Conservation Federation vol 85 no 4

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

For more than eighty-eight 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 legacy.

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.

Conservation Firing on All Cylinders

With so many great things happening at CFM this past Spring and several many on the horizon, I want to highlight some of these and tell you about some opportunities to join us coming up. Our Board, staff, members and all involved have been firing on all cylinders and I couldn’t be prouder of the all the great things we have been accomplishing together. We have an exciting announcement coming this summer, so please stay tuned in the next edition.

First of all, another busy legislative session has come to a close. Our team did a great job of stopping several potentially harmful pieces of legislation. Thank you to everyone who engaged in some way this session. A huge shout-out goes out to Kyna Iman, CFM’s lobbyist, for all her efforts in the Capitol. I also appreciate the diligent work of CFM Vice President Steve Jones, who operates our Legislative Action Center and handles issuing alerts. Also thanks to Zach Morris and the entire Legislative Committee that work to research, provide input and help in so many ways for our advocacy. We have our candidate survey results that will be posted in July, so be sure to check out how the candidates in your area feel about Conservation and our Natural Resources and the important issues in Missouri.

In April, CFM hosted a transformative event, the Native Grasslands Summit, in collaboration with our partners, MDC and NRCS and so many more. Over three days, more than 330 conservation enthusiasts gathered to share their insights. With over 25 presentations, the event was a testament to our collective commitment to conservation. I am confident that this Summit will shape the future of our Native Grasslands initiatives for years to come. Thanks to the planning committee, attendees, sponsors and everyone involved!

Coming up in July, we will honor Sara Parker Pauley's wonderful tenure and legacy in the outdoors in Missouri. She has been a great friend and mentor to me and an amazing leader in Conservation and Natural Resources for many years. The event will be held at the Bass Pro Shops store in Columbia. I am guessing by the time you read this, the event may be sold out, but be sure to check out our website for more information. We also wish Jason Sumners, the newly appointed MDC Director, (Page 36) the best of luck as he takes the reigns at MDC.

In August, our Annual Sporting Clay Shoot will be held at Prairie Grove Shooting Sports, east of Columbia. New this year we are having a ol’ fashioned meat shoot throughout the day. Please make plans to join us on August 10th. You can shoot by yourself or come with a partner – or both! It will be a fun day at the 18th Annual event. Thanks for our partners at Missouri Electric Cooperatives for their strong commitment to this event.

Thanks for your continued support of CFM. And if you are not a member yet and you are reading this, we would love to you join the Federation Family – just go to website at confedmo.org!

Yours in Conservation,

Tyler Schwartze CFM Executive Director, Editor

Executive Director Tyler Schwartze with outgoing MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley, incoming MDC Director Jason Sumners, and CFM President Bill Kirgan at Sara’s final Commission meeting. (Photo: CFM)

Summer Nights and Twinkling Lights

The Adventures of Frank & Ed: Catfishin'

Reading the Land

MO Hives KC: A Conservation Conversation

Defining a Hunt

Lights Out for Wildlife

Summertime Smallmouth Tactics

Hurricane Bob

Summertime Squirrels Creek Play

Natural Wonders Abound at

Conservation

OFFICERS

Bill Kirgan - President

Ginny Wallace - President Elect

Steve Jones -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

Trisha 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 legacy through advocacy, education and partnerships.

Conservation Federation (ISSN 1082-8591), Copyright 1938, is published 6 times a year in January, March, May, July, September, and November by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), 728 West Main, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Of each member’s dues, $10 shall be for a year’s subscription to Conservation Federation. Call (573) 634-2322 to become a member. Periodicals Postage paid at Jefferson City, MO.

Send address changes to: Conservation Federation 728 West Main Jefferson City, MO 65101

FRONT COVER

Dan Bernskoetrer took this photo in Cole County of a yellow-shouldered drone fly on a Maximillian Sunflower using an Olympus TG-4 camera at 1/250 second, f/2.3 and ISO 100.

Thank you to all of our Business Partners.

Platinum

Gold

Doolittle Trailer

Enbridge, Inc.

G3 Boats

Silver

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Lilley’s Landing Resort & Marina

Missouri Wildflowers Nursery

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

Brockmeier Financial Services

Brown Printing

Cap America

Central Bank

Community State Bank of Bowling Green

Dickerson Park Zoo

Pure Air Natives

Redneck Blinds

Rusty Drewing Chevrolet

Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC

Mitico Quaker Windows

Starline, Inc.

St. James Winery

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

Farmer’s Co-op Elevator Association

FCS Financial

Gascosage Electric Cooperative

General Printing Service

GREDELL Engineering Resources, Inc.

Heartland Seed of Missouri LLC

Hulett Heating & Air Conditioning

Independent Stave Company

Lewis County Rural Electric Coop.

Missouri Native Seed Association

Scobee Powerline Construction

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.

"The Voice for Missouri Outdoors"

Mission: To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of our state’s rich outdoor legacy 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

Ways You Can Support CFM

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.

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.

and Grant Support

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.

Event Sponsorship and Product Donation

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. Scholarships

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.

President’s Message

Summer Time Memories

One of the privileges of being the President of CFM is being invited to attend a dinner this past Spring at the governor’s mansion with some of the young hunters before they strike out with their guides for the Governor’s Youth Turkey Hunt. The excitement of these young people getting ready for an outdoor adventure was contagious. Those of us who were asked to speak all recalled our early hunts and the created memories.

The young hunters were told that the opportunity to shoot a gobbler was only a small part of the experience of witnessing a Missouri sunrise in the spring. They were asked to be very quiet and listen to the sounds of the night become the sounds of the world waking up in the spring of the year. It was obvious to those of us speaking to them, that we all wished to share an appreciation of this special time with nature beyond the hunt.

I had the good fortune growing up to live in close proximity to my grandparents from both sides of my family. My mother’s parents lived across the street while I was growing up, and I spent a lot of time with them. That grandfather was a dentist. He was very much a gentleman who doted over my grandmother and the rest of the family. He didn’t drink, and I don’t ever recall him cursing. He taught me how to cast a fly rod and tie flies and appreciate the art of fishing, even if the catch was small.

My father’s parents lived in St. Louis. My paternal grandfather retired as a chief deputy US Marshal and was a rough-and-tumble kind of guy. He hated the city and spent every weekend during the summer driving out to St. James with my grandmother with a huge minnow bucket full of live bait. His philosophy was “big bait catch big fish”. He would pick me up and take me to a cabin he had on Dry Fork Creek just south of St. James. After unloading the car and my grandmother, he and I would head to the river where I would paddle him up and down the river as he set and baited limb and trout lines. Back at the cabin, their friends would gather and the good times would begin. On Friday nights, he’d light the grill for chicken and on Saturday nights we’d have fried catfish from our lines.

Beginning at about age 8 or 10, I got to sit and listen to the fishing stories and jokes the men would tell at the Dry Fork camp, many of which I recall to this day. I’m accused by my friends of learning from him to start happy hour at 6 PM and serving dinner at 8:30 pm to have people admire how good your food tastes.

I could reminisce much longer, but the point I wish to make is this: Not many young people today have the opportunity to make summertime memories while they are out of school. Young people today are occupied with their electronic devices and, because of parents’ busy work schedules and not being in close proximity to family adults who don’t have/take the time to spend with them, they don’t get the opportunity to make summertime memories. Without those memories, we will have a generation that doesn’t know enough about the outdoors to love and appreciate it.

I challenge you to create outdoor memories for the kids in your life (obviously) but also to look for young people whose family situation may not give them the opportunity to get outdoors and offer to include them as well. Seeing the outdoors through their eyes for the first time allows us to enjoy that feeling all over again. It also helps create another generation willing to protect our natural world from those exchanging it for short-term profit.

Bill Kirgan President, CFM

The man on the left is Bill's uncle, Bill in the center, and his grandfather is holding the catfish. (Photo: Bill Kirgan)

2024 Events Schedule

88 Annual Convention - March 1-3

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

Conservation Day at the Capitol - April 3

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.

Wild & Wonderful Duck Race - April 13

Join us for a wild and wonderful day of family fun and learning about Conservation Federation of Missouri with some outdoor activities and an exciting duck race.

CFM Life Member Event - June

CFM will be hosting its 4th annual life member only event.

Conservation Federation Banquet: Columbia - July 11

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

Pull for Conservation: Central - August 10

Take your best shot at the 18th annual Central clay shoot at Prairie Grove Shotgun Sports.

Affiliate Summit - September 5

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

Conservation Federation Online Auction - September 9-20

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

Conservation Federation Banquet: St. Louis - October 17

Join us for a fantastic meal while networking and supporting CFM.

Holiday Online Auction - December 2-13

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

Why I Became a Life Member of CFM: Michael Mansell

Ihave seen numerous parts of this great nation through the windshields of eighteen-wheelers and wonderful scenic views of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from the wheelhouses and decks of towboats pushing barges. The roads and rivers always brought me back home to Missouri.

In 1992, I took a hunter education class to be able to go to Colorado Elk hunting. After taking the class, I volunteered to become a hunter education instructor. 32 years later I am still teaching hunter education. Throughout this time, I encountered CFM and its affiliates through conferences and conventions and learned what CFM was about. After sitting in on seminars, listening to other partners, watching how the CLC program works and being able to vote on presentations made by the affiliates impressed me.

I have seen significant changes over the last 70 years. Deer, turkey, elk, and bear are thriving. Forests and grasslands are flourishing. Our rivers and streams are much cleaner, as is the air we breathe.

For the last 30 years, I have been instructing children and adults about conservation and the wise use of our natural resources and bringing it to many of my programs with Outdoor Skills of America, Inc. God has blessed us Missourians with a beautiful state and with the help of CFM and its affiliates we can continue to be an example for the rest of the nation for years to come.

In Memory & Honor

Dennis Ballard

Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Kirgan

Russ Krohn

Kim Krohn

Waide Moreland

Michael Mansell on river with hoop nets. (Photo: Karen Mansell)

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

Timothy Barksdale

Lynn Barnickol

Jamie Barton

Michael Bass

Robert Bass

Don Bedell

Thomas Bell

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

Charles Burwick

Brandon Butler

Randy Campbell

Brian Canaday

Dale Carpentier

* Glenn Chambers

Bryan Chilcutt

Ed Clausen

* Edward Clayton

* Ron Coleman

Denny Coleman

Rhonda Coleman

Liz Cook

Elizabeth Copeland

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

Lonnie Hansen

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

Jim Keeven

* 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

Michael Leach

* Gerald Lee

Debra Lee

Mark Lee

Randy Leible

Wade Leible

* Joel LeMaster

* Norman Leppo

* John Lewis

Bill Lockwood

Leroy Logan

Christine Logan - Hollis

Bob Lorance

Ike Lovan

Wayne Lovelace

Kimberley Lovelace-

Hainsfurther

Jim Low

Mark Loyd

Emily Lute-Wilbers

Martin MacDonald

Michael Mansell

Steve Maritz

Danny Marshall

John Mauzey

Bill McCully

Chip McGeehan

Teresa McGeehan

Justin McGuire

Nathan "Shags" McLeod

Jon McRoberts

Richard Mendenhall

Tom Mendenhall

Donna Menown

John "Mitch" Mertens

Cynthia Metcalfe

Walter Metcalfe

Larry Meyer

Stephanie Michels

Brooks Miller

Mitchell Mills

Joshua Millspaugh

Davis Minton

Lowell Mohler

John Moore, Jr.

