Conservation Federation vol 84 no 4

PRESERVING OUR CONSERVATION HERITAGE

For more than eighty-seven years, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) has served as “The Voice for Missouri Outdoors.” Join in our efforts to secure our stronghold as advocates for our state’s wildlife and natural resources by becoming a dedicated member of our Founders Circle.

Your contribution will play an influential role in preserving Missouri’s rich outdoor heritage.

Each year, earnings from the endowment will be used to support CFM’s education and advocacy efforts. Special recognition will be given to those who reach each level of giving. Additionally, memberships will be recognized at our annual Convention.

Make your contribution today, to preserving our state’s conservation legacy.

The Power of Partnerships

Harnessing the power of partnerships can really lead to great success in many walks of life. When we stop and think about it, we must work together in many ways with others in our daily lives. When we bring our strengths, are able to compromise, and collaborate together, many wonderful things will be the result. Success comes from ‘we’, not ‘I’, and it’s an important trait in strong groups and organizations.

As it relates to CFM and in various areas recently, several powerful partnerships come to mind where we have banded together to see the common good. Bringing these people and organizations together lies at the root of our mission, and I am proud of our recent proven successes and want to share a few of those with you.

The 2023 Governors Youth Turkey Hunt marked the 14th year of this very special event. The youth started the weekend off on the day before the season opened by attending an informational session on turkeys and turkey calling. They learned the basics of calling, woods etiquette, and other things to be aware of when pursuing wild turkeys, and had an opportunity to pattern their shotguns and learn about hunter safety.

The hunt serves as a recognition by our government, of the importance of natural resources and outdoor recreation to the Missouri citizenry. It is also a celebration of Missouri’s leading role in recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters. The hunt is a cooperative effort between the Governor’s office and other elected officials, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Friends of the NRA, and private landowners.

Another strong partnership and collaborative effort is underway an effort to update our soon-to-expire strategic plan. This plan will help set the direction of the Federation starting in 2024. Work has already begun with the group gaining important input from our Board, Committee, staff and other members. I am excited to see how this will shape our future together, and keep CFM strong, relevant and viable for the future.

The sheer strength of our numbers as we tackled the legislative session again this year is another great example of power in numbers. Our members and affiliated organizations answered the call to step up again and defeat all the harmful legislation proposed in Missouri. Our force in the Capitol continues to grow, and we appreciate the strong work of our lobbyist, Kyna Iman, our Legislative Action Center guru, Steve Jones, the Legislative Committee, and so many more.

One final strong partnership that CFM helped with was the Wetlands Summit. This three-day event brought conservationists in from across the Midwest to listen, learn, engage and support each other in so many ways. Our next magazine will be dedicated to Wetlands in Missouri, so stayed tuned for this special edition. Also note that the 2024 Grasslands Summit is being planned for April 9-11, 2024. Be sure to save the date and join us for this great joint venture with NRCS, CFM, and MDC and many other groups and partners.

Lastly, CFM has several opportunities to get out and support our organization, and to enjoy our conservation friends these next few months. Our Columbia event inside the Bass Pro Shops store is on Thursday, July 13th. I hope you have made plans to join us. Also, on August 12th is our Annual Sporting Clay Shoot. Come shoot, or better yet, come out and volunteer for the morning, and meet members and supporters from all over the state. Check out the flyer on page 13 for more information.

Yours in Conservation,

Tyler Schwartze CFM Executive Director, Editor

Executive Director Tyler Schwartze and CFM President Zach Morris proudly display the Community and Partnership Award that CFM received at the most recent Lewis & Clark Awards Banquet (Credit: CFM)

OFFICERS

Zach Morris - President

Bill Kirgan - President Elect

Ginny Wallace -Vice President

Benjamin Runge - Secretary

Bill Lockwood - Treasurer

STAFF

Tyler Schwartze - Executive Director, Editor

Micaela Haymaker - Director of Operations

Michelle Gabelsberger - Membership Manager

Nick Darling - Education and Communications Coordinator

Tricia Ely - Development & Events Coordinator

Joan VanderFeltz - Administrative Assistant

Emma Kessinger - Creative Director

ABOUT THE MAGAZINE

CFM Mission: To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of our state’s rich outdoor heritage through advocacy, education and partnerships.

Conservation Federation is the publication of the Conservation Federation of Missouri (ISSN 1082-8591). Conservation Federation (USPS 012868) is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September and November for subscribers and members.

Of each member’s dues, $10 shall be for a year’s subscription to Conservation Federation Periodical postage paid in Jefferson City, MO and additional mailing offices.

Send address changes to:

Postmaster

Conservation Federation of Missouri 728 West Main Jefferson City, MO 65101

FRONT COVER

Photo taken by Matt Miles with a Nikon D500 with 300 2.8 lens in Lewis County, MO.

Business Partners

Thank you to all of our Business Partners.

Platinum

Gold

Bushnell

Doolittle Trailer

Enbridge, Inc.

Silver

Custom Metal Products

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Learfield Communication, Inc.

Lilley’s Landing Resort & Marina

Bronze

Association of Missouri Electric Coop.

Black Widow Custom Bows, Inc.

Burgers’ Smokehouse

Central Electric Power Cooperative

Drury Hotels

Iron

Bass Pro Shops (Independence)

Bee Rock Outdoor Adventures

Blue Springs Park and Recreation

Brockmeier Financial Services

Brown Printing

Cap America

Central Bank

Community State Bank of Bowling Green

G3 Boats

MidwayUSA

Pure Air Natives

Redneck Blinds

Rusty Drewing Chevrolet

Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC

Missouri Wildflowers Nursery

Mitico

Quaker Windows

Simmons Starline, Inc.

St. James Winery

Gray Manufacturing Company, Inc.

HMI Fireplace Shop

Hodgdon Powder Company, Inc.

Missouri Wine & Grape Board

NE Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.

NW Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.

Ozark Bait and Tackle

Williams-Keepers LLC

Woods Smoked Meats

Dickerson Park Zoo

Farmer’s Co-op Elevator Association

Gascosage Electric Cooperative

General Printing Service

GREDELL Engineering Resources, Inc.

Heartland Seed of Missouri LLC

Hulett Heating & Air Conditioning

Kansas City Parks and Recreation

Lewis County Rural Electric Coop.

Missouri Native Seed Association

Scobee Powerline Construction

Sprague Excavating

Tabor Plastics Company

Truman’s Bar & Grill

United Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Your business can benefit by supporting conservation. For all sponsorship opportunities, call (573) 634-2322.

Mission: To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of our state’s rich outdoor heritage through advocacy, education and partnerships.

In 1935, conservationists from all over Missouri came together to form the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) with the purpose to take politics out of conservation. The efforts of our founders resulted in the creation of Missouri's non-partisan Conservation Commission and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Since then, CFM has been the leading advocate for the outdoors in Missouri.

Partnerships

Over 100 affiliated organizations

Share the Harvest Corporate & Business Partnerships

State & Federal Agency Partnerships

National Wildlife Federation Affiliate

Operation Game Thief

Operation Forest Arson

David A Risberg Memorial Grants

Missouri Stream Team

Education

Conservation Leadership Corps

Missouri Collegiate Conservation Alliance

Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders

Affiliate Summit

Scholarships for youth and students

Governor’s Youth Turkey Hunt

National Archery in the Schools Grants

Conservation Federation Magazine

Advocacy

Legislative Action Center

Resolutions to lead change

Natural Resource Advisory Committees

Conservation Day at the Capitol Staff and members testify in hearings for conservation and natural resources

"The Voice for Missouri Outdoors"

Ways You Can Support CFM

Membership

Support our efforts to promote and protect conservation and natural resources in our state Members will receive our magazine six times a year, event information, our bi-weekly enewsletter, and the opportunity to grow our voice

Affiliate Membership

CFM provides the platform for a diverse group of organizations to have their conservation voices be heard Affiliates have the opportunity to apply for grants, receive educational training and promote the mission of their organization.

Scholarships and Grant Support

CFM provides scholarships to graduates and undergraduates

We also provide grant funds to youth education programs and to affiliate projects Contributing will help future generations initiate boots on the ground projects

Life Membership

Become a life member for $1,000 Life memberships are placed in an endowment fund that allows us to continue our work in perpetuity

Business Partnerships

Business partners will enjoy recognition in each magazine issue along with opportunities to reach and engage with our active membership Ask us about our different Business Partnership levels.

All of our events have raffles with both silent and live auctions. The contributions of in-kind products and services not only assists in raising funds for conservation, but also promote the businesses that support CFM

President’s Message

Fish Stories

Anglers get a bad rap for telling tall tales. Why do you think that is? Are they prone to exaggerate when recounting fishing adventures? Or is it simply that those adventures are so grand and outlandish the listener can’t help but be skeptical? Maybe it’s a little bit of both.

When I was a kid, my dad recounted tales from fishing trips to Canada with his dad and brothers. But the ones I remember aren’t about the fishing, they were more related to the mishaps along the way. My dad would tell these exciting and exaggerated stories so often that they had titles. Like “Caught Between the Island and the Shore,” where a great storm blew up, and a giant turtle (which I think was probably just a rock) knocked the boat plug out, causing them to race back to the boat ramp just in time to avoid swamping the boat entirely. Of course, this didn’t happen without some other antics. In one of my dad’s fish stories, a tackle box fell open and all the lures latched on to my dad’s leg to avoid falling in the water. At least that’s how he told it when my sister and I were kids. He’d pass time on road trips to go fishing with us by telling these and other fishing stories.

I think it’s human nature to tell stories. We want to share our experiences with others, even if they weren’t there in person. It makes the experience that much more special for us, and it helps us remember our adventures, even if we do exaggerate a little bit.

I have a whole arsenal of stories from my outdoor trips. Sometimes they might impress someone, or maybe they’ll help me relate to a newer angler who is frustrated by a snagged line or a slow day on the water. How about one that might do both? Like when I was 16, fishing with my dad, and we fished all day I only caught 2 or 3 fish. But one of them was, and still is, my personal best Largemouth Bass, weighing in at 9 pounds 6 ounces. I’m still proud to have caught a fish that size in Missouri, and a fiberglass replica of that fish hangs in my office to this day.

It doesn’t take a big fish to make a memorable day or a good story. Recently, I was in Florida for a conference. If you work in conservation, you can’t travel to somewhere like that and not go on at least one outdoor adventure. So, one afternoon, our team went to the fishing pier.

My boss Wally fished with us for what he said was the first time in 40 years. We all caught a few fish, and I think this picture speaks for itself. Wally was thrilled to catch something for the first time in decades, and I was glad to be a part of it. I’m sure it’ll be a story we both continue to tell.

What are your favorite fish stories? Even if you don’t fish, you can share an outdoor experience with someone and come back with a great story to tell.

So get outside and make some memories. Maybe I’ll see you out there.

Zach Morris President, CFM

Long time CFM supporter Wally Iman poses with his first catch in about 40 years at Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier. A story that won't soon be forgotten.

2023 Events Schedule

87th Annual Convention- February 21 - 26

Let your voice be heard at the Annual Convention. The event will include meetings, awards, auctions, and so much more. Held at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Conservation Day at the Capitol- April 5

Join conservationists from across Missouri on the radio for a day of celebrating and supporting conservation and natural resources. The broadcast will air from 6 am to 10 am on 96.7 FM or KCMQ.com.

Pull for Conservation: Northwest- April 15

Join CFM for the 7th annual Northwest clay shoot at Boot Hill Shooting Ground in Hamilton.

CFM Life Member Event- June 3

CFM will be hosting its 2nd annual life member only event in Rhineland

Conservation Federation Banquet: Columbia- July 13

Fish or kayak then eat a fantastic meal while supporting CFM at Bass Pro Shops in Columbia.

Pull for Conservation: Central- August 12

Take your best shot at the 17th annual Central clay shoot at Prairie Grove Shotgun Sports.

Affiliate Summit- September 7 & 8

CFM affiliate organizations are invited to network and learn with fellow professionals.

Conservation Federation Online Auction- October 11 - 20

Enjoy a fun and interactive online auction with many great trips and prizes

Holiday Online Auction- December 4 - 14

Bid on many exciting items just in the time for the holidays.

Event dates are subject to change. Please visit www.confedmo.org or follow us on social media for the most up to date schedule

Why I Became a Life Member of CFM: Charlie Wormek

Growing up in South St. Louis, I have many fond memories of fishing for catfish with my best friend in Carondelet Park. I also have memories of exploring various state and federal public lands for hunting and fishing. The great outdoors has always been my passion, and I am fortunate to have parents who provided us with a modest cabin on the Gasconade River. Even today, I still look forward to the next opportunity to fish, hunt, camp, float, or partake in anything related to the outdoors. Currently, I am enjoying the beauty of Missouri's great outdoors with my family. Spending quality time together and planning our next adventure has brought us closer as a family.

This experience has helped me appreciate my parents even more, considering the amount of preparation required to travel from the city to enjoy the outdoors. That is why supporting the Conservation Federation is critical to me. Having CFM advocate for our outdoor resources and this way of life is essential. I plan to continue to instill an appreciation for everything outdoors in my children and others. We should all do our part to preserve and protect our natural resources. I hope to see everyone outdoors and encourage everyone to always invite a kid or a friend that has never been.

LIFE MEMBERS OF CFM

Charles Abele

* R. Philip Acuff

* Duane Addleman

* Nancy Addleman

Tom Addleman

Nancy Addleman

* Michael Duane  Addleman

James Agnew

Carol Albenesius

Craig Alderman

* Allan Appell

Victor Arnold

Bernie Arnold

Richard Ash

Judy Kay Ash

Carolyn Auckley

J. Douglas Audiffred

Ken Babcock

Bernie Bahr

Michael Baker

* James Baker

Dane Balsman

Lynn Barnickol

Jamie Barton

Michael Bass

Robert Bass

Don Bedell

David F. Bender

Rodger Benson

Leonard Berkel

Barbi Berrong

Jim Blair

John Blankenbeker

Andy Blunt

Jeff Blystone

Kim Blystone

Glenn Boettcher

Arthur Booth

* Dale Linda Bourg

Stephen Bradford

Marilynn Bradford

Robin Brandenburg

Mark Brandly

Kathie Brennan

Robert Brinkmann

* Scott Brundage

Bill Bryan

Alan Buchanan

Connie Burkhardt

Dan Burkhardt

Brandon Butler

Randy Campbell

Brian Canaday

Dale Carpentier

* Glenn Chambers

Bryan Chilcutt

Ed Clausen

* Edward Clayton

* Ron Coleman

Denny Coleman

Rhonda Coleman

Liz Cook

Mark Corio

* Bill Crawford

Andy Dalton

DeeCee Darrow

Ryan Diener

Joe Dillard

Tim Donnelly  Cheryl Donnelly

Ron Douglas

Chuck Drury

* Charlie Drury

Tom Drury

Ethan Duke

Mike Dunning

William Eddleman

John Enderle

Theresa Enderle

Joe Engeln

Marlin Fiola

* Mary Louise Fisher

Howard Fisher

Andrew Fleming

Matt Fleming

Howard Fleming

Sara Fleming

Lori Fleming

Paula Fleming

* Charles Fleming

Bob Fry

Manley Fuller

David Galat

Gene Gardner

Matt Gaunt

Jason Gibbs

Timothy Gordon

Blake Gornick

David Graber

Tim Grace

Jody Graff

Richard & Sally Graham

Joseph Gray

Tyler Green

Jason Green

Gery Gremmelsbacher

Debbie Gremmelsbacher

Jason Gremmelsbacher

Bernie Grice Jr.

