MISSOURI
Wildlife SEPTEMBER 2010 • VOL. 71, NO. 5
75 years of
CFM CFM celebrates its 75th anniversary in September. 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. 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. Be comforted in the knowledge that CFM will continue the conservation momentum gained during our first 75 years. Missouri citizens are blessed with the finest department of conservation in the nation. This did not come about by accident. Most of what has been accomplished happened because a group of concerned citizens cared enough to stand up and demand our government protect our natural resources. This group of citizens organized themselves and ultimately became the Conservation Federation of Missouri! 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 program in the nation. CFM’s legacy is one of which you should be very proud. Together, we have worked extremely hard 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, 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 that our population of humans has doubled. In 1935 none of us could have imagined these successes. In this edition of Missouri Wildlife we pay tribute to those who have shaped our first 75 years...and to those who are shaping our future. If you are receiving this special edition as a member of an organization affiliated with CFM, I hope you step up right now and become a regular member. Every single member makes us stronger, better and more effective. The Missouri outdoors will need your personal support even more in the future than it has in the past. Yours in Conservation, Mike Schallon President, CFM
MDC
Where it all began... 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. —ALDO LEOPOLD, 1938
789 Regulation is essential to conservation; the two are inseparable; to divide them would be like trying to build a savings account and giving a second party a book of blank checks. There is a lot of false phobia about wildlife regulation in the hands of state departments. It is not dangerous; it affects no property right; it invades no private right; it is nothing more than rationing the annual crop; it is an essential administrative function. —E. SYDNEY STEPHENS, 1946
789 The Conservation Federation of Missouri as an organization serves to discover, even to stimulate, to express and translate to action the public will in matters affecting conservation. —CHARLES CALLISON, 1948 MISSOURI WILDLIFE
1
Where Are We And What Time Is It? E. Sydney Stephens Eleventh North American Wildlife Conference oncrete examples of conservation progress are gratifying, but they are not the most significant. Of far greater importance and value has been the progress in basic thinking. The fundamental concept that “all land and all products of the land must be considered in building a balanced civilization” represents the longest step forward that we have taken. For this we are indebted principally to the biologists and soil technicians of the Nation. The sad fact, however, is that that conception has not reached far enough. While the federal and a few state agencies have accepted it and are attempting to practice and to project it, too many state agencies have not, and too many people, rural and urban, don’t yet know anything about it. Somebody ought to tell them. Who is going to do it? It could be done by any one or all of the multifarious national and state organizations dedicated to the task of conservation. Is it being done? The answer is “no.” Despite the zealous and sometimes consecrated efforts of their designated leaders, I know of no group which can claim to be even halfway successful. What are we to do about it? Nobody knows the complete answer. But we do know that there are a lot of people interested in more wildlife and better living, and that includes just about everybody— everybody who eats, wears clothes and lives in houses. They can be expected to do something once they are aroused. And so, my friends, as we stand “amid the encircling gloom” and when we examine our compasses and our watches,
C
2
SEPTEMBER 2010
E. Sydney Stephens
we find that the hour is late, “the night is dark and we are far from home.” The least we can do is to pray for a “kindly light” to lead us. The case is not hopeless; it can be cured. That has been sufficiently proved. What we need is light—and LEADERSHIP!!
Editor’s note: Sid Stephens’ gave this exhilarating speech in 1946 at the Eleventh North American Wildlife Conference in New York. You can find the full text of the speech at the Conservation Federation of Missouri website (http://www.confedmo.org).
Sidney Stephens was always “Uncle Sid” to me. Growing up in Columbia in the ’30s and ’40s was a Southern experience: close family friends were always “Aunt” or “Uncle.” While this might not be understood in today’s much less formal society, it also indicated a familial closeness and affection which was an important part of our social intercourse. I remember knowing Uncle Sid when I was a very young man. He and Aunt Mary attended our Price family parties and his close association with my blood uncle, R. B. Price, was pleasantly apparent. Our first truly one-on-one outings were fishing trips to nearby farm ponds. In the ’40s, I was a teenager and received my first real gun. It was a 16gauge Remington model 11 and a gun my Uncle R. B. used for quail. My two uncles introduced me to quail hunting and I well remember Uncle Sid as a patient and gifted teacher. Always a gentleman, he insisted I shoot the covey rises. My fondest memories were hunting ducks at a Chariton County farm my two uncles bought in 1941. They had hunted together for more than twenty years, and this farm on the north edge of the Swan Lake refuge was a big move. They were both in their sixties and felt this would be their last and hopefully best venture. Uncle Sid hunted with me when I came up to this “Twin Lakes” farm in the fall of 1942. His attire was, of course, hip boots, but his Pendleton wool shirt, set off by a matching knit tie and plaid sport coat impressed me as very continental. Uncle Sid was never without his ivory cigarette holder. He even had a metal shell dispenser fitted on the side of
our large barrel blinds; best of all, it held his cigarette holder when it was time to shoot. The old farm house on Twin Lakes was remodeled with inside plumbing, a fireplace and a picture window with a fine view of the lakes. It became a classroom for me as the cocktail hour often attracted such conservationists as Charlie and Libby Schwartz, Ted Shanks, Guy Greenwell and many others. The conversations around the fire were generally about waterfowl and the alarming decrease in their numbers. Quite often Sid and R. B. would recount the political struggle to take politics out of wildlife management. I was so proud when Uncle Sid was selected to lead the effort. The founding of the Conservation Federation in 1935 was the result of this work and the sportsmen of the state who joined.