Gary Moreau

Johnny Morris

Mary 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

Zach Pollock

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

Benjamin Runge  Tyler Ruoff  William Ruppert  Tom Russell  Jacob Sampsell  Bruce Sassmann  Jan Sassmann  Frederick Saylor  Michael Schallon  Mossie Schallon * Evelyn Schallon  Thomas Schlafly  Pamela Schnebelen  Don Schultehenich Deb Schultehenrich  Tyler Schwartze * Ronald Schwartzmeyer  Timothy Schwent  Travis W. Scott  George Seek  Arlene Segal * E. Sy Seidler * Sara Seidler

Joshua Shadwick  Anita Siegmund

Emily Sinnott  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

FUNDRAISER RAISER

No Cash is needed to begin a fundraiser. Payment is due at the time your order is placed. Free shipping & Handling on All orders over 50 items. Free sales brochures and order forms. Brochures and order forms are available to download.

Empowering Women in the Outdoors: wildHERness

Founder and President Jess Rice had spent more than a decade involved in the R3 and women’s outdoor space, never finding a place of true belonging. It was at yet another women’s event that lacked all the components of a truly inclusive educational outdoor experience where Jess met the 3 other women who would go on to found wildHERness together. Their shared vision? A space where diverse women could unite in exploring the outdoors, learning, and actively contributing to conservation.

wildHERness was founded in 2020, aiming to engage more women outdoors through free to low-cost skillbuilding opportunities. Starting as a monthly event series in Kansas City, it burgeoned into a movement, enriching over 1100 individuals across five states: Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New York. Events range from hunting, fishing, shooting and paddling to gardening, cooking, beekeeping and foraging. Our overarching goal is to educate

Central to wildHERness's ethos is fostering a noncompetitive, curiosity-driven environment where women gather. Rice underscores the necessity of community, stating, "Women don't go to the bathroom alone—we definitely aren't venturing into the wild solo!" It is essential for women to know and be supported by other women for these outdoor skills to become a lifestyle.

It is within this community that wildHERness can identify specific barriers for women when it comes to participating in outdoor pursuits. There are multitudes, including but not limited to: land access, gear access, not knowing where to go, absence of childcare, cost, time off work. One of the aspects that makes wildHERness such a dynamic organization is the ability to “try before you buy”, which not only applies to gear but also to the incredible variety of outdoor activities to choose from. Our participants are able to have a sincere sense of what they do and don’t like without making large upfront investments of time and money.

At wildHERness, women discover empowerment, camaraderie, and newfound skills, amplifying their connection to nature and each other. Come explore your wild with wildHERness!

Top - Annual GO WYLD women's weekend 2023 . (Photo: Jess Rice)

Right - Beginning Birdwatching at Loess Bluffs Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Jess Rice)

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

Dark Sky Missouri

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

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

Magnificent Missouri

Mid Mo Prescribed Burn Assn.

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 Bluebird 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 Heritage Foundation

Missouri Conservation Pioneers

Missouri Consulting Foresters Association

Missouri Disabled Sportsmen

Missouri Ducks Unlimited- State Council

Missouri Environmental Education Association

Missouri Environmental Education Projects

Missouri Forest Products Association

Missouri Grouse Chapter of QUWF

Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation

Missouri Master Naturalist

- Great Rivers Chapter

Missouri Master Naturalist

- Hi Lonesome Chapter

Missouri Master Naturalist

- Meramec Hills Chapter

Missouri Master Naturalist

- Osage Trails Chapter

Missouri Master Naturalist

- Springfield 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

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 Access Coalition

River Bluffs Audubon Society

River City Foundation

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Scenic Rivers Invasive Species

Partnership (SRISP)

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

Turtle Conservation Group

United Bowhunters of Missouri

Wild Bird Rehabilitation

Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation

WildHERness

Wonders of Wildlife

World Bird Sanctuary

Young Outdoorsmen United

Attention CFM Members!

CFM and the Nominating Committee is looking for active members who are interested in doing more to support our mission “To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of our state’s rich outdoor legacy 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 2025 election. August 11, 2024 is the deadline to receive all applications for the following 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) Representative: (1 position) Will serve a three-year term.

• Treasurer: (1 position) will serve 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, 2024. 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 2025 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, 2024

Election: The election will be held electronically in January 2025 and the results will be announced prior to the Annual Convention.

Photo Contest

July 1 - September 30

Since its inception in 1935, the Conservation Federation of Missouri has been proud to showcase our state’s rich outdoor heritage and its diverse wildlife, plants, and habitats. This is our fourth year for the photo contest to share our member’s artistic observations. There are four categories for photographs with instructions and guidelines for submissions. Honors will be given for first place in each category and first, second, and third place overall.

Photo Submission Categories

1. Missouri Waterways – Missouri's waterways are not only one of the most popular areas to recreate in the state, but they also provide abundant habitat and necessary resources to wildlife. This category gives you a chance to show off our waterways, big or small

Missouri Plants and Animals – We are looking for the best photos that capture the beauty of Missouri's plants and animals! The plant or animal should be the focus of these pictures With thousands of different species to choose from, this is a great opportunity to showcase our state's biodiversity

2. Missouri Landscapes – Whether it's a sunset over the river bluffs or a fresh snowfall in the forest, our state has some of the most impressive outdoor scenery you can ask for. Submit your photos that best capture Missouri's natural beauty,

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3 Nature in your Backyard – This is your chance to show off your nature finds from your own backyard! This category is an easy one for anyone to enter, just submit nature photos from around your house or in urban areas!

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.

Summer Nights and Twinkling Lights

It had been a special hot summer day. I spent the whole day wading in a shaded Ozarks creek, fishing and catching crawdads. I used to do that as a child many years ago. I still do it today. I decided to stretch out on the creek bank and take a nap. I fell asleep listening to nature sounds. It was wonderful.

I hated leaving that wonderful place away from the city's traffic and noise. I am back home and sitting on my front porch now. Tall, fluffy clouds are gathering on the horizon. The bottom layer is shades of pink and orange. It is like a painter mixing colors on his palette.

A beautiful sunset slowly begins sinking to the earth. A lone whip-poor-will calls from the nearby woods. It is testing the silence. Another one down the road answers back. Frogs, crickets, and cicadas begin their nighttime chorus. Bats dive for insects in the fading night sky.

The darkness slowly settles in, and I see it. A tiny, twinkling orb. First one and then another. Suddenly, the summer night is full of a myriad of twinkling lights. I sit back in my chair to watch the performance.

As I gaze at the slowly pulsating lights, my mind travels back over 70 years to grandma and grandpa’s farm. As the adults sat on the porch talking, we kids ran about, catching these jewel-green sparks that pierced the dark. We put them in old Mason jars Grandma used for canning food from the garden. Grandpa punched holes in the lids for the fireflies.

It was a magical time racing about filling your jar. Our eyes twinkled as much as the stars. Laughter pierced the silent night. I wonder how many other adults are outside sitting on the porch right now and feeling the stirring pleasures of childhood that they felt when they were young and chasing fireflies?

As I watch, my mind wanders to one summer night at the cabin we once owned next to the Mark Twain National Forest in southwest Missouri. An approaching storm was causing our wind chimes that hung in nearby trees and around our porch to play music. The sound awakened me from a deep sleep.

The alarm clock by the bed told my sleepy eyes it was 2:30 a.m. My feet hit the floor to go check out what was happening. I walked through the dark cabin and looked out the windows into the night. The blinking lights of fireflies were everywhere. That night, they seemed to be a lot bigger than usual. It was almost as if the window I was looking out was a magnifying glass I was looking through.

I stood there in wide-eyed amazement and watched them. They were high in the trees, down by the creek, up by the road, and way down in the valley. How could I see them that far away?

Maybe the sky was darker than usual that night, causing their lights to look like they were shining brighter. It could have been because they were brighter to impress their lady friends. At the time, I didn’t care what the answer was. I just enjoyed the show.

As the storm approached closer, lightning lit up the dark sky. It was not streaks of lightning. It was more like a burst of light. It was like gigantic fireflies joining the smaller ones to add to this special night.

I do not know how long I stood there watching. Eventually, the rains came, and the lightning and the fireflies ended their show. I went back to bed and lay there listening to the rain on the roof.

I was grateful the storm had awakened me. I drifted off to sleep while thinking of fireflies.

The neighbor’s dog barks and my mind stops thinking about those memories. I am still on my front porch. I am thinking about that old Mason jar with holes in the lid I used on the farm. For many years, I had saved it for my kids to use when they enjoyed the magic of fireflies.

They are married and in their 50s now. I hope they have good memories of summer nights and twinkling lights. They must have because they passed that tradition on to our grandkids. They also enjoyed this age-old mysterious performance. Instead of jars with holes in the lid, they used plastic firefly houses. That was not quite the same to me. Oh well, they enjoyed it anyway.

Most of our grandchildren are married now or soon will be. They all live in other states. I hope they pass the joy of fireflies on to their kids. I hope they show them it is much better than all the technology kids are involved in today. I hope they tell them about God and how He created the tiny firefly and all of nature for them to enjoy.

One summer night last year, I watched as our two neighbor buddies, 4-year-old Hudson and 3-year-old Lilly, ran around their yard and our yard, catching fireflies. I sat there smiling and remembering the memories my family had made doing that. Then I went out to help Lilly. She was better at catching them than I ever was. It will not be long until their twin sisters, Shay and Micah, join them in the fun on summer nights.

They call us Grandma and Papa Larry. They bring a smile to our wrinkled faces. We sit on the porch and watch them. What a blessing they are to both of us. Kids need those fireflies. They also need everything else that nature has to offer them more than they need all the electronics and other stuff kids are hung up on so much these days. I could say the same for a lot of adults.

On this summer night, as if saying goodnight, the tiny sparks blink off one by one. I get up from the porch and walk toward my barn. I want to see if I can find a 70-yearold Mason jar with holes in the lid. I would like to pass it on to some special kids next door.

Fireflies can be magical for both kids and adults. (Photo: Larry Whiteley) Larry Whiteley

The Adventures of Frank & Ed: Catfishin’

Hello again for another episode of The Adventures of Frank & Ed. This adventure will find us doing a little catfishing at a local community lake. The Missouri Department of Conservation stocks Channel Catfish for anglers like us to catch and hopefully eat a few.

Heck, we even invited Frank & Ed’s Dad, Mark, to tag along on this trip. It’s a beautiful summer day as we gather up our fishing tackle, chairs, snacks, drinks, and most importantly catfish bait! I did my best to impress upon Frank & Ed how crucial it was to have the right

catfish bait and a variety of bait as well. Now you can’t go wrong with good ole nightcrawler worms. Catfish love‘em and little boys like to play with them, so it’s a win-win. The only problem with worms is that little bluegill also really like them and will steal all your bait before the catfish can find it.

Those pesky bluegills will nibble and tug at your line but it’s almost impossible to hook those little fish. Other favorite catfish baits are chicken livers, hot dogs, cut pieces of shad or minnows, but Frank & Eds go to bait is DIP bait. I think they mostly like saying the name DIP.

We always get into a shouting match saying where’s the DIP, no you’re a DIP, I’m not a DIP, you’re a DIP, I know what you are but what I’m I, you’re a DIP Franks a DIP, Eds a DIP, Dads a DIP, and Papas a DIP! Anyway, DIP bait works well because it attracts catfish by smell. Boy does it smell! There are several brands of DIP bait, and you can get it at your local bait shop or Walmart.