Mark & Kathy Haas

Tom & Margaret Hall

Christopher Hamon

* Deanna Hamon

J. Jeff Hancock

Herman Hanley

Keith Hannaman

Elizabeth Hannaman

John Harmon

* Milt Harper

Jack Harris

David Haubein

Jessica Hayes

* Susan Hazelwood

Mickey Heitmeyer

Loring Helfrich

* LeRoy Heman

* Randy Herzog

Bill Hilgeman

Jim Hill

Mike Holley

Rick Holton

CW Hook

* Allan Hoover

John Hoskins

Todd Houf

* Mike Huffman

Wilson Hughes

Larry Hummel

* Patricia Hurster

Kyna Iman

Jason Isabelle

Jim Jacobi

Aaron Jeffries

Robert Jernigan

Jerry Jerome

Roger & Debbie Johnson

* Don Johnson

* Malcolm Johnson

* Pat Jones

Steve Jones

John Karel

Thomas Karl

* Duane Kelly

Cosette Kelly

Junior Kerns

Todd Keske

Robert Kilo

* Martin King

Bill Kirgan

* Judd Kirkham

* Ed Kissinger

Sarah Knight

TJ Kohler

Jeff Kolb

Chris Kossmeyer

Chris Koster

Dan Kreher

Carl Kurz

* Ann Kutscher

Larry Lackamp

Kyle Lairmore

* Jay Law

* Gerald Lee

Debra Lee

Mark Lee

Randy Leible

* Joel LeMaster

* Norman Leppo

* John Lewis

Bill Lockwood

Leroy Logan

Christine Logan - Hollis

Bob Lorance

Ike Lovan

Wayne Lovelace

Kimberley LovelaceHainsfurther

Jim Low

Mark Loyd

Emily Lute-Wilbers

Martin MacDonald

Michael Mansell

Steve Maritz

Danny Marshall

John Mauzey

Bill McCully

Chip McGeehan

Teresa McGeehan

Nathan "Shags" McLeod

Jon McRoberts

Richard Mendenhall

Tom Mendenhall

Donna Menown

Cynthia Metcalfe

Walter Metcalfe

Larry Meyer

Stephanie Michels

Mitchell Mills

Joshua Millspaugh

Davis Minton

Lowell Mohler

John Moore, Jr.

Johnny Morris

Zachary Morris

John Mort

Leanne Mosby

Steve Mowry

Diana Mulick

David Murphy

* Dean Murphy

Richard Mygatt

* Steve Nagle

Rehan Nana

J. Roger Nelson

Jeremiah (Jay) Nixon

Gary Novinger

Frank & Judy Oberle

Larry O'Reilly

Charlie & Mary O’Reilly

Beth O'Reilly

Anya O'Reilly

Jeff Owens

Austin Owens

Sara Parker Pauley

Scott Pauley

Randy Persons

Edward Petersheim

Albert Phillips

Jan Phillips

Glenn & Ilayana Pickett

Jessica Plaggenberg

Becky Plattner

Jerry Presley

Albert Price

Nick Prough

Kirk Rahm

Kurtis Reeg

John Rehagen

David & Janice Reynolds

Carey Riley

Kevin Riley

Mike Riley

Dana Ripper

John Risberg

Mary Risberg

Ann Ritter

Charles Rock

Derrick Roeslein

Rudy Roeslein

Charles Rogers

Kayla Rosen

Gerald Ross

Pete Rucker

Tyler Ruoff

Benjamin Runge

William Ruppert

Tom Russell

Jacob Sampsell

Bruce Sassmann

Jan Sassmann

Frederick Saylor

Michael Schallon

Mossie Schallon

* Evelyn Schallon

Thomas Schlafly

Pamela Schnebelen

Donald & Deb Schultehenrich

Tyler Schwartze

* Ronald Schwartzmeyer

Timothy Schwent

Travis W. Scott

George Seek

Arlene Segal

* E. Sy Seidler

* Sara Seidler

Anita Siegmund

Douglas Smentkowski

Gary & Susanna Smith

Zachary Smith

* M.W. Sorenson

* Ed Stegner

Jeff Stegner

Everett Stokes

William Stork Jr.

Winifred Stribling

Norm Stucky

Mary Stuppy

* Mark Sullivan

Jacob Swafford

Jim Talbert

Norman Tanner

Travis Taylor

Richard Thom

Don Thomas

Tim Thompson

* Jeff Tillman

Robert Tompson

Mike Torres

Matt Tucker

David Urich

Jennifer Urich

Alex Uskokovich

Gary Van De Velde

Barbara vanBenschoten

Lee Vogel

Albert Vogt

Frank Wagner

Ray Wagner

* Julius Wall

Ginny Wallace

Mervin Wallace

Randy Washburn

Mary Waters

Henry Waters, III.

Daniel Weinrich

Michael Weir

Robert Werges

Evelyn Werges Bennish

Tom Westhoff

Gary Wheeler

Georganne Wheeler Nixon

Mark Williams

Dennis Williams

Dr. Jane Williams

Stephen Wilson

Michael Wilson

Laurie Wilson

Jonathan Wingo

Jon R. Wingo

Michael Wiseman

Daniel Witter

Brenda Witter

* Addie Witter

Owen Witter

Dick Wood

Howard Wood

Joyce Wood

Nicole Wood

Charles M. Wormek

Brad Wright

Suzanne Wright

David Young

Judy Young

Dan Zekor

Daniel Zerr

Jim Zieger

Robert Ziehmer

Emily Ziehmer

Lauren Ziehmer

Colton Zirkle

Ethan Zuck

Guy Zuck

Mark Zurbrick

*Deceased

17th Annual Conservation Federation Sporting Clays Classic

Saturday, August 12,

2023

Prairie Grove Shotgun Sports, 1420 County Rd 276, Columbia, MO 65202

Shoot as a Team or Individual

Two Shooter Scramble- 75 targets, $65/team

Individual Sporting Clays- 50 targets, $40/shooter

Schedule of Events

Registration: 8:00 a.m. - Noon

Shooting: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Awards: 2:00 p.m.

Prizes for Two Shooter Scramble & Individual Sporting Clays using the Lewis Class System

Pre-registration is encouraged, but signing up on the day of the event is acceptable. Visit www.confedmo.org or call 573-636-2322 to register or for more information.

Challenge shooting games will be held during the event!

Food trucks will be available on site and drinks will be provided.

Presented by: Central Electric Power Cooperative & Bass Pro Shops - Columbia

Central Electric Power Cooperative's members are Boone Electric Cooperative, Consolidated Electric Cooperative, Callaway Electric, Cuivre River Cooperative, Central Missouri Electric Cooperative, Howard Electric Cooperative, Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, and Three Rivers Electric Cooperative.

Scan to register

Ozark Trail Association

One of Missouri’s hidden treasures is right out your back door. Newly recognized as Missouri’s longest multi-use National Recreation Trail with over 430 miles to explore, the Ozark Trail provides a way to experience Missouri’s highest point, traversing through hardwood forests and beside crystal-clear streams that provide shelter for herds of wild horses. It’s all right here in Missouri’s rugged backyard, but it wasn’t always that way.

In 1977 a conceptual document was created by Missouri’s DNR about how the Ozark Trail could eventually become Missouri’s longest multi-use trail going from the Mississippi River to the Missouri/Arkansas border. But, by the late 1990s, the Ozark Trail had fallen into disrepair. Until a man by the name of John Roth tried hiking the Trace Creek Section which was in horrible shape. Following the experience, a thought process began with the idea of creating an all-volunteer organization to assist the federal and state land managers who were unable to keep up with the needed maintenance of the Ozark Trail.

In December 2002, the OTA was recognized and began the mission “to develop, maintain, preserve, promote and protect the rugged, natural beauty of the Ozark Trail.” In addition, the OTA embarked on its first major expansion project of a 25-mile section, which when completed would become the Middle Fork-John Roth Memorial section. With the completion of that section, a 230mile thru-trail was created going from Onondaga State Park down to the southern terminus of the Eleven Point Section. In the fall of 2019, the completion of the 14th section of the Ozark Trail, the Upper Current Section, provides one of the most amazing trail experiences along the National Scenic Riverways – the Current River, connecting two State Parks and a National Park.

Today, the OTA continues to make tremendous progress in its mission. New trail construction is ongoing down on the Missouri/Arkansas border as volunteers work to make that golden spike connection.

The Ozark landscape is relentless in its efforts to reclaim natural surface trail, and without our dedicated volunteers that log thousands of hours each year to keep the trail in great shape the Ozark Trail would not be what it is today. Our Board of Directors and chairpersons provide leadership and guidance to ensure the continued success of our mission statement.

For more information, visit ozarktrail.com

Photos: Kathie Brennan

Affiliate Organizations

Anglers of Missouri

Association of Missouri

Electric Cooperatives

Bass Slammer Tackle

Burroughs Audubon

Society of Greater Kansas City

Capital City Fly Fishers

Chesterfield Citizens

Committee for the Environment

Columbia Audubon Society

Conservation Foundation of Missouri Charitable Trust

Deer Creek Sportsman Club

Duckhorn Outdoors Adventures

Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club

Forest and Woodland

Association of Missouri

Forest Releaf of Missouri

Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

Gateway Chapter Trout Unlimited

Greater Ozarks Audubon Society

Greenbelt Land Trust of Mid-Missouri

Greenway Network, Inc.

James River Basin Partnership

L-A-D Foundation

Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance

Land Learning Foundation

Legends of Conservation

Little Blue River Watershed Coalition

Magnificent Missouri

Mid-Missouri Outdoor Dream

Mid-Missouri Trout Unlimited

Midwest Diving Council

Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters Association

Missouri Association of Meat Processors

Missouri Atlatl Association

Missouri B.A.S.S. Nation

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative

Missouri Birding Society

Missouri Bow Hunters Association

Missouri Caves & Karst Conservancy

Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society

Missouri Coalition for the Environment

Missouri Conservation Agents Association

Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation

Missouri Conservation Pioneers

Missouri Consulting Foresters Association

Missouri Disabled Sportsmen

Missouri Ducks Unlimited- State Council

Missouri Environmental Education Association

Missouri Forest Products Association

Missouri Grouse Chapter of QUWF

Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation

Missouri Master NaturalistBoone's Lick Chapter

Missouri Master NaturalistGreat Rivers Chapter

Missouri Master NaturalistHi Lonesome Chapter

Missouri Master NaturalistMiramiguoa Chapter

Missouri Master NaturalistOsage Trails Chapter

Missouri Master NaturalistSpringfield Plateau Chapter

Missouri National Wild Turkey Federation

Missouri Native Seed Association

Missouri Outdoor Communicators

Missouri Park & Recreation Association

Missouri Parks Association

Missouri Prairie Foundation

Missouri River Bird Observatory

Missouri River Relief

Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc.

Missouri Rural Water Association

Missouri Smallmouth Alliance

Missouri Society of American Foresters

Missouri Soil & Water Conservation

Society-Show-Me Chapter

Missouri Sport Shooting Association

Missouri State Campers Association

Missouri State Parks Foundation

Missouri Taxidermist Association

Missouri Trappers Association

Missouri Trout Fishermen's Association

MU Wildlife & Fisheries Science

Graduate Student Organization

Northside Conservation Federation

Open Space Council of the St. Louis Region

Outdoor Skills of America, Inc.

Ozark Chinquapin Foundation

Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc.

Ozark Land Trust

Ozark Riverways Foundation

Ozark Trail Association

Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club

Perry County Sportsman Club

Pomme De Terre Chapter Muskies

Quail & Upland Wildlife Federation, Inc.

Quail Forever & Pheasants Forever

River Bluffs Audubon Society

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

South Side Division CFM

Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers

St. Louis Audubon Society

Stream Teams United

Student Air Rifle Program

Tipton Farmers & Sportsman's Club

Tri-Lakes Fly Fishers

Troutbusters of Missouri

United Bow Hunters of Missouri

Watershed Conservation Corps

Wild Bird Rehabilitation

Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation

Wonders of Wildlife

World Bird Sanctuary

Young Outdoorsmen United

Attention CFM Members!

The Nominating Committee is looking for active members who are interested in doing more to support CFM’s mission “To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of our state’s rich outdoor heritage through advocacy, education and partnerships.” What can you do to help? Missouri conservation needs your time and talent to remain strong, whether in leadership, finance, natural resource management, wildlife management, or other areas where your passion lies. CFM needs you! Your experience and input as a member of the Board will help keep us paying it forward for many more years to come.

The Nominating Committee is now seeking candidates for the 2024 election. August 11, 2023 is the deadline to receive all applications for the following positions:

• Vice President: The Vice President will serve a two-year term and may succeed to the Presidentelect and President positions.

• At-large board members: (4 positions) Elected board members will serve for a three-year term.

• Executive committee: (2 positions) Elected for a three-year term. Note, only sitting board members are eligible to serve on the Executive Committee

• National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Alternate Representative (1 position) Will serve a one-year term. Note, fills a position vacated in the second year of a three-year term.

To learn more about the roles and responsibilities, please go to www.confedmo.org/ boardelections/, as well as the preferred (but not required) qualifications and experience for each. You may nominate yourself or another person by completing the nominations and bio forms located at www.confedmo.org/ boardelections/, and submit with a photo as instructed on the website by August 11, 2023. For questions or assistance, please contact a CFM staff member.

The nominating committee relies on the information provided by the candidates to select the slate for the 2024 positions.

Nomination Process for Candidates:

1. Read the descriptions and preferred qualifications.

2. Read the expectations of a board member.

3. Complete the nomination form and a short bio.

4. Submit nomination documents. Deadline August 11, 2023

Election: The election will be held electronically in January 2024 and the results will be announced prior to the Annual Convention.

