for it, so we started putting it in our work practices," said Ron Tuttle. "We just decided that’s the way we would do it."
The Tuttles’ conscientiousness paid off with contracts to harvest trees on conservation areas. Over the years, they have harvested several million board-feet of timber on Angeline and Sunklands conservation areas. They also have logged extensively on private land, including Pioneer Forest, Missouri’s largest private forest and a showcase of uneven-age forest management.
Over the years, their reputation for doing things right has earned landowners’ trust. "Especially around here at home, we can do business with a handshake," said Ron. "It makes you feel kinda happy with yourself."
Doing things right also brought the Tuttles to the attention of Conservation Department Forestry Regional Supervisor Tom Draper, who nominated Ron for the 2007 Missouri State Logger of the Year Award. He noted the loggers’ insistence on practices that protect the land and forests and a commitment to excellence that causes them to go "above and beyond" what is expected of them.
"They maximize their production by excellent forest product utilization," said Draper. "When you look at their operations after they finish, it is obvious that very little material is wasted."
When he accepted the Professional Logger of the Year Award, Ron Tuttle brought his partners to the event and gave them equal credit for the achievement. "We do this as partners," he said.
The Conservation Department and the Missouri Forest Products Association select state logger of the year award recipients from among regional loggers of the year nominated by Conservation Department foresters. Foresters are asked to nominate only outstanding loggers, so not every region has a nominee every year. This year’s other regional recipients were:
--Southwest - Tom Heidlage, Pierce City
--Southeast - Dustin Lindgren, Patton
--Northeast - Jack and Brad Buster, Kirksville
--Northwest - Roger Whetstine, Troy, Kan.
Logger of the Year recipients receive a Stihl chainsaw with a retail value of $750 from program sponsor Crader Distributing, Marble Hill. Regional nominees receive Stihl protective equipment kits valued at $480.
For more informatio n about the Professional Logger of the Year program, contact John Tuttle, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, phone (573) 522-4115, ext. 3304, e-mail john.tuttle@mdc.mo.gov.
-Jim Low-
Learn about the history and the future of one of Missouri’s most treasured streams
JEFFERSON CITY-Twenty-nine years ago, Missourians in the Meramec River Basin voiced their desire to preserve the river and its tributaries as places to paddle, swim and fish. The Meramec River Basin Summit Sept. 20-22 will celebrate that history and explore the river’s future.
In the historic vote, 60 percent of voters in east-central Missouri opposed the idea of damming the Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers. The spirit of citizen activism that led to the rejection of dam plans is more alive than ever today, with several grassroots organizations dedicated to keeping streams clean and developing their recreational potential. Among those is the Meramec River Tributary Alliance.
The alliance, an umbrella group for 40 groups, agencies and sponsors, is sponsoring the Summit. The event will bring together citizen advocates, private landowners and local, state and federal agencies to discuss the Meramec’s place in national stream-conservation efforts.
The summit coincides with the 40th anniversary of Operation Clean Stream, an annual event that has removed hundreds of tons of litter-ranging from tin cans to bank-side clubhouses and automobiles - from the Meramec River. The Open-Space Council founded Operation Clean Stream in 1967, spawning the river renaissance that continues today.
Sessions planned for the summit include presentations by river experts and historians, recreational and economic experts and citizen action groups. Landowners, business people, civic groups, scientists, educators, conservation groups, government planners and anyone with an interest in stream conservation are invited.
Speakers will include American Rivers Vice President Andrew Fahlund, Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers, Missouri Department of Conservation Fisheries Division Chief Steve Eder, Living Lands and Waters founder Chad Pregracke and dozens of other government planners and conservation leaders.
Participants will be able to choose from field trips that include:
--Onondaga Cave
--The Wurdack Farm Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station
--A hike on a section of the Ozark Trail
--A float on the Meramec River
--A demonstration of conservation practices at the Dale Murphy farm on the Little Bourbeuse River.
For more information about the alliance and the summit, contact The Open Space Council, PO Box 1468, Ballwin, MO 63022, phone (636) 334-3035, or visit www.openspacecouncilstl.org/.
-Jim Low-
Get a close-up look at the Missouri River and wildlife management efforts there.