The author remembers Uncle Sid as a patient and gifted teacher
Uncle Sid was modest, but I learned about his tremendous leadership from hunters and conservationists who revered him. I was so fortunate to “sit at his feet” and learn what pride we all felt then and now for our model wildlife management in Missouri. —Al Price
COURTESY OF AL PRICE
E
COURTESY OF AL PRICE
Hunts, farm house chats with “Uncle Sid” provide conservation classroom
R.B. Price (left) and Sid Stephens at the farm they bought together in 1941. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
3
Whither Missouri? Aldo Leopold he conservation movement in Missouri at this moment is like a fisherman wading a swift and deep bass stream. To get across without wetting his feet he has t o step on four slippery rocks. Missouri has reached the third rock and is still r ight side up. Where is the fourth? I here try to show it to you. I speak as one with wet feet who hopes you can keep yours dry. The first step in conservation is to want it. You, and many other states, have taken that step. The second step is to create competent authority. You have done an extra good job on that. I speak not so much of your new law (after all, it is not rare for states to pass good laws) as of the quality of your leadership. Rarely has any state enlisted the sagacity, open-mindedness, and foresight displayed in your present leaders. If you know a good thing when you see it, you will give them your confidence, your support, and your thoughtful criticism. The third step is to learn how to develop the technical specifications as to just what shall be done to make your fields, woods, and waters productive. You have landed right side up on this rock, but don’t think you are across the creek. Have you read Bennitt and Nagel’s “Game Survey of Missouri?” If so, you will realize how much remains to be found out about cropping quail, turkey, deer, fur in your coverts. You will realize that this finding out how to grow wild crops in coverts is much like finding out how to grow corn, cotton, hogs in the fields. It is a job calling for research, then testing in practice, then more research. The wild cropping system must dovetail with the tame cropping system. Therefore the Agricultural College is the proper place to build both. You have set up, at your agricultural college, a new
T
4
SEPTEMBER 2010
Aldo Leopold
Research Unit in which, with the help of Biological Survey, the technical process can and will be worked out. The fourth step is to practice conservation on the land. The first three steps are of little use unless we can take the fourth. Who is going to practice conservation on the land? I am afraid that the average
conservationist thinks that the government is going to do it. By government I mean the Conservation Department, the Biological Survey, the Forest Service, the Park Service, and the other governmental agencies. These agencies are going to do it, but only on the lands which they own. How
conservation practices are habitual on the private farms of the state. The farmer takes pride in his gadgets; that is, his radio, car, icebox, tractor, milker, etc. This is as it should be. He takes pride in his tame crops, and this is as it should be. But how often do we find a farmer who takes pride in his wild crops, his woodlot, his stand of quail, his coon dens, the fish in his creek or ponds? Until a majority of our farmers are as proud of having a flock of prairie chickens as of
much of Missouri will they eventually own? I would call it an optimistic guess to say one-fifth of Missouri, that is to say, the combined area of national forests, state forests, parks, refuges, etc., can hardly, even in the remote future, exceed a fifth of the area of the state. We can’t produce outdoor facilities for five-fifths of our people on one-fifth of our area. Let’s buy land by all means, but let’s not delude ourselves with the thought that buying land is a comprehensive solution. There can be no solution until
owning a new car, we shall not have the chickens. Conservation cannot come until the gameless farm is considered as unbalanced, until a farmer would no more tolerate erosion in his fields than he now tolerates a contagious disease in his flocks and herds. Editor’s note: Aldo Leopold wrote this inspiring essay in 1938. You can find the complete text at the Conservation Federation of Missouri website (http://www.confedmo.org).
Life With Father o talk about my Dad it is necessary to talk also about Mother. Dad’s discovery of Estella Luna Bergere at a dance in Albuquerque shortly after he went to the Southwest to work with the U.S. Forest Service was great luck for us, as they made such a winning team. Mother and her seven sisters were horsewomen and camped in the mountains around Santa Fe, so her background fit well with the way she and Dad would lead their lives together. What a loving pair they were! Mother was the musical inspiration in the family, and a pianist. We kids all learned the guitar, self-taught, and Mother taught us Spanish songs from her childhood. We sang around the fireplace at the shack after supper, and all the way home to Madison on Sunday evenings. I was seven years younger than Carl, the next youngest of the five of us. I remember Dad asking me one day what I wanted to be when I grew up. After thinking awhile, I said “a bug-ologist.” When Dad asked why, I said,“because everything else is taken.” Starker was a wildlife ecologist, Luna was a hydrologist, Nina studied geography, and Carl was a botanist. Dad said gently, “Well, Baby”— he always called me Baby—“Let’s go down to the bookstore Monday and get you Norman Fassett’s plant manual.” One Christmas, Mother and Dad decided we should all go down to
A L D O L E O P O L D F O U N D AT I O N
T
The Leopold family at the shack in 1946. Photo by Carl Leopold.
Missouri where Starker and Betty had a wonderful cabin while he was working for the Missouri Conservation Department studying wild turkeys for his Berkeley PhD. There was fresh snow on the ground, very beautiful. We never bought Christmas gifts for each other—just made something by hand. It turned out by chance that each of us that year had made something for the same person,our brother Carl. Starker had made a fly rod of special woods from Asia. Luna had made him a buckskin jacket with tassels. Nina had knitted him a sweater. I don’t
remember what I did,but I do remember that it was our best Christmas ever! There was guitar music and singing, cooking in the dutch oven, walks in the woods, and of course, fun with the dog. Probably also hunting quail, because when Dad went to Missouri it was usually to hunt. I know that Carl never forgot the warmth of that experience. In his now-famous essay “The Good Oak” in A Sand County Almanac, Dad wrote about sawing through the growth rings of an oak. What most people don’t realize is that the “Chief Sawyer” was MISSOURI WILDLIFE
5
A L D O L E O P O L D F O U N D AT I O N A L D O L E O P O L D F O U N D AT I O N
Estella returns to the shack from planting pines.
Aldo and Estella Leopold at Caney Mountain, where Starker studied the potential for restoration of wild turkeys.