Great Fishing Rods for a Great Cause

I’m always happy to tell you about American Made outdoor products and this one is special. The Virtus/ Jewel Accura Series of fishing rods manufactured by Mid-American Rods in Harrison Arkansas has teamed with the Autism Society with proceeds of sales donated to assist in research and hopefully someday find a cure for autism.

Accura defines the “Precision Design and Accurate Performance” of this series of 8 models: Spinnerbait/ Finesse, All Purpose Casting, Texas Rig Special, Crankbait/Topwater, Buzzbiat/Vibrating Jig, Big Worm, Flip/Pitch and All Purpose Spinning – all rods with a purpose and specially priced at $189.99.

You can order yours today at Jewelbait.com, I did. Sara’s getting one for her birthday, she just doesn’t know it yet!

Scott Pauley

They Aren’t Greasy— You Just Haven’t Cooked ‘Em Right

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase, I would be a wealthy man. Ducks and their ability to be show-stopping table fare are very much overlooked. Each fall, as the Grand Passage occurs, thousands of hunters are missing out on one of the best tasting game animals Missouri has to offer.

Handling and Preparation

One of the most important steps in having quality duck meat is the handling and preparation of the animal after harvest. If it is warm out, the number one step should be to gut and cool as quickly as possible. Luckily, much of the season the temperature is kind and will allow you to let them sit for a while.

However, if you have a gut shot bird, clean and cool as quickly as possible. Bacteria in the digestive tract can contaminate and alter the meat quickly. Clean the birds as quickly as possible in most cases. Separating the meat from the rest of the carcass is paramount.

If the temperature is below 40-degrees Fahrenheit, or the ducks are not gut shot, try dry aging the birds for four to seven days. Hang them outside, feathers and entrails intact, to really tenderize and enhance the flavor. If a warm spell hits, hang in the refrigerator. Wedge their beaks in the shelf grates and let hang for the same time period.

A pile of mallards and pintail in late December are some of the best tasting ducks around. (Photo: Ryan Miloshewski)

“Duck is greasy and taste like shoe leather!”

Plucking vs. Skinning

If you shoot a puddle duck (mallards, wood ducks, gadwall, wigeon, pintail, teal) there is little reason you should not pluck the feathers. The skin on these ducks, especially on birds who have been around gorging on grain, is incredibly fatty and tasty. By plucking it you save this skin and can render out the fat while cooking. However, a shot up puddle duck is best served to skinning. Any blood clots and coagulation that is trapped under the skin can affect the meat negatively, so remove the skin and wash or cut away these undesirable sections.

Diving ducks, such as redheads, mergansers, ring-necked, scaup, and bufflehead should almost always be skinned. Their diet consists of fish, invertebrates, and other lessthan-tasty morsels. The fishy, strong flavor is held in the skin and fat. You will notice most diver fat and skin is orange in color, and it is a sure indication it will not taste good.

The exception would be the canvasback. Canvasbacks, referred to as the King, are very good roasted whole. Be careful with puddle ducks, too! I have cooked gadwall before, and it smelled like I was searing a gizzard shad. Look for the orange fat and avoid it. Divers lend themselves well to grinding. Remove the skin, chunk up the breasts, and grind with pork or beef fat. Breakfast, summer, and hot Italian sausages are my favorite. Any sausage recipe will work here.

Cooking

The single most important error folks commit when preparing ducks is over cooking them. Because they are birds, there is a misconception they must be cooked well done. This is a tragic mistake. Ducks should be cooked medium-rare or rare. The only time you should not see any pink coloration after cooking is when you make jerky or sausage out of the birds. Please, stop overcooking your ducks!

Avoid marinades 99% of the time when cooking puddle ducks. They mask the flavor and really do not do anything for the bird. The exception would be when preparing ducks with Greek or Asian dishes. And for heaven’s sake, stop making poppers out of your fat mallards.

Sure, poppers taste fine, but slathering cream cheese and wrapping wild game in bacon is doing one thing— allowing you to taste the cream cheese and bacon. Ducks are complex in flavor and masking it with the ingredients of a popper does a disservice to the animal.

Another thing most do is throw away the legs. Stop doing this. Duck legs are great for gumbo, sauce picante, or any other slow cooking methods. I often make a Mississippi pot roast and confit and with duck legs. Both are exceptional dishes.

Easy Recipe Ideas

Hands down the best way to prepare a fat mallard or pintail is to pan sear the breasts in a cast iron skillet. This method, which I learned from Hank Shaw of Hunter Angler Gardner Cook, is the simplest and tastiest way to prepare skin-on puddle ducks.

Pan Seared Mallard

Step 1: Dry the breasts thoroughly and burn off any pin feathers. A small torch or lighter works great.

Step 2: Score the skin in a hatch pattern. This allows the fat to render out easily.

Pan seared mallard with a horseradish cream sauce and rosemary garnish. (Photo: Ryan Miloshewski)

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Step 3: Salt both sides of the breasts and add a little pepper to the non-skin side. Too much pepper will burn.

Step 4: For mallards or similar sized ducks, place skin side down in a COLD pan. Turn the heat to medium/ medium-high and let them cook for 5-7 minutes. Starting with a cold pan allows the fat to render slowly and get a great crisp on the skin.

Step 5: Flip to the non-skin side and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the size.

Step 6: Stand each breast up in the skillet, touching each other, and cook the thickest part of the breast for 90 seconds.

Step 7: Remove and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Step 8: Slice and serve.

This method will give you perfect medium-rare duck and crispy skin. The combination of flavors is exceptional, and it will be hard for you to cook a mallard any other way ever again.

Maple Smoked Duck Breasts

Ducks lend themselves very well to smoking. The fat and skin hold the smoke flavor well and the meat does not dry out. Try this easy way.

Step 1: Thoroughly dry your skin-on puddle duck breasts and remove any pin feathers with a torch or lighter. You can score the skin here or leave it intact.

Step 2: Salt liberally on both sides.

Step 3: Set the smoker to 225-250-degrees, depending on how much time you have.

Step 4: Place the duck breasts on the smoker for 45 minutes.

Step 5: Glaze the breasts with a high-quality maple syrup. High quality matters here, as most cheap syrups will not caramelize the same way.

Step 6: Smoke for an additional 2 hours, glazing the breasts with maple syrup every 30 minutes or.

Step 7: Pull the ducks at a temperature of 130-degrees, let rest, and enjoy. (If you want crispy skin, get a pan ripping hot and put the breasts skin side down for 1-2 minutes).

Ducks are one of the plentiful resources we have each fall in Missouri. Utilize them in the right way, and you will have a culinary delight long after the season has ended.

Ryan Miloshewski

A medium-rare mallard breast is hard to beat. (Photo: Ryan Miloshewski)

Committed to Community & Conservation

Owned by the members they serve, Missouri’s electric cooperatives do more than provide reliable and affordable electricity. They are active in their communities, concerned for the wellbeing of their neighbors and devoted to the rural way of life that makes the Show-Me State a special place to live, work and play. Missouri’s electric cooperatives are dedicated to protecting the land, air and water resources important to you and your quality of life. Learn more at www.amec.coop.

Sharing Our Streams

An ongoing discussion between stream frontage landowners and river recreationists involves the sharing of that sirloin steak found on the ShowMe State’s natural resource menu – its miles of floatable waterways. The rivers of the state, particularly in the southern portion, are heavily used by canoeists, rafters, kayakers, anglers, campers, spelunkers, and swimmers. And most streamside landowners are also river recreationists.

I can identify with this duality on a personal level. My grandfather spent most of his eight decades working a farm that featured a half mile of river frontage along the middle Meramec. The five children he raised grew up fishing and swimming and gigging in the river. Later, they brought most of us grandkids down to the banks to camp and fish for several days at a time.

As an adolescent and teen, I stayed with my grandparents for weeks. When I was seventeen, an ailment put my thenwidowed grandfather in the hospital most of the summer, but I stayed with my aunt and cousin, who had moved into the old farmhouse. I was ostensibly there to fulfill Grandpa’s commitment to the Rural Electric Association to keep the brush cleared from beneath the power line that came over the ridge to the farmhouse. I’ll readily admit that some days I didn’t get much brush cleared, because the river constantly called my name.

After Grandpa passed away that fall and the lower elevation acreages of the farm were sold to the government to build a lake that never got built, I continued to use my favorite stretch of the Meramec, along with other Ozark streams, as a float-fisherman. Later on, my cousin bought some streamside acreage a few miles upstream from the previous site of the family farm. I’ve been privileged to camp and picnic there and use his property as a base for fishing and gigging forays.

My point in recounting this family history is to validate my qualifications to speak for both sides—streamside landowners and river users. I’ve been down the river and back, and waded from one bank to the other.

Figuratively speaking, I’ve straddled both sides of that infamous barbed wire that was stretched across the upper Meramec, to discourage floaters. It triggered the Missouri Supreme Court case, Elder vs. Delcour, in 1954. Even though I was a mere toddler that year, I could easily have been one of the witnesses to the 2013 shooting on an Ozark gravel bar of a floater by a landowner which tested the limits of that ruling.

To illustrate, allow me to dive deeper into some of my experiences from the landowner side of the equation. One morning during that summer I spent on Grandpa’s farm, a man and his son showed up at the house. They looked like they’d spent a sleepless night on the river, which they had. They had misjudged the length of their float and been caught by darkness. They chose to stop for the night at the gravel bar we Slovenskys customarily used to launch our boats, fish from the bank, and access our favorite swimming hole. In many ways, we considered it “our” gravel bar.

During the night, the floaters had spotted Grandpa’s house on the hillside across the bottomland fields. Too weary to continue their float, they had walked across the fields and halfway up the hill to knock on the door.

We recognized the name of their canoe outfitter, and offered to drive them to that location in my aunt’s car. We also allowed the outfitter to come pick up his canoe and paddles later that day. I’d like to think we did the right thing; both parties seemed very appreciative.

Another time, a different outfitter drove his truck down the mile-long driveway to the house and asked if he could put in at our gravel bar so that his teenage daughter could dive for some gear that one of his clients had lost as a result of a swamped canoe. Grandpa knew the outfitter, and readily granted permission I’m sure my grandfather could have told me more stories of a similar nature.

In the sixties and seventies, our extended family camped at the gravel bar, fishing, swimming, and socializing to our heart’s content. During those years, one of my cousins attached a rope to a sycamore tree that hung out over our favorite swimming hole, adjacent to the gravel bar. Before long, the hanging rope attracted passing floaters.

Our swims were frequently interrupted, as was fishing from “our” gravel bar. Ultimately, we took the rope down rather than deal with its downsides.

A hundred yards upstream from our swimming hole was a small cave we called The Bear Cave. Its entrance was just above the water level during normal flow. The small opening quickly narrowed down, becoming too small for human access. We never witnessed anyone stopping to investigate the cave. However, larger caves have proven problematic for other landowners, creating emergency rescue situations and cave vandalism incidents.

Downstream from my Grandpa’s farm, my Dad took my brother and me to another cave he knew of, halfway up a high bluff on the river. We were likely trespassing, but the memory of that experience raises several questions, such as whether spelunkers have the right to climb a riverside bluff to explore a cave, exactly where a high-water mark would be defined on such a bluff, and which caves are off limits to the public.

Grandpa’s farm also featured a slough, a quarter-mile stretch of the former river channel. The slough was not visible from the river itself, being separated by silted-in areas at its upper and lower ends, and from the current river channel by two corn fields. Only family members and locals knew of it.

The slough got flooded by the river and restocked with fish periodically. But its ecology differed from the river’s, characterized by still water and lush aquatic vegetation. In the slough, we caught primarily bluegills, crappie, bullheads, and largemouth bass. The goggle-eye, longear sunfish, suckers, and smallmouth bass prevalent in the nearby Meramec were largely absent because these species were not well adapted to the still waters of the slough. We treasured that special environment, and the honeyhole it represented.

Interestingly, not long after Grandpa had bought the farm in the early 1900’s, he went to court in an unsuccessful effort to claim the acreage between the slough and the river. He lost the case, understandably so, but purchased the river bottom fields, which were and remain inaccessible from the opposite side of the river.

Our family’s riverside campground lay between the swimming hole gravel bar and the lower end of the slough, on a slight rise. It would have been above the “high water mark” described in Elder vs. Delcour, and I suspect we would have been on solid ground forbidding any floaters from camping on it. To my knowledge, that never came up. The gravel bar itself was too small to pitch more than one tent, and apparently no floaters were brazen enough to “borrow” the picnic table we had chained to a tree on the higher ground. At least not that we ever witnessed.

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Now let’s move on to my perspectives as a river recreationist.

My cousins and I knew of another slough upstream, one that was separated from the river only by a narrow island or a peninsula, depending on the water level. It was accessible by boat from the lower end, if you knew to swing a hard right in the middle of a swift run on the river. We paused there often on our floats from Walker’s Ford (later Garrison’s Campground and Resort) down to Grandpa’s farm. Adapting our slough-angling tactics to the still backwater, we could count on adding a few largemouths, bluegill, and crappie to our stringers.

But was the peninsula/island above the legally-defined high water mark? The slough was connected by water at the lower end and barely separated by silt at the upper end. I wouldn’t have wanted to argue the matter with the adjacent landowner, nor in court.

Just downstream from that slough, the landowner had anchored a small concrete dock at the base of a wooden staircase descending from a cabin high on the hillside. My cousin occasionally used that small slab to take a nap and rest his sore back. I also moored there on my honeymoon float to stop and cook my bride some soup on a Coleman stove, technically our first homecooked meal as a married couple. Again, I wouldn’t have wanted to get in a squabble with the streamside landowner over squatter’s rights, but, fortunately, no one showed up while we were “borrowing” the dock.

Another potential can of worms might involve wet-weather tributaries and spring branches. How is the high-water mark defined in these situations? If MDC-stocked trout were finding a home in the cooler waters of such a spring branch, would fishing for them be open to the public?

In general, floaters have benefited from the high-water mark definition established in Elder vs. Delcour. However, some landowners would like the matter revisited to give them more say in managing the use of gravel bars and other low-lying areas by floaters. The standard preferred by these property owners would move the property rights boundaries to the water’s edge at normal flow, denying floaters access to most gravel bars and the mouths of tributaries and backwater sloughs.

Other potential legislation might force Missouri courts to further define the “navigability” of each Missouri stream. This nightmarish conundrum would surely provide job security for several lawyers for several years.