ROCHEPORT, Mo.-If you have a canoe and an interest in learning more about the Missouri River, the Missouri River Communities Network (MRCN) has an event for you.
The MRCN will host the Big Muddy Wildlife Float Sept. 29. The 16-mile float will take participants from Franklin Island Conservation Area near Boonville to Katfish Katie’s campground downriver from Rocheport. The event is part recreation, part education and part public service.
MRCN Community Resource Specialist Brad Hargrave called the event "a unique opportunity to take a wildlife-themed, guided canoe trip on the Missouri River."
The float will be punctuated by presentations from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Big Muddy. These presentations will cover management efforts on 22,000 acres of public land in the river’s flood plain.
"Agencies are spending a great deal of time, money and effort to manage
this land to promote wildlife habitat," said Hargrave. "This is a chance to see what projects are being worked on, with presentations by agency staff members who are implementing the activities."
Registration costs $30 per person. This includes a shuttle from Katfish Katy’s to Franklin Island. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available for additional cost. For more information, contact the MRCN, 200 Old 63 South, Suite 203, Columbia, MO 65201, (573) 256-2602, e-mail bradleyhargrave@gmail.com. The MRCN Website, www.moriver.org, also has information on the float.
Reservations must be postmarked no later than Sept. 24. Scholarships are available for a limited number of students.
Participants must furnish their own canoes. For canoe rental information, contact Mighty Mo Canoe Rental, 205 Central Street, Rocheport, MO 65279, (573) 698-3903, pebblepublishing@gmail.com.
Missouri River Relief, an organization dedicated to keeping the river clean, will conduct a litter pick-up in conjunction with the float, followed by live music at Katfish Katy’s.
-Jim Low-
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| Hunters with mobility impairments can apply to take part in deer hunts specially designed for their needs. For more information, visit www.missouriconservation.org/news/out/. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
Sign up before it fills up.
JEFFERSON CITY-A two-part Missouri’s O utdoors Women event in October and December will offer an introductory course in waterfowl hunting. Space is limited, however, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The clinic consists of two events, a training session on Oct. 7 and a guided hunt Dec. 1. Both will take place at Duck Creek Conservation Area west of Cape Girardeau.
Up to 15 participants will be accepted for the tandem events, which are part of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Missouri’s Outdoor Women program. Topics covered in the clinic will include:
--North American waterfowl history and biology
--Waterfowl hunting equipment and techniques
--Waterfowl identification and hunting regulations
--Wingshooting techniques
Training will include classroom instruction and hands-on field experience. Materials, equipment and lunch are provided free of charge.
Participants will be paired with guides for the Dec. 1 hunt on privately owned wetland areas near Duck Creek Conservation Area.
No hunting experience is required, but participants must be at least 16 years old. Those born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, must have passed an approved hunter education course, and all participants must purchase Missouri small-game hunting and migratory bird hunting permits and a federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp.
There is no charge for the clinic or the hunt. However, participants must post a $25 reservation fee, which will be refunded at the event.
The registration deadline is Sept. 17. For registration forms and additional information, contact Missouri’s Outdoor Women, Waterfowl Hunting Clinic, Missouri Department of Conservation, 2302 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 or contact Mic Plunkett, (573) 495-2737, Mic.Plunkett@mdc.mo.gov.
-Jim Low-
High water on the Missouri River proves costly for conservation.
JEFFERSON CITY-Flooding along the Missouri River this spring wasn’t nearly as bad as the Great Flood of 1993. Nevertheless, it damaged conservation areas (CAs) to the tune of $600,000.
A storm system that stalled over Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa in May dumped so much water into the Missouri River Basin that experts predicted flood crests comparable to 1993. The Big Muddy crested well above flood stage all along its length in the Show-Me State, breeching several levees. Those breeches, while disastrous for landowners, helped keep downstream flood crests below predictions. Conservation areas, national wildlife refuges and land set aside by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers following the 1993 flood also provided an outlet for countless thousands of acre-feet of water that otherwise would have sloshed rapidly downriver, pushing up flood crests.
Even at the lower levels, however, the flood of 2007 did considerable damage to state-owned facilities in the Missouri River flood plain. The most common type of damage, and the one of most immediate concern, was blanketing with mud.