mother! I have my own personal connections with that essay. The oak he described had been struck by lightning some years earlier and now was ready to cut for firewood. It was April, a clear day with a new snowfall. The ground was white, and the branches were covered by glistening snowflakes. Mother, Dad, Dave Spencer and I stood holding our two-man saw, looking it over. Dad asked me to climb the tree and drop one of the limbs. It was quiet up in the tree. I looked up and saw four swans flying north in formation low over our heads—heard the swish of their wings as they came sailing over us, white and majestic. I shall never forget that morning! Some months later in Madison, Dad was up early—he was always up early getting light-meter readings of the first bird songs in the morning. When I came down to join him for coffee, he put down his pencil and handed me some yellow sheets: “Want to see my new essay?” “Of course, Dad.” I read and read, and asked if I could type the first copy—I still have the pencil draft. I am proud to say that I 6
SEPTEMBER 2010
was the first person to see his memorable words: “There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” There is more to this. On the next page he wrote, “Some day some patient botanist will draw a frequency curve of oak birth-years and show that the curve humps every ten years, each hump originating from a low in the ten-year rabbit cycle. ... Only one acorn in a thousand ever grew large enough to fight rabbits; the rest were drowned at birth in the prairie sea.” Well, I couldn’t resist trying to be that “patient botanist.” Under the guidance of Dr. Norman Fassett I did a bachelor’s thesis counting rings on hundreds of freshly cut oak stumps near Madison, and getting rabbit and hare cycle data from the conservation department. Dad was right! Not statistically perfect, but the patterns were there. At the shack we lived a land ethic, as it is now called. It was a restoration exercise—we restored the land, and every
weekend it restored us! We struggled to plant native pine seedlings, losing most of them during the Dust Bowl years, and brought in native prairie plants to the worn-out cornfield full of sand burs. Carl loved to tell how he and Dad were working on the ridge one day when they heard some sounds from up the road— like someone digging, the clack of a shovel—so they went to investigate. They came across two middle-aged couples, the men in baseball caps and sport shirts and the ladies in bright gaudy suits. They were digging up our pine trees. Carl said,“Our blood pressure immediately began to rise.” Dad confronted them: “What are you doing?” One of the men: “Well, we are digging up these little pine trees.” Dad: “Who said you could dig up those trees?” The man: “We’re not going to kill them. We’re going to take them home and put them in our yard. They’ll grow there.” At that Dad tilted back his hat and exclaimed “Well, God damn!” One of the men: “Please, there are ladies present.” At this, Carl was expecting Dad to get so angry that he would really blow. But instead he leaned back and began to laugh, the most marvelous rolling laugh! The idea of the shack was to experience the land together in all its seasons. The challenge was to do right by the land we made our own. We learned to love that land and all that was part of it. Our time there gave us a rare commodity—a sense of place in a larger community of life—and also an incredible bond as a family. —Estella Leopold
A Summit On The Future Of Missouri Outdoors On May 28 and 29, 2009, in Columbia, MO, more than 150 outdoor leaders came together to take a long view of our outdoor future. They set aside differences to look for common ground and, in a spirit of cooperation, listened to presentations, panel discussions and went through group exercises designed to identify and rank actions that must be taken today to help ensure a quality Missouri outdoors 75 years from now.
The top three actions: 1) Get the message out that quality, healthy outdoors is essential for life; 2) Conserve plants, animals, and natural communities so that they are diverse, healthy, and resilient; 3) Maintain and pursue stable long-term and short-term funding for outdoor operations, capital improvements and special projects. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
7
Take A Long Look Down The Future Charles Callison f there is a single trait that sets conservationists apart from other citizens, it is simply an ability to see beyond their noses. If civilization means the mores and methods by which human beings get along with each other in a state of mutual dependence, then conservationists are the most civilized of people. Theirs has been extended into the fourth dimension. It is not just a sense of obligation toward their neighbors of the day that sparks their concern for the earth’s productive crust. They also feel a responsibility—a kind of paternal feeling, if you will—toward the people who will live in the home block, and in the next county, one hundred years from now. When one runs across a hunter or fisherman not interested in the local sportsman’s club or unwilling to help in organized conservation work, his peculiar brand of short-sightedness usually takes one of three forms: He may declare that we have plenty of government agents being paid fat salaries to do that sort of thing (the “let-Georgedo-it” type). He may point out that conservation should have started fifty years ago while we still had some ducks (the “too-latenow” type). Or he may feel he would be wasting his time when he could be out there getting his share while it lasted (the “game-hog” type). Of these three forms of sportsmanmyopia, the first two probably are the most insidious. The “game-hog” type, while annoying, is becoming outnumbered, and we’ll probably find a way to kill him off before he succeeds in killing off the sport.
I
8
SEPTEMBER 2010
Charles Callison.
The “let-George-do-it” malady crops out in Missourians who want to know what we need a Federation for, anyway. They point with just pride to past accomplishments and remind us we have a State Conservation Commission rated the best in the nation. We also have the
federal Fish & Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and county agents talking to farmers daily about saving the soil. What purpose can a conservation club serve in a field that appears overcrowded with professionals? There are several ways to cut the
ground out from under Mr. Let-GeorgeDo-It. One way is to remind him that a few hundred employees of the state conservation department and a few thousand federal employees, working by themselves and with each other, couldn’t stick a single effective plaster on an earth that is bleeding to death. Their most important function, anyway, is to direct and coordinate that vast reservoir of energy—the general public—in the
conservation programs. And the public effort takes its best and most effective form in organized activity. The final and devastating reply to Mr. Let-George-Do-It, however, is the fact that the Conservation Commission—or any government agency, for that matter— is no more than a projection of the public will. Without a sustaining public will, the agency would dry up on the vine like a cucumber in the Sahara.
The Conservation Federation of Missouri as an organization serves to discover, even to stimulate, to express and translate to action the public will in matters affecting conservation. Editor’s note: Charles Callison wrote this still-timely essay in 1948 in Jefferson City, MO. You can find the full text at the Conservation Federation of Missouri website (http://www.confedmo.org).