The most important thing about using DIP bait is the rig you put it on. The kind of hook doesn’t matter so much as the mechanism to hold the DIP bait onto the hook. It needs a ribbed hollow soft plastic body with holes in it or a sponge. The plastic body or sponge soaks up the stinky DIP bait so that it surrounds the hook and stays on it long enough for the catfish to find it. DIP bait is very stinky and sticky so whatever it touches gets stinky and sticky, so keep an old rag handy. Dip bait comes in a resealable tub or jar. Dip the hook rigging into the tub or jar and use a paint stick stirrer or stick to push the plastic body or sponge into the DIP bait trying to get it to stick to the rigging. You will also need to add weight to sink the bait to the bottom as that’s where the catfish live in the lake or pond. Cast it out and let it sit until the catfish tugs on it then jerk the pole to set the hook and reel’em in.

Back to that nice summer day at one of the urban fishing lakes in the Kansas City Metro area. We baited up three rods and I helped Frank & Ed get their lines cast out. I think Ed was the first one to hook up that day. “Whatcha got Ed?” “I got a big one, reel, reel, reel’em, wow it’s a channel catfish”. Frank says, “You know why they call them channel catfish”? “Nope, I don’t”, I told him. He replied, “Because they live in the channel part of the lake, Papa”! Well, I guess that makes sense.

In the next hour and a half, we all did some reeling and caught ten nice pan-sized channel cats. We headed home to clean our catch and fry them up for lunch. You’ll find kids are very curious about the whole process. They love the feeling of fighting a fish, and cleaning the catch is also interesting. I had warned the boys about the sharp spines on the catfish fins and how to hold them, so they don’t get poked. Frank says, “Hold them behind the spines on the back or on the head in front.” Ed says, “Hold them by the soft belly”. Let them be a part of the whole process.

The kids will follow your lead. If you’re grossed out and negative about cleaning fish, they will be too. If you explain the cleaning process, point out the various parts of the fish, and let them be part of the process they will have a positive outlook as well. Not to mention eating those great fried catfish nuggets! Learn more about fishing Metro Area Urban Lakes at https://mdc.mo.gov/ fishing/where-fish/kansas-city-st-louis-urban-fishing.

Stay tuned for more Adventures of Frank & Ed, we can’t wait for the next one.

Jeff “Papa” Blystone

Left - Frank and Ed cleaning catfish. (Photo: Jeff Blystone) Top - Dad and his boys. (Photo: Jeff Blystone)

Reading the Land

About 20 yards from my tree stand I retrieved the evidence. Another hunter had been here before me. Exposed from the leaf litter by recent rain, pressed into the soft damp clay lay an arrowhead, at least a couple thousand years old, crafted by hand from a piece of stone. A far cry from the steel, hyper-sharp mechanical broadhead attached to the arrows I carry today.

I’ve spent many quiet hours in that stand wondering about the people who hunted this land eons before me. Who were they? Was the arrowhead lost, a hit or a miss? What animal was hunted? What did the land look like? Wonderment about the passage of time and the temporary nature of my own occupancy on this small patch of ground.

There are places you can go where time and history are well marked, like the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, or the civil war battlefield at Gettysburg. And there other known places where you must look a little harder to see what was there, and with a limited degree of certainty, we visit these to visualize and interpret the events of that point in time. Places where we imagine an age before and maybe learn how to observe, discover, and see.

Once, while conducting field work in the north woods of Wisconsin I walked a transect line observing and recording the types of vegetation present. An alien flower in a small meadow told us something was amiss. As I walked I stumbled upon the shattered fragments of an old woodburning cookstove hidden in the sedge, while a team member discovered an iron axle and wheels.

More exploration revealed another nearby anomaly. Several uniformly shaped four-foot-high piles of some unknown organic material, each covered with moss, ferns, and other vegetation. A long-hidden secret was revealing itself. Relics of an old story.

One hundred years earlier, this area was once a giant pinery. Logging camps of various kinds dotted the land along with tote roads and corridors for temporary narrow-gauge railroads. A little research told us the manmade organic piles were the remains of hemlock bark, meticulously stacked for transport, but never recovered. Sitting for 100 years or more, slowly decaying, the bark was likely intended to be used by a leather tannery. The discovery made a good day in the field that much better. We uncovered artifacts, a piece of history, and learned a little about the art of reading the land.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have permission to access various properties neighboring our own here in Missouri. Whether it be hunting deer and turkey, the elusive morels, or just a long walk in the woods, the land never fails to mesmerize in ways never to be revealed to those who view it from behind a windshield or the screen of a phone.

On the corner of our 10 acres, under the old walnut tree, discarded flowers grow and bloom. Throw aways from long deceased neighbors, the iris, daffodils, and sweet William quietly thrive like a breakaway community, shunned, ignored, and homeless, eking out an existence before inevitable encroachment suppresses and overtakes. We’ve rescued and adopted a few members of this community before new landowners arrived with their UTVs and zero turn lawn mowers.

I doubt they have yet to discover this secret patch of history, protected, for now, by woody stems and old fencing, and I hope they never do.

A short hike further into the woods, a few old trails can still be seen, created back when wagons and mules were the preferred method of transportation. Like the remnants of the Oregon trail, these pathways traverse ridge tops and creek bottoms, and steep rocky inclines between the two. They linked a long-gone plantation and homesteads to farm fields, a schoolhouse, and church, many constructed and used by formerly enslaved African Americans.

Among the brushy tangle of invasive honeysuckle and multiflora rose, we’ve found old farm equipment lodged within trees and cross fences slowly rusting away. Remnants of a time when freed people scratched rocky soil to grow crops, and livestock ruled the woods.

Along the creek, barely noticeable, the remains of an old icehouse can be seen. Rock walls carefully constructed into the shade of a bluff and steep hillside. I walked by it many times before the landowner told me where to look. I was surprised how obvious it was, and it reminded me how reading the land is a skill to be continuously honed. The steep bluffs along the creek also hide the remnants of a shelter cave or two, and other smaller caverns, and if I was the young man I used to be, that boy with an overactive imagination and undying curiosity, I’d scale those hills and bluffs and look for the stories I cannot see from below. Stories waiting to be rediscovered.

The path home is a continuation of the old trail. The ridge we follow reveals old, barbed wire fences that must be navigated to avoid tripping. We occasionally visit a high point overlooking a deep valley where teenage boys, now grown men, used to have a campfire. On the other side of the ridge I visit a rock outcropping where I’m sure someday I’ll find the remains of a rusted coffee can stuffed with silver coins, but so far have only found shards of crockery.

On a day we looked for antler sheds, an old whiskey bottle, partially exposed in the leaves, reflected the morning sun. On a different day several years ago, my wife found a small dump in a ravine, and a bottle from 125 years ago or more. The Tarrant Co., Chemists, New York, the makers of Tarrant’s Effervescent Seltzer Aperient and Cordial Elixir of Turkey Rhubarb among other marvels of “modern” medicine. Unfortunately, the earth swallowed the dump, and we’ve not been able to relocate it. We do know of another more modern dump dominated by household trash, and empty bottles of cheap rye whiskey and bromo-seltzer.

We keep a few of our finds in a neat shrine-like pile near our house, or in places of decorative honor within. Mule shoes, horse teeth, turtle shells, skulls and lots of antlers, a goat skull, jaw bones, feathers, arrow points, fragments, and other possible tools; and a few golf balls (yes, neighbors on two sides thought it okay to drive golf balls from their property into my woods).

Once an unsuspecting visitor raised an eyebrow when seeing our many skulls, bones, and antlers. I assured him we did not practice any ancient pagan rituals but I didn’t try too hard to convince him.

When townies come to our home, they are impressed with the seeming isolation. But for most the land is only background. Scenery. A commodity. Something to visit or change, a nuisance, or irrelevant. We, however, see things not as trees, weeds, and potential homes and lawns. We see presence, absence, change, and relationships; we see a community, a theater, and stories. And with a small amount of effort, we can read the past and maybe see a glimpse of a future and ponder the fact that we are not the first to be here, nor will we be the last.

Cover - Mule shoes are among the fragments found by the author. (Photo: Dan Zekor) Top - Arrowheads and old bottles tell a story of the past. (Photo: Dan Zekor) Dan Zekor

MO Hives KC: A Conservation Conversation

Ifirst learned about MO Hives KC during an Education Session at this year’s CFM convention in March. The speaker, Dr. Marion Pierson, a pediatrician, told the story of MO Hives KC, a non-profit organization that places apiaries (a fancy word for a group of beehives) on vacant lots in urban Kansas City. She talked about how the Conservation Conversation is going to take all of us throughout the state of Missouri, and that the conservation has to be an inclusive one. “We have to invite more voices to this conservation conversation.” I wanted to learn more about the organization, so CFM Education and Communications Coordinator Nick Darling, his wife Grace, and I arranged to meet Dr. Pierson at their main location in the Blue Hills neighborhood on a rainy Sunday morning in March.

Sunday mornings are work sessions at MO Hives; when we arrived two gentlemen, Kiah and Mr. Garry, were already at work spreading new mulch on the edible plant trail around the perimeter of the property, and a young woman was tackling a stand of shrub honeysuckle. After giving us a tour, Dr. Pierson handed us trowels and gloves and put us to work adding some native wildflowers and shrubs to the landscape. In between tasks we continued to learn more about this incredible organization, how they got started, and the many ways they engage with partners, youth, and their community.

Feature Story

I asked Marion how MO Hives KC got started. “I’m a honey lover, and when I learned about colony collapse disorder and declining honeybee populations, I decided I wanted to learn more and to become a beekeeper.” She had also heard about an organization called Detroit Hives and traveled there to learn about their model. She teamed up with beekeeper Brian Reeves and together they co-founded MO Hives KC. “Brian was connected to the beekeeping community in Kansas City and was a beekeeper himself. We couldn’t have gotten started without him.”

Their primary area sits on what were six vacant lots on Wabash, under a long-term lease with Community Builders of Kansas City. The lots sit across the street from a commercial building and community garden plots, also owned by Community Builders. Both parties agreed it was an ideal location.

A lot of work was required to get the site ready – brush to be cleared, soil tested, and plantings for the bees and other pollinators.

Then came the hives. With assistance from local beekeepers and other partners, hives, bee suits, smokers, and other equipment were acquired, and hives were established. Beekeeping classes trained volunteers about honeybees, how to keep the colonies healthy, and how to collect honey. (The honey is processed and sold locally). MO Hives KC grew quickly to include more than just honeybees. The hives and honeybees become a gateway to other pollinators including native bees, as well as to native plants, food systems, the economy, beautification, and the larger conservation conversation.

In just a few short years, the six vacant lots have been transformed. There is a platform for educational classes; a shipping container holds bee keeping equipment, gardening tools and educational materials, and more.

There is a Zen Garden; a National Wildlife Federation STEMREADY Garden for Wildlife; a micro-prairie; a campfire circle; and a new Garden-to-Table Test Kitchen sponsored by the Government Employees Health Association. A new walkway and bridge over the micro-prairie were designed by architecture students from Kansas State, and a new water feature provides a valuable water source for bees, birds, and other wildlife.

For six weeks during the summer, members of the Nature Action Crew work three days a week, taking care of hives, building raised beds, tending gardens, and interacting with visitors, talking about beekeeping, and sharing the mission and activities of MO Hives. Supported by the Missouri Department of Conservation, youth ages 14 and above submit applications and are interviewed to be selected for this elite group of young conservationists.

Nature Action Crew members also learn about urban agriculture, the connection between the bees and the food chain, and the economics associated with the beekeeping industry. They have also learned about native bees and other pollinators and participated in the Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas survey. Their work with the Nature Action Crew has inspired some members to study agriculture, forestry, and other subjects, and aspire to be a part of the beekeeping industry.