Perhaps some sort of compromise on the definitions of navigability and high-water marks could be reached to prevent a recurrence of the 2013 gravel bar confrontation. On the other hand, further legislation may simply muddy the waters more.

Legal issues surrounding river rights can better be circumnavigated by persuading both sides to practice ethical behavior. Tolerance on the part of the landowners and civility on the part of the recreationists should be the modus operandi for sharing our streams. For landowners, that means not treating floaters like enemies. For floaters, that means behaving themselves and leaving the rivers and their shorelines in better shape than they find them.

This ethical remedy, involving all the stakeholders, is needed to keep these sticky issues out of the hands of clumsy legislators and unengaged courts. We would all be better served if the ethics discussions are conducted elsewhere—across the counters at raft and canoe outfitters, in conversations across the tables at outdoor trade shows and conservation conventions, and around gravel bar campfires.

Peer pressure can work to keep unruly floaters from annoying landowners. Landowners should let law enforcement handle escalating situations. Common courtesy and common sense should prevail, and we should all remind each other what brings us together—our deep love for our precious streams.

An old saw and the lyrics of a Scottish melody come to mind. “You can’t legislate morality” is the adage. “Oh, ye’ll take the high road, and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in Scotland afore ye” comprise the song lyrics. Both seem appropriate as we navigate this river of complex issues together.

Charlie Slovensky

Photos: Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

What Lives on a Prairie?

If you drive by an original, unplowed prairie in Missouri, depending on the time of year, you might think it is all “just grass and meadowlarks.” Or, if you visit one in July or August, you might think it is all “blazing star and goldenrod.”

The only way to really know what plants and animals are living on a prairie—or any other habitat—is to establish baseline biological data and collect and record comparative data over time, to ensure that the management of a given prairie or other natural community is sustaining or even enhancing biological diversity and ecological integrity.

Biological data collection from lands in conservation ownership can be compiled in a number of ways. The method that will result in the most thorough data compilation is to hire specialists to conduct in-depth plant and animal surveys on newly acquired land, to establish baseline data, and repeat these assessments every few years. (Or, if you are lucky, experienced volunteers may be able to do this work at no cost.)

However, these kinds of comprehensive surveys can be expensive and/or time-consuming. A way to quickly assess the health of a prairie, forest, glade, or other habitat is to carry out Community Health Index (CHI) surveys. CHI surveys are a rapid assessment of the ecological integrity of a site. The Missouri Department of Conservation developed the CHI tool, in partnership with the Mark Twain National Forest, to facilitate more frequent monitoring of natural communities to ensure that their biological integrity is maintained over time. The CHI methodology does require general field biology knowledge and the ability to identify a short list of plants and animals, but exhaustive knowledge of birds, amphibians, plants, or other groups of organisms is not needed.

CFM passed a resolution at its 87th Convention in February 2023 promoting the adoption of CHI, and, depending on the CHI results, implementation of corrective action plans by entities that own and manage publicly accessible original prairies.

Plant and animal data collection helps land managers assess natural community health. A botanical inventory conducted in 2018 at the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s (MPF’s) Penn-Sylvania Prairie in Dade County revealed that the site had broken a world record for plant species diversity on a fine scale. Find plant, pollinator, bird, and other species surveys on MPF prairies at moprairie. org/research.

The national Natural Areas Association published a peerreviewed article on the CHI methodology written by MDC ecologist Mike Leahy in its publication, the Natural Areas Journal, in spring 2022. The CHI methodology developed in Missouri is being adopted by numerous agencies and other entities around the country.

A third way to compile important data about a prairie or other natural community is to enlist citizen scientists to help you. Many conservation sites open to the public, including the Missouri Prairie Foundation, have established Citizen Science projects to which individuals can contribute data using iNaturalist. Reporting birds via eBird is another way citizen scientists can build documented biological data of a site.

Lastly, you and all other Missourians can help support land management that sustains or enhances native biodiversity by letting managers of publicly accessible land know that scientifically based habitat health assessments and species surveys are important to you.

(Photo: Bruce Schuette)

Carol Davit

Carol Davit is the executive director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation and its Grow Native! program, and is the chair of the Missouri Invasive Plant Council.

Road trip. We didn’t choose the perfect playlist. Or program the GPS. But we did fuel the car that made you realize there are no wrong turns, only new adventures. When the energy you invest in life meets the energy we fuel it with, amazing journeys happen.

Keeping Things Simple

Ihave had the distinct pleasures of seeing a lot of places and enjoyed a ton of outdoor adventures in 52 years of outdoor writing. I have found, however, as I have grown older that I like simplicity in all things, outdoor adventures included.

I’m well past the point of trying to prove anything about my outdoor skills to anyone. I’ll leave that to the younger guys. Competition and braggadocio simply don’t fit my style anymore.

I have enjoyed riding in some of the best-made bass boats, with the best guides in the country, have deer and turkey hunted on some of the best imaginable properties, and enjoyed having bear, elk and moose only a few yards away in the wild country of Canada and Alaska, and fished remote areas of Alaska, Canada, Mexico and more.

As grand as all those adventures were, today I prefer to fish in a small lake for bass and bluegill, float the Meramec with my grandson and friends, or camp in a remote U.S. Forest Service campground far away from the hustle and bustle of today’s busy world. Few things in life compare to the feeling and enjoyment I derive from introducing a child to the outdoors. I have had the pleasure of introducing hundreds to the thrill and adventures the outdoors has to offer.

I did so through many organized programs such as scouts, church groups, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, state parks, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Land Learning Foundation, Bass Pro’s Wonders of Wildlife School and more. However, the greatest rewards have come from taking kids into the outdoors, often one on one, just for the pure fun derived from being outdoors together.

Unorganized outdoor recreation with a child, whether hiking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, caving, or bird watching, is the most enjoyable and thrilling of all things I do outdoors.

If I’m participating in outdoor activities with adults, there is always the added pressure of who catches the biggest or most fish, and who kills the first turkey or deer. Whether the competition is organized or not, the underlying pressures of our competitive society is always present where adults are found recreating together.

Sure, I enjoyed the days of friendly competition among fishing and hunting buddies, but I never got caught up in the melodrama of large competitive events such as bass and crappie tournaments. I always felt that fishing and hunting should be enjoyable for the activity themselves, not from the notoriety gained from having won a tournament.

That is not to say that I believe that there is no place for fishing tournaments, or hunting tournaments, for that matter. Many people enjoy these activities and go to great lengths and expense to participate in them. Too, I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and bass and crappie fishermen in particular, have been a force in the great improvement of our fisheries through their efforts for better management of lakes and streams. Too, their conservation efforts through clubs and organizations have provided thousands of man hours towards habitat improvements, stream cleanups and riparian repair programs.

There are fishing programs for children, beginning fishermen, anglers who want to improve their skills, programs for veterans and wounded warriors, and programs for women anglers as well. I personally belong to Reel Recovery, an organization that takes men dealing with cancer on fly-fishing trips.

It’s a no-pressure program that simply gives men dealing with all types of cancer the opportunity to escape for a day, enjoy themselves, catch a fish, or not fish at all, but merely sit by a stream and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. The camaraderie of being with other men in similar situations is a powerful component of the program as well.

Much of my current attitude about fishing and outdoor recreation, in general, came from an experience on a 5-day fly fishing trip to the Caribbean several years ago. I booked a professional guide. Upon my arrival, I quickly discovered that the pro fisherman had the attitude of a military drill instructor. He informed me that I would spend the first two days of my trip on the fishing dock learning his technique of fly fishing. I quickly told him that would not happen.

Needless to say the pro was a bit less than enchanted with me. Too, he let me know that he was not particularly fond of outdoor writers. Regardless, I endured two full days of torrid insults and belittling comments from the so-called pro. I didn’t cast correctly according to him. Neither did I cast far enough, nor did I cast to the right places. Despite my shortcomings, I managed to hook up with good numbers of tarpon and giant snook. The third morning began much like the two previous mornings with my having to listen to the pro guide tell me how great he was as a fly fisherman and how no one else measured up to his skills. When he made his first derogatory remark of the day about my fly-fishing abilities, I relied simply, “Shut your mouth and let me fish.” You could have heard a pin drop.

For the next two and one-half days I enjoyed my trip, all the while wondering how anglers came to the point of being as egotistical and arrogant as my current guide. I silently vowed to never allow myself to fall into such a superfluous state of mind. At dinner on the last evening, after I had enjoyed a splendid day of tarpon fishing, my guide said he had a proposal for me. “I’d love for you to write a book about my personal and professional flyfishing techniques Señor Bill,” he said.

I’d love to do that someday, but for the moment, I’m too busy fishing and camping with my grandchildren.

Bill Cooper

Keeping outdoor activities simple and enjoyable provides long lasting memories for all participants. (Photo: Bill Cooper)

Frog Hunters

My dad and his friend Gene were returning from a successful nighttime frog-gigging trip when Dad’s truck’s headlights went out. Looking all over, they could not find a fuse. Lucky for them, they found a .22 caliber bullet that fit perfectly into the fuse box. The headlights came on.

After traveling approximately 20 miles and just before crossing a bridge, the bullet overheated. Unlucky for them, it discharged and struck Dad in the right testicle. The truck swerved and hit a tree. Dad suffered minor cuts but did require surgery to repair the other wound. Gene suffered a broken rib and was treated and released.

Gene told everyone, “Thank God we weren’t on that bridge when he shot his intimate parts off, or we might have died.” When Mom found out about the wreck, instead of asking about poor Dad and where she could see him, she asked, “Where are the frog legs? I need to get them in the refrigerator.”

Now, it’s a good thing I was already born when this happened, or I wouldn’t have been here to try gigging frogs for myself. In my teenage years, every boy learned how to gig frogs, cut their legs off, and bring them home for their mom to fry up for the whole family. Of course, we were poor back then, so Mom was good at frying up about anything I brought home, but she dearly loved frog legs.

It was a warm summer day. My friend Frankie and I decided it was time for us to be real men and hunt frogs. We found an old burlap sack to put the frogs in so we wouldn’t have to put wiggling, bloody frogs in our jeans pockets.

Dad let us use his frog gigs since he had not gone frog hunting for years. I guess it was hard for him to gig frogs with one testicle. Mom was very excited at the possibility of Frankie and me getting a bunch of giant bullfrogs so she could fry up frog legs again.

Dad also let us use his flashlight and gave us some tips and advice since we knew nothing about this great sport. One of the first things he said was to be alert for snakes. He assured us that snakes found at a pond were usually harmless, but a water moccasin snake, which is poisonous, could be visiting the pond.

Frankie and I thought about that a lot as we walked to the pond where we had permission to hunt frogs. Some people may think there is not much excitement when hunting frogs. That’s not true. Walking into a spider web in the dark can cause anybody’s heart to start beating really fast. When you realize you have walked into a spider web, you start wondering where the spider is and screams escape from your mouth.

We knew there were cattle in some of the fields, but we didn’t know which ones. Typically, cows are gentle animals. However, cows are curious, and for their size, it’s amazing how quietly they can walk up to you in the dark.

Your heart can start beating very fast when you turn and see glowing eyes about four or five feet above the ground staring at you. It gets more exciting when you realize the eyes belong to a 1,500-pound cow that could quickly decide it didn’t like you.

Thankfully there were no cows in the field on the way to the pond, but another danger is stepping into a fresh cow pie when walking in the dark. When you step into a fresh one, you can slip and fall. You do not smell very good when covered with cow pies.

When you step into a hole or small ditch, slip in the mud, walk into a low-hanging branch, or trip on a stick, it can get your heart beating fast too. All this can be very disruptive to the frog hunt. Any of these exciting activities often cause a person to yell, curse, or both. Frogs are not used to hearing these types of sounds around a pond. When they do, they jump into the water where it is hard to gig them.

Dad’s flashlight was good for spotting the light reflecting off the frog’s eyes or any other animal’s eyes the light found. A frog will freeze when light is shined in its eyes. That enables the hunter to get close to the frog before spearing the frog. It does become tricky walking toward the frog and keeping the light shining in the frog’s eyes. Moving the light beam off the frog’s eyes can cause it to jump. Walking while holding a light beam on a frog’s eyes is similar to walking and trying to balance a book on your head. It takes a lot of practice.

We had numerous misses trying to gig a frog that night. We said some words that, if our moms had heard them, they would have washed our mouths out with soap. We fell into the water a few times. Limbs attacked us and scratched our arms and faces. Did I mention all the mosquito bites? We left the pond that night wiser in the knowledge of frog gigging but with no frogs. The first thing Mom said when we got home was, “Where are the frogs?” She loves her frog legs. Just ask Dad.

Larry Whiteley

Top - Frogs of all kinds love ponds. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)  Bottom - Snakes also love to inhabit frog ponds. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC) Left - Frog huntin' gear. (Photo: Larry Whiteley)

Fourteenth Annual Governors Youth Turkey Hunt

The 2023 Governors Youth Turkey Hunt marks the 14th year of this very special event. The hunt serves as a recognition by our government, of the importance of natural resources and outdoor recreation to the Missouri citizenry. It is also a celebration of Missouri’s leading role in recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters.

The youth started the weekend off on the day before the season opened by attending an informational session on turkeys and turkey calling. The youth learned the basics of calling, woods etiquette, and other things to be aware of when pursuing wild turkeys. They also had an opportunity to pattern their shotguns and learn about hunter safety. This very informative clinic was put on by the dedicated staff at the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The evening portion of Friday’s festivities took place at the Governor’s mansion where the youth and a guest could enjoy a delicious variety of finger foods before the evening program. Representatives from the partnering agencies and organizations spoke briefly about the event’s importance and elevated the anticipation of what awaited the young hunters throughout the remainder of this special weekend. The speakers included Kevin Hess, the State Chapter President from the National Wild Turkey Federation, Sara Parker Pauley from the Missouri Department of Conservation, Gregg Pearre, Friends of the NRA State Fund Chairman, Tyler Schwartze, Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, and Bruce Sassmann, Representative of the 61st District. The youth were then each given a custom call made by Jim Clark before taking their picture with Sara and John Burk. From there the youth departed across the state to meet up with their landowners and guides to try and notch their first turkey tag.

Turkey hunting is a pretty weather-dependent activity. To get the best opportunity to experience “the show” you pray for clear calm conditions at dawn. Unfortunately, “Ma Nature” threw a curveball for the opener with most of the state experiencing heavy sustained winds for nearly the entirety of the season opener, Saturday, April 1st. However, Sunday was more what the doctor ordered and most of those that were able to hunt the second day experienced the turkey hunting game as it was designed to be played.