Charlie Callison, Mentor first met Charlie Callison in a New York City hotel in 1974 when this friendly little man whom I had never even seen before came up and threw his arms around me to welcome me to the National Audubon Society board as a fellow Missourian. Fellow Missourian? Having only just moved to the state to teach environmental history at MU, I was acutely conscious that one could not be a Missourian without having been born there. Years later I would learn that not even Charlie had been born there. He was born on the last plains frontier in Alberta in 1913, but at age 5 moved with his parents when they returned to Monroe County after failing, like countless others, on their Canadian homestead. Although he had served as editor of the Missouri Conservationist and then as the first executive secretary of the Conservation Federation, he had left the state in 1951 to become conservation director of the National Wildlife Federation, chairman of the Natural Resources Council of America, and then executive vice president of the National Audubon Society. Yet all his life Charlie thought of himself as a Missourian. When he introduced himself, however, I knew immediately who he was, for in my effort to get my feet on the ground in my new home I had discovered his Man and Wildlife in Missouri (1953), one of the few works
I
available at the time that gave a Missouri focus to the new courses I would be teaching. Just how good a book it was I would come increasingly to appreciate as I turned to it again and again over the years. And I also knew that Charlie had served on the blue-ribbon “Leopold Committee” with Starker Leopold and Irving Fox that led to the proposed “Design for Conservation.” Over my six years on the Audubon board I came to have enormous respect and affection for Charlie. It was Charlie, more than anyone, who had steered the phenomenal development of Audubon from a society of 50,000 birdwatchers to an effective grassroots force of nearly 400,000 organized for environmental action at local, regional and national levels. He oversaw the chartering of hundreds of new chapters, hired and trained a network of nine regional directors, supervised an increasingly effective Washington policy office, and wrote a “National Outlook” column that appeared in 98 consecutive issues of Audubon from 1961–1977, chronicling some of the most momentous years of American conservation history. Years after his death, I discovered that he had also ghostwritten dozens of editorials on conservation issues for the New York Times. Charlie had a lifelong habit of giving others the credit. Moreover, I learned that virtually everyone he had hired at Audubon felt
the same way about Charlie as I did because every time Audubon President Elvis Stahr collected another of his 27 honorary doctorates, one or another of Charlie’s staff would ask me if we could possibly get an honorary doctorate for Charlie at MU, his alma mater. We finally accomplished that in 1979, a year after Charlie was awarded the Audubon Medal, the society’s highest honor, in a marked break from Audubon's tradition of excluding staff. At 64, Charlie left Audubon to begin a new venture “before anyone could say [he] retired.” He founded the Public Lands Institute, headquartered in Denver, to study and advocate for environmental values on the vast but neglected (by conservation organizations) Bureau of Land Management acreage in the western states and Alaska. I felt bereft when he left Audubon, but thrilled when he and Amy moved back to Jefferson City. For PLI he published a massive report, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern on the Public Lands (1984 and 1986) and the book Overlooked in America (1991). In 1982 I ran into Charlie at a meeting called to discuss organizing a statewide Audubon council, which devolved into a heated discussion of the state park funding crisis. The system was staggering under a budget cut to less than half; some were advocating transfer of parks to the Conservation Department, with its new 1/8th-cent MISSOURI WILDLIFE
9
SUSAN FLADER
Charles and Amy Callison.
sales tax, while passionate young park director John Karel pleaded with the group instead to support transfer of part of the sales tax to the park division in DNR. Confusion reigned among the assembled, many of whom had carried initiative petitions for the tax, until Charlie stood up to say, “John, you are doing a wonderful job with the parks; you need help and we’re going to help you, but we are NOT going to raid the conservation sales tax.” Charlie had a way of cutting to the quick of an issue; I witnessed it many times, but never more dramatically than that day. A month or two later he invited several of us to his house to discuss forming a citizen support group for the park system. A few days before the organizational meeting of the Missouri Parks Association, which I had to miss, Charlie said he planned to nominate me for president. When I protested at length and said everyone wanted him, 1 0
SEPTEMBER 2010
he told me that he would soon undergo open-heart surgery; but he promised that, if he recovered, “I'll be your boy Friday.” He kept his promise. No job was too menial or timeconsuming for Charlie. He monitored the post office box, coordinated membership, started a newsletter, analyzed issues, lobbied in the capitol, wrote press releases, and arranged meetings. He helped lead the first campaign for the 1/10th-cent Parks and Soils Tax in 1984 and coordinated the initiative petition campaign for renewal of the tax in 1988, all while still heading the Public Lands Institute, lobbying and stuffing envelopes for River Bluffs Audubon chapter, and helping lead the abortive 1990 campaign for the Natural Streams Act. He knew when to be supportive and when to challenge park officials. When we exhausted several successive authors of our state park book, Charlie agreed to write many of the remaining essays.
And when Exploring Missouri’s Legacy was finally published in late 1992, Charlie hand-delivered the five-pound tomes to the offices of more than 200 legislators and state officials, pushing them in a cart through the capital corridors with Amy’s help and leaning on the cart for support, we later learned, because he could hardly breathe and would soon again undergo open-heart surgery. This time he did not recover, succumbing to complications on February 23, 1993. Nearly two decades since his death, I still find myself in each new crisis asking “What would Charlie do?” His clear vision, steady hand, absolute integrity, willingness to do whatever needed doing no matter how menial, and undying faith in the power of an alert, active citizenry inspired us all. He was our mentor, but most of all we remember him as a friend. —Susan Flader
On this and the next few pages...
See where CFM is today MISSOURI
Teaming With Wildlife: CFM Leads State Coalition Teaming with Wildlife is a national coalition of more than 6,000 organizations and businesses working together to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered by supporting increased funding for fish, forest and wildlife conservation, and related education and outdoor recreation. Our Missouri Teaming With Wildlife Coalition is led by the Conservation Federation of Missouri along with a steering committee of key partners: Audubon Missouri, Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Prairie Foundation,
Ozark Regional Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy. Missouri is the fifth largest coalition in the nation,representing 275 organizations and businesses.Together we also support implementation of Missouri’s Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy. Last year, with the coalition’s strong support, congress approved an additional $15 million nationally for the State Wildlife Grants program, resulting in an additional $300,000 for on-the-ground habitat work in Missouri. To learn more or to join the coalition, visit our new website: www.confedmo.org/teaming. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
1 1
Share The Harvest: 18-Year Partnership Going Strong Prior to the 1992 firearms deer season, the Department of Conservation announced a “Charitable Deer Meat Donation Program� for clubs and sportsmen's organizations. More than 2,000 pounds of venison were transferred to charitable agencies that year when two clubs, the Columbia Area Archers and St. Louis Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, participated in the new program. The Conservation 1 2
Federation of Missouri soon partnered with MDC to take the program statewide, and after 18 years of Share The Harvest, more than 2,000,000 pounds of venison has been produced by this program to help feed hungry Missourians. The Conservation Federation of Missouri has secured funding for the 2010/2011 deer season to allow for the processing of up to 10,000 deer, or approximately 600,000 pounds of ground
SEPTEMBER 2010
venison. With the help of generous hunters, Missouri's meat processors, food banks and countless community organizations all working together, this can be our most bountiful harvest yet! A special thanks to our major sponsors: Bass Pro Shops Drury Hotels Enterprise Leasing MidwayUSA Missouri Deer Hunter Association
Missouri Department of Conservation Missouri Department of Economic Development National Wild Turkey Federation Pyramid Home Health Services Quality Deer Management Association Safari Club International Shelter Insurance Wells Fargo Whitetails Unlimited
CLC: The Next Generation Of Conservation Leaders Created in 2002, CFM’s Conservation Leadership Corps serves to identify and prepare future generations of conservation leaders. This award winning program encourages high school and college students to develop skills and enthusiasm for advancing conservation of natural resources. Anyone who has attended
CFM’s annual convention in the last few years can tell you that our youth movement is alive and well… and working hard into the night. In fact, it would be hard to pull off the convention without “The CLC.” In addition to developing conservation resolutions, they provide valuable assistance by co-chairing resource commit-
tees and lending a hand for any task. CLC students participate in CFM’s fall conference, CLC Legislative Day, and have represented Missouri in other states to promote student involvement in conservation. The National Wildlife Federation hosted a group of CLC students at their national meeting in Washington, D.C.,
in 2005 to share the successes of the Missouri program with representatives from other states. This year Montana successfully launched their new program with considerable guidance from our own Mark Corio! To learn more about the CLC program or to nominate a student, visit our website at www.confedmo.org.