In addition to the Nature Action Crew, MO Hives KC has a certified AmBEEsadors program, which teaches others how we can all promote healthy urban habitats for bees and encourage knowledge about apicultural science.

In addition to the 20 hives at the Wabash Street site, fourteen hives are located throughout Kansas City – most near community gardens - including six hives at Brighton Avenue, four hives on Martin Luther King Blvd that are managed by MO Hives KC, but owned by Community Builders, one hive on a vacant lot behind the Hope Faith Homeless Assistance Campus, one hive on Hospital Hill at Mercy Children’s Hospital, and two on the rooftop of the vacant Adam’s Mark hotel.

MO Hives also established two hives at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City, a hive in St. Louis and a hive in Springfield. In all these locations, MO Hives engages with neighborhoods in conservation conversations.

How is all this accomplished? Through neighbors, volunteers of all ages, and many, many partners, a few of which include the Missouri Departments of Conservation and Agriculture, the Blues Hills Neighborhood Association, William Jewel Nonprofit Leadership Development Program, Government Employees Health Association, Lincoln University, the Jr. National Society of Black Engineers, the National Wildlife Federation, KCMO Public Schools, the Missouri State Beekeepers Association, Community Builders of Kansas City, Kansas City Community Gardens, University of Georgia KC Alumni Group, Deep Roots KC, and many more. (Find the full list of partners on their website: www.mohives.org).

It is difficult to capture in a short article all that MO Hives KC does in their community and beyond. Their website states: “MO Hives KC puts bee hives on vacant urban lots, creating bee farms that pollinate nearby food gardens, while invigorating the community with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities.” A true enough statement, but they are oh so much more.

Our two-hour work session ended far too quickly. We said our good-byes, and as I drove the three hours back to Jefferson City, I reflected again on Dr. Pierson’s words:

“The Conservation Conversation is going to take all of us throughout the state of Missouri to really impact in a great way. Conservation has to be an inclusive conversation, and we have to invite more voices to this conservation conversation.”

She is absolutely right.

Find out what all the buzz is about at www.mohives.org, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mohives, where you can view current activities and find out about work days and other volunteer opportunities.

MO HIVES "HIGH FIVE" FOCUS

1. Bee conservation. This is a conservation effort. What we do for honeybees opens the door for people to consider what we’re doing for other pollinators, including native bees.

2. Beautification. It is a form of environmental justice to be able to share with neighborhoods that they don’t have to walk outside their door and see a blighted, overgrown, dumped on lot. We bring beauty, including native wildflowers.

3. Food. We want people to know about the direct, and vital connection between a healthy pollinator population and a healthy food supply chain.

4. STEM. The skills people have with urban technology can also be used in agriculture, and agriculture is a field in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

5. Economy of Beekeeping. Beekeeping is a multi-billion-dollar industry in the US, including the cosmetics industry, raising and selling bees, moving hives around the country to pollinate crops, specialized equipment and more. There are opportunities to bring more people into that economy in the city.

*Adapted from a Banking on KC podcast interview with Dr. Pierson.

Ginny Wallace

Cover - A young volunteer checks on a hive. (Photo: MO Hives KC) Left - Photo courtesy of MO Hives KC

Defining a Hunt

The spring turkey season is over now. My hunt this spring on the season’s final day was with a longtime friend, Duane Doty, former 82nd Airborne Army veteran and highly renowned Taneycomo Lake fishing guide. The avid outdoorsman was anxious to harvest a big northwestern Missouri gobbler.

The 45-minute drive to our hunting area included a nutritious breakfast of a banana, an apple and two chocolate-chip cookies with Mountain Dew soda. Good conversation made the trip go quickly and soon we started slipping on boots and turkey hunting vests that included built in seats.

The morning started comfortably crisp and cool with a little cloud cover, just enough to turn the eastern horizon into an orange glow when a sliver of the sun first peeked over the woodlot. A variety of birds made pleasant sounds while fox squirrels ran up and down the sides of trees, perhaps chasing another squirrel or maybe for no particular reason. A deer made its quick escape on the opposite bank after scenting us while a nearby barred owl announced its presence with a booming “HOOOOTTT.”

Full daylight was approaching so we briskly walked to our hunting area, an opening within 20 yards of a row crop field where the turkeys fed and about 30 yards from the woodlot where they roosted. We had scouted this area and knew there were two large gobblers nearby.

The woods offered a beautiful assortment of wildlife except one missing ingredient, there seemed to be no turkeys. Gobbling off their roost is common for toms. But this morning, nothing. A couple of years before a tom had gobbled off the roost and a big bobcat jumped the turkey once it lit on the ground. I wondered if predators like bobcat, coyotes, mountain lions and whatever else ate turkeys in those woods was responsible for the gobbler’s silent treatment.

I started calling on my Bean Creek mouth calls, using every sound in my playbook and forgetting the turkeys may have been call shy this late in the season. The calls offered perfect, pure sounds with long pauses between clucks, yelps, cutting and putts. Nary a gobbler gobbled. I even tried some contented purrs and clucks sounds in hopes of at least a response, but none answered, that is until the third hour.

We decided to slowly and quietly move about thirty yards farther into the woods. We made deliberate steps while trying to miss the water that had accumulated in ruts from recent heavy rains. The muddy path allowed us to walked reasonably quiet. Soon we set up in a clearing by the afore mentioned row crop field.

Three hen decoys were staked out on steel rods that allowed them to move in the wind. We settled back in a small grove of trees behind a net designed to hide lower body movement common with rearranging your sitting position. Sitting for an hour or more on the ground can become uncomfortable, even with padded seats.

A few sounds from a mouth call produced absolutely no turkey responses, but a turkey vulture landed high in a tree and stretched its neck while studying our decoys. We were close enough to watch its head move from side to side while trying to decide what to do. I made a couple more yelps on my call and the vulture jumped onto another limb. He was very entertaining while deciding if the turkeys were something he would like to eat. He finally gave up and flew away.

“GGGOOOBBBBBLLLLE,” a tom finally responded and we both slowly turned to look in its direction. There were no turkeys in sight but it was clear the bird was over a fence and somewhere in a long line of trees next to a row crop field where they likely fed. I sent out a cluck and two yelps that were answered by the clearly interested gobbler.

We decided to move, slipped down into the timber and found a very convenient hollow where we could quietly move while staying out of sight of the big bird. Doty was the shooter so I motioned him to move ahead. The veteran hunter quietly crawled up the ridge and was soon peeking at two big toms and a hen. I angled away and made a couple more turkey sounds on my calls. The gobbler answered back.

Doty started doing light yelps on his slate call and the gobblers moved closer, but stopped and were clearly hung up. He eventually slipped back down in the woods and tried a new position to make the gobblers think the hot hen was moving away.

Their chess game continued for about 45 minutes before the gobblers got tired of this game and followed their hen into the tip of a woodlot where they had long-distance visibility of approaching danger from all directions, including us.

That was the only gobblers we saw that day. Later over good cigars and bourbon, Doty summed up exactly what hunting should be about:

“The woods were beautiful and we saw a lot of wildlife. Watching those gobblers was exciting, we have to do this again next year.”

He clearly defined what hunting should be about and we never fired a shot.

Kenneth L. Kieser

There are few more beautiful sights than sunrise in the woods. (Photo: Kenneth L.Kieser)

DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

Conservation Commission Names Jason Sumners as Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation

The Missouri Conservation Commission has selected Jason Sumners as the next director of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), effective June 1, 2024. Sumners currently serves as the deputy director of resource management for MDC and will succeed Sara Parker Pauley, who will retire this spring after 30 years of public service, as director.

“The Commission did a national search for the director position because we knew we had tough shoes to fill with Sara leaving,” said Missouri Conservation Commission Chair Steven Harrison. “Jason is uniquely poised for this director role with his background, experience, and national connections in conservation. We are looking forward to a smooth transition with Jason at the helm with high expectations with him as the next director.”

“I am excited and humbled by this opportunity the Commission has entrusted me with and the conservation team I get to work with across the state and country,” Sumners said. “The Missouri outdoors have defined my personal and professional life, so getting to serve in this capacity and continue to tackle the ever-evolving challenges in conservation is an exciting endeavor.”

MDC protects and manages the fish, forest, and wildlife resources of the state, and provides opportunities for citizens to use, enjoy, and learn about these resources. Sumners will become the tenth director in the Conservation Department’s 87-year history.

“Jason brings a wealth of leadership experience in conservation, both at the state and national level, as well as a diverse background in wildlife management,” said Pauley. “I’m confident he will continue that exceptional leadership he has exemplified during his career at MDC as he becomes your next director, including working collaboratively with partners and the public to carry out the conservation mission.”

As deputy director of resource management, Sumners had responsibility and oversight for the resource management efforts of the agency, including statewide resource management, regional resource management, and protection. He also led the regulations committee.

He began his career at MDC in 2008 as a private lands deer biologist and later became the head of the state’s deer management program.

During Sumners’ tenure at MDC, he has been instrumental in developing the agency’s strategic and operational direction, served as chief of the Wildlife Division, led the state’s white-tailed deer management program, took part in Missouri’s elk reintroduction efforts, developed a private lands deer management program, and led the Department’s effort to develop and implement a chronic wasting disease (CWD) management and surveillance strategy. Jason also worked at the national level on the Relevancy Roadmap for state fish and wildlife agencies to enhance conservation efforts through broader engagement.

Jason received a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri and a Master of Science in Biology from Mississippi State University. He is a National Conservation Leadership Institute fellow, professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club, active with many non-government organization partners, represents MDC on numerous regional and national committees, and has been recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for his leadership in science-based approaches to wildlife conservation.

Sumners grew up in the small town of Lincoln, Mo., where his love for the outdoors began. His interests include hunting, fishing, and camping. He and his family live in Hartsburg, Mo.

The Missouri Conservation Commission has selected Jason Sumners as the next director of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), effective June 1, 2024. (Photo: MDC)

MDC, USDA Needs Public’s Help with Black Vulture Study

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a multi-year study to better mediate conflicts with black vultures. Landowners, cattle ranchers, birdwatchers, and others may contribute to the study by reporting sightings of black vultures marked with tags on their wing.

Black vultures play an important role in nature by eating carrion, or dead animals. Vultures have acids in their stomachs that metabolize diseases, such as rabies, and remove them from the environment. However, their aggressive nature can cause issues for cattle ranchers and other livestock producers. The species can prey on calves, vulnerable cows, and smaller farm animals such as lambs and goats. Black vultures can also cause property damage to vehicles, boats, and houses.

“Black vulture populations in Missouri have been growing and expanding in recent years,” said MDC Wildlife Management Coordinator Alan Leary. “As a result, more landowners are reporting conflicts with them.”

Black vultures are known to tear windshield wipers off vehicles, damage rubber seals around the windows, and scratch the paint. They can also tear up vinyl upholstery on boats, pool covers, canvas awnings, or other exposed rubber materials. Black vultures can rip shingles off roofs and peel off window caulking and vent seals.

In an effort to track black vultures and test management tools, 89 black vultures near the Missouri-Arkansas border were captured this spring and marked with a white tag on their right wing. Each tag has a letter and number (i.e., A47 or C20). The tags may be visible from below while the birds soar or while birds are perched. Twenty-eight vultures were also equipped with radio transmitters to track their daily movements.

The purpose of the study is to better understand black vulture movements, human-black vulture conflict, and to test vulture management tools.

