September 2020 vol 81 no 5 by Conservation Federation

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

EST. 1935

85th Anniversary Edition The Voice for Missouri Outdoors

The Voice for Missouri Outdoors

SEPTEMBER 2020 - VOL 81 | NO. 5

Director’s Message

Happy 85th Anniversary CFM - The Future is Bright

ongratulations to our storied organization, attaining 85 years on making a positive impact across Missouri’s vast landscape.

If we could all live to be 85 and stay as healthy as CFM has, then we could say we lived a good life. In the grand scheme of things, conservation is just getting started. Since our inception on that fateful day in the Tiger Hotel in Columbia, how special it is that we amassed so many victories and overcame many challenges. The legends and citizens that came before us collectively stood up for what they believed in, and that came with a price. Through the decades from both sides of the fight, the defenders and the instigators have changed, but the battles we wage today are much the same. These efforts have pushed Missouri to the pinnacle of conservation and recreational opportunities. How will the impact of what we do today be looked at in another 85 years from now? How will the way we recreate, hunt, camp, protect land and public places be viewed in the future? One thing is sure, the valuable resources in this world are all we have. So we must care for and protect them the best way that we can. In the end, conservation wins. Doing the right thing for preserving our heritage, wins. For all of us that shot our first quail, or caught our first fish, or camped out near a creek, would know how important it is to preserve what we have. Our stories are so important, because well, they are ours, and not anyone else’s. Sharing your time talents and treasures to future generations keeps your legacy moving on and creates more passionate citizens. On August 4th, the President signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law. This historic legislation is touted to be the most critical piece of legislation that has positively helped our nations outdoors in the last 50 plus years. The bipartisan bill will forever support the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and address immediate needs in our parks and unique places. In Missouri, HB 1711 was signed into law on July 14th, with almost 100 percent bipartisan support from members of the House and Senate. It attests to the validity of our Share the Harvest program and how we can expand it to include shelf stable venison in the seasons to come. I hope you consider donating to this worthwhile program this fall, either financially or with protein-rich venison.

Tyler stands in front of CFM’s office with the recently signed HB 1711 which expands the Share the Harvest program.

I hope this anniversary issue will cause you to pause and reflect on all the great things that Missouri has to offer and cherish all the blessings in your life. I enjoyed putting this anniversary edition together to share with you, our citizens, whose voice we cherish. We have some great contributors that tell some fantastic stories from the heart. Putting together the “Conservation Through the Ages” feature in this edition on pages 20-29 was undoubtedly my favorite part. Going through the old newsletters, clippings, and magazines is a great reminder for us all how we navigated so beautifully through so many obstacles. The power that the Federation was able to invoke on the legislature and to state and federal agencies is inspiring for us all. Together, will want people to look back in another 85 years and see what we accomplished and be proud. We are certainly proud of our past, and we look forward to our bright future. Here is to the next 85 years of conservation success.

Yours in Conservation, Tyler Schwartze CFM Executive Director SEPTEMBER - 2020

CONTENTS

Conservation Federation September 2020 - V81 No. 5

Features

OFFICERS Mossie Schallon - President Richard Mendenhall - 1st Vice President Zach Morris - 2nd Vice President Ginny Wallace - Secretary Randy Washburn - Treasurer

STAFF Tyler Schwartze - Executive Director, Editor Micaela Haymaker - Director of Operations Michelle Gabelsberger - Membership Development Coordinator

Colton Zirkle - Education and Communications Coordinator Joan VanderFeltz - Administrative Assistance

Emma Kessinger - Creative Director

ABOUT THE MAGAZINE 6 20

Boone & Bo: The Autumn of Their Years Conservation Through the Ages Celebrate 85 Years of CFM and Making Conservation History

How a Native Garden Grows

Threshold of Goneness

Conservation in Missouri

To my Grandchildren's Grandchildren

Missouri's Unique Conservation Legacy

Departments 3 8 11 13 14 36

Director's Message President's Message New Members Gear Guide Affiliate Spotlight Agency News

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Highlights 18 32 33 34 63

Conservation Legacies Growing Up with Conservation Tips for Early Season Processing New Share the Harvest Bill Great American Outdoors Act

CFM Mission: To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of our state’s rich outdoor heritage through advocacy, education and partnerships. Conservation Federation is the publication of the Conservation Federation of Missouri (ISSN 1082-8591). Conservation Federation (USPS 012868) is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September and November for subscribers and members. Of each member’s dues, $10 shall be for a year’s subscription to Conservation Federation. Periodical postage paid in Jefferson City, MO and additional mailing offices. Send address changes to: Postmaster Conservation Federation of Missouri 728 West Main Jefferson City, MO 65101

FRONT COVER Cover and anniversary photos for this commemorative edition were captured by Missouri's own, CFM member, Kent Campbell.

Business Alliance

Thank you to all of our Business Alliance members. Platinum

Gold Bushnell Diamond Pet Foods Doolittle Trailer Enbridge, Inc.

G3 Boats MidwayUSA Pure Air Natives Redneck Blinds

Riley Chevrolet Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC

Missouri Wildflowers Nursery Mitico Simmons Sun Solar

Starline, Inc. St. James Winery

Gray Manufacturing Company, Inc. HMI Fireplace Shop Hodgdon Powder Company, Inc. Missouri Wine & Grape Board NE Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.

NW Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. Ozark Bait and Tackle POET Powder Horn Gun & Archery

Custom Screen Printing and Embroidery Dickerson Park Zoo Explore St. Louis Farmer’s Co-op Elevator Association Gascosage Electric Cooperative GREDELL Engineering Resources, Inc. Grundy Electric Coop. Hulett Heating & Air Conditioning Lewis County Rural Electric Coop.

Missouri Native Seed Association Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc. REMAX Boone Realty Say Insurance Shady Lanes Cabins and Motel Tabor Plastics Company Truman’s Bar & Grill United Electric Cooperative, Inc. White River Valley Electric Cooperative

Silver Custom Metal Products Forrest Keeling Nursery Learfield Communication, Inc. Lilley’s Landing Resort & Marina

Bronze Association of Missouri Electric Coop. Black Widow Custom Bows, Inc. Burgers’ Smokehouse Central Electric Power Cooperative Drury Hotels

Iron Bass Pro Shops (Independence) Bee Rock Outdoor Adventures Blue Springs Park and Recreation Boone Electric Co-op Brockmeier Financial Services Brown Printing Cap America Central Bank Community State Bank of Bowling Green

Your business can benefit by supporting conservation. For all sponsorship opportunities, call (573) 634-2322. SEPTEMBER - 2020

Feature Story

Boone & Bo: The Autumn of Their Years

o was a beagle and beagles are usually rabbit dogs but he was all squirrel dog and cared nothing about rabbits. He loved to chase and tree squirrels around the farm. Creeks, barbed wire fences, briar thickets or even a brake-squealing car couldn’t keep him from his mission. Treeing squirrels was his job and he was good at it. He would do it all day long before finally coming back home to supper. When finished he’d curl up on the porch completely worn out from his days adventures. Bo was my Grandpa Boone’s dog and both were as independent as they could be. Boone was in his 80s and I was 12. He enjoyed taking his grandson hunting and was teaching me to be a squirrel hunter too when the time was right. Back then we were poor so it was important not to waste a bullet. It would take a while to save enough to get more.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Getting a couple of squirrels was our supper. With Bo’s help that was never a problem. I still remember how good those fried squirrels and grandma’s homemade biscuits and gravy were. Boone had worked hard on the farm all his life and his heart was beginning to wear out. He slowed down a bit, took his medicine, and kept hunting squirrels with Bo and me. Like Boone, Bo was in the autumn of his years. Bo’s gray muzzle reminded me of Boone’s gray beard. For Bo, chasing and treeing was the game. It was fun to watch him go after a squirrel. When it would run up a tree he would climb part way up it in his excitement to get at it. As soon as he gave up climbing he would sit at the base of the tree barking until Boone got there and shot the squirrel.

Feature Story A dead squirrel was not important to him anymore. He would trail up to a freshly killed squirrel and then take off after another one. Our last day was perfect squirrel hunting weather. A crisp, clear morning had dawned when we reached the back forty of Boone’s farm. Early sun sparkled on the frosted grass as we left the old truck. The trees were bare of leaves now. Bo saw the movement of a squirrel and he went to work. Boone took a position by an oak tree and watched. He smiled with pleasure as he listened to the sounds of Bo. He held his old .22 rifle, still in mint condition, in the crook of his arm. Bo was out of sight but his bark told us he was after his quarry. His voice muffled as he chased it across a gully and it ran up a tree, as we knew it would. Boone walked slowly to the tree and prepared for the shot. The squirrel came into view out on a limb high up in the tree. Boone sighted down the barrel but it moved slightly as Boone fired. The squirrel fell to the ground and then ran into a thicket of wild blackberries. Boone muttered to himself. Bo was after him but like Boone, slower than before. His voice high and clear, he started after the squirrel at a walk. As we watched, Bo fell. Quickly scrambling to his feet, he yodeled as he entered the thicket. He gave voice for another fifty yards or so and then there was silence. I looked at Boone. His face was gray, his breathing was heavy and his old face seemed more wrinkled. “Sit down Boone,” I said. “He found the squirrel. I’ll go get them.” But Boone just stood there and didn’t say anything. I walked through the thicket toward the place where I’d last heard Bo. I found him stretched out, mouth open, eyes glazed. There was no life left in him. A couple of feet beyond his muzzle, the squirrel twitched and was still. I left them both and returned to Boone. He was leaning against a tree with his head bowed.

“I knew it when he fell,” Boone whispered. We walked back to the truck, thinking our own thoughts. Boone broke the silence. “I hope to go like Bo, doing something I really like to do.” “I’ll come back later with a shovel,” I said. “Thanks,” Boone replied, “I don’t think I could do it. One more thing though, would you bury the squirrel in front of him?” I nodded as a tear ran down my cheek. We got back to the truck and Boone reached in and got out an oiled rag and carefully wiped his old rifle and cased it. He handed the gun to me and said, “I don’t think I’m going to hunt anymore. I want you to have it.” In just a few months Boone was gone too. I hunted for many years with Boone’s gun and took a lot of squirrels with it. But, it just wasn’t the same without Boone by my side and the sounds of Bo treeing a squirrel. Today, the rifle sits in the gun safe in my office. I am now in the autumn of my years. My son’s grew up hunting squirrels with that gun. I taught them like Boone taught me. My grandson Hunter got his first squirrel with it after his Dad had taught him. There was never another dog like Bo though. When I am gone Boone’s gun will be passed down to one of them. They all know the story of Boone and Bo in the autumn of their years. Larry Whiteley

(Left) Bo the squirrel dog. (Photo: Courtesy of the Ball Family) (Right) Get the biscuits and gravy ready. (Top) Grandpa and Grandma's farm.

SEPTEMBER - 2020

President’s Message

The Voice for Missouri Outdoors, Reaches Major Milestone!

am honored to be President of CFM for the 202022 term, during which we celebrate our 85th Anniversary, followed by our 85th convention next spring. In preparing my message for this special edition, I re-read my husband’s President Message from the 75th-anniversary. With his permission, I am sharing a few passages that are still quite relevant ten years later.

better soil conservation and the finest system of state parks in the nation! And all brought to life on the same land at the same time our human population has doubled. In 1935 none of us could have imagined these successes.”