MISSOURI WILDLIFE
1 3
Missouri Legislative Sportsmens Caucus: A Chance To Reach Across The Aisle What do 134 members of the Missouri General Assembly, representing both parties in both chambers have in common these days? A lot, it turns out! 1 4
The Missouri Legislative Sportsmens Caucus (MLSC) has grown into a great organization for all legislators interested in hunting, fishing, shooting sports and other
SEPTEMBER 2010
outdoor activities. In 2010 the Caucus and CFM hosted a Hunter Education course in The Capitol and a Concealed Carry class in Jefferson City for members,
staff, friends and family. For more information, go to http://sportsmenslink.org /Sportsmens-Caucus/StateSportsmens-Caucuses/Missouri.
Missouri Stream Teams: 21 Years + 4,000 Teams + 80,000 Volunteers = Wow! Since it began in 1989, Missouri Stream Teams has grown from one team to now well over 4,000. At least 80,000 volunteers actively participate in stream clean-
ups, water quality monitoring, and many other programs as varied as the teams and the streams they serve. Well over 1.5 MILLION hours of volunteer work! What began as a
good idea has exploded into a great citizen-conservationist movement! At 21 years and counting, this exemplary program with its roots in CFM is now jointly sponsored
by the Missouri Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources. We look forward to the next 20 years! For more information, go to www.mostreamteam.org.
MISSOURI WILDLIFE
1 5
MDC
MDC
MDC
MDC
OPERATION
FOREST ARSON
Operation Game Thief And Operation Forest Arson: CFM, MDC—And You!—Protect Forests, Fish And Wildlife For many years, the CFM Committee responsible for these two important programs has been providing rewards for information resulting in arrests and convictions for game law violations and acts 1 6
of forest arson. The selfish acts of a few bad players as poachers are a constant threat, against which we must all remain vigilant. Do your part by calling to report! Since 1937, professional law
SEPTEMBER 2010
enforcement by Conservation Agents in every county of Missouri has provided protection of our forests, fish and wildlife fairly, consistently, and effectively. We proudly support the efforts of these professionals
with Operation Game Thief, Operation Forest Arson and many other programs. To report someone to Operation Game Thief or Operation Forest Arson, call 800-392-1111.
DNR DNR
Katy Trail State Park: Nation’s Oldest Rail-Trail From its inception and throughout its 20-year history, Katy Trail State Park has been one of the most successful rails-to-trail conversion projects in the United States. As the longest developed railtrail in the United States, it has been inducted into the
national Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. The National Trails System Act Amendments of 1983 provide that railroad corridors no longer needed for active rail service can be banked for future transportation needs and used on an interim basis
for recreational trails. In the fall of 1986, the Katy experienced severe ooding that washed out several miles of track. Due to the cost of repair, the fact that railroad use was in decline,and the company was in financial trouble, the company decided
to cease operations. Thus arose the opportunity for the development of the KATY Trail orchestrated by Missouri DNR, the Missouri Parks Association, Ted & Pat Jones, the Conservation Foundation of Missouri Charitable Trust and CFM.
MISSOURI WILDLIFE
1 7
Design For Conservation Sales Tax: $90 Million Per Year CFM formed and hosted the Citizen’s Committee to solicit public support via initiative petitions and then lead the successful campaign through the election in November 1976. This decisive and historic action by Missouri citizens now yields $90 million each year for conservation in Missouri. What do we have to show for it? Hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and forestry generated more than $11.4 BILLION in Missouri last year‌a 10,000% return on investment in the year invested! Wise use has given us an economic engine bigger than all pro sports combined, which supports thousands and thousands of jobs in the private sector. This unique Missouri expression of the North American model for conservation greatly benefits our forests, fish, wildlife and every Missouri citizen. The three murals reproduced here depict programs funded by the Design for Conservation sales tax. These incredible works of art were created by Mark Raithel, MDC Wildlife Artist, and can be viewed at the central office of the Missouri Department of Conservation, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City, MO.
1 8
SEPTEMBER 2010
Parks And Soils Sales Tax: Keeping A Good Thing
DNR
CFM has been a leader in every campaign to pass and renew the 1/10th-cent State Parks and Soils Sales Tax. This unique and vital source of designated funds now provides 75% of the annual budget for Missouri State Parks. It allows free admission to the parks for all citizens. Furthermore, soil conservation improvements funded this way continue to reduce erosion and enhance water quality.
MISSOURI WILDLIFE
1 9
And here are some of the wishes & dreams of our members for
The Missouri Outdoors
Amy Kilpatric: My dream or wish for the outdoors is... As an elementary school educator, I am constantly reminded of how little time today’s children spend planning outdoor play. When I was a child, growing up in the 1960s, school vacations provided opportunities for outdoor exploration. Countless hours were spent with
neighborhood children playing in the woodland behind our home, climbing trees, wading in the creek and catching and releasing any small “critter” that crossed our pathway. On special occasions our family visited Missouri’s finest outdoor adventure spots giving us the chance to climb elephant-sized boulders, slide through shut-ins, test the cold waters of giant springs, or take a gentle float down a crystal clear Ozark stream. In 1970, we branched out to explore new territory by attending the first ever Family Nature Summit. What began as an adventure became tradition. In the 1990s, my husband and I began taking our own children to “The Summits” where families and individuals share the opportunity to learn, explore,and gain an appreciation for the cultural heritage and natural beauty of a new environment. In early August 2011, Missouri’s natural splendor will be showcased as summit participants gather at the YMCA of the Ozarks. It is my wish that fellow Missourians will embrace the opportunity to save themselves and their children from, in the words of author Richard Louv, “Nature Deficit Disorder” by joining us next summer at the Family Nature Summit.