“People couldn’t get to parking lots and boat ramps for all the silt the river had dropped on them,” said Design and Development Chief Jeff Leftwich. “We brought in backhoes, frontloaders, excavators, whatever we could muster to get those facilities open as quickly as possible. The Memorial Day weekend was coming up, and we knew people would be wanting to use them. Our Design and Development guys answered the call and quickly went to work clearing the silt and repairing the damage.”
Besides covering some roads with sand and mud up to 4 feet deep, the river washed away “countless tons of rock” that had to be replaced. As big a job as that job was, Leftwich said putting boat ramps, parking lots and roads back in service was a cake walk compared to what remains to be done.
Swirling currents damaged or breeched at least nine levees on conservation areas. When the water receded, Conservation Department workers found yawning holes, some of which will take thousands of cubic yards of dirt to fill.
At Platte Falls CA in Platte County, the river breeched three levees and damaged another, creating an estimated $28,755 in damage. Eagle Bluffs CA in Boone County lost two levees and tons of big rock “riprap” designed to stabilize the river banks. Early estimates put the damage there at $78,000.
Cooley Lake Access in Clay County took the biggest hit, an estimated $83,442 for removing debris and silt, rebuilding a parking lot, resetting two water-control structures and pipes, repairing an entrance road and replacing a concrete privy.
Rough estimates of damage to 27 CAs and 34 accesses during the May flood totaled $603,780. The Conservation Department is still working on estimates of damage from flooding in southwest Missouri in July.
Leftwich said the silver lining in all this bad news is that none of the boat ramps installed along the Missouri River following the floods of 1993 and 1995 washed out in this year’s flood.
“In terms of destructive power, this year’s event had the potential to be in the same class as those earlier floods,” said Leftwich. “We lost some riprap on our ramps, but they held up. We are just thankful that the river crested lower than predicted, and damage was minimized.”
-Jim Low-
Steel or other federally approved nontoxic shot is required for all shotgun hunting on 21 conservation areas this year.
JEFFERSON CITY-The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds dove hunters that nontoxic shot is required on 21 conservation areas (CAs) this year. Concern for the health of waterfowl and other wildlife is the basis for regulations, approved by the Missouri Conservation Commission in August 2006, that expand the requirement that nontoxic shot be used for all shotgun hunting - including dove hunting - to 21 CAs.
All 21 areas attract large numbers of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. The requirement to use steel or other federally approved nontoxic shot on these areas applies to all hunting with shotguns.
CAs affected by the regulation change include B. K. Leach Memorial, Black Island, Bob Brown, Columbia Bottom, Cooley Lake, Coon Island, Duck Creek, Eagle Bluffs, Fountain Grove, Four Rivers, Grand Pass, Little Bean Marsh, Little River, Marais Temps Clair, Montrose, Nodaway Valley, Otter Slough, Schell-Osage, Settle’s Ford, Ted Shanks and Ten Mile Pond.
Possession of lead shot is prohibited on these areas.
Conservation Department Assistant Director John Smith said the changes are based on research conducted in cooperation with the University of Missouri’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Migratory Bird Management.
Research findings indicate that lead shot is being deposited in quantities sufficient to cause birds to pick it up when foraging for food. They further show that ingesting lead shot causes many birds to die. Species found to be susceptible to lead poisoning include mourning doves, eagles, hawks, owls, quail, wild turkeys and shorebirds.
Smith said the regulation changes focus on areas where nontoxic shot already is required for waterfowl hunting.
-Jim Low-
Sgt. John Wright’s friends and family are determined to preserve his legacy.
KEARNEY, Mo.-Sgt. John Wright was known as a committed lawman, a caring mentor and a devoted conservationist. If his family and his many friends have anything to say about it, he will be remembered as a man who gave his all to make sure that children had positive role models and wholesome outdoor fun.
Wright, a deputy with the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, died of a heart attack May 17. His co-workers remember him as the embodiment of strong, positive values - family, integrity, love and commitment.
It is not surprising, then, that in 1996 he set out to do something for at-risk children in his community by establishing Operation Small Fry. The program paired deputies and children for a day of fishing at Clay County Highway Department Lake. Kids who didn’t own fishing equipment got a free rod and reel, a tackle box and a picnic lunch. Much more important, they got the undivided attention of caring adults who showed them how to bait a hook, cast and land fish. It gave children who were at risk of getting into trouble with the law a positive experience with law officers and a vision of possibilities beyond their sometimes bleak daily experience.