“While we celebrate our past and present, I want members to know your President and Directors are looking forward and planning for the next 75 years.” In 2020 we remain committed to CFM’s mission and are working hard to understand and prepare for what the “new normal” brings during and post COVID-19. “Our past leaders and members possessed the grit to face the reality of their times and challenge those who would consider our forest, fish and wildlife something to plunder and abuse, leaving little or nothing for future generations.” One challenge that remains constant is the threat by a few legislators determined to tear down protections afforded to fish, forest and wildlife provided by the Department of Conservation and the vast number of citizens who support these protections. It is hard to fathom as Missouri’s economy is dependent on forest, fish and wildlife. Hunting, fishing, camping, boating, hiking, etc., = revenue! “Throughout our history, we have been blessed with people who were willing to become leaders and advocates for the ideals we hold dear. E. Sydney Stephens was such a man, along with Roland M. Hoerr, Edward K. Love, J.T. Montgomery, Dean Davis and Ted Butler. These people helped build and secure the finest forest, fish and wildlife programs in the nation.” Since 2010 we have lost several conservation heroes, including Ann Kutscher, Ed Stegner, Glenn Chambers, Don Johnson, Ron Coleman and many others. Who of us will follow in their footsteps? “CFM’s legacy is one of which you should be immensely proud. Together we have worked to make Missouri a dream come true for all who love the outdoors. More forests, more deer and wild turkeys, more geese, more wood ducks, better water quality,

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

On July 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and provide money for deferred maintenance projects at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other public lands. CFM celebrates this incredible win with all of you and what it means for Missouri public lands, waters and wildlife! COVID-19 Living through the uncertainty of a global pandemic is incredibly stressful as we continue to worry about our health and economic welfare. By the time you read this, I hope significant progress has been made to flatten the curve once and for all and develop a vaccine this year. Thanks to all who contributed articles for this special 85th Anniversary edition! Enjoy the read! Be sure to check out the CFM Web Site for future virtual events! The staff is working hard to make it easy for you to stay informed and engaged. Thank you for all you do for Conservation and CFM. Do not forget we are all in this together! Stay well and do get outdoors whenever you can!

Yours in Conservation, Mossie Schallon President, CFM

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Member News

Why I Became a Life Member of CFM: Michael Baker

magine if you will a young college student who is just starting out in the world with no idea of what they want to accomplish or be. Now infuse that same student with a weekend getaway full of ideas, passionate advocates for the outdoors and an open invitation to be part of something truly magical. This was my experience in 2008 through the Conservation Leadership Corps; our beloved, studentled program. I quickly learned that there are no outsiders in this organization. Before I could blink, I was rubbing elbows with conservation giants and having meaningful conversations about the future of Missouri's outdoors. Names like Dave Murphy, Al Vogt, Don Johnson, Glenn Chambers, Ron Coleman and others were all willing and eager to hear what someone like me had to say. I can't express how empowering that is for a young person, and how blessed I am to have lived in those moments. Fast forward several years and that life membership has seen some interesting returns. I met my wife at convention. We live in Moscow Mills with our two children.

The best man at my wedding was my roommate at convention, and a life-long friend who introduced me to the best deer hunting crew a guy could ask for. Many within CFM have opened career doors. Ultimately, an investment in CFM has been the deal of a Photo courtesy of William Halbrook in conjunction with Capt. Jason Schneiderhahn lifetime. The promise of this with www.stlcatfishing.com organization is as rare and fruitful as the resources it defends.

Become a CFM Life Member When you purchase a Life Membership with CFM, your money is added to an endowment supporting the administration of the organization in perpetuity. Each year, we draw earnings from the endowment, so your contribution will truly be supporting the CFM for the rest of your life and beyond. This is an important funding source for our Federation. We hope you will consider joining the over 280 dedicated conservationists who have already made a life commitment to the Conservation Federation of Missouri by becoming a Life Member today.

Contact CFM at (573) 634-2322 or email info@confedmo.org.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Member News

WELCOME NEW CFM MEMBERS Zayne Aldrich, Saint Louis

Kenneth Ingebritson, Paris

Ryan Price, Lake Saint Louis

Pat Anghilante, Saint Louis

Jason Jensen, New Bloomfield

Marc Romine, Birch Tree

Paul Berendzen, Versailles

Chuck Lahmeyer, Jefferson City

Phil Schaefer, Columbia

Martha Cullifer, Paris

Steve Lenz, Festus

Kody Taylor, Columbia

Edna Dell Weinel, Columbia IL

Lona Lewis, Sidney IA

Judith Toedtmann, Hermann

Douglas Doughty, Chillicothe

Cheyne Matzenbacher, Blue Eye

Suzanne Warren, Charleston

Tom Dresner, Jefferson City

Gordon Miller, House Springs

Jerry Woodson, Perryville

Jeff Holzem, Jefferson City

Alex Mullock, Kansas City

Kathy Hubbard, Boerne TX

David O'Neill, Saint Louis

In Memory

CFM thanks the 263 members that renewed since our last publication.

In Honor of Ron Coleman Larry and Carolyn Meyer Brian Crow Richard and Judy Ash Joseph Eimer

As CFM looks to the future, we will remain ever cognizant of our past. We recognize the efforts of the conservationists who came before us, and intend to honor them by carrying their dreams into the future. If you're interested in donating to honor a conservationist, visit www.confedmo.org.

SEPTEMBER - 2020

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Member News

Gear Guide Howard Leight Sport Impact Muffs From tactical ops to the hunting blind, Honeywell Howard Leight MULTICAM models bring the advantages of stealth to the popular Impact Sport electronic earmuff line. Beneath its new, covert aesthetic, Impact Sport’s internal circuitry allows ambient and low-frequency sounds to be safely amplified up to four times to a peak of 82dB, making it easy for wearers to hear range commands or approaching game and conduct conversation, even in noisy environments. www.howardleight.com/ear-muffs/impact

Redneck Predator 360 Blind - BUSINESS ALLIANCE Made in the USA from long-lasting fiberglass with durable gel-coat finish. The 2" roof overhang and window drip edge help keep rain off the windows, giving you a clear view of your hunting grounds. Acoustical foam covered upper and lower walls combined with a high-density foam floor covered with a high-quality marine carpet provides the ultimate in sound control and insulation. Large tinted, tempered automotive-glass windows with whisper-quiet window hinges provide a clear view. High quality automotive window gaskets and door molding help keep your scent in, the blind dry and the pests out. www.redneckblinds.com

Bushnell Banner 2 Riflescope – BUSINESS ALLIANCE Our classic dusk and dawn brightness riflescope now with improved optical performance and an easy to use DOA Quick Ballistic Reticle. With excellent low light performance and image quality it has improved optical performance over the original Banner that boosts contrast and clarity along with the Dusk & Dawn low light performance that Banner fans love. An improved optical design with multi-coated surfaces improves on the already great image quality that makes Banner the go to optic for your next hunt. The DOA Quick Ballistic Reticle provides 5 drop points with 5 mph wind hold lines. The reticle can be used for any caliber that matches your typical hunting cartridges out to 500 yards. www.bushnell.com

Camp Chef Versatop Grill The Camp Chef Versatop Grill features is compatible with most Camp Chef 14-inch one burner accessories and features a flat top griddle, true Seasoned, non-stick & ready to cook, 15,000 BTUs/Hr. Burner, matchless ignition, fully adjustable heat control knob, grease management system, grease tray and grease cup, adjustable griddle leg levelers, compact design stores and transports easily, powered by a 1 lb. propane bottle, propane tank not included, accessories sold separately. www.campchef.com/versatop-grill/

Big Buck Buffet Seed Mix - BUSINESS ALLIANCE The Big Buck Buffet is a diverse blend of hardy warm and cool season grass matrix along with native forbs and legumes that capitalize on the specific factors that make these ruminants ‘concentrate selectors’ rather than roughage eaters. The mix is composed of forbs and legumes that mature, bloom, and set seed throughout the growing season to hold deer in a specified area allowing a secure source of browse. This blend also contains select annual and biennial species that will develop and flower in the first year as the perennial vegetation develops. www.pureairnatives.com

SEPTEMBER - 2020

Affiliate Highlights

Missouri Rural Water Association

lean water and protection of the state’s wildlife and natural resources go hand in hand. It seemed like a perfect fit for the Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA) to become an affiliate member of CFM. Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA) began in 1966 as an association of water districts and has since evolved into the association it is today. At present, member systems number in at approximately 930. MRWA’s member systems consist of water and wastewater utilities throughout the state, whose numbers of connections range from a handful to the thousands; cities, towns, villages, water/wastewater districts, HOA’s, trailer parks, campgrounds, schools, churches, two theme parks and a water park. MRWA strives to represent our membership through various technical services and lobbying efforts to help with all aspects of the water and wastewater industry. One of these is source water protection. Keeping our state’s water clean is the first step in efforts to provide safe and affordable drinking water to all residents of our state. This goal closely aligns us with the goals of CFM.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

MRWA works with water systems all over the state, big and small, to develop source water protection plans to help mitigate any current or potential issues that might arise in their drinking water. These efforts allow us to partner with many different state agencies ranging from the local cattleman’s associations to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. These partnerships are the key factor to successful projects in water protection. MRWA has begun a junior apprentice program and are working to partner with Missouri’s Future Farmers of America and agriculture schools to promote the water industry within the state. As with any goal, reaching our youth is paramount in changing how our industry is perceived. Water and wastewater are on the front lines of public health, for both people and the environment, and our specialists are first to the fight. Educating the public of their vital role is one of our goals as an organization.

Affiliate Highlights

Affiliate Organizations Anglers of Missouri

Missouri Caves & Karst Conservancy

Archery Big Bucks of Missouri

Missouri Chapter of the American

Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives

Fisheries Society

Missouri State Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Missouri Taxidermist Association

Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society

Missouri Trappers Association

Audubon Society of Missouri

Missouri Coalition for the Environment

Missouri Trout Fishermen's Association

Bass Slammer Tackle

Missouri Community Forestry Council

Missouri Whitetails Unlimited

Big Game Hunters

Missouri Conservation Agents Association

MU Wildlife & Fisheries Science

Burroughs Audubon Society

Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation

of Greater Kansas City

Graduate Student Organization

Missouri Conservation Pioneers

Northside Conservation Federation

Capital City Fly Fishers

Missouri Consulting Foresters Association

Open Space Council of the St. Louis Region

Chesterfield Citizens Committee

Missouri Ducks Unlimited- State Council

Osage Paddle Sports

Missouri Forest Products Association

Ozark Chinquapin Foundation

Columbia Audubon Society

for the Environment

Missouri Grouse Chapter of QUWF

Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc.

Conservation Foundation of

Missouri Hunter Education

Ozark Land Trust

Missouri Charitable Trust

Instructor's Association

Ozark Trail Association

Deer Creek Sportsman Club

Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation

Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club

Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club

Missouri Master Naturalist -

Perry County Sportsman Club

Forest and Woodland Association of Missouri Forest Releaf of Missouri Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park Gateway Chapter Trout Unlimited Greater Ozarks Audubon Society Greenbelt Land Trust of Mid-Missouri Greenway Network, Inc. Heartland Conservation Alliance

Hi Lonesome Chapter Missouri Master Naturalist Miramiguoa Chapter Missouri Master Naturalist Osage Trails Chapter Missouri Master Naturalist Boone's Lick Chapter Missouri Master Naturalist Springfield Plateau Chapter

Pomme De Terre Chapter Muskies Quail & Upland Wildlife Federation, Inc. Quail Forever & Pheasants Forever River Bluffs Audubon Society Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Roubidoux Fly Fishers Association South Side Division CFM Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers St. Louis Audubon Society

James River Basin Partnership

Missouri National Wild Turkey Federation

Stream Teams United

L-A-D Foundation

Missouri Native Seed Association

Student Air Rifle Program

Land Learning Foundation

Missouri Outdoor Communicators

The Fallen Outdoors-Team MO

Legends of Conservation

Missouri Park & Recreation Association

Tipton Farmers & Sportsman's Club

Little Blue River Watershed Coalition

Missouri Parks Association

Tri-Lakes Fly Fishers

Magnificent Missouri

Missouri Prairie Foundation

Troutbusters of Missouri

Mid-Missouri Outdoor Dream

Missouri River Bird Observatory

United Bow Hunters of Missouri

Mid-Missouri Trout Unlimited

Missouri River Relief

Wild Bird Rehabilitation

Midwest Diving Council

Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc.