—Amy Kilpatric teaches science and nature study at Community School in Ladue where she focuses on helping children to get in touch with the natural world.
Dan Witter: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... My dream for Missouri outdoors? It’s answerable… • It will always be there as it has been for me—or better (theme of Summit) • That we could all spend more time in the outdoors • That we could export all our ticks and chiggers 2 0
SEPTEMBER 2010
to Kansas • That my children and grandchildren will love Missouri outdoors—or develop an outdoor appreciation that they’ll carry on their lifetime adventures to other parts of the country or world • It will always be an important part of the
Missouri economy • That Missouri outdoors and economic development aren’t pitted against each, but are seen as complements •That CFM remains a strong and ever-present voice for Missouri outdoors
—Dan Witter
Dennis Figg: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is... My wish for the Missouri outdoors is that young people would be as enthusiastic about fish and wildlife conservation as I was when I was growing up. I was one of the Boy Scouts who circulated the petitions that led to the citizen initiative that created Design for Conservation. I was much influenced by the Missouri Conservationist magazine (I cut pictures out of every issue) and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom (with spokesman Marlin Perkins). I seem to recall that the Mark Trail comic strip made it seem that every day with wildlife would be an adventure. Well, the Missouri landscape is not nearly as wild as it was 30 years ago, but we still have much to offer fish and wildlife and people who want to be outdoors. Interesting that 11-year-old kid had no idea that he would become a conservation biologist as a career, an employee of the Missouri Department of Conservation, and an author of articles in the Missouri Conservationist.
—Dennis Figg is a conservation biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Every day he is challenged to help Missourians conserve wildlife diversity for future generations.
Abe Phillips: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... My dream for the Missouri outdoors is that sufficient natural areas will be available for all future generations, giving them the opportunity to hunt, fish, bird watch, hike, or just view the wonders of nature. For almost eighty years I have enjoyed nature’s spectacular arena. The beauty of nature is good for the
soul. The excitement of a bass hitting a top water plug or the heart pounding moment of looking up and seeing a beautiful whitetail headed toward your stand are thrills I would wish for every citizen. Whatever you enjoy about the outdoors, my hope is that the citizens of this great state of Missouri continue to see the value of supporting conservation agencies and citizen conservation organizations. These groups work tirelessly to ensure that adequate public lands with manageable numbers of fish and wildlife are present for all to enjoy. My dream is that future generations will have the opportunity to enjoy the sounds and sights of the outdoors, the thrill of a largemouth bass on the end of a line, or the challenge that comes with a fair chase, just as I have enjoyed for so many years. By supporting the Conservation Federation of Missouri, you can help my dream come true.
—Albert “Abe” Phillips was born July 20, 1931, near Oswego, KS. He graduated from Pittsburg State, Pittsburg, KS, in 1953. Abe worked as a professional in Parks & Recreation from 1954–1992. He’s been involved with CFM for approximately 50 years and has served in many capacities including President. Abe is a long-time member of the CFM Board and currently serves as Chairman of Operation Game Thief. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
2 1
Allan Hoover: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is...
Bill Bryan: My wish for Missouri’s outdoors is... Our state park system is the Nation’s finest thanks to great friends like the Federation. Let’s keep the campfires burning together for another 75 years.
—Bill Bryan is the Director of Missouri State Parks.
My dream for the Missouri Outdoors is to educate our citizens regarding the many benefits to Man and Nature that are found in the outdoor way of life to the extent of causing a fundamental change-of-focus where outdoor pursuits will, once again, become a priority for each generation. Pictured above is Daniel Margita and mentor Allan Hoover on Daniel’s first deer hunt. Photo courtesy of MHHF.
—Allan Hoover is a cofounder and the current Executive Director of the Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating the hunting heritage in Missouri.
Melanie Cheney: My dream for Missouri’s outdoors is...
My dream is simply that people learn to respect Mother Nature and all of the bountiful resources she provides. As a person who regularly works alongside stream-lovers and river organizations across the state, I am all too familiar with the ill effects 2 2
that stormwater is having on our rivers and the entire eco-systems that depend on them. There is literally tons of trash pouring into our waterways from the streets, wildlife in distress, and constant reports about sewage and chemical spills. The rate at which our rivers are being polluted is alarming. We only begin to understand the scale of this problem when we learn about things like the “giant
SEPTEMBER 2010
Pacific garbage patch.” I dream that one day Missouri will do away with nonreusable plastic water bottles, which is the number one thing we find on river clean-ups. It is my hope that Missouri will enforce stricter regulations on stormwater outflows, and the many pharmaceuticals and chemicals being flushed into our waterways. If we can help restore and protect what little stream buffers and
wetlands we have left to filter these threats and keep our trash from entering storm drains, Missouri and everything downstream would benefit. Water is life—let’s keep it clean!
—Melanie Cheney works with Missouri River Relief, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing people together through hands-on Missouri river clean-ups, restoration and education activities.
Howard Fisher: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is...
Georganne Nixon: my wish for Missouri’s outdoors is... My dream for the Missouri Outdoors is that all children have the opportunity to play outside and fall in love with the world’s natural beauty.
—First Lady Georganne Wheeler Nixon
My wish for the Missouri outdoors is that its diversity be preserved for new generations as much as possible, consistent with our present and future population. All kinds of water sports are available on our many rivers and lakes. We have wonderful opportunities for fishing. The land varies from prairie to mountains. Game is plentiful in our state and there are plans for even larger game. We have an excellent conservation commission and department. Best of all, there is the Conservation Federation of Missouri and
our affiliates and associates who are dedicated to the best use of these things.
—Howard Fisher lives in Higginsville, MO.
Jeff Churan: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... I spend a lot of time in the Missouri outdoors. I frequently think about how it could be better…and as hard as I try, I am hard pressed to come up with any revolutionary ideas. I guess that should not be surprising. Missouri has been blessed with a rich and diverse natural landscape along with some strategic visionaries who cared about it. Through initiative petitions campaigns, the citizens of Missouri have voted for a unique constitutional authority for our Conservation Commission as well as dedicated funding sources for Conservation and
Natural Resources. My wish would be that the agencies that manage our public lands (Department of Conservation, Department of Natural resources, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service) employ an adaptive approach to resource management and continually seek to make improvements after careful planning, implementation and evaluation…all based on the best available science and in communication with their stakeholders. The Department of Conservation has the opportunity, and responsibility, to influence management on private
lands. With more than 90% of the State in private ownership, this is critically important and my “wish list” would urge a ramping up in this area. Finally, the human dimensions aspect must not be ignored. My hope is
that we can find ways to recruit more people, of all ages…but particularly the younger generation, to enjoy our wonderful outdoors.