Overall the results were good with 8 out of the 15 kids participating harvesting birds. Statewide, 2,566 birds were harvested over the youth weekend, April 1 and 2 of 2023. Top harvest counties were Osage with 71, Miller with 65, and Texas with 64.

Comparatively, young hunters checked 2,881 turkeys during the 2022 spring youth weekend.

Representative Bruce Sassmann put a cherry on top again this year. Bruce is having plaques made for each of the kids that harvested turkeys with an official resolution capturing their special weekend.

The perennial success that this event has accomplished is largely a product of the overall quality of the experiences it has been able to provide the participants. All of these hunts throughout the 14-year history of this event have occurred on private land. We are therefore indebted to the generosity of the private landowners and guides that make it possible every year. The 2023 Guides and Landowners included: R.L. Bennett, Brad Peters, Bill Haag, Bruce Sassmann, Steven Harrison, Brandon Butler, Dwayne Lucasl, Jim Cihy, Cole Cihy, Tyler Schwartze, Tim Taylor, Kevin Hess, Logan Burk, David Guerrant, Jake Buxton, Mike Kehoe, Adam Voight, John Burk, and Jason Isabelle.

Thanks again to everyone who made this year’s hunt so special for Missouri’s youth. Most of the landowners and guides are dedicated NWTF and/or CFM members. Without them, this event would not be possible. We especially thank the landowners; the incredibly special gift that you willingly give year after year cannot be repaid. Please know that all involved are aware of this and that your efforts truly are making a difference in the cherished memories that you made possible.

John Burk & Tyler Schwartze

The hunt is a cooperative effort between Governor Mike Parson, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, National Wild Turkey Federation, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Friends of the NRA, and private landowners. (Photo: Courtesy of NWTF)

Missouri State Parks Selected for Top Honors as a National Gold Medal Finalist

The 2023 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management lists Missouri State Parks as a finalist for top honors. The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, administers the National Gold Medal Awards Program.

“We are excited to receive this news,” said Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Dru Buntin. “This is quite an honor for Missouri to be nationally recognized as one of the top state parks system in the country.”

Missouri is one of a handful of states that does not charge entrance fees to its state parks, thanks in part to the Parks, Soil and Water Sales Tax.

“The citizen support for our parks is outstanding. The last time the sales tax renewed, it passed by 80% of the voters throughout the state,” Buntin said. “The sales tax helps guarantee everyone has the chance to enjoy nature and outdoor recreation while exploring Missouri’s history.”

Missouri State Parks is competing for top honors against Ohio State Parks and Watercraft, Texas State Parks and Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails.

The winner will be announced at the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual conference in October in Dallas.

“We are honored to be considered one of the top state parks system in the country,” said Missouri State Parks Director David Kelly. “We have an outstanding team caring for our parks system. This recognition can be attributed to an outstanding group of profession team members caring for our 92 state parks and historic sites. It is great that they are being recognized nationally for their hard work.”

For more information concerning the Gold Medal Award program, visit https://aapra.org/National-Gold-MedalAward.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Katy Trail State Park Improvements Continue Thanks to Edward “Ted” and Pat Jones

Edward “Ted” and Pat Jones are still making sure the parks they loved are cared for years after their deaths. Because they had no children, they often said they “adopted” the state of Missouri.

“With gifts of money and land, Ted and Pat Jones provided a legacy that becomes more significant as time passes,” said Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Dru Buntin. Thanks to Ted and Pat, Missouri now has a nature preserve, a vast native prairie, a state park at the confluence point of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and the famous Katy Trail State Park.

Not only was Ted Jones responsible for the building of the Katy Trail, he was also the driving force in building Edward Jones Investments. Now, thanks to a final gift from a trust created more than 30 years ago by Ted, Missouri will have a new bridge connecting the Pleasant Hill Trailhead to the Katy Trail.

In April, more than 60 Edward Jones employees and volunteers joined Missouri State Parks team members on the Katy Trail near Pleasant Hill, Missouri, where they planted 33 trees in honor of the 33rd anniversary of the Katy Trail State Park. Following the tree planting, the design phase and development plan for construction of the new Ted and Pat Jones Bridge was revealed.

Upon final approval from Union Pacific Railroad, the new bridge will span the current, active railroad tracks and provide direct access to the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail from the trailhead, replacing the current required road detour.

“The Jones’ legacy continues to live on through their contributions to Missouri State Parks,” said David Kelly, director of Missouri State Parks. “Ted and Pat Jones had a vision for a cross-state trail that would connect the two major metro areas of Missouri. As a final gift, the Ted Jones Trust is funding this new trail bridge at Pleasant Hill.”

“The Katy Trail represented much more than a recreational trail to Ted Jones,” said Dan Burkhardt, a spokesperson for the Jones Trust. “It was a way to showcase the best of Missouri and bring visitors to the historic communities along the route of the old Katy Railroad. Ted Jones wanted to turn the trail into a teaching trail as well as a tourist destination. People now come from around the world to see the part of the country the Ted and Pat called home.”

This new bridge will get bring the Katy Trail one step closer to connecting with Jackson County’s portion of the Rock Island Trail in Kansas City.

“The new Ted and Pat Jones Bridge at Pleasant Hill will be one of the final links to the cross-state trail system that attracts visitors worldwide,” Kelly said. “Ted Jones, who was managing partner for Edward Jones, left a legacy for our parks. We appreciate Ted and Pat and their love for nature and the park system. Without Ted’s drive and enthusiasm, the Katy Trail State Park would not be what it is today. We also appreciate all the Edward Jones employees, families and volunteers who helped with the tree planting.”

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Missouri State Parks

MDC Honors Former Commissioner With Land at Peck Ranch Conservation Area

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) honored former Commissioner Don Bedell during a dedication ceremony Tuesday, April 4 for the Don C. Bedell Unit of Peck Ranch Conservation Area. Bedell, an avid conservationist and enthusiastic sportsman, served on the Missouri Conservation Commission through 2021 after serving two six-year terms. He is a life sponsor of Ducks Unlimited, a life member of Quail Unlimited, Inc., a sustaining member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, a Diamond sponsor of the National Wild Turkey Federation, and a life member of the Safari Club.

During his time serving on the Conservation Commission, Bedell saw MDC accomplish numerous feats, including the historic restoration of once-native elk at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in the Missouri Ozarks. On Tuesday, MDC recognized this connection by designating nearly 6,000 acres of newly conserved forestland as the “Don C. Bedell Unit” of Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

“Don Bedell will have a lasting impact in conservation, not only for his long tenure on the Conservation Commission, but for his vital role in recognizing how important partnerships are to moving conservation forward,” said MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “To be able to name this track of land after him in the Ozarks, especially a place so close to the elk herd he helped bring back to Missouri, really makes this a special moment and milestone.”

The 5,805-acre property, formerly known as Chilton Creek Research and Demonstration Area, contains some of the most biologically important woodland habitat in the Midwest and is surrounded by Peck Ranch Conservation Area, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, and Ozark National Scenic Riverway. The land was originally acquired by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 1991 in order to protect some of the most biologically important woodland habitat in the Midwest. Since that time, TNC has performed extensive management to restore and enhance high quality forest and woodland natural communities, and has collaboratively developed the Chilton Creek Fire Study to help research the benefits and impacts of prescribed fire in Ozark forest systems.

As a complementary effort to the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP), MDC will continue to employ management practices to ensure healthy and sustainable natural resources on the property, such as using prescribed fire to enhance forest health and diversity.

MDC purchased the property using $4,000,000 from the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program in October. The tract of land is adjacent to 2.5 miles of the Current River, the most biologically significant river in the Midwest and one of Missouri’s most popular outdoor recreation streams. The property supports unusual species, such as the two-foot long Ozark hellbender (federally endangered), and is in the center of Missouri’s 220,000-acre elk restoration zone. With more than 830 plant species having been documented on the property and numerous fens, springs, and glades, some of Missouri’s highest quality woodlands can be found on the newly-designated Don C. Bedell Unit.

“Our nation’s forests provide immeasurable social, economic, and environmental benefits that are lost when forestland is converted to non-forest uses. The Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program directly supports our partners in pursuing mutual forest conservation objectives for the benefit of future generations,” said Gina Owens, Regional Forester for the USDA Forest Service’s Eastern Region.

The Don C. Bedell Unit will be open to the public and managed by MDC for multiple uses under certification through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

The Forest Legacy Program is administered by the USDA Forest Service in partnership with designated state agencies to encourage the protection of privately-owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) honored former Commissioner Don Bedell during a dedication ceremony Tuesday, April 4 for the Don C. Bedell Unit of Peck Ranch Conservation Area. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

MDC Proposes Adjusting Permit Prices and Wants Public Input

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is proposing adjusting prices for most hunting, fishing, trapping, and commercial permits in an effort to keep up with rising costs of goods and services it uses to manage its more than 1,000 conservation areas along with nature centers, shooting ranges, fish hatcheries, and other facilities. MDC got initial approval on the proposed permit price adjustments from the Missouri Conservation Commission at the Commission’s May 19 open meeting at City Hall in Washington, Mo.

Missouri is home to more than 1 million anglers, 500,000 hunters, and several thousand trappers. MDC issues nearly 2.6 million hunting, fishing, and trapping permits each year. Most MDC permit prices have remained the same for the past 20 years while costs for goods and services have increased significantly since then.

“In June 1999, the price of a resident firearms deer permit was $17 and the cost of a gallon of diesel fuel was $1.07,” explained MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “Jump ahead two-plus decades to April 2023 when the cost of a resident firearms deer permit was still $17 while the cost of a gallon of diesel fuel was $4.08. That cost increase really adds up considering MDC purchased nearly 400,000 gallons of diesel in 2022 to run vehicles and equipment.”

Pauley added that most permit prices would initially be adjusted by a couple dollars or less. MDC would then propose additional prices adjustments as needed in future years.

“Compared to other states, Missouri permit prices are in the middle-to-lower end of the scale and would still be a bargain compared to surrounding states,” she said. “The average price of a resident firearm deer permit for surrounding states is $54 compared to Missouri at $17.

MDC estimates that adjusted permit prices would generate about $800,000 in additional revenue for 2024 and about $2 million annually in the coming years.

Additional revenue from permit sales will help MDC maintain and improve its nationally recognized programs and services for hunters, anglers, wildlife watcher, and others. Conservation efforts supported by revenue from permit sales include:

• Maintaining and improving 15 nature and interpretative centers around the state.

• Maintaining and improving nine fish hatcheries around the state that raise and stock more than 7 million fish annually for public fishing – including about 1.3 million trout at five hatcheries.

• Maintaining and improving more than 70 public shooting ranges around the state.

• Ongoing habitat work on nearly 1,000 conservation areas, including 15 intensively managed wetlands for public hunting and wildlife watching.

• Expansion of popular youth offerings such as the Missouri Archery in the Schools Program, which has reached more than 200,000 young archers at nearly 700 Missouri schools, and the Discover Nature Schools Program, which helps more than 87,000 Missouri students each year at more than 700 schools around the state learn about and connect with Missouri outdoors.

• Helping more than 24,000 landowners create and maintain habitat for wildlife.

• Research on health and sustainability of deer, turkey, quail, waterfowl, songbirds, fish, bears, elk, and other species.

• Evaluation of the effectiveness of harvest regulations for fish and wildlife game species and understanding resource-user preferences.

• Restoration, monitoring, and protection of imperiled and endangered species and habitats.

• Reduction and removal of invasive species that threaten the health of native species and habitats.

Pauley added that most Missourians are generally familiar with some of the work MDC does, but there are new challenges -- with added costs.

“In addition to everything we offer and the work we are known for, we have new and expensive challenges,” she said. “Our staff are dealing with more and new invasive species and wildlife disease outbreaks. And the costs of many things we must buy regularly keep going up, from fuel to fish food.”

Proposed permit price increases include:

• The price of a resident hunting and fishing permit would go from $19 to $20.50. The average price for surrounding states is $42.47.

• The price of a resident fishing permit would go from $12 to $13. The average price for surrounding states is $23.

• The price of a resident small game hunting permit would go from $10 to $10.50. The average price for surrounding states is $26.57.

• The price of a resident trapping permit would go from$10 to $11. The average price for surrounding states is $29.38.

• The price of a resident spring turkey permit would go from $17 to $18. The average price for surrounding states is $47.69

• The price of a resident firearm deer permit would go from $17 to $18. The average price for surrounding states is $54.06.

• The price of a resident antlerless deer permit would go from $7 to $7.50. The average price for surrounding states is $24.21.

For more information on the proposed permit price adjustments, including a complete list of permits, current and proposed prices, average prices of similar permits for surrounding states, the last year the permit prices were raised, and other information, visit MDC online at mdc. mo.gov/PermitPriceAdjustments

Permit sales account for about 17 percent of MDC annual revenue. Other significant revenue sources for MDC include the Conservation Sales Tax at about 62 percent and federal reimbursements at about 15 percent of total MDC revenue.

Sales and rentals, interest, and other sources make up the remaining 6 percent of MDC revenue. MDC receives no funds through fines from tickets or citations, and no funding from the state’s general revenue funds. For more information, read the MDC Annual Review for Fiscal Year 2022 in the January 2023 issue of the Missouri Conservationist online at mdc.mo.gov/magazines/ missouri-conservationist/2023-01/annual-review.

MDC will next seek online public comments through the Secretary of State’s office about its proposed permit price adjustments from July 4 through Aug. 2.

MDC will then compile comments received and share them with the Commission prior to the Sept. 8 Commission open meeting when it will give final consideration to the proposed permit price adjustments. If approved, the changes would become effective Feb. 29, 2024.

MDC Confirms First Zoo-raised Hellbender

Successfully Reproducing in The Wild

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces a significant milestone in population recovery efforts of the endangered Ozark hellbender. A zoo-raised hellbender has successfully reproduced within the Current River.

“We are very excited to announce this news,” said Missouri State Herpetologist Jeff Briggler. “This is the first documented event of a zoo-raised animal fathering a clutch of eggs in the wild.”

Rivers in southern Missouri and adjacent northern Arkansas once supported up to 27,000 Ozark hellbenders. Today, fewer than 1,000 exist in the world – so few that the Ozark hellbender was added to the federal endangered species list in October 2011.

BACKGROUND

Hellbenders are large aquatic salamanders. Missouri is the only state that contains both recognized subspecies of North American hellbenders: the Ozark hellbender and eastern hellbender, both of which are listed as endangered both by the state of Missouri and by the federal government.

The primary threats are habitat alteration and degradation, over-collecting, disease, predation, and degraded water quality. Hellbenders are long-lived (with a 30-year lifespan), slow-to-mature amphibians that seldom venture far within the river.