Wonders of Wildlife

Mississippi Valley Duck

Missouri Rural Water Association

Young Outdoorsmen United

Hunters Association

Missouri Smallmouth Alliance

Missouri Association of Meat Processors

Missouri Society of American Foresters

Missouri Atlatl Association

Missouri Soil & Water Conservation

Missouri B.A.S.S. Nation

Society-Show-Me Chapter

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative

Missouri Sport Shooting Association

Missouri Bow Hunters Association

Missouri State Campers Association

SEPTEMBER - 2020

2020 Events Schedule CFM Media Camp- February 3 - 6 6th Annual CFM Media Camp at Lilleys' Landing

84th Annual Convention- March 6 - 8 Let your voice be heard at the Annual Convention, Capitol

laza otel in Jefferson City

Conservation Day at the Capitol- April 1 Join CFM and over 30 affiliate organizations at the Capitol for a day of promoting and supporting conservation

Conservation Federation Banquet: Springfield- June 18 Meet fellow conservationists and support CFM at the /hite $iver Conference Center

Conservation Federation Banquet: Columbia- July 23 Fish or kayak then eat a fantastic meal while supporting CFM at ass

ro Shops- Columbia

Pull for Conservation: Central- August 29 Take your best shot at the 14th annual central clay shoot at

rairie Grove Shotgun Sports

Affiliate Summit- September 10 & 11 CFM affiliate organizations are invited to network and learn in a virtual platform.

Pull for Conservation: Southwest- September 19 Enjoy the scenic course at Ozark Shooters Sports Complex

Pull for Conservation: Northwest- October 10 Join CFM for the fifth northwest clay shoot at oot ill Shooting Ground in amilton

Conservation Federation Banquet: St. Louis- October 29 Gather for a spirited evening with friends and family to learn about CFM.

Conservation Federation Banquet: Kansas City- December 3 Enjoy a fun evening of auctions, raffles, a speaker and more in a virtual setting.

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

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your

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Member News

Conservation Legacies

he US military uses the commanderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intent, so that front line troops understand the mission and better plan to achieve their goals. In the civilian sector, these are referred to as mission statements. No matter what one calls them, the purpose remains the same. Conservation Federation of Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (CFM) mission statement guides the employees and members the same today as it has for the past eighty-five years. With the Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) formation in 2002, CFM began investing in the future of conservation. CLC aids in developing future conservationists by exposing students to the full range of professional conservation paths. As many members know, the founding of CFM was out of necessity. Missouri's natural resources and wildlife were depleted, even the banks of the Mississippi river were devoid of trees. Only because of CFM's work to advocate and educate have future generations reap the benefits of Missouri's rich natural bounty. As such a benefactor, this author takes pride in supporting CFM and promoting the future of conservation as the CLC secretary.

The legacy of CFM is all over the Show-Me State. From restoring the turkey population to the most recent expansion of share the harvest to include shelf-stable products. CFM's impact on young people is staggering to contemplate. Since getting involved with CFM, this author understands why Missouri has such a rich bounty of natural resources. On top of the Agriculture and Biology students, the College of the Ozarks student body enjoys many outdoor activities. There is a campus bow hut during the fall archery season. Young people have CFM to thank for all the outdoor experiences that shaped them into who they are. The future of conservation in Missouri is bright. Currently, there is a large community of environmentally-minded young people. The natural beauty and lifetime memories fuel the passion of this community. Like CFM, this community of Free Range Americans seeks to educate others on the importance of conservation and preservation. Marcus Ward CLC Secretary The author (back, center) and class members during a winter bird count through the College of the Ozarks. (Photo: Courtesy of Marcus Ward)

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Committed to Community & Conservation Owned by the members they serve, Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Feature Story

Conservation Through the Ages In 1935, sportsmen from throughout Missouri came together at the Tiger Hotel in Columbia, Missouri to form the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM). They organized with the purpose of taking conservation out of politics. Their initiative petition campaign resulted in the creation of the Missouri Department of Conservation, a non-political conservation agency that has been a model for other states. Through the years, CFM has prevailed as one of the most important conservation entitites in the state. CFM consistently fights to protect Missouri's outdoors and stands up for the best insterests of our members. Let't take a walk down memory lane and re-live some of the highlights of the past 85 years of CFM.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Feature Story

1930's On September 10, 1935, 75 men met in Columbia to discuss the sad state of wildlife and resources in Missouri. They became the founders of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. 1936: Proposition No. 4 passed, which took wildlife regulation out of politics by establishing a bi-partisan commission.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

In the field of state administration (of wildlife), Missouri is the most outstanding. The action of the people in adopting the amendment (No. 4) is unprecedented. I can safely predict that Missouri in a few years will be in the front rank as a conservation state.

Ira N. Gabrielson, Chief, U.S. Biological Survey SEPTEMBER - 2020

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1940's In 1940, a proposal to repeal Proposition No. 4 was on the ballot. It aimed to repeal the wildlife and forestry code and all laws regulations established by the Conservation Commission. CFM fought hard and was able to uphold Proposition No. 4 by 709,421 votes to 359,628.

“I am strenuously opposed to placing the administration of our Missouri conservation act back in the ‘political plum’ class. The subject of conserving and protecting Missouri wildlife and natural resources should be non-partisan.”

Governor Forrest Donnell (1941-1945) 22

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

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1950's CFM continues standing up for conservation and Missouri's resources at every opportunity. 1950: Migratory waterfowl hunting regulations set by the U.S. Dept. of Interior announces a 35-day season for duck hunters. 1951: The Dingell Act started earmarking funds from fishing licenses.

"The primary function of the Federation, as citizens organization devoted to conservation, is the discovery, the stimulation, and the expression of public opinion regarding natural resource management." Cecil Veatch, Past President SEPTEMBER - 2020

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1960's The 1960's brought new excitement. Ecology is a fairly new science, and many are focused on learning about it. Boating is also fast becoming one of the most popular forms of family recreation. 1968: 12th Annual Fall Conference was held in September at Lake Ozark State Park. 1969: Ten special trout management areas got more frequent stockings of rainbows. 1968: Conservation Commission approved longest deer season yet, lasting 12 days. 1969: Missouri bow hunters enjoyed a long (3 month) deer season; with the 1968 hunters killing 559 deer statewide.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

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1970's 1976: CFM spearheaded successful passage of the conservation sales tax to create stable broad-based funding for Missouri’s forests, fauna and fish. 1977: CFM was honored as National Wildlife Federation's Organization of the Year for their efforts to broaden Missour's conservation revenue base. 1978: Voters reject amendment which sought political control of conservation funds in Amendment 21.

“

In my sixteen years with the Federation, I cannot recall a session of our General Assembly when as much legislation was introduced which affects the conservation program. For several days I was hardly in my office…with as many as five (hearings) being scheduled in one day. Ed Stegner, Former Executive Secretary SEPTEMBER - 2020

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1980's "Usually, when the best interests of wildlife and the economic interests of people come in conflict, the wildlife coms out second best. Hopefully though, we are beginning to see a trend in changing attitudes. People are starting to realize that the presence of wildlife adds to human satisfaction and welfare, and they are doing much to preserve wildlife habitat." Charles Davidson, Former CFM Editor & Asst. Director 1980: Federation supports Commission payments to counties for public lands in Amendment No. 4. 1981: Two Representatives in the Missouri legislature want conservation sales tax repealed. 1986 Federation opposes renewed efforts to divert Parks, Soils and Conservation Funds.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

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1990's

1995: Missouri sues EPA over Clean Air Act Constitutionality 1995: Pallid Sturgeon turning up in Missouri River 1997: Zebra Mussel could spell trouble for Mississippi River

â&#x20AC;&#x153;High schools all over the state are getting involved in water quality monitoring through Stream Teams. Education is the key to environmental awareness. As more and more children are educated in conservation and environmental practices the ecological future of our planet becomes more secure.â&#x20AC;? Mark Van Patten, Stream Team Founder SEPTEMBER - 2020

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2000's

“

I am a believer in preparing for the future. Man, animals, and plants act to sustain their existence – balancing nature’s economy. It does not take much to push the balance back out of equilibrium. The Federation membership advocates balanced conservation ethics when passing a resolution to recommend the correction of a stream pollution problem, addressing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), or voting to support a Conservation Leadership Corps comprised of high school and college students.

“

Gary Van De Velde, CFM Past President 2002: Otter Man Glenn Chambers takes top honor in CFM’s Conservationists of the Year Awards. (Glenn Chambers famous photo of geese pictured to the left.) 2007: Taum Sauk Settlement Boost Missouri State Parks. 2009: Birds’ movements reveal global warming threat. 28

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2010's 2016: Parks and Soils Sales Tax passes Missouri Voters by 80%.

"As our world’s population continues to expand, more and more strain is being placed on natural resources. Some nations, and even states within our own country, are in dire times. Here in Missouri, we have faced many challenges from those who would exploit the collective good of public resources for personal gain. But because of our strong conservation ethos, Missourians have been able to stave off such foolish attempts. I certainly don’t believe that would be the case if not for the passion of the men and women who are the Conservation Federation of Missouri.” Brandon Butler CFM Executive Director 2014-2018

“Missourians are very lucky having so many diverse opportunities to spend time outdoors to discover what that rich outdoor heritage truly means. The beauty of that uniqueness and the beauty of CFM coincide nicely together because we support so many different types of outdoor passions and recreational opportunities.” Tyler Schwartze, Current CFM Executive Director SEPTEMBER - 2020

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How a Native Garden Grows M y parents still live in the house I grew up in. It is your typical suburban brick ranch surround by what I call “a sacred yard.” Not just any grass grows there—as my father would proudly remind you, it is zoysia grass. Dad had painstakingly plugged the yard with zoysia plugs when I was in grade school. The polkadotted lawn was favorite conversational fodder for kids on the school bus during the two years it took for the dots to grow together. You were always kind to the grass. You didn’t walk on it when it was wet, frosty, or right after it was mowed.

The only native plants in the yard were an ash tree in the front and an eastern red cedar on the corner of the house that is painstakingly trimmed to look like a tall dollop of ice cream, depriving it of most of its berries and value to wildlife.

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Once upon a time there were three silver maples we used as bases in softball, but one by one they were judged unworthy and removed. There wasn’t much for nature. In a small semi-circular bed at the end of a brick path, Dad would sow marigold seeds he’d collected from the plants in the bed the previous fall. Each year he would trim the round cedar and de-thatch the zoysia. In between our yard and the neighbors, the spring rains would create a channel where even his tentacle grass couldn’t mount an effective defense to erosion, thus hauling in dirt to fill that area was also an annual occurrence.