—Jeff Churan lives in Chillicothe, MO.
MISSOURI WILDLIFE
2 3
Mark McNally: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... My dream for the Missouri outdoors is that my grandchildren’s grandchildren enjoy the diverse wildlife and pristine environment of Missouri outdoors. With the hard work pioneered by the Restoration and Conservation Federation of Missouri in their seventy-five years,
we have restored much of the former bio-diversity in our land, lakes, rivers and streams. The environmental sensitivity created has paid off resulting in cleaned up polluted sites and restored habitat for God’s creatures. With continued effort, Missourians will enjoy our great Missouri
outdoors for all future generations.
—Mark McNally, General Manager of the Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission, retired from the U.S. Navy to rural Missouri with his wife Rose because of the great life to be had.
Jim Zeiger: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is...
My wish for Missouri’s outdoors is for each new generation of Missourians to have a deeper understanding of and connection to the natural world than the previous generation.
My wish is that through education and positive experiences the Youth of Missouri will learn to respect, protect and pass on the Natural Resources that we are so blessed to enjoy in the Great Missouri Outdoors. The future is in the hands of our Youth and we need to mentor them with positive and rewarding programs and opportunities that our State Conservation Department and Community Organizations offer. Then and only then we can rest assured that our Natural Resources will be around and thriving for many generations to come.
—Jim Low is a News Services Coordinator with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
—Jim Zieger is President, Missouri BASS Federation Nation.
Jim Low: My wish for Missouri’s outdoors is...
2 4
SEPTEMBER 2010
Jim Hill: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is...
Lowell Mohler: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is...
My wish for the Missouri Outdoors is that the management of our resources will always be kept out of the hands of our politicians and in the hands of professionals as it is now. I hope that all of our citizens will see the logic in this approach which has been so successful and continue to support it with their tax dollars and volunteer work. I hope that all people will treat our outdoors with respect, keeping it clean and obeying the rules and regulations that exist. I also wish that more and more people will take advantage of the wide variety of activities which are provided in our great outdoors. I know that I have always taken full advantage of the outdoor opportunities in Missouri, and this is one reason that I felt motivated to become a life member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. I hope that more people will make this same commitment.
My dream for the Missouri Outdoors for the next 75 years is that we make the same progress in preserving and acquiring strategic conservation areas and wetlands in the next 75 years as we have the past 75 years. That would be a remarkable feat, but could and will happen with the continuation of the dedicated 1/8 cent tax for MDC and with the help and support of great conservation allies led by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. It is also important we continue to build citizen support for our conservation efforts including our legislative friends and making sure our many conservation areas and programs are as user friendly as possible. Continued emphasis on youth conservation activities is also a must in the future. Yes, Missouri is the leader in the United States today in conservation programs and we need to keep it that way in the coming 75 years. Hope you will do your part!
—Jim Hill retired as a research manager from the refractory industry, where he spent some 35 years after graduating from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.
—Lowell Mohler
Tim and Cindy Ard: Our dream and wish for the Missouri outdoors are... Our dream and wish for the Missouri Outdoors is to never see one piece of trash on any of our roadsides or other beautiful landscape.
—ArdPark Cabins and Campground is a private venue in Steelville, MO. It is owned and operated by Tim and Cindy Ard. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
2 5
John Moore: My dream or wish for the outdoors is... As a lifelong hunter and fisherman, my dream for the Missouri outdoors is not simply about more fish and game in years to come. Although I hope to find both abundantly, and I fervently hope my little grandson will
Amy Buechler: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is ... I dream that Missouri will have an abundance of healthy habitats that support native fish and wildlife and that those habitats will be resilient to change. I dream that Missourians will have access to these places and that they care enough to support their care and management. I dream for Missourians to share great pride over our natural resources and consider future generations when making decisions. I dream that my kids and grandkids will share a personal connection with the outdoors—and will take time to unplug and enjoy all that the Missouri outdoors has to offer.
—Amy Buechler is Teaming With Wildlife Coordinator for the Conservation Federation of Missouri. 2 6
SEPTEMBER 2010
be able to enjoy these pastimes as I have, this is not the whole of my vision. My dream, rather, extends to the awareness and value every citizen has for our natural resources, the fish and game, the fields and forests, the lakes and streams, with which Missouri has been blessed. When something is valued, it is cared for, protected and sustained. If we prize these natural resources and care for them appropriately, they will be there abundantly for future generations. Leadership in fulfilling this dream will come from an outstanding Conservation Commission, an effective Conservation Federation, a host of allied outdoor organizations and an ever-growing environmental ethic which appreciates the natural gifts we've been given. And the result will be an outdoors which is rich in resources, has a continuing tradition which celebrates and partakes of our outdoor heritage, and a state which enjoys wide recognition for its remarkable stewardship.
—A career educator, John Moore now serves as President of the Ozarks Water Watch Foundation, which focuses on water quality in the upper White River basin.
Mike Schallon: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is... As you will note, this picture was taken some time ago! Ha! I am in the middle, my dad is on the left and my grandfather is on the right. I have been fortunate to have grown up in Missouri at a time in its history when we restocked our deer herd and replenished our wild turkey population. I was also able to go to the polls and support with my vote a “one eighth of one percent” sales tax that has proven over and over again to be a real game changer here in Missouri. My wish is that our grandchildren (as yet unborn) will be able to enjoy the fish, forest and wildlife as I have!
—Mike Schallon is President of CFM.
Duane Kelly: My wishes for the Missouri outdoors are... My wishes for Missouri’s future include fresh air, pure waters, and healthy natural landscapes. I dream that our rivers and streams are all drinkable with flourishing native life and no soil erosion; that our fens, marshes and swamps are healthy and host an abundance of
Bob Ziehmer: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... Seventy-five years ago, a small group of dedicated citizens formed what is now the Conservation Federation of Missouri. Determination, hard work, enthusiasm to accomplish what no other state had done, unwavering persistence, and a sincere passion for Missouri’s outdoor resources were their building blocks that changed our state’s conservation history. Today, Missouri has a citizencreated Conservation Commission system of governance (a model studied around the world) operating with constitutional authority for forest, fish, and all wildlife resources. Missouri’s status as a national leader in forest, fish, and wildlife conservation is a result of actions taken 75 years ago by dedicated citizens.
waterfowl, shorebirds, reptiles and amphibians; that our prairies and native grasslands are luxuriant and once again home to elk, prairie chickens, jackrabbits, pronghorns, wolves and bison; that our woodlands are dense, diverse and home to deer, wild turkeys and ruffed
grouse. I dream that we one day clone and restore Passenger Pigeons and Carolina Parakeets. And I most sincerely wish that there be few enough people in our world that all these wonderful things may happen.