All sightings of tagged black vultures, either observed alive or taken by a landowner with the appropriate permit, should be reported to the United States Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab online at reportband.gov. Sightings can also be emailed to USDA Wildlife Biologist Eric Tillman at Eric.A.Tillman@usda. gov.

Black Vulturs vs. Turkey Vultures

Though turkey vultures are much more common in Missouri, black vultures are expanding their range northward, and sightings of them are increasing. As of 2021, their population estimate was around 12,000.

Black vultures have a large, black body with a bare, black head. When seen flying, black vultures wings are held nearly horizontal. This species frequently flies higher than turkey vultures, following and watching them from above.Turkey vultures also have large, black bodies, but are identifiable by their bare, red head. When soaring, turkey vultures hold their wings in a V position.

Turkey vultures look for carrion by riding wind currents and searching for smells to investigate for food. Black vultures cannot smell as well as turkey vultures, and they rely more on sight to find food. Black vultures will commonly follow turkey vultures to find food, and groups of them aggressively drive off the turkey vultures.

Landowners can report black vulture livestock loss and request assistance by contacting USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services by calling 573-449-3033 ext. 10.

To report property damage caused by black vultures, contact MDC Wildlife Management Coordinator Alan Leary at 573-522-4115 ext. 3693.

MDC and USDA encourage citizens to participate in the citizen science by reporting tagged black vultures in Missouri.

MDC Changes Turkey Regulations for Fall Hunting

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces changes to turkey hunting regulations for the fall seasons. The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to the changes at its April 5 open meeting in Rolla.

The approved changes to fall turkey hunting will reduce the harvest limit from four to two birds of either sex and will now require both fall firearms turkey hunters and fall archery turkey hunters to purchase a fall turkey-hunting permit. Turkeys will no longer be included in the archery-deer permit.

According to MDC, the changes to fall turkey hunting regulations aim to reduce the fall harvest while maintaining as much opportunity for hunters as possible.

The Commission gave initial approval to the regulation changes at its December open meeting. The changes were then open for public comment from Feb. 2 through March 2. MDC received about 40 comments with most pertaining to the removal of turkeys from archery hunting permits.

The Commission previously approved MDC changes to shooting hours for the regular spring turkey season. Shooting hours are extended for private land only from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Shooting hours on public land will remain a half-hour before sunrise to 1 p.m. These changes are effective for the Spring 2024 turkey season. The annual youth spring turkey hunting portion will continue to have extended shooting hours from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset for both public and private land.

Learn more about turkey hunting in Missouri at mdc. mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey.

MISSOURI STATE PARKS

Rock Island Trail State Park Update

On June 30, 2023, the Rock Island Trail officially became a Missouri state park. This includes the 47-mile developed section between Pleasant Hill and Windsor, Missouri, which is currently the only section open for public use. The undeveloped section of the trail stretches from Windsor on the western end of the state to Beaufort in the east and will ultimately connect nearly two dozen communities. Another 12-mile section will continue from Beaufort to Union but will follow an active rail line in a rail-with-trail configuration.

“Rock Island Trail State Park will mean a lot to the rural communities situated along this trail,” said David Kelly, Missouri State Parks director. “As with Katy Trail State Park, businesses will grow and develop along the trail, drawing visitors from around the world.”

In the 144-mile undeveloped section, several communities have received grants or raised funds themselves to develop the trail in their area, city or county, and some have already started construction. Together, they have raised more than $3 million and should complete about 13 miles of trail. Communities that have received funding include the following:

• Cole Camp - Received a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant to build trailhead and 1 mile of trail, connecting Hi Lonesome Prairie Conservation Area to Hwy U just North of Cole Camp.

• Versailles – Received a TAP grant build 2 miles of trail in the city limits of Versailles.

• Eldon – Received a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant to build 1.4 miles of trail and trailhead near their downtown area.

• Belle – Received a RTP grant to build trailhead and 1.6 miles of trail in their city limits.

• Owensville – Received a TAP grant to build 2.6 miles of trail within the city limits. Owensville recently broke ground on their portion of the trail.

• Gasconade County – Received a TAP grant to build 2.8 miles of trail from Owensville city limits to Soap Creek Bridge.

• Gerald – Gerald raised private funds to build 1 mile of trail within their city limits. Gerald began construction this spring and became the first community in the 144-mile undeveloped section to begin construction.

Rock Island Trail State Park will eventually connect with Missouri’s other cross-state route at Windsor, Katy Trail State Park, which is nearly a 240-mile journey east to the outskirts of St. Louis. When completed, the connected pair would form a trail loop of almost 450 miles— something not seen anywhere else – and ultimately form a trail from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to the Arch in St. Louis.

While the two state parks seem similar in nature, there are distinct differences. For example, Rock Island Trail has large trestles and tunnels, native grassland prairies, rolling hills, clear streams and rivers giving visitors a different view of Missouri. Some of the trail’s highlights will include: the Gasconade River Bridge, the trail’s longest bridge spanning 1,771 feet; the Euguene Tunnel, the longest of the trail’s three tunnels at 1,665 feet; the Osage River bridge; the Argyle Tunnel; and the Freeburg Tunnel.

Another differentiation between the two trails is while much of the Katy Trail is next to the Missouri River reaching the edges of towns, the Rock Island goes right past many communities’ downtown areas as well as schools, making the trail a safe route to school and a transportation option for many, Kelly said.

For more information on Rock Island Trail State Park and to follow trail updates, visit https://mostateparks.com/ park/rock-island-trail-state-park.

Lights Out for Wildlife

Motel 6 famously says, “We’ll leave the lights on for ya.” That ad campaign worked because it tapped into a comforting phrase that you no-doubt heard from your parents or friends who anticipated your arrival after dark. And the dark is something humans have been striving to overcome for thousands of years. Fast forward to today and we have overdone that a little.

Artificial light at night, (ALAN) impacts wildlife, including migrating birds and night pollinating insects. Light pollution is a term that our ancestors would have laughed at but is a real thing today. Standards established by the International Dark Sky Association, (IDA), indicate that 80% of the people on earth now deal with some kind of light pollution. That percentage is even higher in the United States. Dark Sky Missouri is an organization in Missouri that monitors ALAN.

The mission of IDA Missouri is to raise awareness about the loss of dark night sky issues in Missouri, promote quality outdoor lighting, protect our natural environment and our beautiful night sky, and educate the public as to how reducing light pollution can lower energy costs.

IDA Missouri might sound a little bit like an organization of old hippies, but there are environmental considerations that impact us directly besides the beauty of the night sky when not polluted by light, which is a fairly good reason all by itself.

Fifteen years ago, when there were even fewer lights at night, we had some folks from St. Louis staying at our house in rural northwest Missouri. One night as we walked from the car to our house, they marveled at the number of stars in the sky. I do that quite often, but it was neat to see it through the eyes of someone who hardly ever got to see it.

Concerns about artificial light at night, or ALAN, sort of sounds like something Paul Harvey, (if you are under thirty, ask your parents who Harvey was), used to talk about in the category of “so you don’t run out of things to worry about.” But lights at night do cause problems beyond making it impossible to see the beauty of the night sky.

According to Audubon’s website, “Every year, billions of birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall, the majority of them flying at night, navigating with the night sky. However, as they pass over big cities on their way, they can become disoriented by bright artificial lights and skyglow, (light pollution) often causing them to collide with buildings or windows. While lights can throw birds off their migration paths, bird fatalities are more directly caused by the amount of energy the birds waste flying around and calling out in confusion. The exhaustion can then leave them vulnerable to other threats.”

Dozens of species are handicapped by night lights, including priority species—those we have identified as most in need of and most likely to benefit from our help— such as the Allen’s Hummingbird, Wood Thrush, and Golden-winged Warbler.

That is why Audubon has its Lights Out program that urges “building owners and managers to turn off excess lighting during the months migrating birds are flying overhead.” Cornell University has a similar program.

I sympathize with the birds. Have you ever driven by a business or a residence that has the new, extra bright LED lights placed where they shine right in your eyes at night? Ever meet someone at night in one of the newer pickups with a heavy load on a trailer tongue? Those lights are disorienting and dangerous when that happens.

Birds are not the only species that have problems with artificial light. Insects have problems with all our night lighting as well.

Insects in their various life cycle stages make up the very basis of the food chain for many species. The majority of the bird species in our part of the world depend on caterpillars to feed their young at some point. For example, in one study in 1961 (Brewer) found that a pair of Carolina Chickadees brought about 350 to 370 caterpillars per day depending on the number of chicks in the nest. “Over the course of a typical nesting period (sixteen days on average), chickadee parents, delivered 6000 to 9000 caterpillars to bring one nest of tiny birds to fledging.” (Tallamy, Natures Best Hope pg. 137.)

Chickadees continue to feed those young for another 3 weeks after fledging, and no one knows how many bugs they consume during that period.

Now imagine how many insects it would take to support the bluebirds, (I had four nest boxes with twenty eggs in them at one point this spring), cardinals, titmice, nuthatches, cuckoos, warblers, vireos, woodpeckers and so on that live around you now.

Why are lights at night a problem with caterpillar populations? Tallamy writes, “Lights can reduce insect populations in several ways. A light can kill an insect directly after it repeatedly collides with a light bulb.” Or the light can use up the insect’s energy stores and exhaust it. Bugs are easy targets for bats at night around lights. Tired bugs are picked off by birds around lights in the daylight hours as well. If those insects aren’t allowed to complete their life cycle, you will have less bugs, including caterpillars, to that many species rely on to feed their young. “

Some lights at night are necessary. But if we’re honest, we could all do with a few less lights on a night, especially during the spring and fall migrations. Dark Sky Missouri (www.darkskymissouri.org) issues migration alerts as does Cornell’s “All About Birds” website (academy.allaboutbirds.org) on their “BirdCast Dashboard.” Consider just leaving on the lights where you live that are necessary. You will be giving the web of life in your neck of the woods a hand when you do.

Cover Left - Eastern Wood-Pewee (Photo: Kyle Carroll)

Cover Middle - Photo: Chad Meyer

Cover Right - Photo: Noppadol Paothing

Kyle Carroll

Summertime Smallmouth Tactics

Smallmouth bass have long been my “go-to” species on my home waters in the heat of the summer, when local streams are running low and warm. Too, this is the time of the year when smallmouth are in the topwater feeding mode. After more than six decades of chasing bronze-backs across North America, my passion for tackling surface-busting smallmouth has not diminished in the least.

While nymphing and streamer tactics are viable options during the summer months in the Ozarks, the following simple tips should help you target topwater summertime smallmouth bass. These tips have served me personally on area streams and streams in other states and Canada.

A very popular fly among summertime fly fishermen is a simple popper. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. A common mistake often made, however, is to pop the popper when it doesn’t need popping. Particularly in flat and calm water one needs to present the popper, allow it to sit in the film, and wait until the ripples from the landing of the popper disappear before imparting any action to the fly. Only then should an angler create just enough movement to pulse the fly body and legs of the popper just enough to create a slight disturbance on the surface.

Top - Big smallmouth bass prowl Ozark streams and are easily attracted to streamers and top water poppers. (Photo: Bill Cooper) Right - A very popular fly among summertime fly fishermen is a simple popper. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. (Photo: Bill Cooper)

If you make a cast and a smallmouth slowly approaches the popper, the worst thing you can do is move the popper, especially with aggressive action. Let the popper drift when you notice a fish checking it out, and only twitch it if the fish shows signs of losing interest or is swimming away from your fly.