Feature Story The yard remained in this state for almost 40 years. After the winter of 2013/2014 and the devastatingly low count of overwintering monarchs from Mexico, I started working on conservation efforts to increase habitat for monarchs and other pollinators, and needed help with my son’s childcare. One day my dad said to me, “What is going on with the monarch?” At the time I thought he was really just trying to ascertain why his babysitting duties had increased. After I went through the population decline and the loss of habitat, he commented on how awful it would be to lose the monarch. Dad shared that in his youth he would lay in his backyard and watch them flyover during migration. I can only imagine what a sight that was when the population was large and we did not yet know where their winter grounds were. Two days later dad called and began the conversation with, “I don’t want us to lose the monarch, what can I do in my yard to help them?” After a pause and a deep breath, I slowly explained he would have to plant native plants, including milkweed, in his yard. Another lengthy pause. He was going to think about it. I was sure that was the last I would hear from him on the subject. Two days later the phone rang. “I have a spot where you can plant whatever you want to help the monarch. Come over and take a look.” Fully expecting a dedicated flowerpot or an uninhabitable, rock-filled location, I went to see what he was thinking. To my surprise, he pointed to the entire length of the neighbor’s fence, the site of annual erosion battle. “I’m tired of filling in this area in every year. You can plant anything you want here.” That fall I put in a few native plants and spread some seeds. The spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) at the front, along with swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and some brown-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia triloba) held back the spring runoff enough to give the seeds and plants a chance. Dad never said much about it that spring, but maybe an occasional shrug or nod I took to mean he wasn’t too sure about this but we would see. He was happy he didn’t have to haul in any dirt that year. In July my phone rang. It was Dad. “I have a monarch in my yard!” The next day he had two. A month later he had five. He would revel in the caterpillars and would call for me to come and check for eggs. He now talked about that strip of natives frequently and fondly.

When the swamp milkweed bloomed, he asked how he could get some more of that “beautiful pink flower.” It remained his favorite plant each year and he would anxiously await its bloom. A short-lived perennial, about 3-5 years, it’s been added and replaced it a couple times as its absence from the planting wouldn’t have been tolerated. Now in year five, the sweet coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) and the ox-eye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) have taken a large presence, but Dad didn’t mind. They were tall enough he could watch the pollinators at almost eye level. If a tree tried to grow up in the planting, he would call for me to come over and get it out right away. The common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) stayed strong along with the butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa), which grows near the Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum). Over this just past 4th of July weekend family gathering, I was talking to Dad about this article, and he again gave a lot of nods and a proud smile over his little strip of beautiful pollinator habitat. “Does columbine grow here?” he asked. “It does Dad. Where would you like me to plant some this fall?” He nodded. We decided on a place in one of his formal beds where I would be allowed to displace some geraniums with columbine. I secretly harbored joy over more natives in his yard. That was the last time I would see my father alive. He passed away the morning of July 8th. Dad’s garden still grows and the butterflies still visit. There will be columbine next spring and swamp milkweed in the summer. The monarchs will refuel on their long journey to Mexico this fall and American Goldfinches continue to visit, looking for seeds. Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, says, “A plant that has not fed anything has not done its job.” A native plant garden readily feeds pollinators and wildlife. These plants also feed our hearts and souls, connecting us to nature and to each other in unique and lasting ways. Mary Nemececk President of Burroughs Audubon Monarch butterfly on swamp milkweed. (Photo: Mary Nemecek)

SEPTEMBER - 2020

Outdoor News

Growing up with Conservation

grew up in the outdoors. Born and reared on a cotton farm in 1949 in the fertile Mississippi River delta country of southeast Missouri amidst gigantic bald cypress and world-class burr oaks, nature quickly became a part of my everyday life. My father and grandpa cleared 120 acres of cypress trees with crosscut saws and axes. They pulled stumps with a pair of mules. Life proved difficult, but they preserved and proclaimed that hard work and ingenuity could conquer anything. An important part of their ingenuity included providing for their families through hunting and fishing. Their adjoining farms bordered the Black Bayou on the south, which flowed into the Mississippi River several miles away. The bayou and bordering woods provided a constant food source of fish and small game. The fish and wildlife I came into contact on the farm almost every day of my early life made a grave impression on me. I soon understood that I could make a meaningful contribution to the family by cutting cane poles from the wild cane patch that served as the north border of our farm. I rigged the poles with heavy staging, a weight and strong hooks. Giant earthworms were easy to find by merely turning the black soil with a spade. With a coffee can of worms and my canoe poles in hand, I headed to the bayou at every opportunity to catch bass, crappie, big bluegill, catfish and carp for the dinner table. I could tell that my dad was pleased with my efforts. Cottontail rabbits abounded in the fields and the weedy growth surrounding our hog pens. One of my fondest memories growing up comes from the many frosty mornings when I would call my beagle, Rowdy, and head out back for a rabbit hunt. Rowdy's life centered around chasing rabbits and I learned to love the sound of his yodeling voice when he was on a hot trail.

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Cottontail rabbits abounded in the fields and the weedy growth surrounding Billâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hog pens growing up. (Photo: Courtesy of Bill Cooper)

We shared in the excitement when I managed to shoot a rabbit that he had pushed by me. I'd hold the rabbit's limp, warm body in my hand and allow him to thoroughly nose it and waft the heavy rabbit scent into his flaring nostrils. A bit of sadness overwhelmed me each time I took a rabbit. I often watched them play and scamper around the old farm equipment near our cypress board farmhouse. I laughed at their antics and marveled at their keen sense of survival. However, when it came time for a rabbit hunt, I realized the rabbits Rowdy and I brought home would serve up nicely with mom's biscuits and gravy. My love and understanding of the fish and wildlife resources around the farm grew with each passing season. My dad loved the land and respected all that it provided. Each time I left the house searching for rabbits, squirrels or fish, my dad reminded me to mind my manners, follow the rules, and be safe and have fun. Seventy years later, his instructions still ring true. Bill Cooper

Outdoor News

Tips for Early Season Processing

or those who process your deer, early season can be tricky. Here are some tips to make sure your meat is not tainted.

Living in Missouri, or anywhere in the Midwest, means summer hangs around until early October. Archery season opens September 15th every year, and temperatures are usually in the high 80s or low 90s, which makes it miserable to hunt in sometimes. But, if you have deer patterned, it can be the easiest time to fill your buck tag. The issue comes after the harvest. Use these steps to ensure the meat is usable and delicious. 1. Field Dress ASAP—Once you recover your deer, field dress it immediately. Allowing the meat to cool is paramount in preventing bacterial growth. Remove the internal organs as soon as you are able, and you will prevent a lot of issues. 2. Get it on Ice—Once you have the deer field dressed and back to your processing location, fill the cavity with a bag of ice or two. Most of the time, harvests will occur in the waning hours of light, so I usually ice my deer down and start the processing in the morning when I am rested. Also, once you get the deer quartered and select cuts removed, ice them down immediately. You can get away with no ice in November, but not in September. 3. Remove the Hide—It is all about getting the deer cooled down in the early season. Along with field dressing, removing the hide is a great way to start the cooling process. The hide traps heat—and heat means bacterial growth. 4. Find it Quickly—This may not be possible, but if you hit a deer and it does not fall within eyesight, do everything in your power to recover the deer that night. Leaving it sit will render the meat useless, most of the time in the early season. Use buddies or whatever resources you have to get your deer.

Cooling down the meat as quickly as possible is key to save your early season venison. (Photo: Matt Miles)

5. Pick your Shot—This is probably the easiest advice but the hardest to implement for most folks. Pick where you want the arrow to hit your deer. Even limit your range to ensure a quick kill. Taking marginal shots is not what you want early in the year (or ever, honestly). If you hit the deer in the gut, imagine the flood of bacteria and stomach contents entering the blood stream? Make sure you have a good angle and can hit the deer to put it down as quickly as possible. These tips should help with the care of your early season venison. Good luck out there is year. Ryan Miloshewski

SEPTEMBER - 2020

Outdoor News

Governor Parson Signs Share the Harvest Bill to Include Shelf-stable Venison

he Conservation Federation of Missouri's (CFM) Share the Harvest program will expand to include shelf-stable venison in the years to come as Governor Mike Parson signed HB 1711 on Tuesday, July 14th. The bill will allow shelfstable venison to be utilized in more ways across the state to feed hungry Missourians. The previous statute stated that the deer meat must be frozen and packaged. This bill allows it to be frozen or packaged in a shelf-stable manner such as snack sticks. As the statute states, only deer meat will be allowed to be donated to the highly successful Share the Harvest program administered by CFM. "CFM has successfully run the program for almost 30 years, but not without the help of so many partners, including the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Feeding Missouri and their food banks, and other private business donors. We are looking forward to working with these partners to expand the program to include shelf-stable deer meat," said Tyler Schwartze, Executive Director of CFM. CFM, MDC, and Feeding Missouri, along with all our partners thank the thousands of Missouri deer hunters who donated 348,535 pounds of venison to the state's Share the Harvest program this past deer season. We also thank the more than 100 participating meat processors who grind the donated deer meat into ready-to-use packages. Since the program was started in 1992, it has provided more than 4.3 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to feed hungry Missourians, which included 6,795 whole deer last season. At a quarter-pound per serving, that's over 17 million meals that generous Missouri deer hunters provide to their neighbors, since the meat stays within the local community where it’s donated.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

We are excited to see the program expand to include shelf-stable venison to help feed people across Missouri. Being able to include protein-rich meat to the backpacks of school children in need is just another way Missouri hunters can support their neighbors," says Scott Baker, Feeding Missouri's Executive Director. The Conservation Federation of Missouri, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, was founded by a citizen-led effort to keep politics out of conservation and preserve our state's rich outdoor heritage. This effort that started in 1935, has pushed Missouri to be the top state in the nation for conservation. CFM, the voice for Missouri outdoors, is the watchdog over politicians and state agencies to ensure the conservation of our wildlife and natural resources, and will continue to do just that with programs like Share the Harvest. For more information about the Conservation Federation of Missouri, and to support Share the Harvest, or to join in their citizen-led effort, visit www.confemdo.org.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER VISIT WWW.CONFEDMO.ORG/LAC CLICK "SIGN-UP"

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Agency News

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest Available Now

he Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) new Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest for the 2020-2021 hunting season is now available where permits are sold and online. Learn more about waterfowl hunting in Missouri and view the hunting digest online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/ waterfowl. The handy, free guide has detailed information on needed permits and duck-stamp requirements, hunting seasons and limits, hunting areas, regulations, and more. New points of note for the upcoming season include: • The cost of nonresident hunting permits has gone up. The last time permit prices were raised was in 2009. • The bag limit for scaup is now two (both species combined) for the first 45 days of the season in each zone. For the last 15 days of the season in each zone, the bag limit is one scaup. Possession limits also follow this pattern. • Due to spring flooding, some conservation areas may have sections closed for repair and/or have reduced habitat for dove and waterfowl hunting. For an update on conditions at managed waterfowl hunting areas, search “preseason wetland area status” beginning in August at mdc.mo.gov. • The COVID-19 pandemic may impact how waterfowl drawings are conducted this year and potentially in the future. MDC is committed to providing hunting opportunities, and any adjustments to drawing procedures will be communicated as soon as possible.

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Buy Missouri hunting and fishing permits from numerous vendors around the state, online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/permits, or through MDC’s free mobile app, MO Hunting, available for download through Google Play or the App Store.

Agency News

Get Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Info from New MDC Booklet

issouri deer and turkey hunters can get the most current information on upcoming fall hunting from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) 2020 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting & Regulations Information booklet, available where permits are sold and online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fall-deer-and-turkey-huntingregulations-and-information. The booklet has detailed information on fall deer and turkey hunting seasons, limits, permits, managed hunts, regulations, conservation areas to hunt, post-harvest instructions, chronic wasting disease (CWD) updates, and more. Changes for the upcoming season include: • Flood-prone areas in southeast Missouri are closed to hunting, except waterfowl, during deer and turkey seasons when river levels exceed certain limits.