Numerous wrinkly folds of skin along the hellbender’s sides provide increased surface area for respiration. Capillaries near the surface of the hellbender’s wrinkly skin absorb oxygen directly from the water. Because the species requires cool, well-oxygenated, clean running water to survive, hellbenders are a major indicator of overall health of a river or stream.

The adult hellbender is one of the largest species of salamanders in North America, with its closest relatives being the giant salamanders of China and Japan, which can reach 5-feet or more in length.

HELLBENDER RESTORATION

MDC partnered with the Ron and Karen Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation, a part of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute, and other agencies in the early 2000s to breed the salamanders in captivity and rear eggs collected from the wild in order to combat drastic population declines. Once the captivebred larvae reached between 3-8 years old, they were released in their native Ozark aquatic ecosystem. Biologists began releasing a few zoo-raised hellbenders in Missouri in 2008, later increasing the number of released animals to 1,000 or more per year beginning in 2012. Since the conception of the breeding and raising of this animal in captivity, more than 10,000 Ozark and eastern hellbenders raised at the Saint Louis Zoo and MDC hatchery have been released into their native rivers.

To help recover this species within the Ozark Highlands, biologists monitor the population status of both wild animals and released animals reared in captivity, as well as locate natural nests within rivers during the fall in order to collect eggs that can be reared and released in the future.

“The majority of the hellbenders existing in the wild and all 10,000-plus released animals have a small chip embedded under their skin with a unique number to allow us to identify the animals in future encounters,” Briggler explained.

Though many have been released to the wild, most hellbenders are only just now becoming mature enough to breed. Because very few nests with eggs are found each year, capturing the event of a male attending a clutch of eggs is a rare event. “We’re lucky to find 20 nests in the wild a year and finding a tagged father that was raised at the Saint Louis Zoo was like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Briggler. “We have been patiently waiting for this significant achievement to occur.”

In October 2022, biologists found that needle when they came across a tagged male Ozark hellbender that was attending a clutch of healthy, well-developed eggs on the Current River. The animal was attending a clutch of 128 eggs. Upon a later return to the nest, the eggs were beginning the process of hatching with the father protecting them. “Our ultimate goal was to see the successful reproduction of a zoo-reared animal in the wild,” explained Briggler. “And we’ve now accomplished that goal in our journey to save the unique Ozark salamander.”

FROM EGG TO FATHER

This male Ozark hellbender was collected from a natural nest of eggs in the Current River in the fall of 2013 by MDC and National Park Service staff, then transported to the Saint Louis Zoo where the eggs were hatched and reared.

“We have a dedicated team of hellbender keepers, life-support systems technicians, and veterinary staff who work tirelessly to make sure these animals get the best care possible at the Saint Louis Zoo,” explained Justin Elden, Curator of Herpetology and Aquatics at the Saint Louis Zoo, and Director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Ron and Karen Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation. The Saint Louis Zoo has nearly 20 years of experience and expertise in rearing hellbenders and has their care down to an exact science.

“This experience allowed for this animal to flourish for the six years it was reared at the zoo and prepare it for its release to the wild,” said Elden. “Caring for hellbenders through their lives, from tiny eggs to sub-adults, takes a tremendous amount of work, but it’s absolutely worth it knowing we’re aiding in the conservation of wild animals and wild places.”

The animal was released into the Current River in July 2019. “At the time of release, the male weighed 5.6 ounces (160 grams) and measured 11.8 inches (30 cm),” said Elden. “At the time his nest was discovered in the fall of 2022, he weighed 8.9 ounces (252 grams) and measured 14.4 inches (36.6 cm).”

Based on the hellbender’s size, Briggler noted it was likely the animal’s first year reproducing. “It was exciting to not only see the growth and healthy appearance of this father after living three years in the wild, but to also see such a healthy animal successfully reproduce,” said Briggler.

Eggs generally hatch in about 45 days, but it can take longer with colder water conditions. Upon hatching, the helpless larvae will slowly grow and develop limbs under the protection of the father for several months. In late winter or early spring, the larvae will venture outside the nesting chamber to disperse into the surrounding river habitat. Larvae will breathe with external gills for a few years before they finally absorb their gills and take on the wrinkly appearance of an adult.

“Finding a zoo-raised Ozark hellbender reproducing in the wild is one of the greatest accomplishments for our Zoo’s WildCare Institute conservation efforts and we are incredibly proud to be partnered with MDC on saving this species,” said Elden.

In addition to the Saint Louis Zoo, MDC partnered with the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to enhance propagation efforts to ensure hellbenders remain a part of Missouri’s biodiversity.

“It is our hope that such wild breeding events by zoo-reared hellbenders will increasingly become more common as more released animals become mature,” noted Briggler.

MDC Herpetologist Jeff Briggler (left) holds the first zoo-reared Ozark hellbender to reproduce in the wild. Pictured with Briggler is MDC Ozark District Supervisor John Ackerson (middle) and National Park Service Natural Resource Manager Victoria Grant (right). (Photo: MDC)

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved (Part

1: 1940s-1960s)

Iwas appointed to the Resolutions Committee in 2017 and became Chair of the committee after the 2022 Convention. We talk and report about the importance of resolutions, timelines and processes, the role of the Resource Advisory Committees; we publish the resolutions on the website and send them to intended recipients. I thought it would be interesting to look at CFM’s resolution history.

The Restoration and Conservation Federation was formed on September 10, 1935, and its first order of business was the petition drive to establish the nonpolitical conservation commission. That task was successfully completed with the passing of Amendment No. 4 on November 3, 1936, and the organization incorporated as the Conservation Federation of Missouri on March 21, 1938.

The process of developing resolutions must have begun at the first annual Convention in 1938 (documents from the 1947 Convention indicate it was the 9th annual), though the earliest resolutions I have found are from 1947.

To date, I have read all of the resolutions I’ve located through 1969 (459 of them). They make for interesting reading, reflecting the science of the day and the progress of natural resource conservation in Missouri over the decades, from deer and turkey restoration to water pollution control. Since its inception, CFM has passed well over 1,500 resolutions on a wide range of topics, that have been sent to state and federal agencies, the Missouri General Assembly, the Missouri Congressional Delegation, Missouri Governors, the Secretary of the Interior, non-governmental organizations, and even to its own chapters, when it had them.

The resolutions fall into several categories: “courtesy,” funding, water issues, wilderness preservation, game species and habitat management, regulations, public access, conservation education and defense of the independence of the Conservation Commission.

Resolutions falling into the “courtesy” category express appreciation to clubs and communities hosting annual conventions, recognize service of various individuals to the organization and the growing field of natural resources conservation, and they also express condolences on illnesses and deaths. A resolution from 1967 offered condolences to the Board of the Edward K. Love Foundation on the death of their president Andrew Sproule Love. The Edward K. Love Foundation supported CFM’s early efforts.

We didn’t always get it right, and one series of resolutions makes me cringe, particularly one from 1949: “Whereas; the Conservation Federation of Missouri recognizes the splendid work of the Conservation Commission in furthering the use of multiflora rose as a living fence in Missouri and recognizing the benefits of the plant as wildlife cover; Be it therefore resolved that the Conservation Federation of Missouri appoint a special committee to study means of expanding wider use of multiflora rose.”

Ouch (though it was the science of the time)! CFM continued to support multiflora rose plantings, encouraging their chapters to emulate the Jasper County Chapter which planted 27 miles of multiflora rose fence in the county in 1955, and in 1965 “opposing legislation that restricts planting of multiflora rose.”

Water issues – quality, quantity, free-flowing streams – have been on CFM’s radar from the very beginning. A 1947 resolution opposed dams on the Current and Eleven Point rivers. In the years following, CFM is on record opposing dams on multiple river systems in and outside of Missouri, including the Meramec, Gasconade, Eleven Point, Current, White River, Buffalo in Arkansas, two dams on the Colorado River in or near the Grand Canyon, one in Idaho, and one on the Yukon River in Alaska. A 1959 resolution petitions the 86th Congress to amend the Federal Power Act to provide that “no license affecting fish and wildlife resources shall be issued until plans of the dam or other structures affecting such resources have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

Resolutions addressing water pollution control are frequent throughout the 1950s and 60s. For example, a 1957 resolution urges all local CFM clubs to take an active interest in water problems and adopt projects to promote water improvement, including soliciting local newspaper editorials and news items favorable to water pollution control and water improvement projects. Resolutions in 1960 and 61 call for legislation to create a bi-partisan water commission to study water and use and to develop rules and regulations regarding such.

In 1958 CFM opposed using Federal Funding for wetland drainage, and again in 1961 called for elimination of federal subsidies for wetland drainage and the creation of an international waterfowl commission with the United States and Canada. There was another resolution in 1962 requesting the US Congress to terminate authorization for federal cost-sharing for wetland drainage.

Public access has been a theme from early on, as in a 1947 resolution encouraging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to allow the Conservation Commission to manage land controlled by the Corps as public hunting and fishing grounds. The resolution also urged the USACE to ensure lands leased for agriculture were being used as such and not as private hunting grounds, and to revoke any leases violating this, and to operate navigation pools with minimum fluctuation.

Feature Story

In another 1947 resolution, the Federation urged that all violations for game and fish laws be enforced by all officials, and directed Federation chapters to make contact with their respective officials to call this to their attention and see that violators are properly prosecuted with commensurate punishment. Over the years, there have been similar resolutions. Getting local officials to prosecute wildlife violations to the full extent of the law has been an ongoing concern.

Many of the early resolutions are targeted directly to the US Congress as well as federal agencies. A 1947 resolution encourages the US Attorney General to assign a special counsel to prepare condemnation suits for trial to complete the acquisition of properties for the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.

There is a 1949 resolution to Congress objecting to reduced funding for US Forest Service, another in 1956 to earmark funds from forest receipts to improve recreation and wildlife habitat, and another in 1957 supporting the expansion of US forestry programs. There are several resolutions beginning in 1956 urging Congress to allow the use of funds from duck stamp sales for land acquisition. A 1959 resolution petitions Congress to double the sewage treatment plant construction grant program.

Conservation Education resolutions began to appear in 1960, when a resolution requests that the State Commissioner of Education appoint a permanent Conservation Education Committee to promote conservation education in schools and colleges. This resolution was again passed in 1961. A 1963 resolution commends the Commissioner of Education for the Joint Conservation Education Conference that was held fall of 1962 and urges that it be held annually in the fall of each year. Another resolution in 1963 requested college teacher preparatory institutions to require a 2–3-hour course in conservation and natural resource management for all teacher certification and that summer workshops be offered for graduate and undergraduate credit.

A 1964 resolution calls for the establishment of a 501(c)3 conservation education Foundation. This was followed by a 1965 resolution commending the Conservation Education Association for resource leadership and for publishing a 1965 directory of conservation workshops and courses offered during the summer sessions in the various colleges of the US and Canada.

A 1966 resolution commends the Conservation Education Association and presidents of a number of colleges for instituting conservation education courses. A 1968 resolution urges a requirement that elementary teachers receive 5 hours of training in natural resources education for certification by 1975.

As one would expect, many resolutions were drafted to MDC and the Commission regarding fisheries and wildlife management. These ranged from access to trout fishing, urging increased habitat management for upland game, deer and turkey population research and management, license fees, seasons and limits, waterfowl hunting areas, and more. A 1967 resolution directed MDC to NOT hold convention during turkey season; up until that time, most of the conventions took place in April.

Along with requests, there are many resolutions thanking the Commission for their work, including this one from 1961: “inasmuch as fishing and fishing waters …have been so well managed, the fisheries committee finds itself at a loss to find more than a very few suggestions for improvements, and with this obvious happy fishing situation in mind…. commends the Commission and State Park Board for a job well done.”

One can begin to see the beginnings of the environmental movement in resolutions from the mid to late 1960s, and for the fight to come in the Meramec River basin. A 1966 resolution endorses the principle of establishing a Federal Department of Natural Resources similar to provision of Senator Mosse’s bill in the Senate which would give Cabinet status (the EPA was formed in 1970). There are resolutions on reclamation of open pit mining, support for the Wilderness Act and National Scenic Riverways designations. A sampling of resolutions from 1966-1969 includes the following.

• Recommend residents of the Meramec Basin initiate proceedings to secure a Meramec Basin Conservancy District as soon as possible.

• A statement of philosophy that CFM will work for conservation of soil and water resources, assist in watershed protection and flood prevention, and support greater contribution of state funds for watershed planning

• Support the principle of highway beautification, including regulation of bill boards so Missouri can qualify for $23 million under the Federal highway beautification program.

• Study the formation of a state DNR and what it should include

• Commend the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife of the Interior Department for developing an endangered species program

• Support bills to improve joint land and water conservation programs under local sponsorship and SCS

• Stand in firm opposition to any lowering of water quality standards on rivers and streams

• Support increased funding for Land and Water Conservation Fund by adding revenues from the outer continental shelf lands

• Recognizes population as the ultimate conservation problem and calls for a Governor’s conference on Population

• Ban the use of DDT

• Earmark marine fuels tax for construction and maintenance of boating and other public access to public waters

Finally, CFM has passed many resolutions related to maintaining the Conservation Commission’s authority and funding, including the following:

• A 1957 resolution opposing legislation that would allow old-age pensioners to hunt and fish without permits.

• A 1957 resolution opposing HB204 that would cut $500,000 from the appropriation of Commission funds.

• A 1963 resolution encouraging the Governor to fill a vacancy on the Commission by appointing someone who has “demonstrated an abiding belief in and a true understanding of the fundamentals of conservation.”

• Another 1963 resolution opposing legislation that would repeal the statute giving the Commission their penalty provisions, and,

• In 1969, opposing a bill to add a $0.45 tax on all fishing and hunting permits to go into general revenue and be earmarked to provide free fishing and hunter privileges to the aged.

This dive into the history of CFM of resolutions has become something of a rabbit hole. I believe the subject to be worthy of a Master’s degree correlating Missouri’s (and the nation’s) conservation histories and CFM resolutions. We know the big stories – the formation of the Conservation Commission, the 1976 Design for Conservation sales tax, and the Parks, Soils and Water sales taxes. No doubt there are many smaller stories to be told.

Ginny Wallace CFM Vice President and Resolutions Chair

Conservation Wildlife Reports

By now many of you may be receiving surveys about the past hunting season. Some consider filling out these reports annoying while others realize the importance of this input. Conservation organizations can not be everywhere. Reports received by the average hunter or angler give them an insight into the current status of a certain species. For example, did you catch bass from a certain lake? What sizes were they?