Over the years, Wright expanded the program to include any child between the ages of 5 and 14. Today they accept 150 youngsters each year on a first-come, first-served basis. The program kept Wright busy throughout the year.
“He worked all year getting sponsors and equipment and making all the arrangements for that one day,” recalls coworker Deputy Tracy Wade. “Then he would start again the next day.”
His role as the heart and soul of Operation Small Fry won Wright the title “Master Conservationist” from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The agency bestows that honor on a tiny minority of the states’ elite citizen conservationists.
The shock of Wright’s death stunned his friends and family. His loss seemed unimaginable. The end of Operation Small Fry was unthinkable. So his wife and son, his comrades at the Sheriff’s Department and his cadre of volunteers rallied to take over the event. It will take place Sept. 8, as scheduled.
Wright’s coworkers went a step farther to ensure that his legacy lives on. They built a picnic shelter as a permanent home for Operation Small Fry at Clay County Highway Department Lake.
“We got it ready in time for this year’s Operation Small Fry,” said Wade. “It is a great tribute to a great man. We are very grateful to all those who helped make it possible.”
For information about Operation Small Fry, visit www.claycogov.com/smallfry/sponsors, or contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, Attention Dep. Tracy Wade, 12 S. Water St., Liberty, MO 64068, phone (816) 407-3700.
-Jim Low-
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| Danny Garrett, right, draws blood from a 25-pound flathead catfish while Brook Steinkoetter, center, records the fish's vital statistics. The fish, which has an acoustic transmitter implanted in its abdomen, is part of a cooperative study being conducted by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri-Columbia. The goal is to learn where and when catfish spawn. The Conservation Department wants the information to aid in catfish management. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
Substantial population gains in nearly all species mean another year of liberal harvest regulations.
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri duck and goose hunters can mark their calendars. The Missouri Conservation Commission has approved another set of liberal waterfowl hunting seasons for 2007-08.
This year's federal waterfowl hunting guidelines are based on surveys that showed the third consecutive year of improved wetland conditions on northern breeding grounds. Breeding bird surveys showed the fifth-highest estimated total number of ducks since 1955. This year's total - 41.2 million - is up 14 percent from 2006 and 24 percent above the long-term average. Numbers of breeding ducks in eastern North Dakota and South Dakota were up 52 percent from last year and are now 86 percent above the long-term average.
Mallards were estimated at 8 million, a 10 percent increase from last year and 7 percent above the long-term average. The fall flight of mallards is projected to be 11.4 million, similar to last year's projection of 9.8 million.
Pintail numbers were down 19 percent from the long-term average. However, breeding population estimates for the other nine out of 10 duck species in the traditional survey area showed an increase from 2006.
Breeding bird numbers of three species - canvasbacks, redheads and northern shovelers - were at all-time records. Other species showing gains compared to 2006 included widgeons (+29 percent, gadwalls (+19) blue-winged teal (+14 percent) and green-winged teal (+13 percent).
The Commission approved a 60-day duck season with the following dates.
DUCK SEASON
North Zone - Oct. 27-Dec. 25
Middle Zone - Nov. 3 -Jan. 1
South Zone - Nov. 23-Jan. 21
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The daily limit on ducks is six, including no more than:
--Mallards, 4 (no more than 2 females)
--Scaup, 2
--Redheads, 2
--Wood ducks, 2
--Hooded mergansers, 2
--Black ducks, 1
--Pintails, 1
--Canvasbacks, 2
Other species may be taken in any number up to the daily limit of six ducks. The possession limit is twice the daily limit (12 total, varies by species).
YOUTH DUCK HUNT North Zone - Oct. 20-21 Middle Zone - Oct. 27-28 South Zone - Nov. 17-18
Bag limits for ducks and geese are the same as during the regular waterfowl season (including two Canada geese daily and four in possession).
COOT SEASON: Concurrent with duck seasons in the respective zones with a daily bag limit of 15 and a possession limit of 30.