• To slow the spread of CWD, there are new carcass transportation regulations. • Clark County has been added to the CWD Management Zone. • During Nov. 14–15, hunters who harvest a deer in the CWD Management Zone must take it on the day of harvest to a CWD sampling station. MDC is monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and will re-evaluate by Nov. 1 mandatory CWD sampling requirements. For the latest information, please visit mdc.mo.gov/cwd. • The antler-point restriction has been removed for Clark County and inside the Columbia city limits. • Nonresident permit prices have gone up. • Hunters may no longer use a Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit in Atchison County. • Hunters may now fill two Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits in Lincoln and Montgomery counties, and in Cass County outside the urban zone. • To qualify for no-cost resident landowner permits, you now must own at least 20 acres in one contiguous tract. • Nonresidents who own at least 75 acres in one contiguous tract in Missouri may now buy deer and turkey hunting permits at reduced prices. • To get landowner permits, you must submit information about your property by filling out a Landowner Permit Application. • Qualifying landowners may now receive two Resident Landowner Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits in Newton County. • Archery Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits may now be used in Scott County. • New managed deer hunts have been added, and others have been removed or modified. • Deer hunting regulations have changed for some conservation areas. • A limited elk hunting season will be held in Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon counties. • There is a new definition for handgun. Buy Missouri hunting and fishing permits from vendors around the state, online at huntfish.mdc. mo.gov/permits, or through MDC’s free mobile app, MO Hunting, available for download. SEPTEMBER - 2020

Agency News

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION First Elk-hunting Season Starts in October

he Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering Missourians the state’s first elkhunting season in modern history starting this October. For the inaugural season, MDC will issue one permit each to five lucky Missourians randomly drawn from 19,215 permit applications, including 33 for one resident-landowner antlered-elk permit and 19,182 for four general permits. The five lucky applicants drawn for a permit to harvest one antlered elk in Missouri this fall are: • Bill Clark of Van Buren, who was drawn for the resident-landowner antlered-elk permit. • Joseph Benthall of Mount Vernon, who was drawn for an antlered-elk general permit. • Michael Buschjost of St. Thomas, who was drawn for an antlered-elk general permit. • Samuel Schultz of Winfield, who was drawn for an antlered-elk general permit. • Eugene Guilkey of Liberty, who was drawn for an antlered-elk general permit. The five hunters can then each harvest one bull elk that has at least one antler being a minimum of six inches long. The five hunters may hunt using archery methods Oct. 17-25 and firearms methods Dec. 12-20. Each permit is valid for both the archery and firearms portions of the elk-hunting season. More on those drawn: Bill Clark of Van Buren, 78, is a life-long hunter of deer, turkey, and small game. He and his family own 80 acres east of Peck Ranch Conservation Area where they conduct timber-stand improvements on the heavily forested property and also plant clover and native grasses for elk and other wildlife. Clark says he applied for the elk hunt because he supports MDC’s elk restoration and management efforts, wildlife management, and wants to help the herd by thinning a bull. Joseph Benthall of Mount Vernon, 37, has been deer hunting off and on for 25 years and has not hunted elk before. He says he applied for the Missouri opportunity because he has wanted to hunt elk but has not had the time or money for a trip out west. He adds that he will only be rifle hunting.

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Michael Buschjost of St. Thomas, 39, says he is, “Pretty darn excited to draw this tag!” His passion is bowhunting and he has hunted elk in Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming with two bulls and a cow elk harvested from those efforts. He says he is excited to take his three kids with him to scout the area before the season opens. “I’m really looking forward to being part of this first hunt,” says Buschjost. “A ton of work has been done on MDC’s part to make this happen.” Samuel Schultz of Winfield, 42, has been hunting for 30 years and he mostly hunts deer and turkey. He has hunted small game in the past, done some trapping, and loves to fish as well. He has hunted elk before in Colorado back in the early 2000s and says he was fortunate enough to harvest a 6x6 bull with his bow on a self-guided hunt. “I love that MDC brought elk back to Missouri and I can't wait for the opportunity to hunt them,” Schultz says. Eugene Guilkey of Liberty, 59, has lived most of his life in northwest Missouri and has hunted since his youth. Guilkey says he plans to hunt both portions and will use a crossbow during the archery portion. “Growing up in Missouri, I used to hunt rabbit, squirrel, quail, and dove, along with deer and turkey. I have never hunted elk,” Guilkey says. “I suppose the cost of a trip like that kept me from pursuing that dream. I also battled cancer last year, and during my battle and recovery, I found an elk-hunting show on television that only hunts public land. I thought perhaps one day I could do that… and now I can! At this time last year, I was given the news I had cancer. Now, a year later, I’ve been given the opportunity of a lifetime! Thank you for the chance!” Bill Clark of Van Buren, Joseph Benthall of Mount Vernon, Michael Buschjost of St Thomas, Samuel Schultz of Winfield, and Eugene Guilkey of Liberty were each drawn for a hunting permit to harvest one antlered elk during Missouri’s first elk season in modern history this fall.

Agency News

MISSOURI STATE PARKS Missouri State Parks Provides Campers with Multiple Contactless Check-in Options During COVID-19 Health Concerns

ampers at Missouri State Parks now have three self-check-in options to utilize as early as the morning of their planned arrival at Missouri State Parks campground. As a result of limited available activities, and the urgency to get outside and away from home, campers were eager to spend a night under the stars. With the expectations of increased visitation, Missouri State Parks, diligently implemented a number of changes related to campground operations to better facilitate appropriate social distancing and improve the safety of operations for Missouri State Parks’ guests and staff. One of these changes is a new contactless self-check-in process – three options that can be completed either from home, on the way to the campground, or upon arrival to the campsite, on the day of their planned arrival. The first option is pre-check in, which can be completed from any web browser with the camper’s reservation information before leaving home or on the way to the campground the day of the planned arrival. Here’s how: 1. Visit www.icampmo.com. 2. On the homepage, locate the Quick CheckIn bar. 3. Enter the confirmation number and customer last name and click check in now. 4. Screen will refresh and you will be successfully checked-in. The second option is the ability to check in by text message. It’s a simple process and can be completed by sending a text with a confirmation number and last name. 1. Text the confirmation number and customer last name to 573-229-0415. 2. Receive a successful check-in confirmation text.

A third contactless option exists when the camper arrives to the park for those with a smartphone and a camera or QR code reader app. 1. Upon arrival to the park, campers can check in to their campsite at 3 p.m. CST, by canning the QR code posted at the campsite. 2. Some smartphone cameras will recognize the code by simply hovering the camera over the QR code in order to open the browser to check in at www.icampmo.com. If the camera does not read the QR code, the camper will need to download a QR reader from the app store on their device to check in. 3. On the Account Login page, select Click here to Check-In. 4. Enter the confirmation number and customer last name and click check in now. 5. Screen will refresh and you will be successfully checked in. Missouri State Parks is proud to continue to provide outdoor creational opportunities for visitors, however, campers should expect some changes. Visitors are encouraged to be respectful of others, practice social distancing, avoid crowded areas, and do their part to help keep state parks and historic sites safe and clean. Visit mostateparks.com for more information.

SEPTEMBER - 2020

NATURE is Healthy

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Get healthy in nature this year.

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SEPTEMBER - 2020

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SEPTEMBER - 2020

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SEPTEMBER - 2020

Feature Story

Threshold of G o n e n e s s

he year was 1984. It was late in the fall and I was going down the driveway in my 1973 Ford pickup heading to north Missouri for a duck hunt. This was my fifth weekend in a row of being gone on a hunting trip and my excitement was building because the weather forecast was terrible, which would make duck hunting excellent. Standing on the back porch watching me disappear was Mrs. Urich. She was holding a young son in each hand. The third son was still in the oven half-baked and she was crying.

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This was when my Little Voice popped up in the back of my head. We all have a Little Voice residing in our minds and whose primary responsibility is to save us from ourselves. My Little Voice was strongly encouraging me not to go on this duck hunt. Sadly, by this time in my life, I had turned ignoring the correct advice from my Little Voice into an art form. My Little Voice has repeatedly reminded me over the years, usually when gloating, that if I had just listened, we would have been frequent guests on the TV show Life Styles of the Rich and Famous. But I was focused on the duck hunt, so it was pedal to the metal.

Feature Story Turned out to be a great waterfowl hunt. However, Mrs. Urich was not interested in hearing any details when I returned because things had changed. I was the recipient of a Level I lecture. It is a massive 3-day event that begins with 24 hours of the silent treatment. Then there are 24 hours of intense discussions, a review of past transgressions mostly unrelated to establish a pattern of unacceptable behavior, a recounting of her mother's premarital warnings about me, copious tears, and serious groveling on my part. What follows next is 24 hours of mop up, including a complete review of the agreed-to items and corrective actions. This time there were three corrective actions. First, the Threshold of Goneness in terms of number, frequency and duration of my hunting and fishing trips was clearly defined. I argued long and hard that the trips I was required to take for work, which was bringing home the bacon, should not be included in the threshold. But Mrs. Urich countered forcefully with gone is gone; the reason is unimportant. Second, my trips would require Goneness Points which could be earned by picking up the pace on remodeling the old, ratty house in rural Moniteau County where we lived, helping with her massive gardening projects which always began with digging and the construction of her Class A equestrian center. Third, there would be atonement trips. Her thinking was if I got to travel all over hunting and fishing, then there should be trips more in tune with her interests. The rules for the atonement trips were clear. She got to pick the destinations with the only constraint being they had to be located somewhere on the planet's surface. I had to make all the travel arrangements, a process greatly facilitated in recent years with the advent of the desktop computer, Internet, and Mr. Google. I was required to carry her luggage out to the car at the beginning of the trip and during the trip. Finally and most importantly, during the course of the trip I would be a fountain of smiles and positive comments. Well, it didn't take me long to figure out that if I took our sons with me on my hunting and fishing trips that I could extend the Threshold of Goneness. My trips became minivacations for Mrs. Urich. She could wallow in the silence at home, collect her thoughts and take a brief respite from the trials and tribulations of motherhood. I was taking our sons on hunting trips before they could carry a shotgun. They could at least carry the rabbits, plus they all knew how to clean rabbits before they ever shot their first rabbit.

David (right) with sons Tim, Aaron and Kirk in 1994 after a rabbit hunt. Kirk was too young to carry a shotgun so he carried the rabbits instead. (Photo: Mrs. Urich)

Our sons could bait a trotline as soon as they could walk, grab a live fish out of the tub, give it a big, sloppy kiss on the mouth for luck and hang it on a 2/0 hook. Then I realized I could make our sons help me with the home remodeling, the garden projects and construction of the equestrian center. They could then contribute to the Goneness Points bucket and learn the fine points of living peacefully with a nonhunting and fishing spouse. Besides, the skills they learned would be helpful later in their lives. This was excellent and appropriate parenting on my part. After some years, I was back to the pre-1984 hunting and fishing trip level and still married. Some would say that I'm a giant slime ball, especially mothers. Here I said I would do better and promised to be a more attentive father and husband. Then I go sneaking back to my same old ways like husbands do all the time. But in my defense, two years after this excessive hunting incident, Mrs. Urich's house appeared in Country Living Magazine, a national publication featuring old restored homes with antique furniture and fantastic gardens. I made that happen with sweat equity while scratching out Goneness Points for my next trip. This was a top 5 major life event for Mrs. Urich right up there with the birth of her sons and marriage to me. However, I have occasionally slipped out of the top 5 over the years due to certain circumstances that were no fault of my own, of course. After decades of atonement trips, I have to admit we've gone to some neat and exciting places that I know I would have never seen without prompting by Mrs. Urich. These trips were a little heavy to old castles, art museums, show gardens and Neolithic sites, but I endured. It certainly made me a better conversationalist at cocktail and dinner parties, although my silk imported from France fish tie is a powerful conversation starter by itself. I also realize now that if I had just listened to my Little Voice, there would have been no Threshold of Goneness and I wouldn't have spent the last 36 years figuring out how to get around it. I'm pleased to report that I have improved, probably due to my age and growing maturity. The last Level 1 lecture I had was in the mid-1990s when I faked my own shooting in the backyard for Mrs. Urich's benefit. Incidentally, my Little Voice strongly recommended that I do not do that, and it was right. So I'm not a giant slime ball after all. Oh sure, I'm a little greasy around the edges but most husbands are. After almost 50 years of marriage, I understand fully that a successful long-term union requires considerable, often uncomfortable, and frequent compromise, mostly by Mrs. Urich in our case.