The only times I aggressively work a popper are when I’m fishing blind, with no fish in sight, flipping the popper towards deep, broken, stained water, or fishing around logs, boulders, or brush.

The above are situations when I’m attempting to pull fish away from the comforts of depth and structure. Attracting their attention often requires aggressive popper action. A slow, natural drift movement works best for most scenarios, however.

Let the conditions dictate the level of aggression with which you work the popper, but you may find a passive presentation results in more strikes.

I don’t blind cast much during the summer season when our streams and rivers are running low and clear. Most of my topwater fishing involves floating calm, flat, and clear water where I can see smallmouth bass or structures from a distance. I rarely blind cast in such conditions. Instead, I will watch for a cruising fish or a likely ambush spot.

Smallmouth in the flats I fish cruise around rather than staying in one location. If you prefer blind casting, there’s a good chance a smallmouth will sneak up on you from a different direction. When on a flat, I prefer to stand and scan until I see a target fish. I do occasionally blind cast to shaded banks, large boulders, overhanging trees, submerged logs, or any fishy looking spot I suspect to be a quality smallmouth ambush location.

Big smallmouth cruising the flats are on high alert and will easily spook after a poor cast. These fish will scatter if you aggressively land a popper too close. The calmer and clearer the water, the greater distance you’ll need to place the popper away from the fish. Fish have a lateral line to sense movement from prey and predators and can easily feel the impact of a cork-style popper landing 5-10 feet away. I’ve made terrible casts where my popper lands 20’ from a cruising bass, only to have the fish feel the plop and turn or travel to locate and eat my fly.

On my home waters, if a fish is 20 feet or less from my boat, my chances of getting the fish to eat the popper greatly diminishes. The closer the fish is to the boat, the less confident it typically will be in deciding to eat. When it comes to streamer fishing in deeper water, I’ve had several situations where bass eat about a rod’s length away, but I’ve never had this happen when fishing for big smallmouth in calm water.

Larger trout and big smallmouth often take a surface fly with caution, slowly closing their mouths. As a result, Kiwi guides in New Zealand tell their clients to wait to set the hook until they recite the phrase “God save the Queen.” This gives the fish time to inhale the fly and close its mouth before setting the hook. If you set the hook too fast, before the fish closes its mouth around the fly, you will likely miss the fish.

The bigger smallmouth on my home waters are very similar to trophy trout rising to a dry fly. The takes are slow and calculated. I’ve often seen smallmouth suspend under a popper for what feels like an eternity before deciding to eat or refuse the fly. And when they eat, it's like watching a slow-motion video as the fish slowly rises, carefully inhales the popper, then leisurely closes its mouth.

It is much easier said than done, but pause briefly before setting the hook on a big smallmouth. Nothing will knot up your stomach more than pulling your popper out of the mouth of a trophy fish before it bites down on it.

Fly fishing for smallmouth bass in the Ozarks is gaining popularity. A good quality fly rod in 5 or 6 weight is a good way to go. Take along a handful of colorful poppers and enjoy the action. Few things in the fishing world compare to the excitement of battling a bruiser bronze back on a long rod.

Bill Cooper

Hurricane Bob

Summer vacations for the Urich family usually involved camping trips. With three boys, camping was a practical travel alternative, plus it was much better for the boys to be outside where they could burn off energy and do less damage. But their ability to travel long distances in the car was limited without World War III breaking out in the back seat turning the vacation to the dark side in a hurry.

We decided to make a camping trip to Maine and Nova Scotia but driving would be miserable for everyone. Our sons were ages 6 to 11. We packed our camping gear including tents, sleeping bags and cooking items in duffle bags; packed a gas stove in a suitcase and flew to Portland, Maine, where we rented a van.

We looked like the Clampetts from the TV show Beverly Hillbillies at the airport with so much stuff. Our first night after arriving in Portland was spent at a campground nearby. The next morning, Mrs. Urich noticed a flier on a telephone pole for the Union, Maine antique show in the central part of the state, one of the largest outdoor antique shows on the East Coast. She is a longtime antique dealer and collector. The dealer preview began at 4:30 pm, and we made it on time.

I dropped her off at the antique show in a heavy rain and watched her disappear into the terrible weather. The boys and I searched for a place to camp. We spent the next three days near the antique show dropping off Mrs. Urich in the morning with her raingear.

I picked her up in the late afternoon and we drove into Camden, Maine to box and mail her purchases to her mother in Jefferson City. Fortunately, we found a sympathetic retired couple at the campground with a motor home and a large awning we could sit under during the major rain events.

On the third day, Mrs. Urich wanted to abandon the rest of our trip, fill a rental truck with antique furniture and drive home. The rain had impacted attendance at the show, making for bargain prices. I was forced to invoke my authority as trip leader and veto this suggestion. There was no way I was traveling halfway across the country in the cab of a rental truck with three young boys. They would not survive the trip.

On the fourth night, we checked into a motel and dried our camping gear at a laundromat before proceeding to Acadia National Park for two days of hiking. We bought lobsters from roadside vendors and cooked them in a big aluminum pot packed in one of the duffle bags. Then we took the ferry from Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

After the ferry had been underway for about 20 minutes, the walls around a central room on the top deck rolled up revealing a casino with dozens of slot machines. I was surprised, but our sons were fascinated. I gave them each $10 to play the slots since this was a new experience. There were signs indicating no one under 18 years old could play, but nobody cared. They soon lost their money. Mrs. Urich and the two oldest sons retired below deck to watch a movie.

Our 6-year-old son recognized an opportunity. He realized that if he stood next to a player and looked cute with his blonde hair, they often gave him some coins, especially if they won. These slot machines had a red button to release a winning pot. Sometimes, people left a slot machine without pushing the red button. He would alertly swoop in, claim the winnings and end up after the ferry trip with more money than I gave him initially.

We followed the Nova Scotia coastal highway camping and exploring parks and small towns. On the third night, we camped on the seacoast south of Halifax. I noticed all the other campers were located in the woods with the mosquitoes while the campsites next to the ocean were empty. There was a large cliff above the sea at these campsites and the view was spectacular.

I rounded up our sons, arranged them by height and told them not to drop off the cliff because they probably wouldn’t survive the fall. Once this important safety briefing was over, we set up camp.

That night I understood why the other campers were set up in the trees. It was raining and blowing hard. It was only a matter of time before the tents collapsed. I peered upward and asked the celestial forces for a favor. I needed it to stop raining for 20 minutes. I pleaded my case, reviewing all the good things I had done as a husband and father, including dedicating time as a volunteer scout leader. Oh, sure I probably spent a little too much time hunting and fishing but it would only be a few years until I could take all our sons with me. I concluded my begging by noting I tolerated without complaint Mrs. Urich’s three rainy days of antique shopping on this vacation. Much to my surprise, it stopped raining probably because I did such a great job of pleading. We grabbed the boys out of their sleeping bags and shoved them into the van. I rolled up the tents with the sleeping bags inside and we moved back into the trees with the mosquitoes. As I closed the last zipper on the tent, it started raining again.

The next morning, we took a naturalist guided canoe trip in Kejimkujik National Park. There were eight canoes on this tour. One canoe had a mother with two kids from New England who had never been in a canoe before. They could not steer the canoe properly and the guides told them they would have to remain behind. They were crying and I couldn’t let them miss the tour.

View of Penobscot Bay from a high point on Acadia National Park, Maine. (Photo: David Urich)

Feature Story

Two skills I taught our sons once they were old enough to feed and dress themselves were to steer a canoe and change a flat tire. They needed good canoe skills so they could paddle me around on Moniteau Creek while I set out trotlines.

Access to our house was on 1 ½ miles of gravel county road. Consequently, we were members in good standing of the flat of the month club, which qualified us for several bonus flats each year in addition to our monthly flats. Flat tires on Mrs. Urich’s car were always my fault and seemed to occur most frequently when I was out of town on hunting or fishing trips. She felt these trips were optional when our sons were young and difficult to monitor. A flat tire during my protracted absences further soured her mood towards me. Consequently, I need skilled technicians who could deal effectively with her flats.

I put our two oldest sons in the stern of two canoes with the mother in the bow of one canoe and her sons in middle of each canoe. We all proceeded with the tour which was excellent. The naturalists were exceptionally knowledgeable and good birders. This part of Nova Scotia reminded me of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota.

We eventually took the ferry from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick crossing into Maine from the northern border. I was filling the van with gas when the attendant asked me if I was ready for the big blow. I had no idea what he was talking about. Hurricane Bob was making its way up the East Coast and would be the first hurricane to make landfall in Maine in decades. Its cone of arrival was where we had planned to camp for the night. Since we had already experienced one major rain and wind event in tents, we moved inland checking into a motel in Augusta.

Our boys were overjoyed because the motel had a large color TV with cable and dozens of channels. At home they were forced to watch a 13-inch black and white portable TV connected with the rural package. They watched channels which came through the rabbit ears and these varied between two and four depending on the weather.

The more serious issue with Hurricane Bob was our flight back to Missouri was canceled. Flying standby with one or two people is not a serious issue but with five people it is almost impossible. We spent an entire day in the airport before catching a late-night plane to Chicago. Unfortunately, our car was parked in St. Louis. We got an even later flight to St. Louis arriving just as the sun was coming up. On the drive home, Mrs. Urich made us stop at her mother’s house so she could gleefully open the packages she shipped from Maine. The boys and I left her there and I don’t think she even knew we were gone. Plus, I don’t remember how she got home.

We took several more camping trips starting with airplane flights and then traveling by rental van to interesting places we would never have visited otherwise. None of these trips turned out as planned requiring serious, quick thinking and innovative, last-minute changes, which sucked a lot of the fun out of these family vacations. Fortunately, I’m excellent at making these kinds of crisis adjustments.

Sadly, when the wind picked up, a large tree blew down next to the motel and cut the TV cable to all the rooms. I fashioned a crude antenna out of coat hangers and our boys were back on the rural package.

Cover - Tim Urich, left, padding novice canoeists from New England in Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia. (Photo: David Urich)

Top - Aaron, Mrs. Urich, Kirk and David Urich in Acadia National Park, Maine. (Photo: David Urich) David Urich

100-Year Anniversary of the First Current River Public Lands

Join fellow river lovers on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 28, 2024, at Big Spring to celebrate the 100year anniversary of the first public recreational lands in the Current River watershed and Missouri’s first state park. Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) will be hosting volunteers to help plant 100 shade trees around the Big Spring area starting at 10 a.m.

In 1924, Missouri sportsmen bought us the crown jewels of the Current River watershed. The sale of fishing and hunting licenses funded the Missouri Fish and Game Department, which used that revenue to purchase Big Spring on October 17, 1924. Big Spring became Missouri’s first state park and the first public recreational land in the Current River watershed. By the end of 1924, Round Spring and Alley Spring were also purchased for parks.

In all, 400 trees will be planted at ONSR in the fall of 2024, with 100 trees each going to Round Spring and Alley Spring in recognition of their status among the earliest state parks and public lands along the Current River.

In 1937, Missouri created the State Park Board and gave it stewardship of exceptional recreational and historic places. It also created the Department of Conservation to oversee the public lands best suited for hunting and forest management. Thus, Big Spring, Round Spring, and Alley Spring were moved from Fish and Game to the State Park Board.

In 1969, these three springs and their facilities became part of ONSR, which was established in 1964 as a unit of the National Park Service, giving them recognition as superb national treasures. Indeed, Alley Spring and its 1894 roller mill were selected to represent Missouri on our America the Beautiful quarters from the US Mint in 2017. They are also the most featured image advertising the attractions of the Missouri Ozarks.