CANADA GEESE & BRANT:
Statewide - Sept. 29-Oct. 8 Nov. 23-Jan. 30
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE:
Statewide - Nov. 23-Jan. 30
BLUE/SNOW/ROSS'S GEESE:
Statewide - Oct. 27-Jan. 30
Bag limits include:
--Twenty blue, snow or Ross's geese daily (no possession limit)
--One brant daily (two in possession)
--Two white-fronted goose, daily (four in possession)
--Three Canada geese daily (six in possession) Sept. 29-Oct. 8 and two Canada geese daily (four in possession) thereafter
FALCONRY SEASON FOR DUCKS, COOTS AND MERGANSERS: Falconry is open during the teal and regular gun duck season, including the youth season, in the respective zones. General hunting regulations, including seasons and hunting hours, apply to falconry. Regular season bag and possession limits do not apply to falconry. The falconry bag limit is not in addition to gun limits. In addition to the regular falconry season, the Conservation Commission approved extended falconry days of Feb. 11 through March 10 statewide. Bag limits: three birds daily and six in possession.
LIGHT GOOSE CONSERVATION ORDER: People must only possess a valid migratory bird permit to take blue, snow and Ross's geese from Jan 31 through April 30, 2008. Methods for the taking of blue, snow and Ross's geese during the Conservation Order includes using shotguns capable of holding more than three shells, and with the use or aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls or sounds, or recorded or electrically amplified imitations of bird calls or sounds. Hunters may shoot from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. A daily bag limit will not be in effect during the Conservation Order.
The Commission set teal season dates and bag limits earlier this summer. That season will run from Sept. 8 through 23 statewide. The daily limit is four blue-winged and green-winged teal in the aggregate, with a possession limit of eight. Shooting hours are from sunrise to sunset.
-Jim Low-
Hunters will have to use their heads and their feet more this year to find quality dove hunting spots.
JEFFERSON CITY-Mourning doves are abundant in Missouri now, but finding those birds on opening day of dove hunting season might be a little harder than usual on account of weather, according to the state's dove expert.
Resource Scientist John Schulz called the mourning dove "one of North America's best all-around game birds."
"They are resilient and prolific," said Schulz. "They pretty well take care of themselves. About all we can really do toward dove management is try to concentrate them for hunters."
Schulz said his observations and anecdotal reports from other Conservation Department workers indicate that dove numbers are strong statewide. Annual surveys show about the same number of breeding doves as last year, which was above the 10-year average.
To concentrate large numbers of doves where hunters can find them, the Conservation Department plants fields of their favorite foods - sunflowers, wheat and millet. Those fields thrive in some years, drawing swarms of doves. Other years - like this one - the Conservation Department's dove fields don't fare as well.
"Sunflowers have to be planted early in the spring to mature by opening day of dove season on Sept. 1," said Schulz. "Heavy rains prevented planting during the best time on many areas this year. Those fields won't be ready on opening day. On some other areas, we got sunflower planted early only to have them flooded out."
He said these problems have been made worse by dry weather that kept crops from producing. The result is spotty quality of dove fields. He said hunters should check the condition of fields at their favorite areas, see if doves are using the fields and plan their hunts accordingly. Dove hunters looking for a silver lining in this generally dismal picture should remember that doves prefer to feed on bare ground, and drought-stricken dove fields offer plenty of bare ground.
"There will be decent hunting on lots of areas," said Schulz, "If you can find a place with plenty of dove food, you could still have a fantastic hunt, but on a lot of our areas opening day won't live up to memories of the best years, when thousands of doves flocked to the fields."
Schulz advised hunters to remember that doves are drawn to other seed-producing plants besides cultivated crops. Patches of ragweed, wild sunflowers and other native weeds can provide excellent hunting, especially if they are associated with open ground.
Ponds also can be dove magnets in dry years. Even a tiny patch of water may draw doves for a drink after morning and evening feeding periods. Ponds with low water usually have bare soil exposed around their edges making them more useful to doves.
For dove field locations on conservation areas, visit www.missouriconservation.org/hunt/dove , or call the nearest Conservation Department office.
Missouri's dove hunting season runs from Sept. 1 through Nov. 9. Mourning, collard and white-winged doves all are legal. The limit is 12 doves of all three species in the aggregate daily and 24 in possession.
Dove hunters ages 16 through 64 must buy a Small Game Hunting Permit to pursue doves. All dove hunters 16 and older must have a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit for dove hunting.