David Urich

SEPTEMBER - 2020

Feature Story

Conservation in Missouri 48

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Feature Story

he building looked ominous, illuminated by a pole light. An unknown adventure was waiting inside, or at least that was how it seemed to a 12-year-old boy the morning dad took me to Trimble Wildlife Area for my first duck hunt on a Missouri Conservation Area. Dad had applied for a blind reservation by requesting an open date. Applications were only accepted between August 20 and September 15, so I made sure he did not miss the deadline. There was a considerable demand for hunting on the 1,200-acre Trimble Wildlife Area that only included ten blinds and pools surrounding a small lake. The card finally came in the mail, listing us as hunting on November 17, 1965. We were early that morning and walked inside the somewhat musty smelling building that had been visited by dozens of wet, muddy boots since the season opened around November 1. The floors were reasonably clean after invasion by scores of hunters. A sign stated that drawn blinds cost $3.00 per day with an additional dollar per hunter. A dozen duck decoys could be included for $1.00 per day. Sacks of decoys were stacked neatly on their east wall, some of the bags still damp from the previous day's hunt. I was studying mounted ducks on the wall and charts of success ratios in blinds around the area when a deep voice broke the silence. I turned to look up at a big man dressed in his conservation uniform and a green ball cap. "This your first time here son," the man asked. "Yes sir," I answered, somewhat nervous, hoping I hadn't broken some rule of wildlife area etiquette. "Then let me show you around," he said. "I sometimes give a tour to special hunters like you." He gave me the tour and answered many questions, my first interaction with the Missouri Department of Conservation. The agent explained why we have limits on ducks or geese and gave a brief explanation on how conservation works through the research of wildlife biologists.

Later that morning, the place filled with hunters waiting to draw their blind assignments. Many without pre-arranged reservations were there because cancellations sometimes occurred, and blinds become open. Only four hunters were allowed in a blind, so more hunters than blind space might mean a secondary drawing. Winners hunted and unfortunates went home. I studied the crowd's various styles of hunting garb, mostly tanned colored jackets and the oncepopular Jon-E-Style hunting hats while others wore dark-colored caps. Drab colors were preferred years before commercial camouflage patterns like Realtree or Mossy Oak were marketed except for military versions. The brief words from that agent on wildlife management made me understand the importance of hunters. I walked away with a new mindset on conservation, hunting and fishing. Dad and I each shot a pair of greenhead mallards that morning from an adequate blind that is now somewhere on the bottom of Smithville Lake, as is the Trimble Wildlife Area building's concrete foundation. But the spark was lit, and later my poor grandfather listened to chattering about this enlightening experience while we took a long drive. He recognized my new passion and soon arranged for me to receive the Missouri Conservationist by mail. I excitedly checked our mailbox about the same time each month until the next issue arrived and poured over stories written by the great Joel Vance and many others. Young eyes combed over stories about hunting, fishing and descriptions of how conservation worked. The writing was excellent, unknowingly adding to my education as a future outdoor communicator. My early passion for duck and goose hunting made favorites of the November and December Missouri Conservationist issues. I was especially impressed sometime in the middle 1960's when accomplished MDC photographer, Don Wooldridge, posted a photo of his daughter, Ann, who was about my age and holding a brace of Canada geese outside their blind. I remember thinking she must be the perfect girl, beautiful, and a hunter.

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Feature Story I was fortunate to witness conservation efforts coming to life in my teenage years, about 1967. Deer had been absent from my family's farms in Northwest Missouri. My uncles looked over a crop of soybeans one afternoon to be shocked by the sight of a whitetail buck running full blast towards a nearby timber. That was the first recorded sighting of a deer in that section of Buchanan County in decades. Later my cousins and I saw likely the same buck in that field, comically running the opposite direction. Now deer are plentiful in Buchanan County and statewide. My second conservation success story happened in the middle 1970's when outdoor specialist Andy Gerrard and I found a turkey track in one of our hollows. I had no idea what it was, thinking maybe a vulture while Gerrard insisted it was a turkey. I walked away, still doubtful until we started seeing flocks. Now we have good turkey hunts on the farm, Gerrard was right and another MDC success story was written. Hopefully, another Missouri conservation success story will come alive with the introduction of field buffering to bring back our quail populations, already a successful program in some areas. We once had three coveys of quail on our 160-acre farm and barely one covey now. Writing outdoor prose in newspapers and magazines has been my passion for over 40 years. Hopefully, my stories succeeded in placing readers in the duck blind or boat because some folks are no longer physically able to hunt or fish. Maybe some of my stories helped them relive fond memoriesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least that is my goal. I have tried to include conservation tips in all storiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;perhaps unconsciously as a tribute to that agent that talked to me about conservation those many years ago. Hopefully, I have paid him back through my conservation efforts. During the 1980's I wrote newspaper releases for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Metro Coordinator, Jim Pyland's Kansas City office. That experience lasted a couple of years, significantly adding to my knowledge of conservation with the help of Pyland and the great Regional Outreach and Education Supervisor, Jeannie Marolf.

To this day, I am thankful for their patience and understanding through my no-doubt occasional dumb questions. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the envy of most wildlife biologists I have spoken with across the country on press trips because of our Design for Conservation, 1/8th of a cent sales tax, or in other words, one penny going for conservation efforts out of every eight dollars of taxable goods going directly to support fish, forest and wildlife conservation efforts. I believe the MDC has used this money efficiently as evidenced by our excellent wildlife populations and quality public hunting area. Many politicians would love to detour this funding for their own agenda, but thankfully groups like the Conservation Federation of Missouri help protect our interests in the outdoors. I hope and pray everyone will always protect this Conservation tax. Maybe another young boy or girl will be enlightened to this thing called conservation. I can't imagine anything more important! Kenneth L. Kieser (Top) The young author with his dad. (Photo: LaDonne Kieser) (Cover) Trimble Wildlife Area in 1965. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)

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Outdoor News

Visit a Prairie Marsh at Swan Lake

onsider visiting Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Sumner, Missouri. This National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is recognized as an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society. There is something for everyone to do at Swan Lake. You can see a variety of wildlife in the grassland and marsh habitats, including a newly restored prairie marsh recently completed in 2019 in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Grasslands: Since European settlement in North America, only about 1% of tallgrass prairie remains in Missouri. Prairies are a complex mix of native grasses, wildflowers, and other plants that provide seeds, insects, cover and shelter for various birds, including quail, bitterns, northern harriers, and short-eared owls, and many songbirds. Most grasslands on the refuge are located on the east side, where there is less flooding. Wetlands: When summer drawdowns of water expose mud flats, moist soil plants grow. These plants grow in wetter conditions and have the potential to produce high seed yields, which serve as an essential food source for waterfowl and other wildlife. Waterfowl need a diversity of invertebrates and plant foods from all different wetland types to provide them with a complete diet during fall and spring migration. The refuge has numerous wetland units; the largest are Swan Lake and South Pool. Wildlife viewing is great as fall migration begins in late August and September. Waterfowl that can be seen include mallards, gadwalls, and teal, which usually can are visible from the entrance road. By using the viewing scopes located at the overlooks on the way to Swan Lake and the nature trail, visitors can see other water birds like American white pelicans, Canada and greater whitefronted geese and trumpeter swans. The auto tour leads to Silver Lake, where snow geese and various diving duck species such as common mergansers, buffleheads, ringnecked ducks and lesser scaup feed and rest.

Bald eagle. (Photo: USFWS)

Bald eagles can be seen year-round, the refuge also provides habitat for several other migratory birds including eastern phoebes, Baltimore orioles, and summer tanagers. Several species of native sparrows are present during migration, including swamp sparrows in wetland shrubs and fox and white-throated sparrows in drier, brushy habitat. Both grasshopper and field sparrows nest on the refuge. Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Lapland longspurs are seen in fall and spring. White-tailed deer are a common sight at the refuge best viewed in the early evening. During mid-summer, keep an eye out for fawns with their mothers grazing and frolicking in the refuge fields. Also, keep an eye out for other commonly seen resident wildlife species such as fox squirrels, raccoons, coyotes, beaver, muskrats, opossums, and cottontail rabbits. When visiting, bring bug spray, binoculars, a camera, field guides, and good waterproof hiking shoes for wildlife viewing. Hunting opportunities include deer, squirrel, dove, waterfowl, geese. Contact the refuge directly and visit the website for more information: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Swan_Lake/ Kelly Srigley-Werner

SEPTEMBER - 2020

Feature Story

To my Grandchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grandchildren

write these words to you because I feel I must. Why bother? In a world rife with negativity and reinforced polarizations on most things, why bother with an attempt to record or convey a subject so complex as the history of Missouri Conservation to my descendants? Why bother to reach out to you through a long letter when you have an overwhelming abundance of information in hand via the internet, social media and other networks no doubt far beyond my imaginings today? Because there are many truths, perspectives and lessons in what I know that you had best consider, come what may in the future. Our ancestors arrived in North America to a landscape of abundant natural resources, seemingly without limits, and beyond the restrictions of distant sovereigns. The fact is, even things so abundant as Passenger Pigeons and Bison are finite in their numbers. No natural resource exists which can fulfill all the insatiable desires of all people. Never has and never can. By the first few years of the 20th Century, the limits of natural resource health and abundance were very apparent in Missouri. Bison, elk, bears, cougars and many others were gone or disappearing. Things got even worse and came to a head here in the early 1930's. Our people were struggling to survive the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Every attempt to squeeze a living out of land already taxed beyond its ability to support and renew itself much less people, forests, fisheries, and wildlife yielded less and less each year. Erosion of topsoil by unobstructed wind and water, overharvesting and frequent burning of our forests, channelization of streams, levees and dams, artificial structures intended to circumvent over exploitation's symptoms rather than encouraging resilience and health of soils and water, plowing the prairies, draining the wetlands.

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Feature Story Things got so bad that those who recognized the causes of problems became more prominent in shaping the attitude of the public than those who denied them. A book published in 1933 chronicled a lion "hunt" on an island in the Mississippi River. This was the brainchild of Denver M. Wright from St. Louis. His perspective was that he could set up a safari, complete with real lions and beasts, and have his safari right here without a trip to Africa. There were no laws against this. Sportsmen at the time, facing the nearly extirpated big game, decided that if this sort of artificial adventure were the future of hunting, they wanted something else.

A committee was formed to draft the amendment to Missouri's constitution. The chair was a country lawyer from Sedalia, James T. Montgomery. Montgomery's big picture guidance to include protections for forests and wildlife, in addition to game and fish, was unique at the time. History has proven this inclusion as an act of inspired genius. The campaign was successful. The victory was by a wide margin. July 1937, a new agency, The Missouri Conservation Commission, was formed and set into operation: of, by and for the people, forests, fisheries and wildlife of Missouri.