On the spot creel surveys are just as important. When a biologist discovers a lake is filled with eight-inch bass, then there may be a stunting problem and some may be transferred to a different impoundment. Some areas where you fish may ask you to write exactly what you caught on a form distributed in the parking lot. Fill this out and it will go into an overall report about that lake.

Waterfowl biologists are constantly seeking updated information of different species populations, an endeavor that has been in practice since the dark Market Hunting days of the 1920’s and 1930’s when waterfowl numbers were drastically reduced. Sadly, hunters don’t always cooperate as noted by the 1947 Waterfowl Scorecard Report written by Albert M. Day, Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Duck hunters are pen shy. Only one-tenth of one percent of the 1947 duck stamp buyers could be induced to fill out and mail a simple report. It seems incredible that such a vociferous lot should pass up this golden opportunity to register hits, misses and gripes. But from duck stamp sales amounting to more than one and threequarter million, only 1,962 scorecards were received.

Sporting and conservation magazines, among them, the Conservation Volunteer, did a splendid job, frequently at the sacrifice of paid advertising. To them the Fish and Wildlife Service is sincerely thankful—not only for repeated printing of the scorecard but for the fine editorial comment urging all waterfowlers to make the report for their own good.

But the response was disappointing beyond belief—one out of a thousand. Here was their chance to stand up and be counted; to register protests, make suggestions, and help regulate their sport. To the "corporal's guard" who took pen in hand, the Service expresses its obligation. It is gratifying to get even a little help on a job as big as the management of our migratory waterfowl. Fortunately, the Fish and Wildlife Service had inaugurated a check system to furnish supplementary information by personal contact through random telephone calls. In this way, nearly 9,000 stamp purchasers in 32 states were interviewed by service personnel or cooperators.

The 1,962 hunters who sent in scorecards, reported bagging 30,214 birds, and the loss of 4,412 cripples or unretrieved ducks and geese. They had a daily average of 1.8 and a seasonal average of 15.4 birds. About twothirds (1,323) hunted on public areas, 561 shot on private grounds while only 78 patronized the so-called commercial "clubs".

The scorecards received, although showing an average daily bag of 1.8 birds, were apparently sent in chiefly by the more persistent hunters who were in the field enough times to bring in an average seasonal bag of 15.4.

The significance of this is brought out by analysis of the 8,845 personal interviews with duck stamp purchasers. Of these, 1,193 or 13.5 percent did not hunt at all, leaving 7,652 who did.”

These numbers helped paint a picture of ducks harvested that were added to spring waterfowl surveys. Many of these reports were conducted by ground surveys while some of the first airplane-conducted waterfowl surveys actually started in 1947, a practice widely used today, mainly with drones.

Drone images of the ground are taken from multiple vantage points. Through processing these images, a photogrammetry software can then create 3D models, from which it can measure accurate distance, as well as surfaces and volumes of physical objects like waterfowl.

Today Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl and state groups like the Missouri Department of Conservation and The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks do a great job of managing waterfowl wetlands. This is important to those that love to watch a flight of pintails or other species. This is even more important for the millions of waterfowl that pass through here and need safe refuge on their southern or northern flights.

Some surveys are by word of mouth from residents. For example, The Missouri Department of Conservation uses sightings of wildlife from several different types of surveys to provide information about the status of wildlife populations throughout the state.

Mr. Day and many others did a magnificent job of bringing back waterfowl numbers in Canada and the United States. But all wildlife and fish need protection. The world population, which is nearing 8 billion, is the highest in history. The need for more building and expanding cities continues at an alarming rate, making the need for conservation and those reports some of you find annoying more important than ever.

Kenneth L. Kieser

Biologists work with wildlife and fish numbers in different ways to determine seasons and limits. (Photos: Kenneth L. Kieser)

The recent summary of the MO Hunting and Trapping Regulations features a picture of a dog on the front cover, perhaps a Brittany or English Setter, I can’t be sure. The pose is classic. Wise eyes. An aged, experienced face. A quail softly clutched in its mouth.

But something was missing. A vital piece of information. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it anywhere. The dog has no name. No attribution given. No credit present, except for the photographer. I realize this is not uncommon. I just received a magazine and catalogue in the mail full of gorgeous unnamed dog models. But when I thumb through the pages, looking at these provocative canine pictures, something feels wrong. It feels exploitative.

Dogs are not just an accessory to adorn the covers of brochures and magazines. They are not a fashionable prop to be paraded and then kenneled. They are dependents. They are family. They are people. And this is especially true of hunting dogs.

Another Man’s Dog

The kind of dog that, when not hunting, is waiting to hunt, and when sleeping, is dreaming of hunting. The kind of dog who makes a man whole and tears his heart in two when they are gone.

Now you may think I’m overreacting a bit; much ado about nothing, but I think not. You see, I just read 29 stories about another man’s dog. For the fourth time. The man’s dog, a yellow Labrador, was named Thor, and during his long but short life he became a celebrity, and 30 years later, after his life ended, I find myself grieving his passing. Or maybe my sorrow is for the life of the man who was Thor’s keeper, and the time they shared together, now both gone and past. Or maybe I mourn a life without a dog, a detail too personal for this story. Or maybe I am simply trying to rationalize decisions made and not made.

Any way you cut it my conclusion is the same. A dog’s story is important. Their identity is important. Their stories are as meaningful as our own because they are one and the same. And to make this point clear, all you need to do is look at the hunting scenes scratched into the wall of a cave in Saudi Arabia, possibly dated to 8,000 BCE; dogs tethered to the waist of hunters. That is their life and a symbol of their story. Tethered to humans, or maybe we are tethered to them?

Now I have met many dogs. Mostly good dogs of various breeds. I’m attracted to some more than others, and clearly, the feeling is mutual.

I have followed them on foot and horseback through the brush and grass. Been amazed by their work in the field and marsh. Some have been indifferent to my presence, but not rude. Others chased me, and a couple nipped me a time or two for no good reason for which I am aware. I’ve petted them, held them as they slept or were sick, hurt, or afraid. So, believe me when I tell you dogs are among some of the finest people I’ve ever met.

And so, to Thor, your days of thunder long past, the man left behind copious evidence of your triumphs, failures, and character. We know more about you than you likely knew of yourself. Be thankful you lived before social media, although I doubt the man would’ve been a fan, preserving some privacy known only between the two of you. I will read your stories again, and again, and wish I could’ve met you.

To Hank and Paige, thanks for all the ducks and geese retrieved and your patience when waterfowl were few, or our shooting was poor. No duck fell too far. No goose was too big. No eagle could out-retrieve.

To Rip, the old wise one. Size of a small pony. A great nose. Known for little patience and a gift for slobber and drool. No dog has logged more hours in our marsh. The Gandalf of duck camp. Thanks for overcoming your age to find one more duck. A retrieve that defined who you were and what time has taken away.

To young Willow, you steal my heart, and if I could get away with it, I’d steal you.

To Lucy, I wish I could chase grouse and woodcock like you did and wish I would’ve been a better shot. I hope you weren’t disappointed.

To Gypsy, I’d shovel three feet of snow for you again, making an easy place to pee in the middle of January. Getting old is not for the faint-hearted. Thanks for preparing me for the inevitable. I hope someone does the same for me someday.

To Betsy, thanks for taking time away from chasing rabbits to be the only friend Mina ever wanted to see, and for occasionally stopping by to say hello even though your friend is gone.

To Bo, GO HOME!

To Maggie and Mina, we miss you. Thanks for all you gave to us.

And so today, before I clean the nose doodles from the downstairs window, I think about DNA and cloning. I think about starting again. I wonder about lifespans, mortality, freedom, and commitment. And for now, I chose to be satisfied living a part of my life vicariously. It’s been 920 days, the window is clean, but my vision is blurry.

Cover - Hank and his ducks. Top - Rip’s final retrieve. Right - Mina with pheasants. All photos: Dan Zekor

Dan Zekor

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Trout, a Teapot, Necklace and a

Irecently attended the February Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) Media Camp held at Lilley's Landing, Branson, MO. This event brings together Missouri outdoor writers for two days of discussions and trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo. I had never gone to this event because it occurs over Valentine's Day and Mrs. Urich's happiness remains my third highest retirement priority just behind my out of state hunting and fishing trips of course.

A major retirement goal is to be home and with her for more than 50% of the annual milestone events including her birthday, Mother's Day, our wedding anniversary, and Valentine's Day by our 50th wedding anniversary. Being absent on another Valentine's Day was not contributing to my success with this goal. But I'm excellent at mitigating and soothing the disappointment associated with my absences.

Mrs. Urich collects antique brown Betty English teapots. I keep several of these hidden that I picked up secretly in antique stores for when I need a get-out-of-jail-free card. I wrote a romantic Valentine's Day poem with hints on where in the house I had hidden the teapot. While I was on the lake fishing, I sent her the poem from my cell phone. She was extremely pleased and this innovative strategy soothed her feelings over my absence on another special day. I explained to the others at the media camp how I dealt with my Valentine's Day absence and they all agreed it was an innovative approach. I could tell by the blank look on their faces that they would never try this method with their spouses.

Lilley's Landing, a sponsor of the media camp, is an excellent fishing and lake destination. The rooms are modern and well done. I stayed in a 2-bedroom suite with a kitchenette. I was impressed with the broad range of fishing equipment in the tackle shop. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. I had forgotten to purchase a trout stamp and they helped me with that process which took less than a minute. The facility has a large boat dock on Lake Taneycomo with rental boats and access to excellent fishing guides. It’s a great place to take families with kids for a summer trip.

We began the media event by watching the Super Bowl in Lilley's Landing commons room. Roeslein Alternative Energy, a northeast Missouri producer of natural gas from natural materials, sponsored a dinner including wings, barbecue and other football foods. The next morning, we were divided into teams of two and assigned to expert fishing guides in 20-foot long flat bottom boats.

I had never fished for trout in Lake Taneycomo. This lake is between the dam at Table Rock Reservoir and a 1908 powerhouse and dam downstream from the Table Rock dam. The water flowing through the generators at Table Rock dam is cold and sustains trout that are stocked from the Shepherd of the Hills Department of Conservation hatchery. Over 300,000 pounds of rainbow trout are released annually into Lake Taneycomo supplemented with brown trout.

I fished the first morning with Kent Keene from the National Assembly of Sportman's Caucuses, an organization that works with CFM on legislative matters impacting hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities. The organization was also a sponsor of the media event. Our guide was Billy Elbert with SoMo Fish Co.

Our guide motored up the lake close to the Table Rock Dam. All four of the power generators were discharging water so the lake level was high with a swift current which made for good trout fishing. The guide handed us 7-foot-long light spin casting rods and reels with 4-pound test line. There was a 2-pound leader on the end of the fishing line about 3 feet long that held a colorful artificial fish egg and artificial scud both on small hooks. A scud is the nymph stage of freshwater shrimp and is a primary food source for Lake Taneycomo trout. These scuds were dark grey and only about ¼ inch long.

The leader had a light weight on the end about a foot below the scud to keep the lure on the bottom. There was a slip bobber with stopper bead about a foot above the artificial egg that could be adjusted depending on how deep the water was.

My job was to cast this rig at the correct angle from the boat with enough slack in the line to form a gentle ark on the surface of the water and keep my eyes peeled on the bobber. When the bobber went under the water, I pulled up to set the hook. Pulling sideways can jerk the small hook out of the trout's mouth. This assignment was harder than it sounds because I was fascinated with the huge, expensive homes along the bank of the lake. Plus, there were eagles and herons in the trees and a noisy rookery along the bank, all very interesting but distracting to the novice trout angler. Several times the guide alerted me to my bobber but I always responded too late. Slowly, I redoubled my attentiveness and started catching trout.

Left - David Urich, left, and Kent Keene, the National Assembly of Sportman's Caucuses, with rainbow trout caught on Lake Taneycomo.  Top - Lilley’s Landing Resort at Lake Taneycomo. (All photos: David Urich)

Feature Story

In the afternoon, I went back on the lake with a different guide and partner. This guide recommended a 1/8-ounce marabou jig designed especially for Lake Taneycomo trout fishing by Phil Lilley, owner of Lilley's Landing and long-time trout angler. The jig head has one side larger than the other so the jig spirals through the water to the bottom which is attractive to trout. Once again, I had a critical assignment which was to jerk the jig up slightly when it hit the bottom to entice the trout. Leave the jig bouncing on the bottom too long and it gets stuck on a rock. I lost several jigs before I learned how important it was to remain attentive.

Dinner in the evening was sponsored by Bass Pro Shops at the Fish House Restaurant on Branson's landing. Bob Ziehmer, Director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops and former Missouri Department of Conservation Director, spoke on the importance of outdoor writers to conservation in Missouri by informing readers on places to enjoy the outdoors and current issues impacting natural resources in the state.

The next morning my partner was Nick Darling, Education and Youth Coordinator for CFM. The weather deteriorated significantly from the previous day. We started fishing in a light mist which gradually grew more intense, but the rain activated the trout and the fishing was excellent. The rain continued to get worse and both the guide and I put on raincoats, bibs and rubber boots. Unfortunately, Nick only had a light rain jacket and was soon cold, wet and miserable but he was still catching fish. Then the sky opened up with a terrible deluge. The rain was so intense I couldn’t see the bobber or fishing line in the water. The guide headed back for Lilley’s Landing.

The second afternoon I was paired with Scott Pauley, a professional tournament angler and contributor to this magazine and other outdoor publications. He decided to use his own equipment and lures while I used the spin casting rod with scud and slip bobber recommended by the guide. After Scott watched me catch 10 trout to his none, he reached for the pole with the scud. I couldn't help offering advice and helpful hints on using this rig based on my extensive day and a half of trout fishing experience.

Top - David Urich, left, and Nick Darling (CFM) holding rainbow trout caught simultaneously on Lake Taneycomo.

Right - Scot Pauley seated with guide Billy Elbert from SoMo Fish Co.

During the next hour, we both caught trout simultaneously three times. I concentrated on catching the largest rainbow trout for the 2-day event and my longest was 17 ¾ inches, just under the largest fish. Scott dedicated himself to catching the smallest fish which is a harder task. Trout are released in the 10-to-12-inch range so a small fish in the 7-to-8-inch range needed to win the smallest fish category is the result of natural reproduction in the lake and is much rarer.

The evening meal at the Black Oak Grill was sponsored by the Branson Convention Bureau and the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation. We learned that the Heritage Foundation had reached its initial fundraising goal to establish, at the University of Missouri, a new Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems in cooperation with the Department of Conservation. The Institute will train new natural resources professionals.