Full details of dove hunting regulations are found in the 2007 Migratory Bird Hunting Digest, available wherever hunting permits are sold.
Schulz reminded hunters to pick up spent shotgun shells and remove them from hunting areas when they leave. Empty shotgun shells are litter, and leaving them behind carries the risk of a littering ticket.
It also is worth remembering that hunters must keep birds they kill separate and identifiable from those of other hunters. Having two or more hunters put their doves into one cooler or other container could violate this requirement, unless they use individually identified bags or other means to keep the birds separate.
-Jim Low-
Learn new skills while making friends from around the nation and the world.
POTOSI, Mo.-The YMCA of the Ozarks invites women who would like to learn or improve outdoor skills to Camp Lakewood Sept 14 through 16 for the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program.
BOW events offer the opportunity to learn skills such as archery, fishing, Dutch oven cooking and geocaching from experts while meeting other women who love the outdoors. Outdoor Education Director Mariah Hughes said the program has something for women of every skill level.
"BOW is a great way to get started if you haven't spent much time outdoors," said Hughes, "but our program is so diverse and our instructors so knowledgeable, anyone can learn something new."
BOW is open to women 18 and older. It offers classes in archery, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, map-and-compass orienteering, use of GPS (global positioning system) units, green lifestyles, target sports, fishing, hunting and more.
Participants stay in modern accommodations at the scenic Camp Lakewood facility near Potosi. Meals are served in Camp Lakewood's cafeteria.
Hughes said the program draws participants from across the United States, Canada and several other countries. "The social part of the experience keeps women coming back year after year," she said.
For registration information, contact Judy Gillam, (573) 438-2154, ext. 114, jgillam@ymcastlouis.org, or Mariah Hughes, (573) 438- 2154, ext. 238, mhughes@ymcastlouis.org or visit www.ymcaoftheozarks.org,
-Jim Low-
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| Hunters can apply for reservations to hunt ducks and geese at wetland areas managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Applications can be made by calling (800) 829-2956 or by visiting www.missouriconservation.org Sept. 1 through 18. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
Experts are not sure why the tiny insects are so abundant this year, but the Conservation Department has advice for getting rid of them.
JEFFERSON CITY-If your car and patio furniture seem to be getting dirty faster than usual these days, it isn't your imagination. Experts with the Missouri Department of Conservation say the sticky situation is caused by tiny insects, and they offer advice for getting rid of the messy bugs.
Forest Entomologist Rob Lawrence says Conservation Department offices around the state have received dozens of calls asking why trees are dropping tiny droplets of sap all over vehicles, homes and anything else below. He is telling those callers that the culprit is not trees, but aphids.
"The stuff people are seeing on their cars is actually honeydew," said Lawrence. "It is a sugary, sticky solution excreted by aphids while they feed by sucking tree sap. Reports I am getting indicate that we have huge numbers of aphids in the Kansas City area. This is like nothing anyone has seen in recent memory. The number of aphids seems to be higher than normal in other parts of Missouri, too."
Lawrence said black walnut trees are most affected in the Kansas City area, with pecan, white oaks, hickories, elms, redbuds and sugar maples also involved to some degree. Aphid outbreaks in other areas seem to be affecting a different group of trees, leading him to believe different types of aphids may be involved. Experts have not determined which aphid species are involved.
The cause of the outbreak also is unknown, but Lawrence said some evidence suggests it might be weather-related. He speculated that the complete loss of leaves in the April freeze and subsequent emergence of a superabundance of tender new leaves provided conditions that favored aphid population growth.
Aphids normally do not cause serious damage to trees. However, the massive numbers seen in some areas this year could pose a threat to the health of trees already weakened by a severe freeze in early April. Lawrence said the best thing owners can do to reduce ill effects from aphids is to support trees' general health. Watering is the easiest measure. Slow-soaking the ground beneath trees helps them replace moisture lost to aphids and reduces drought stress.
Tree owners may be able to get rid of aphids in some cases. On small trees, spraying with a strong jet of water can dislodge the insects and wash honeydew off leaves.