On September 10, 1935, right here in Columbia, Initially, all that was known was what did not Missouri, in the Tiger Hotel's ballroom on 8th Street, workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;what had repeatedly proven ineffective and the tide began to turn. Seventy-five or so private consistently yielded unsatisfactory results. Quick citizens gathered to do something about this mess. and easy solutions, treating natural resources like They agreed that the status quo was unacceptable expendable, interchangeable, marketable commodities to them. There were those who favored a legislative greatly caused the depraved status quo. Attempts to solution, and thankfully, those who artificially propagate game and did not. Members of legislative fish, then release them into areas They brought to bodies are elected by people to serve lacking both the desired species life the wisdom of and represent them in our democratic and their vital habitats didn't republic. Although many legislators work. Attempts to regulate without Theodore Roosevelt are friends of conservation, none enforcement didn't work. Big "Do what you can, can long serve in public office if they goals like restoration of depleted consistently defer to the needs of wildlife, fisheries, habitats, and fire where you are, with natural resources in their decisionprevention in Ozark forests must what you have." This making actions. come first. In the long run, the needs of natural resources and people are the same; clean air and water, healthy soils, but there may be differences in the short term.

self-sustaining, costeffective approach became a hallmark of Missouri's "system."

That night, in Columbia, Missouri, private citizens decided to utilize a mechanism available to them to create a voice for Missouri outdoors: the initiative petition process. "If you get a law passed, what have you got? The next legislature could repeal or amend it, and the politicians take over. By the same token, if you attempt to get a constitutional amendment through the legislature, you won't recognize it when it comes out. But if you write the basic authority exactly as you want it, put it on the ballot through the initiative and let the people vote it into the constitutionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;then you've got something permanent." These remarks by E. Sydney Stephens that night changed the course of modern American history.

The first professor of conservation at Mizzou, Rudolf Bennitt, and the first student of conservation at Mizzou, Werner Nagel published in 1937 "A Survey of the Resident Game and Furbearers of Missouri." This was an essential first step along the road to wildlife restoration. Their efforts and those of all who came later deferred always to science and the best available data for decision making and actionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and considered, but always delegated to second place, politics and fancies of people who were not beneficial to "the resource." They brought to life the wisdom of Theodore Roosevelt "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have." This self-sustaining, cost-effective approach became a hallmark of Missouri's "system."

SEPTEMBER - 2020

Feature Story My point is not that one should always bow to the public wishes at the moment, but more as Theodore Roosevelt "The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must, and we will." We must consistently and constantly work to balance our rights and responsibilities. Thus, have I as concisely and fully as possible, given you my understanding of why conservation is essential and how it came to life here. During my nearly 50 years of professional service, I have no doubt sat with, listened to, and offered support and encouragement and counsel to hundreds of passionate citizens, private organizations, businesses, and state and federal agencies. Never have I encountered a single outfit with a shortage of ideas— but they always face limited resources to implement those ideas—if they have any resources at all. Along the way, a new science of conservation was developed, refined and integrated into all aspects of the new agency and its supportive public. Above all, we have learned that for conservation to exist (and for any agency or organization to endure long), it must have a public that understands it and supports it. Such public support rests solidly on the foundation of a culture of continually improving public service among employees of this unique agency. Early on, as the profession of conservation developed, it was all new. It was expected and natural for all professionals to always convey their learnings to the public in language and products understandable by lay people. Eventually, however, this connecting the public at times was deemphasized as myriad things researched and learned caused the development of specialists. Or at least professionals whose work required so much of their time and attention that feeding the public will became less of a consideration, or at worst, someone else's job. In the long run, even temporary neglect of engaging, fueling and nurturing the public will have proven costly. Leaders can choose either to ignore the public for a while—and invest tremendous effort later to fix the brist—or invest a significant amount of professional attention in developing and maintaining a sustained will of the public. Conservationists like me share responsibility for reminding our people of the relevance of conservation to each of us and balancing that with unwavering service to natural resources.

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For organizations to accomplish anything, they must have people and money. For agencies, with at least some of each, they must have the authority to do their work. Authority and funding can only come from and endure with a sustaining will of the public. In the 1970's, Missouri had reached the impasse first described by Aldo Leopold in 1930 at the American Game Conference in New York "No game program can command the good will or funds necessary to success, without harmonious cooperation between sportsmen and other conservationists." Simply put, hunters and anglers can never pay for or deliver natural resource conservation by themselves. To address the ever-increasing costs of conservation and the concerns for a future where participation in hunting and fishing would remain stable and at worst decline, a group was commissioned by MDC Director Carl Noren and CFM Executive Director Ed Stegner at the behest of the Missouri Conservation Commission. The group produced what became known as The Missouri Conservation Program Report. Members were Irving Fox, Charles Callison and Starker Leopold. The upshot was the formation of a Citizen's Committee and an initiative petition drive for an amendment to the Missouri constitution. The Citizen's Committee solution was a state-wide sales tax proposal. They realized that some things cost more than any of us can individually afford, which none of us would choose to live without. We pay for these via taxation.

Feature Story The first attempt failed. Signatures were gathered and submitted to the Secretary of State without the enacting clause "Be it enacted by the people of the State of Missouri" on the petitions. So, the signatures were thrown out. The proposal was for a tax on beverage containers, and the beverage industry had more resources and better lawyers than the Citizens' Committee. Stegner told the Citizens Committee of the failure and said, "My wife said if I ever led such a campaign again, she would leave me." The Committee decided to ASAP embark on another attempt. It became the Design for Conservation Sales Tax, a sales tax of 1/8 of 1% on all goods and services. It passed by a slim margin on election day, 1976. None of us who worked on the campaign knew it would pass, but we all believed that if we did nothing, things would only get worse. The world changed. Thankfully, Stegner led the Citizen's Committee, CFM, MDC, and the Missouri people to success. Sadly, his wife did forever leave him over it. For the last 80+ years, Missouri and Missourians have greatly benefited from constitutionally guaranteed authority and designated funding (40+ years) for conservation. On the same land at the same time, our human population has doubled—while forests, fisheries and wildlife and their habitats have thrived.

Hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, and forestry yielded over $12 Billion to Missouri last year. We Missourians spent $100 Million on the Design for Conservation Sales Tax last year. This represents a 10,000% return on the investment—in the year the investment was made! To put this vitally important fact in proper perspective, one should note that in 1937, the first year MDC existed. It was funded entirely by general revenue appropriation from the legislature and revenue from permit sales. The agency's entire budget was equivalent to only 0.8% of the Missouri State Budget at the time. This past year, the MDC budget was equivalent to only 0.7% of the Missouri State Budget! One must also note that last year's figures include the revenues from the Design for Conservation Sales Tax and Federal dollars from excise taxes on the sales of sporting goods administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, none of these revenue streams existed back in 1935. The notion, often parroted by critics, is that MDC has too much money. Even the suggestion that MDC has an adequate amount of money to do its work, demonstrably to the benefit of all Missourians, is preposterous. The Sales Tax makes each of us an owner/operator of conservation in Missouri. Resources for MDC are finite—so each of us should be willing to concede a little of our insatiable personal desires for the overall welfare of forests, fisheries and wildlife. Man has long had his thumb on the scales of the balance of nature—for his own benefit. Thus, I believe we have a fundamental responsibility to restore and nurture the balance of nature as best we can, whenever we can. MDC has a proven track record of success. For that to continue, they must have authority and funding to do their work—and a public who understands, appreciates and will support them. If this is to be, it is up to us. Don't be long distracted from the purpose of caring for God's creation by what you cannot do or change, focus on the possible and find the way to get it done. For those who follow you, give them tomorrow.

Dave Murphy (Left) Eldest girl Ellie (5), her sister Hadley (2)...Keicher. (Photo: Courtesy of Dave Murphy) (Right) Eldest boy is August (6), his brother Ezra (3), twins Henning (redhead) and Kai (brunette)...Ballan. (Photo: Courtesy of Dave Murphy)

SEPTEMBER - 2020

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Missouri’s Unique Conservation Legacy “The Plains of this country are covered with a Green Grass, well calculated for the sweetest and most norushing hay, interspersed with… trees, Spreding ther lofty branchs over Pools Springs or Brooks of fine water… Shrubs covered with the most delicious froot is to be seen in every direction, and nature appears to have exerted herself to butify the Senery by the variety of flours raiseing Delicately and highly… above the Grass, which Strikes & profumes the Sensation, and amuses the mind, throws it into Conjecturing the cause of So magnificent a Senery… in a Country thus Situated far removed from the Sivilised world to be enjoyed by nothing but the Buffalo Elk Deer & Bear in which it abounds.” Missouri's Unique Conservation Legacy by Brett Dufur was first published in the November 2011 edition of the Missouri Conservationist, and it appears here courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

single cannon blast sliced through the silence of a quiet morning on a Missouri River bend on July 4, 1804. The crew of the Lewis & Clark Expedition was celebrating the first official observance of Independence Day in the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territory. The site today is known as Little Bean Marsh Conservation Area, located 30 miles north of Kansas City. Among the entries in William Clark’s journal that day were observations of extensive prairies, rivers, a great number of goslings, and a clear lake containing vast quantities of fish and geese. He didn’t write about the oppressive July heat and humidity, the “mosquitors” or the hardships endured. Instead, Clark wrote about the abundance and variety of wildlife, which was stunning even to this veteran explorer.

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His awe of the natural beauty he saw here is a powerful testament to the connection people have always felt for this land. Yet it would take only a generation of early settlers to forge an entirely different Missouri than what Clark had described. From Wildlife Depletion to Conservation Action By the 1860s, the insatiable demand for fur, feathers and meat had virtually emptied the forests. Relentless commercial hunting was rampant and unchecked. By the late 1800s, the largest lumber mill in the world came to the Ozarks to feed the booming railroad industry’s thirst for railroad ties and a growing nation’s need for wood products. In 1912 alone, 15 million hand-hewn railroad ties were sold in Missouri. It was also an age when a third of the Ozarks were burned each year in an effort to bring up the grasses for livestock. Missouri’s forests were soon depleted.

Feature Story By the 1930s, the country was in the grips of the Great Depression. Our national trust of soil, water and wildlife were becoming similarly bankrupt. The existing Missouri Department of Game was largely a token gesture that had been weakened by powerful interests and left under funded. Many Missourians had a deep seated feeling that things could be better—that even though Missouri’s natural resources had been squandered through overuse, proper government regulation could help restore wildlife in Missouri. This ultimately set the stage for Missouri’s citizen-led effort to restore Missouri’s fish, forest and wildlife resources 75 years ago. Missouri’s Citizen-led Efforts Take Root

Over the next 75 years, the “Missouri plan” allowed the Show-Me State to build what is acknowledged as one of the nation’s top conservation programs. Today that Commission is more commonly referred to as the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). “Everything was new,” recalls MDC’s first chief of wildlife research, Bill Crawford, who retired after providing leadership in that role for 34 years. “It was an opportunistic time when we could find problems and really start to work on them.” Since that historic night at the Tiger Hotel, a series of unprecedented conservation and wildlife restoration efforts have been accomplished. “Not in their wildest imaginations could those early sportsmen have imagined what has been achieved,” says Dave Murphy, former executive director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. “On the same landscape, at the same time that our human population has doubled, we’ve seen the restoration of wild turkey, deer, geese, river otters, raccoons and black bass, and every kind of game species that you can imagine.”