The next morning, I headed home. It was a 3-hour drive, and I had plenty of time to think. Recreational thinking is one of my favorite pastimes. Mrs. Urich sent me another text message telling me how pleased she was with the Valentine's Day poem and gift, which reminded me of the necklace incident, one of my greatest marital triumphs. Mrs. Urich and I had finished a hiking trip to south-central Colorado years ago and were in Denver to see some of the sights before flying home. I suggested a walk along the antique row south of the downtown area. There were almost two dozen antique stores in close proximity.

Mrs. Urich has a deep interest in antiques and at one time had an antique store in Rocheport, MO. She was looking at an antique necklace and is pretty good at evaluating old jewelry which takes experience, knowledge and a special eye. She asked me for my opinion but I was silent because I was scheming. An opportunity was unfolding in front of me that would take some finesse to accomplish. She finally put the necklace back as I hoped and we walked to the next antique store. While she was occupied there, I slipped back to the previous store and told the sales staff we had 60 seconds to complete the purchase of that necklace. I kept the necklace for years waiting for the perfect time to maximize its benefit to me.

Occasionally, she would lament not buying it and I would make appropriate comments to reinforce her disappointment. I even suggested she call the antique store to see if the necklace could be mailed. She did which increased her disappointment. I bolstered her sadness with applicable remarks while smiling internally and wallowing in my cleverness. One of the keys to a successful, rewarding, long-term union like ours is a husband who is alert to opportunities.

Over three years later, we were on a trip to Portugal. At dinner I read her a romantic poem with hints about a present I had brought along. She was flabbergasted and astounded. Periodically, I shamelessly reminded her of the necklace gift when she questioned my absences for fishing and hunting trips, especially over special days. Even now I occasionally bring up the necklace when her brow furrows, she casts a disappointed gaze on me, and I need a little extra tolerance and understanding.

I maybe a slimy rat at times but I transition seamlessly and quickly into a romantic and thoughtful rat when circumstances demand it. I've encouraged our three sons to learn from me and emulate my ways but their response is always shrugs of indifference. Perhaps they have chosen a different marital path with fewer potholes than I did, and they don't need my advice.

David Urich

David and Mrs. Urich in Portugal with Mrs. Urich wearing her new antique necklace.

Columbia is for the Birds... And Bird Watchers!

There are many reasons to love Columbia - the food, the festivals, the art, the music, the people - but many have an affinity for this college town for the opportunities it offers for an outdoor escape. City parks, state parks and trails galore make Columbia an outdoor enthusiast's go-to in Central Missouri. The same parks and trails also make Columbia a bird-watcher's paradise, too.

Missouri's diversity of natural habitat means that over 320 species of birds regularly visit the state providing "birders" of all stripes - whether casual, beginner or experienced - the opportunity to catch a colorful array of avian creatures in their natural settings.

“Columbia is an awesome place to be a birder," says Sarah Kendrick, state ornithologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Columbia's extensive trail systems and public spaces provide a lot of green space for birds to use year-round. Public lands just outside of town are also great for birding."

The Great Missouri Birding Trail, a statewide initiative between the Missouri Bird Conservation Foundation and the Missouri Department of Conservation, is a great resource for anyone interested in bird-watching in the "Show-Me State."

Feature

The Birding Trail is comprised of over 170 designated locations around the state where birders will find the most success with their observations. The Great Missouri Birding Trail website also features interactive maps of the six distinct birding regions, details on Missouri's bird habitats, tips for successful birding, lists of bird checklists based on region, and additional helpful information for anyone interested in bird-watching.

Naturally, birds can be observed at locations not listed on the map, however, Kendrick says that the Birding Trail is comprised of the "best of the best" locations in Missouri for bird watchers. And, it's a great starting point when trying to find a good place to go.

Columbia is the epicenter of the Central region of the Great Missouri Bird Trail and those looking to spot a feathered find have 15 locations within 20 miles of Columbia that are part of the Birding Trail.

One of Missouri's most celebrated birding areas, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, is located a mere 15 minutes southwest from the heart Columbia. This conservation area, which abuts the Missouri River, features 4,286 acres comprised mainly of wetlands, woodlands and prairie, and is designated as an important ornithology area by the Audubon Society of Missouri. As such, Eagle Bluffs is well known for shorebird and migratory game bird viewing, making it one of the best birding locations in the state.

"Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area is my favorite place to bird," says Kendrick. "Its wetland pools and forest tracts along the Missouri River attract a diverse array of species. In fact, there have been 291 species reported on eBird.org! You can find songbirds, waterbirds, waterfowl, raptors and everything in between. Wetlands are our most productive habitat here in Missouri and Eagle Bluffs is a great example of that.”

In addition to Eagle Bluffs, there are many other popular city and state parks, nature areas and conservation areas that double as great birding spots.

The Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area, located to the north of Columbia and very close to Finger Lakes State Park (161 species), has 208 species identified while Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, located to the southwest of Columbia, has 203 identified species of birds. The nine-mile MKT Nature and Fitness Trail, which begins in downtown Columbia and connects with the 240-mile

Katy Trail State Park near McBaine, MO, has 169 species reported. Twin Lakes Recreation Area boasts 170 species, the Grindstone Nature Area has 177 species and the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary has 166 identified species of birds. This is just a highlight of a few of the "hot spots" along the Great Missouri Birding Trail around Columbia.

Off of the Great Birding Trail, there are still more hot spots in the Columbia area. Three locations of note include the two additional areas managed by the Columbia Audubon Society: The Albert Children's Wildlife Area and the Wild Haven Nature Area. The 78-acre Albert Children's Wildlife Area, located about 10 miles northeast of Columbia, is a reclaimed stripmine with a mixed landscape of prairie and wetlands where 140 species have been identified. The Wild Haven Nature Area is a 103-acre tract on the northeast edge of Columbia consisting mainly of mature forest along a mile-long stretch of Hinkson Creek. Wild Haven has an extensive trail system and high-quality natural habitat with 136 species reported.

The third is Phillips Lake Trail at A. Perry Phillips Park, a 1.6-mile gravel trail loop that encircles the 40-acre Phillips Lake. Birders appreciate Phillips Lake as the body of water attracts grebes, geese and other waterfowl, especially during the winter months. Meadowlarks, mockingbirds and a variety of sparrow species are all common at the park year around. Local birders have identified 170 species at A. Perry Phillips Park.

For those uninitiated in the birding world, birdwatching is an outdoor activity that requires little to no sport-specific gear, though a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope can certainly enhance the experience. It's also highly recommended to dress for the weather, whenever and wherever you go, to make your experience as pleasant as possible. If you're heading off-trail, insect repellent is also a handy tool to have in your arsenal. More helpful tips can be found at www.

GreatMissouriBirdingTrail.com.

For more ways to enjoy Columbia's outdoors or to learn more about Columbia's public outdoor spaces, head to www.VisitColumbiaMO.com or call the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau at 573-441-5572.

Kyle Wayne Stewart

Photo Courtesy of MDC.

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Oak Regeneration and Wildlife

Oaks are an iconic species in Missouri and critical for wildlife and wood products. Over 100 species of wildlife feed on acorns from woodpeckers to deer and many more use the woods for their homes. Foresters are concerned about the future of oaks. There are many mature oak forests but a lack of white oak regeneration and young forests. Forests of many ages from dense young stands to old mature trees are critical if you want to have grouse and a great variety of many songbirds.

White oak needs sunlight to regenerate. This can occur in several ways: prescribed fire, timber harvests, windstorms, and disease all let sunlight reach the forest floor and allow white oak to grow. When you have a closed canopy, many other species take advantage of the shaded environment. Hard (sugar) maple, ironwood, elm, and others become dominant when the oaks are gone. These are less valuable for wildlife. None of them produce acorns! They are also less valuable for forest products!

The University of Missouri Forestry and the Mo Grouse Chapter of QUWF will have a Forest and Wildlife Management Workshop and tour on Saturday, Sept 9, starting at 8:30 am at the Bill and Margie Haag property near Rhineland. This field day will provide management actions you can take to create this critical habitat and maintain a healthy forest. Topics will include the role of prescribed fire, invasive species management, practices to keep oaks healthy and growing, why we need young forest and much more.

On the driving tour, you will be able to see regeneration cuts, shelterwood cuts, unmanaged areas, harvested areas, Timber Stand Improvement areas, and much more. There will be foresters, wildlife biologists, TSI contractors, loggers, and landowners who have been doing these practices available to answer questions.

Attending this workshop will entitle you to one free site visit from a professional consulting forester to help get you started in managing your timber. To register or for more information contact Brain Schweiss at the MU School of Natural Resources at 573-882-4775 or Tom Westhoff at 573-289-0242.

Photos: Brian Schweiss

Tom Westhoff

Bass Baits for Giant Brown Trout

Ifirst remember meeting Duane Doty a little over 10 years ago at the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s (CFM) Media Camp. CFM annually invites outdoor media personnel to a multi-day fishing and tourism event in early February hosted by Phill and Marsha Lilley, owners of Lilley’s Landing Resort on the shores of Lake Taneycomo near Branson. Organizations such as the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Division of Tourism, Conservation Heritage Foundation, Bass Pro Shops and Branson Tourism partner to media members for fun days of fishing and fellowship provided by some of the finest fishing guides in the area.

Duane was revered by the other guides and was booked 300+ days a year, kind of like the trout fishing Godfather or the Trout-Whisperer. As an avid bass fisherman, I perked up real fast when I heard about catching giant brown trout on jerkbaits, lures normally reserved for bass and walleye fishing.

What I learned was that Duane had been experimenting with buying unpainted jerkbait blanks and then giving them his homemade custom paint jobs. They were a hot topic and not-for-sale, at any price. The only way you could get your hands on one was for Duane to give one to you and he usually reserved that only for his guide customers.

Fast forward a couple of years, Duane was kind enough to give me several of his jerkbaits in a couple of different paint patterns and sizes. These baits were gorgeous. Almost too pretty to use – ALMOST. I saved them back for just the right time and conditions. Duane catches giant brown trout year around and he has told me that he prefers to throw them up close to the shore of steeper banks, especially ones with a little shade on them (giving the big browns a good ambush point) and give the lure a couple of quick jerks and pause then working the lure back to the boat in a jerk-jerk-pause rhythm.

I prefer throwing the Rainbow 110+1 Rainbow pattern or baitcasting tackle but might like throwing a Sculpin pattern 660 on spinning gear even better. Years of testing and development have yielded multiple colors and sizes matching the best lure for the current flow conditions.

You can view and now buy Duane’s custom-painted Signature Series jerkbaits at the resort tackle store, Lilley’s Riverside Fly and Tackle Shop or online at Lilleysriverside.com. At as much as $29.95 each you might think wow that’s a pricey fishing lure but what is it worth to you to catch a fish of a lifetime? You make the call.

You can contact Duane Doty directly at Ozarktroutrunners.com or 417-294-8672, visit the tackle shop in person at 367 River Lane, Branson, Missouri 65616, or call direct at 417-334-6380 to book a proven guide through the resort or rent a pontoon or jon boat for a fishing adventure on your own.

Phil Lilley and his staff are always ready and willing to help you catch more trout on Missouri’s beautiful Lake Taneycomo and you will want to check out their daily YouTube fishing report “OneCast” for tips, techniques and the current fishing conditions.

John Neporadny and Scott Pauley with a giant thirteen-pound brown trout that John caught on a Duane Doty signature jerkbait. (Photo: Scott Pauley)

Scott Pauley

Earth Day Cleanup on the James River

In 2022, James River Basin Partnership officially closed the book on our Wilsons’ Creek 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Grant project, which focused on the largely urban Wilson’s Creek sub-watershed in southwestern Greene County.

The Wilson’s Creek implantation project ran from 2017 to 2022, and included tree planting, streambank stabilization & restoration along Wilson’s and Fassnight Creek, as well as numerous outreach and education programs to residents.

Over the past year, we have been preparing a new 319 Implementation Grant for the Upper James subwatershed, from Lake Springfield Dam to the headwaters of the James in Greene and Webster counties.

The 319 Grant funds are awarded by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to address NPS pollution through remediation and protection projects.

The James is a primary source of public drinking water for Springfield. The Blackman water intake is located on the James, just downstream of its confluence with Pearson Creek. On any given day, as much as 40% of the city’s drinking water comes from the James.

Historically, land in this area has largely been used for agriculture, except in urban and urbanizing areas around Springfield, Rogersville, and Seymour. The area north and south of Seymour contains a large Amish & Mennonite community.

The area east of Springfield on the Greene-Webster County line contain some of the oldest European settlements in the area, including lead mining activity along Pearson Creek, which is noted in the writings of explorer Henry Schoolcraft during his expedition to the Ozarks in 1818-19.

Today, Pearson Creek is listed on the state’s impaired waters list due to high levels of E.coli bacteria, as well as the loss of macroinvertebrate diversity. Macroinvertebrates, large enough to be seen with the naked eye and not having a backbone, are the proverbial “canary in a coal mine” when it comes to detecting pollution in our streams and rivers.

The grant will focus on both urban and rural areas to reduce sediment, nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus), and bacteria stream pollutants by implementing a range of best management practices (BMPs).

Some BMPs like riparian buffer protection and enhancement will be implemented in both urban and rural areas of the watershed, along with conservation easements.

Septic tank pump-outs will also be priority for both areas, given the porous karst terrain of the Ozarks. Failing septic systems are a significant threat to both surface and groundwater quality since they can cause nutrients and bacteria to spread easily through karst’s “Swiss Cheese” rock.

For agricultural producers, JRBP will be providing information and cost-share incentives that promote managed grazing and alternative watering systems for cattle. We will be closely working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in both Greene and Webster Counties through a series of grazing schools and field days highlighting agricultural BMPs.

In urban areas, we will be working with partners such as the City of Springfield to enhance and retrofit stormwater detention basins, as well as protecting waterways within urbanizing areas.

Additionally, we’ll also be providing education and outreach to watershed residents through public field days, social media, newsletters, brochures, and signage, and our annual Earth Day cleanup at Lake Springfield.

To learn more, please visit our website, www. jamesriverbasin.com, and follow us on social media @ JamesRiverBasin.

We’re excited to have this opportunity to work with our friends and neighbors in the Upper James in our mission to preserve and protect water quality in the Ozarks.

We’ll see you on the river.

Todd Wilkinson

Left - JRBP Executive Director Brent Stock pitches in and hauls trash from a volunteer’s canoe at Southwood Access on Lake Springfield. Top - Volunteer Charles Collins exits a canoe with trash collected from the north end of Lake Springfield during JRBP’s annual Earth Day Cleanup on April 22, 2023. (Photos: Todd Wilkinson/JRBP)

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