Spraying with insecticidal soap can provide effective aphid control and has minimal effects on non-target insects and plants. This treatment requires direct contact with the aphids, so thorough drenching of foliage is necessary. Read label directions carefully before use, because a few tree species, such as hawthorn and plum, are sensitive to soaps.
Other chemical treatments also are available. For information about these, visit ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2031.html or extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/pests/g07274.htm.
The sugar in honeydew may attract bees and flies, and it encourages mold growth, turning leaves and other surfaces black. This is not harmful to trees, but the unattractive appearance can be avoided by washing with water. For more information, visit ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3046.html.
-Jim Low-
Quail Unlimited and the Southeast Quail Study Group recognize Missouri's leadership in efforts to bring back the bobwhite quail.
JEFFERSON CITY-Calling the Missouri Department of Conservation "a strong leader in natural resource management," Quail Unlimited (QU) and the Southeast Quail Study Group recently honored the agency's multi-faceted, long-term effort to restore bobwhite quail populations.
QU President Rocky Evans presented the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) Group Achievement Award at the annual meeting of the North American Fish and Wildlife Association in Portland, Ore. Conservation Department Director John Hoskins accepted the award for the agency.
"The Missouri Department of Conservation, under the direction of John Hoskins, is a strong leader in natural resource management and the preservation of wildlife habitat on both public and private lands and has truly earned this prestigious award," said Evans.
Efforts that contributed to the honor include: --Updating the Conservation Department's quail management plan with specific regional implementation goals --Creating a new staff position to coordinate the NBCI --Building partnerships to bring state, federal and private resources to bear on quail management challenges --Establishing partnerships for quail habitat work on private land, demonstration farms and the MO Quail Academy --Promoting practices that increase quail habitat through federal farm bill programs --Conducting "Quail 101" training to make agency staff more effective --Developing a comprehensive statewide public information campaign to raise awareness of quail restoration programs and methods --Hosting workshops, seminars and field days to promote quail conservation at the community level
The Southeast Quail Study Group launched the NBCI in 2002 with the goal of restoring bobwhite quail numbers to the level that existed in 1980. The initiative divides the southeastern United States into 15 Bird Conservation Regions to encourage coordination with other bird conservation efforts across state boundaries.
Further information is available at www.bobwhiteconservation.org, or from Don McKenzie, (501) 941-7994, wmidm@ipa.net.
-Jim Low-
Competitive grants through the Landowner Incentive Program support efforts to help plants and animals that are or might become endangered.
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri will receive nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help private landowners who want to conserve habitat for at-risk plant and animal species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that Missouri will receive $721,920 of $13 million set aside for competitive Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) grants. The money comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will be administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The LIP grants will pay for restoration of private habitat in six Grassland Conservation Opportunity Areas. Funding will be available for three years, starting in October.
The Conservation Department will channel the money to farmers and ranchers who want to preserve or recreate habitat needed by the state-endangered greater prairie chicken, as well as bobwhite quail and an array of other grassland wildlife. The grassland opportunity areas are located in Adair, Barton, Benton, Cedar, Dade, Harrison, Jasper, Lawrence, Pettis, St. Clair, Sullivan and Vernon counties.
"We have a long history working with landowners in these areas," said Private Land Conservationist Max Alleger. "We are taking steps to make our efforts more effective than ever before by conducting a formal landowner survey and follow-up focus group meetings to hear from the landowners themselves. We want to know what incentives, programs and market-based approaches best meet their economic needs. We also want to know about their lifestyle objectives and how we can mesh those with the needs of grassland wildlife."
Alleger said the Conservation Department plans to work with agricultural economists from the University of Missouri's Commercial Agriculture Program to document costs and benefits of grassland conservation and learn what farmers and ranchers can do to save money while helping prairie chickens and other grassland birds, including quail.
Federal funding will pay for tree removal, invasive plant eradication, forage diversification and lessening dependence on tall fescue. Traditional, wildlife-friendly agricultural grasses, such as redtop, timothy and brome, also will have an important place in management strategies funded by the grants.
Some of the work will occur on a large scale and involve bulldozers and other heavy equipment. For smaller projects, the Conservation Department plans to help private contractors form habitat crews that will enable landowners to get habitat work done without signing long-term agreements or enrolling in government programs. Alleger said this promises to be a very attractive alternative for some landowners. He said he expects to form one such crew at Cole Camp in cooperation with Audubon Missouri.