On Sept. 10, 1935, nearly 100 sportsmen met at the Tiger Hotel in Columbia to discuss what could be done. They formed the Restoration and Conservation Federation of Missouri and devised a solution that was as simple as it was revolutionary. Columbia newspaper publisher E. Sydney Stephens, who became one of the leaders of the movement and later one of MDC’s first commissioners, summed things up, “If you get a law passed, what have you got?” he asked. “The next legislature could repeal or amend it, and the politicians take over. By the same token, if you Since that historic night at attempt to get a constitutional amendment through the the Tiger Hotel, a series of legislature, you won’t recognize unprecedented conservation it when it comes out. But if you write the basic authority exactly and wildlife restoration efforts as you want it, put it on the have been accomplished. “Not ballot through the initiative and let the people vote it into the in their wildest imaginations constitution—then you’ve got could those early sportsmen something permanent.”

have imagined what has been

Missouri’s Unique Citizen-led Conservation Legacy Missouri conservation is unique— unique in its history, unique in the way it derives its authority and funding from citizens, and unique in the passion and commitment of Missourians to perpetuate this legacy. The Show-Me State’s conservation efforts have a broad management base giving consideration to forests, fish and all species of wildlife.

So they drafted Amendment 4, achieved.” aimed at creating an apolitical conservation agency. Sportsmen fanned out across the state and gathered signatures to The Conservation Commission serves Missourians by put the proposal on the ballot. On Nov. 3, 1936, voters ensuring citizens have healthy forests, fish and wildlife approved the measure by a margin of 71 to 29 percent— throughout the state. To achieve conservation successes one of the largest margins by which any amendment to the Commission and Department staff strive to promote the state constitution had ever passed. The sportsmen’s cooperation between the Department, landowners and vision had prevailed. the public through scientific information and mutual understanding. Conservation successes such as stable On July 1, 1937, the constitutional amendment creating deer and turkey populations indicate this partnership the Missouri Conservation Commission took effect, and approach has worked in Missouri. creating an apolitical, science-based conservation agency with exclusive authority over forests, fish and E. Sydney Stevens was the first president of the Conservation Federation wildlife.

of Missouri. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)

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Feature Story The Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director is hired by an unpaid, citizen Conservation Commission, rather than being appointed by the governor. This provision provides the Department with a great amount of stability and permanence that benefit citizens and Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fish, forest and wildlife resources. The Commission is made up of four commissioners, with no more than two from the same political party. The governor appoints commissioners for six-year unpaid terms. The Commission serves as the Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy maker, approves Wildlife Code regulations, and oversees strategic planning, budget development and major expenditures. The first members of the Commission were E. Sydney Stephens, A. P. Greensfelder, Wilbur C. Buford and John F. Case. Wild Turkeys are just one of the many success stories throughout Missouri that have been restored over the past generations. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Design for Conservation Forty years after their initial achievement, the Conservation Federation of Missouri decided that for conservation to become a permanent reality, it needed a broad, stable financial base. The vision, called the Design for Conservation, was proposed to Missouri citizens in 1970. It was a long-reaching strategic plan for conservation in Missouri. It included a pledge to obtain land for recreation, forestry and protection of critical habitat. Design also called for increased services to the public in the areas of wildlife and forest conservation, and for conservation nature centers throughout Missouri. To fund the Design for Conservation, citizens petitioned to put another constitutional amendment, Amendment 1, on the ballot in 1975. The petition garnered 208,000 signatures of support, more than double the minimum required to place the proposed amendment on the ballot. The amendment called for a one-eighth of 1 percent sales tax.

Feature Story The vote in November of 1976 allowed for the implementation of Design for Conservation. The conservation sales tax, as it became known, means that for every $8 spent on taxable items, one penny goes to conservation. This dedicated sales tax provides consistent funding for the long-term efforts required for the conservation of forests, fish and wildlife. The Department received $95,818,338 in fiscal year 2011 as a result of the conservation sales tax. This revenue makes up about 58 percent of the Department’s annual operating budget—no money from the state’s general revenue goes to the Department. These numbers sound impressive, yet MDC’s entire budget is comparable to less than 1 percent of the entire state government budget. And conservation pays its way in Missouri—the amount of state sales tax revenue generated from fish and wildlife recreation and the forest products industry is about the same as the sales tax revenue received by MDC from the conservation sales tax. Missourians Care About Conservation Missourians have achieved some amazing results. We have restored and conserved dozens of fish and wildlife species, ensured that Missouri is a great place to hunt and fish, transformed forestry into a sustainable industry, created a system devoted to serving both rural and urban private landowners. We've also invested in the hearts of major urban areas to encourage participation in the outdoors, developed an accessible network of public lands and facilities, and partnered the entire way with citizens and communities throughout the state. Conservation enriches our economy and our quality of life. Today, conservation—wise use—of forest, fish and wildlife resources has a proven and important track record. These resources have a tremendous positive impact at the individual, family, community and state levels. The combined numbers generated by hunting and fishing, wildlife watching and forest industries show the importance of conservation in our state. It supports approximately 95,000 Missouri jobs, involves many Missourians through active participation and generates positive business revenue for the state of more than $11.4 billion annually.

(Right) Overharvesting of game animals led to the need for conservation practices to take hold in Missouri. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)

Looking back, America’s brush with an unwise management approach of natural resources certainly kindled a passion for wildlife stewardship. Conservationist Aldo Leopold noted that this zeal seemed to burn intensely in Missouri. Speaking at a gathering in 1947, he said: “Conservation, at bottom, rests on the conviction that there are things in this world more important than dollar signs and ciphers. Many of these other things attach to the land, and to the life that is on it and in it. People who know these other things have been growing scarcer, but less so in Missouri than elsewhere. That is why conservation is possible here. If conservation can become a living reality, it can do so in Missouri. This is because Missourians, in my opinion, are not completely industrialized in mind and spirit, and I hope never will be.” If you agree with Aldo Leopold and are not yet “thoroughly industrialized,” find a way to get involved locally in conservation. You will be joining a long line of Missourians who have made the Show-Me State a beacon of conservation achievement for the rest of the world. Visit mdc.mo.gov to learn about conservation opportunities throughout the state. As we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Conservation Department, such a milestone offers an opportunity to reflect upon past challenges and chart a course for future opportunities. Through the years, the men and women who have contributed to the conservation movement have changed. But the Department’s mission is still the same—to manage and protect the forests, fish and wildlife of the state. It’s a mission that provides Missourians the opportunity to enjoy our natural resources today while leaving those resources in better shape for future generations.

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Feature Story The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is an important set of conservation principles, policies and philosophy that has led to the protection, conservation and restoration of wildlife populations in North America. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is built on a foundation of principles, called the Seven Pillars: 1. Wildlife as a public trust resource - Wildlife belongs to all citizens, not any one individual, and is held in trust by government for the benefit of present and future generations. 2. Elimination of markets - for wildlife Many game species were nearly decimated by unregulated market hunting and some species were lost forever. Preventing overexploitation and managing sustainable use is a continuous goal of conservation. 3. Allocation of wildlife by law - Achieving wildlife benefits for present and future generations means regulations to protect and allocate wildlife resources. 4. Harvest for legitimate purposes - Hunting and trapping are legitimate and, in some cases, necessary for management but must be carried out in ways acceptable to society. This principle includes concerns about wanton waste, protection of property, personal protection and use. 5. Wildlife is an international resource - Many wildlife species, such as waterfowl, transcend national boundaries and their management requires international agreement and cooperation. 6. Science-based wildlife policy - Science and good information will assist in making wildlife management decisions. One of the most important aspects is that all citizens have access to the wildlife resources, including the tradition and heritage of hunting. 7. Democracy of hunting - One of the most important aspects is that all citizens have access to the wildlife resources, including the tradition and heritage of hunting. Male greater prairie-chicken in courtship display. Now endangered in Missouri, prairie-chickens breed from March through May. Cocks visit booming grounds (leks), where they dance, call, and fight among themselves. Hens visit the lek and select the most fit mate; mating occurs on the lek during April. (Photo: Courtesy of MDC)

CONSERVATION FEDERATION

Other Revenues That Support Missouri’s Conservation Legacy For more than 75 years, sportsmen have been buying hunting and fishing licenses. These funds are vital to restore habitat, purchase public lands, and bring back Missouri’s fish and wildlife populations. When a person purchases a hunting or fishing license, they are investing those dollars in conservation for the benefit of all Missourians and future generations. Fishing and hunting licenses account for approximately 20 percent of the Department’s annual revenue, totaling more than $31 million. MDC also receives about $22 million a year from federal sources, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs. The Wildlife Restoration Program, originally called the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, is a program funded by taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. Those funds are specifically provided to states to restore, conserve, manage and enhance fish and wildlife. The Sport Fish Restoration Program, created by the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950, is funded by taxes on fishing tackle, motorboat fuel, electric outboard motors and sonar equipment. Funds are distributed to states for sport fish restoration, motorboat access development and aquatic resource education. Federal aid also comes from the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Brett Dufur

Outdoor News

U.S. House of Representatives passes Great American Outdoors Act

he Great American Outdoors Act, which was officially signed into law by the President at a White House ceremony, will usher in a new era of public lands protections and expanded outdoor recreation opportunities across the nation. The Conservation Federation of Missouri commends the overwhelming support from so many elected officials that help make this happen. The law, which was passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress earlier this summer, will permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will provide up to $1.9 billion a year to address deferred maintenance issues at our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other public lands. “This is an incredible win for wildlife, public lands and waters, and for all Missouri families who enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, hunting or otherwise exploring Missouri’s cherished forests and wildlife areas,” said Tyler Schwartze, Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. “The Great American Outdoors Act will expand recreation opportunities, open up additional hunting and fishing access points, boost our outdoor recreation economy, and create good-paying jobs, which are very much needed during these challenging times.” “The Great American Outdoors Act is a truly historic, bipartisan conservation accomplishment that will protect wildlife habitat, expand recreational opportunities, restore public lands and waters, and create good jobs,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife

Federation. “Time and again, our leaders have shown that conservation can not only bridge the partisan divide, but also put Americans back to work and safeguard wildlife and our way of life for future generations. Congress should build on this bipartisan achievement and jump-start our economic recovery by passing additional job-creating measures such as a 21st Century Conservation Corps and the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.” The Land and Water Conservation Fund has created and maintained local, state and national parks, hiking and biking trails, waterfront access and much more for over five decades. Last year Congress permanently reauthorized this successful conservation program. The Great American Outdoors Act provides full and permanent funding for it. Over the years, Missouri has received over $146 million dollars from LWCF to maintain such places as the Ozark National Scenic River and the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. The fund also helps fuel our vibrant outdoor recreation economy which generates $14.9 billion in consumer spending every year and supports 133,000 jobs in Missouri. For more information about the Conservation Federation of Missouri or to join in their citizen-led effort, visit www. confemdo.org.

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Planning Your Future?

Include the Conservation Federation of Missouri in your estate plans. Leave a legacy for the natural resources and traditions you have valued throughout your life. Make CFM a beneficiary of your will, trust, life insurance policy or retirement plan. Any amount helps preserve Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources and natural history for generations to come. What will your legacy be?

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To update your contact information or address, please notify us at: Conservation Federation 728 W. Main Jefferson City, MO 65101 or call 573-634-2322.

PROTECTING WILDLIFE AND HABITAT Restoring millions of acres of habitat, healthy rivers, lakes and streams across North America with our partners.

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September 2020 vol 81 no 5

Articles inside

Boone & Bo: The Autumn of Their Years

How a Native Garden Grows

Missouri's Unique Conservation Legacy

Threshold of Goneness

Conservation Through the Ages

Conservation in Missouri

To my Grandchildren's Grandchildren