The 100-year anniversary tree planting event at Big Spring will demonstrate our gratitude for the visionary wisdom of our ancestors, who gave us lives enriched by the beauty, serenity, inspiration, and community of our public lands. Planting 100 native wildlife-friendly trees near campsites and picnic sites that need shade will enhance the Big Spring area for future generations.

To participate, please wear sturdy footwear, bring work gloves, water, insect repellent and sunscreen. Shovel and supplies for planning will be provided. Representatives from the National Park Service, Missouri State Parks, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Ozark Riverways Foundation, and other watershed partners will also be participating.

ONSR will dig the holes prior to the event and have the trees placed nearby. Participants will be led by staff, or trained tree-planting volunteers to properly plant the trees. Participants can work as individual volunteers, family groups, or groups of friends. After all the trees are planted, ONSR staff will ensure they are watered.

For more information about this event, visit www.nps. gov/ozark or call (573) 323-4236.

Dan Drees Ozark Riverways Foundation Board Member

(Photo: Shaun Heise, Park Guide at Ozark National Scenic Riverways)

GOOD FOR LAND. GOOD FOR LIFE.

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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.

Summertime Squirrels

For me, nothing says “summer” like the opening of Missouri’s squirrel season on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I couldn’t care less about a day at the lake, fun in the sun, and all that jazz. I’ll be in the woods with a flintlock smoothbore trying to bring a mess of bushytails to the house!

I have been addicted to squirrel hunting since our dad bought my brother and me a Stevens 22/410 over-andunder and turned us loose on the local population almost 50 years ago. I vividly remember getting home from school and racing through my chores so I could get an hour or so of hunting in before supper was ready. I also vividly remember running back home from some of those hunts with my jeans completely covered in seed ticks. I’d shuck those pants off outside as fast as I could and run to the bathroom for an isopropyl alcohol immersion.

Permethrin wasn’t around back then. I guess I should have dipped myself in the barrel of Lindane that Dad used on his running hounds. But even those pesky parasites couldn’t deter me from pursuing my passion. Our mother would often threaten me with bodily harm if I brought one more squirrel carcass to the house and my sister swore that once she moved out on her own, she’d never eat another one. I think Sis was being just a tad dramatic, but so far, she has held to her promise.

We are blessed in the Show-Me State with an abundance of these small game animals and a long season in which to hunt them in. They are delicious table fare and have many characteristics that make them ideal critters for beginning hunters to hone their skills on.

First off, they can be found just about anywhere, so there is no need to travel great distances to pursue them. The equipment needed to hunt them is also relatively cheap. A single-shot 20 gauge, 410, or .22 will work for a weapon and high-dollar camouflage clothing is most definitely optional.

I do suggest wearing a pair of kneehigh boots, though. Not only do they make stalking through thick brush easier, but they are also helpful at keeping the ticks out of your britches.

Like any animal a hunter goes after, knowing its food sources is key to success in the field. Squirrels are most often associated with eating nuts, but the mast crop in Missouri doesn’t ripen up until September. In the summer months, they dine on a variety of berries, buds, and blossoms. I usually have good luck during this time of the year hunting around muscadine vines and mulberry trees. River bottoms also offer a lot of forage and are good places to look for feeding squirrels.

Like many of Missouri’s game species, squirrels are most active just after dawn and just before dark. That is when they will most likely be feeding but, unfortunately, they rarely sit still while they are doing it. Combine that with the thick leaf cover now, and you will quickly find that they can be a difficult target to hit. For this reason alone, I strongly recommend using a shotgun over a rifle, especially if you are a novice hunter. The leaf cover works both for the hunted and the hunter, though. Use it to your advantage to sneak in close and make your shot count.

A lot of folks worry about game spoilage in the hot weather, but I’ve never had a problem with that in all the years I’ve been hunting. That doesn’t mean I recommend carrying a passel of dead squirrels around for hours on end in the broiling sun. I just don’t think it’s necessary to field dress them and pack them in ice immediately. When I was a kid, my method of carrying around my bounty was to cut a hole in the skin of the dead squirrel’s back leg, run a small stick through it, and put that stick through a belt loop on my pants.

The downside to this was getting blood all over your pants and occasionally losing a squirrel. It only took me 40 years or so to find a better solution. Now I use a shoulder hunting bag from Dan’s Hunting Gear. It has a leakproof main pocket big enough to hold several squirrels and it has a large, zippered pocket on the side to hold all the paraphernalia I need for my black powder shotgun.

Cleaning a squirrel can be a challenge for the uninitiated and it seems like everyone has their own preferred method of getting the job done. I am a staunch supporter of the “pants and shirt” method (just Google it). The Missouri Department of Conservation has a good squirrel cleaning primer on their website and there are a bazillion YouTube videos on the subject. A couple of tips I will mention are that a sharp knife and a pair of pruning shears make the job a lot easier.

Also, if you are like me and can’t get your significant other to help, invest in an aluminum small game holder. They cost around $35 and will keep you from dropping the carcass in the dirt, cutting yourself while skinning one, and generally save you a lot of time and heartache.

Cover - No need to put on hunting clothes when you live in the woods.

(Photo: Darren Haverstick)

Right - Ole Betsy (top) and Miss Daisy (bottom).

(Photo: Darren Haverstick)

Like many hunters in the Midwest, I took some time off from hunting squirrels after I was exposed to other things like hunting deer and chasing girls. Both of those pursuits were a lot flashier than chasing a lowly rodent and certainly offered a lot more of a challenge. In fact, I didn’t really get back into it until I started hunting with black powder guns.

It was immediately like starting a second childhood! I was back to a single-shot firearm, I had to brush up on my woodcraft, and I got to see a lot of blue smoke which was akin to having a magic trick take place every time I pulled the trigger. I love it! I do have a dedicated 32 caliber flintlock “squirrel rifle” named “Miss Daisy” but I only use her when the tree rats are cutting on the fall mast crop and sitting still.

My eyes aren’t what they used to be, and I owe it to the critters to make an ethical shot. No, I usually take trusty “Ole Betsy” with me if I want to put meat in the stewpot. She is a flintlock 12-gauge smoothbore that I originally had made to hunt turkeys with. Her cylinder bore, however, made producing a turkey-killing pattern out to 25 yards a chore. I eventually had another flintlock turkey gun made, this one with a 20-gauge Colerain turkey choke barrel, and Ole Betsy is now my go-to squirrel gun. She is reliable, deadly, and we have put a lot of meat in the freezer together.

And speaking of the meat, how do you fix it? Well, first off, let me dispel the myth that it “tastes like chicken”. I have eaten a pile of bushytails in my life, along with a pile of chicken, and never did I ever get the two confused because of their similarity in taste. Squirrel tastes like, well, squirrel; plain and simple.

It’s similar to rabbit, if that helps, but that’s as good as I can do. My favorite way to cook it, being a born-and-bred Ozarkian, is to pan-fry it. Serve that up with fried taters, cathead biscuits, and gravy made from the drippings and you have a meal fit for royalty.

Fortunately, squirrel also lends itself to more healthconscious options. If you braise the pieces until the meat falls off the bone, you can use that “pulled squirrel” in all sorts of dishes from ravioli to squirrel and dumplings. My latest thing is to cut up three or four squirrels, put them in a big roasting pan with some beef broth, dried ancho peppers, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Cover that with foil and bake it in your oven low and slow for a few hours. Now debone the meat, save back the juice, and make birria squirrel tacos. Delicious!

So hopefully you are now inspired to go harvest yourself some “Chicken of the Tree”. Dust off your ole singleshot, slather on the tick repellent, and go relive your childhood. It sure beats yard work and gets you in some good practice for bigger things this fall.

Darren Haverstick

Left - A small-game holder is an essential piece of equipment! (Photo: Darren Haverstick) Right - A meal made with squirrel. (Photo: Darren Haverstick)

Two Techniques to Catch Summer Panfish

When Missouri’s summer heat makes fishing tough for bass, trout and other game fish, panfish such as bluegill and other sunfish usually provide hot summertime action.

Bass and bluegill are both members of the sunfish family and have about the same favored temperature ranges where their digestive systems function best and the oxygen content in the water is high enough for both species. They are both pretty active in temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees. However since bluegill and other sunfish are smaller than bass they require less oxygen so they can tolerate hotter water containing less oxygen and remain active whereas bass become sluggish in the oxygen-depleted hot water.

Four popular panfish Missouri anglers can pursue during the heat of summer are bluegill, rock fish (aka goggleeye), green sunfish and longear sunfish.

Here are two techniques to catch summer panfish for a tasty dinner.

1. Go deep for big bluegill

You can catch tons of bluegill in the shallows during the heat of summer, but it you want to catch eating-size bluegill you will have to probe deeper water. On large lakes, the biggest bluegill stay deep most of the time except during the spawn.

Some prime spots to catch summertime giant bluegill are outside weed edges in ponds or standing timber on points in reservoirs. Bouncing 1/8-ounce jigging spoons off the bottom is an effective way to catch big bluegills at depths of 15 to 20 feet.

When my family went on summer vacations to Table Rock Lake, my favorite way to catch big bluegill was to drop a live cricket next to a standing cedar tree about 15 feet deep. I crimped the heaviest split shot I could find so the cricket descended quickly past the smaller baitstealing sunfish in the upper part of the tree and into the strike zone of the bigger bluegill.

2. Stream fishing for sunfish

In the summertime, you can catch a wide variety of panfish, including rockfish goggle-eye, green sunfish, longear sunfish and bluegill, by fishing the state’s abundant streams. My favorite lure for catching stream panfish is a Rebel Teeny Wee Crawfish crankbait, but other 1 1/2—to 2 inch crankbaits will also trick these fish. I target stream panfish in the slower water of pools around log laydowns, boulders, and weed edges.

Stream panfish can also be caught on live baits such as crickets, worms and small minnows or crawfish. Fly fishing with midges, nymphs, mini-jigs and San Juan Worms is also a fun way to catch summertime stream panfish.

John Neporadny Jr.

Beth Neporadny proudly shows off a bluegill she caught from a Missouri pond. (Photo: John Neporadny)

Creek Play

People living in rural Ozark communities might have to go a long way to find a public swimming pool. But they have an alternative that, in many ways, is better. The Ozarks is loaded with clear-flowing, gravelbottomed creeks and streams. These can provide the recreational needs of swimming pools and so much more. Instead of pool maintenance by a city park department, Ozark streams are maintained by their living watersheds and by the diverse life within them. They offer fun and discovery to those who immerse their toes, legs or entire bodies in their cool waters, or who just explore their gravel bars and banks.

When my grandkids from Oklahoma pay a summer visit, they don’t ask to go to the pool. We pile into the car and visit a nearby creek. We carry our towels and cooler to a gravel bar, point the kids toward the water, and watch the fun begin. Before long, the adults are in the creek with them.

Ozark creeks seem to be made for kids to play in. Regarding play, I like the advice of the Cat in the Hat: “It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how.” Knowing how is where the gentle guidance of adults comes in.

Kids need proper footwear to protect little feet from sticks and sharp rocks, sunscreen, a hat, and, if the creek has some deeper pools, a personal floatation device. They must also be shown how to recognize poison ivy and stinging nettle. And parents know that any proper outing requires plenty of snacks.

Buckets and nets will increase the fun and adventure, as well as information on the creatures that dwell in and near the creek. These fascinating animals would never show up at the swimming pool. Baby turtles, crayfish and water snakes; frogs and tadpoles; water striders, damselflies and snails; darters and minnows provide the exciting discoveries that await creek players.