Alleger said although LIP funding is focused on benefiting rare and endangered species like the prairie chicken, grassland habitat work funded through the program also may provide a significant boost to the Conservation Department's ongoing effort to restore bobwhite quail.
"Prairie grasslands are quail factories," said Alleger. "Hunters often don't appreciate the importance of large, diverse, intact grasslands to quail because they tend to find the birds in coveys near dense brushy cover in the fall. They don't see all the time those same birds spent in open grasslands during the nesting and brood-rearing season."
The grant money also will be used to purchase conservation easements to protect several species of conservation concern found around three rapidly developing areas in southwest Missouri. The three focus areas are known to harbor the federally threatened Ozark cavefish, a white, eyeless 2-inch creature that depends on clean water for survival. The fish lives only in a handful of caves in southwestern Missouri, northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma.
The easements will pay landowners for agreeing to protect land around sensitive areas, such as sinkholes and losing streams, that could adversely affect water in caves and underground streams.
The Conservation Department is using partnerships with private and government agencies to leverage LIP funds for maximum effect. Partners include Audubon Missouri, the Missouri Prairie Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever and Quail Unlimited.
This whole endeavor is based on cooperation," said Alleger. "Missourians have a strong conservation ethic. Our goal is to give landowners in these landscapes the tools and resources they need to put that ethic into practice."
-Jim Low-
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| Finishers in the Missouri River 340 share a camaraderie that is hard to describe to anyone who has not paddled across the state in less than 100 hours. Shown here arriving at St. Charles are Bill Lanning, Stouffville, Ontario, Canada (left), Don Wilkison, Kansas City (right), and Don Flessner, Raymore (rear). (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
Construction of a larger, better-equipped range shows the Conservation Department's continuing commitment to hunters and shooters.
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo.-Thousands of Kansas City residents will have better shooting facilities close to home in the foreseeable future, thanks to cooperation between the Missouri Department of Conservation and Jackson County Parks and Recreation. Thousands more will enjoy a wide range of educational programs at the new Lake City Range.
The existing Lake City Range, operated by the Conservation Department under a lease agreement with the county, was built in 1979. Its popularity has increased steadily over the past 28 years, according to Range Officer Gary Combs. He said 12,312 shooters used the public range facility last year. Another 875 law enforcement officers used the range for training, and 2,446 people attended outdoor skills programs there.
"Visitation increased 11 percent last year compared to 2005," said Combs. "When Parma Woods Range (a new Conservation Department facility near Parkville) came online it took some of the load off us, but our usage has continued to grow. There still is more demand than we can meet."
Increasing demand for public shooting ranges is what prompted the Conservation Department to examine its options at Lake City Range. Rather than renovate the aging facility in Landahl Park, the agency decided to build a new, larger one on the other side of the park.
The existing range has 19 shooting booths that serve rifle, pistol and black-powder shooters. It has two nonregulation trap fields for shotgunners and a small training building for outdoor skills programs. It has no public restrooms.
The new facility will have 20 rifle and black-powder booths, 10 separate pistol booths and two shotgun ranges that will combine regulation trap and skeet fields. The classroom will be nearly twice the size of the current one and will include restrooms.
Although the new range is still in the design stage, the Conservation Department expects to spend approximately $4 million on the facility. Construction could begin as soon as the spring of 2008.
The current range will remain open until the new one is completed. Tentative plans call for using the older range for law-enforcement training.
For more information about the more than 60 staffed and unstaffed shooting ranges around the state, call the nearest Conservation Department office or visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areas/ranges.htm.
-Jim Low-
JEFFERSON CITY-The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next meeting Aug 9 and 10 at Conservation Department Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd. Jefferson City.
The Commission will meet in closed session at 3 p.m. Aug. 9 in the Commission Meeting Room and in open session at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 10 in the Conservation Auditorium.
Commission meetings are open to the public. People requiring special services or accommodations to attend Conservation Commission meetings can make arrangements by writing to the same address, or by phone at (573) 751-4115.
Commissioners are: William F. "Chip" McGeehan, Marshfield, chairman; Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, vice-chairman; Stephen Bradford, Cape Girardeau, Member; and Don Johnson, Festus, member.
-Jim Low-
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