Kids instinctively know how to play in streams. Toddlers and younger kids like to wade and splash and play with nets and floating toys. They enjoy even the tiniest of creeks. Older kids will venture into the deeper pools to swim. They also like to capture animals in nets and buckets. Everyone likes to throw rocks. Some even learn to skip them. Deeper streams with good current offer a chance to be carried downstream through a fast bend. Walk back to the start position, and repeat until Mom calls or a drink or snack is needed.

On one of our outings, we discovered the skeleton of a large tree that had been embedded firmly in the creek bottom. The kids could climb up on a big, springy limb and gingerly creep along it as it rose out of the stream. They tried to maintain their balance as I jounced the limb, gently at first, building their confidence. As they dared me to make it harder, I quickened the oscillations. Maintaining their perch was futile. With squeals and shouts, they tumbled back into the water. The boys kept climbing back for more, and I never tired of dunking them.

As our grandkids got older, we progressed to larger Ozark streams and longer outings. Last year Karen and I joined our daughter. Jenny and her third-grader son on a float trip. Archer learned how to paddle a canoe. He watched turtles bail off of rocks and logs as we passed, disrupting their basking. Great blue herons watched us from the banks. Kingfishers flew over the river ahead of us, making their distinctive, rattling call. We used a small seine to capture and examine crayfish, minnows, sunfish and frogs. A shady spot on an inviting gravel bar provided our picnic area.

We fished. We swam. Archer and Jenny competed in an energetic midstream splashing duel. And we enjoyed the pleasant sensation of floating through a green tunnel on the river’s gentle current. Our two canoes were not always together. At times, each canoe experienced having the river to itself. (On popular float streams, this will only happen on weekdays.)

At one stop Archer said: “Grandpa, we need your help with a bird that flew across the river.” Asked to describe it, Archer said excitedly: “It looked like a Quetzalcoatlus!” This may be emblematic of the knowledge of today’s kids. I expected something like “it was about the size of a crow”. But no, he compared the mystery bird to a 400-pound flying reptile from the Cretaceous Period-- an animal that I had never heard of. Archer could probably identify a random dinosaur that showed up in his backyard with higher accuracy than if the animal were a common bird species.

Archer’s mom gave me a better description. The bird was about the size of a crow, with a dark back, short tail, and heavy-looking in flight (probably like a Quetzalcoatlus). It also had a large bill and an extremely long neck. That evening in our cabin, after looking at many Google images, they both agreed with my suggestion. Their bird was a green heron.

My family has enjoyed many pleasant outings featuring Missouri’s clear, natural streams-- from tiny creeks to popular float streams. They provide remarkable recreation, interesting wildlife, and splendid scenery. Every stream experience reinforces our gratitude for this precious resource. We need to protect our streams, their water quality, their aquatic life, and the watersheds that nourish them. People should always be able to enjoy the fun and adventure of creek play.

Cover Left - Family fun in an ozark creek. (Cover photos: Jenny Hester) Cover Right - Minnows, crayfish, and and a frog were caught in the Seine. (Top Right - Archer and Jenny playing in the river. (Photo: Rick Thom) Rick Thom

Natural Wonders Abound at the  Lake of the Ozarks' Two Unique State Parks

Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks' two celebrated state parks offer a world of natural wonders and adventures that keep visitors returning year after year. Between the two parks, visitors could build an entire vacation around exploring the different trails, ecosystems and natural features. Whether visitors decide to spend part of a day or several days at the area parks, the fascinating natural terrain of the legendary Ozark highlands are on full display throughout the wide array of activities available at the parks.

"Both Lake of the Ozarks and Ha Ha Tonka state parks offer unique opportunities," says Tisha Holden, division information officer for Missouri State Parks. "At Lake of the Ozarks State Park, visitors can swim, fish, boat or simply enjoy the view from a shady campsite or picnic spot. On shore, hikers, backpackers, equestrians and bicyclists can explore the park’s numerous trails," Holden says.

"And of course, Ha Ha Tonka State Park, with its intriguing history and remarkable geologic features, offers beautiful overlooks and impressive views of the Lake and of Ha Ha Tonka Spring," Holden concludes.

Spend Time Exploring Missouri's Largest and Most Visited State Park

The National Park Service began developing what would become Lake of the Ozarks State Park in the mid-1930s shortly after the Lake's creation, employing the legendary Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Work Progress Administration (WPA). The park was then turned over to the state of Missouri in 1946. Many of the original CCCbuilt log cabins, rustic bridges and stone ditch-dams still dot the area, resulting in the state park and its main road, Highway 134, being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cover - An aerial view of the “castle” ruins and the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks at Ha

- A stable of rental kayaks and paddleboards is conveniently located next to the “trailhead” for the Big Niangua Water Trail at Ha

Ha Tonka State Park. (Photo: FunLake.com)

Right

Ha Tonka State Park. (Photo: Kyle Wayne Stewart)

Today, Lake of the Ozarks State Park, which is comprised of over 17,665 acres spread over Camden and Miller counties in the Lake area and welcomes nearly 1.4 million visitors a year, has the distinction of being the state's largest and most visited park. And it's little wonder why; with all there is to do, it's like a vacation destination all on its own.

“Lake of the Ozarks State Park encapsulates the mission of Missouri State Parks with notable cultural landmarks, high-quality natural communities, and diverse recreational opportunities," says the park's superintendent Larry Webb. "With so much to do and see, the park has something for everyone.”

Indeed, with over 85 miles of shoreline throughout the park, Lake of the Ozarks State Park offers two free sandy swimming beaches, three fully-stocked park stores, multiple public boat launches, picnic sites and shelters. In addition, there are over 50 miles of designated trails, including the state's first self-guided interpretive Aquatic Trail which measures nearly 10 water miles. The two park marinas include fully-stocked camp stores and offer rentals of pontoons, fishing boats, kayaks and paddleboards for those interested in enjoying the many miles of shoreline around the park.

The park also is home to Ozark Caverns, the most rustic of the Lake area's four show caves. Its claim to fame is the large "Angel Showers," one of only fourteen in the world and the only one in the U.S. available for public viewing.

An "angel shower" is an unusual cave phenomenon made up of a "bathtub" formation beneath a never-ending shower of water that seems to come out of a solid rock ceiling. Other highlights include evidence of early cave explorations, claw marks left in the sediment from sheltering animals long ago and other impressive cave formations. Informative park interpreters lead hourlong, narrated hand-held lantern tours of Ozark Caverns' underground beauty from mid-May until mid-September. Tours of Ozark Caverns cost $10 for adults, $8 for teenagers, $6 for children between the ages of 6 and 12 and children under the age of 6 years are free.

Visit the “Most Beautiful Place in Missouri”

Widely considered one of the shining jewels of the Missouri State Parks system, Ha Ha Tonka State Park has the distinct honor of being named "the most beautiful place in Missouri" by Condé Nast Traveler and also was voted the fourth-best state park in America by readers of USA Today.

According to the local Ozark folklore, the park's name, Ha Ha Tonka, is derived from the local Osage Native American phrase thought to mean "laughing waters," in reference to the large natural spring that pumps out over 48 million gallons of water per day.

The park's main attraction is the ruins of the 20thcentury "castle" perched high on a bluff overlooking Ha Ha Tonka Spring, where its shockingly blue water feeds into the Lake of the Ozarks. The skeletal stone structure of the "castle" was originally constructed as a European-style country escape for a wealthy Kansas City businessman who perished in one of Missouri's first automobile accidents. The home was eventually completed and later operated as a hotel before tragically burning down in 1942. In addition to the outer walls of the estate, the remnants of a stone carriage house and tall water tower are all that remain of the original structures.

Over half a million visitors each year make the trek to Ha Ha Tonka to view the ruins as well as explore the 14 different hiking trails and the numerous natural highlights, including Ha Ha Tonka Spring, which is the twelfth largest in the state.

Ha Ha Tonka is Missouri's premier showcase of karst geology. It features a massive natural bridge, a steep-sided sinkhole named "The Colosseum," and a 150-foot-deep sink basin that was believed to be a meeting place for local native tribal leaders. In addition to the bridge and Colosseum, there are two bluff shelters that were used as hideouts by bandits in the 1830s and the imposing 250-foot-high bluffs that tower above Ha Ha Tonka Spring.

On the water, the Big Niangua Water Trail offers 13 miles of boating and paddling fun. Any visitors who would like to paddle the Water Trail or simply paddle around the Ha Ha Tonka Cove can rent kayaks from the park office. Each rental includes a kayak, paddles and lifejacket(s).

Ha Ha Tonka also offers opportunities for fishing and swimming in addition to boat docks, picnic tables, pavilions and a visitor center complete with a topographical map of the park carved out of stone.

Both Lake-area state parks have friendly naturalists that are always happy to answer any questions visitors may have about their respective park, its history and fascinating features. In addition, there also are selfguided trail maps and species note cards to help visitors at the parks learn about all the different plants, trees and wildlife.

Both parks are open year around and admission is free. For more information about both parks, visit the state parks page at www.funlake.com/state-parks.

Top - Legend has it that “Ha Ha Tonka” translates to “laughing waters.” Ha Ha Tonka Spring is the 12th largest spring in the state of Missouri. (Photo: FunLake.com)

Bottom - Lake of the Ozarks State Park features over 12 different hiking trails covering more than 41 miles. Some of the trails also accommodate mountain bikers and equestrians. (Photo: Funlake.com)

Kyle Wayne Stewart

Missouri Cemeteries: Before the Plow

Some Missouri cemeteries established before 1890 harbor remnants of old-growth, unplowed prairie—one of the planet’s rarest ecosystems. The Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) has recently created a Cemetery Prairie Protection Working Group, which aims to identify and, working with partners, protect these historic gems in northern Missouri where so little unplowed prairie is left, and in other parts of the state as well.

These “prairie cemeteries” may safeguard the only remnants of unplowed prairie vegetation and soil within an entire county. They are significant aspects of the natural heritage of Missouri’s human and natural communities.

"We know from the response so far that people are excited about this project,” said MPF lifetime member Rick Thom, who spearheaded the project. “We have learned about several extant examples of prairie remnants in old cemeteries, and it's likely that this project will identify more. And, as we learn about the complexity of microbial life in prairie soil, it also seems likely that cemeteries established on unplowed prairie— even with little evident prairie vegetation—will be important scientifically."

Missouri's neighbor, Illinois, provides a great example of a state that has been successful in preserving many of its cemetery prairies, as showcased in the video Cemetery Prairies of Illinois with Chris Benda, available on YouTube.

“We appreciate the participation of MPF working group members on this project,” said Erika Van Vranken, MPF special projects coordinator, who is coordinating the effort. “Everyone involved has great enthusiasm for identifying and safeguarding these biological treasures.” Working group members include MPF staff, board members, and members, as well as biologists with Quail Forever/Pheasants Forever, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service retirees. Working group members are currently reviewing data on known cemetery prairies in northern and central Missouri to ascertain cemetery ownership, natural quality, and potential for beneficial management of these sites.

If you are interested in helping MPF’s Cemetery Prairie Protection Working Group identify and preserve intact cemetery prairies, or if you know the location of any cemetery prairies, please contact MPF Special Project Coordinator Erika Van Vranken at erika@moprairie.org or 573-567-0259.

This cemetery in Trenton, Missouri, was established on old-growth, unplowed prairie. (Photo: Rick Thom)

Carol Davit

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