—Duane Kelly
Al Vogt: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... My dream (or wish) for the Missouri outdoors is... to encourage youth to envision their personal involvement in conserving our natural resources and to pursue opportunities to realize that vision.
—Al Vogt is a member of CFM and an activist in leading youth toward lives that actively fight for sustaining our natural resources and protect our outdoor heritage in Missouri.
—Robert L. Ziehmer is Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
2 7
Rick Thom: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is... The growing separation of people from the natural resources that support them could threaten the health of Missouri's lands and waters. We cannot wish this trend away. Neither should we ignore it. Organized youth sports, electronic entertainment choices, indoor leisure activities, and urbanization will continue to grow. Seventy-five years from now there will still be hunters and hikers, anglers and birders, campers and boaters. But demographic trends make it likely that their numbers as a percentage of Missouri's population will grow little, or will shrink. These trends need not doom good conservation programs and practices. Less personal contact with the outdoors need not create ignorance of its importance to people's lives. People can learn that healthy lands and waters are not a luxury, but are, in fact, a necessity. Such informed citizens will demand good conservation practices, environmental regulations, and smart growth alternatives regardless of their level of outdoor activity. My wish for the Missouri outdoors is that we successfully implement the foremost recommendation of the 2009
Summit on the Future of the Missouri Outdoors: “Get the message out that a quality, healthy outdoors is essential for life.”
—After a 28-year career with the Department of Conservation, Rick currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation.
David and Janice Reynolds: Our wish for the Missouri outdoors is... David and Janice Reynolds have a wish for the Missouri outdoors: that it be protected and improved so that future generations can enjoy and appreciate it the way they have. They especially have enjoyed fishing and canoeing the clear Missouri streams and observing and hunting the abundant wildlife. They took their daughters on many a drive through the Ozarks’ wandering roads in all seasons, where they enjoyed watching the snow fall through the trees or the trees beginning to bud in the spring. David also introduced his daughters to morel mushroom hunting (they continue to guard his favorite spots!). Now, they have started taking their grandchildren camping canoeing, and fishing, while showing them the small wonders that are to be found in the Missouri woodlands. Their dream for the Missouri Outdoors is to preserve and protect to keep it fresh and pristine for future generations.
—David is retired safety engineer and the Treasurer for 2 8
SEPTEMBER 2010
the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation. Janice is an elementary school counselor; both are active conservationists.
Anita B. Gorman: My wish for the Missouri outdoors is... My wish for the Missouri outdoors is that all Missourians learn the importance of the world of nature and how they can be a part of making our State continue to be the leader in sustaining a healthy environment for all our living things. Such a goal cannot be accomplished without partnerships throughout our State, and the Conservation Federation’s Missouri Wildlife must continue to be very effective in promoting such alliances. Special emphasis must be given to urban areas where many people may not have the opportunity to experience the many aspects of our State’s abundant nature. Once a city dweller gets the chance to enjoy the thrills that our outdoors can provide, the support can become a lifetime passion. Our Judeo-Christian faith teaches us in the first chapter of Genesis, as well as in the beautiful 8th
Psalm, that despite our shortcomings, we are in charge “over all the earth.” Therefore, we have a great responsibility to see that future generations inherit a thriving world of nature. I feel lucky to live in a State where the Missouri outdoors is considered a top priority.
—Anita B. Gorman is Missouri Conservation Commissioner Emerita and was Missouri Conservation Commissioner from 1993–2005.
Vannessa Frazier: My wish & dream for the outdoors is... My wish for the Outdoors is that we start to take better care of our environment. We will utilize lessons learned from other man made disasters that are occurring in the country; that whatever we do for profit we will consider the impact it will cause on our future generations; our soil, our rivers and most importantly, the animal kingdom that call it their home. If we consider the last consideration first, it will cause us to do better by the other three. My dream is for everyone in the state of Missouri to become better land stewards and to want to be like us. That hunting becomes abundantly available to all with no limits, no danger of extinction and Missouri Citizens stand proud and blessed.
—Vannessa Frazier is Executive Director, Howardville Community Betterment.
Mike Currier: My dream for the Missouri outdoors is... My dream for Missouri outdoors is diversity—high quality natural landscapes that support their full range of native plants and animals.
—Mike Currier is a Natural Resource Steward with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. MISSOURI WILDLIFE
2 9
THANK YOU! BUSINESS ALLIANCE MEMBERS PLATINUM
BASIC
Bass Pro Shops Shelter Insurance Drury Hotels
Aaron’s Boats & Motors ArdPark Cabins Bee Rock Land, LLC Bolin Auto and Truck Parts C. J. Thomas Company Cap America Cequel III Citizens Telephone Company Columbia Daily Tribune Commerce Bank Columbia Market Culligan Water of Columbia Denny Dennis Sporting Goods Evans Equipment
SILVER Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories, Inc. Gray Manufacturing Company Hornbuckle Heating, Cooling and Plumbing James T. Blair IV Pyramid Home Health Services
Farmer’s Coop Elevator Association Les Bourgeois Vineyards McRoberts Farm, Inc. Meramec Bison Farm, LLC Michaelanne, Inc. Paradigm Financial Advisors Quality Forest Management REMAX Boone Realty Sierra Bullets Suddenlink Communications Tabor Plastic Company The Bank of Missouri Wood Land & Cattle, LLC
CONSERVATION FEDERATION OF MISSOURI AFFILIATES Anglers of Missouri Beaver Lake Beagle Club Big Game Hunters, Inc. Bridlespur Hunt Club Capitol City Fly Fishers Central Missouri Chapter Safari Club Chesterfield Citizens Committee for the Environment Coldwater Outing & Game Preserve Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club Gasconade County Youth Shooting Sports Greenway Network, Inc. Heaven’s Anglers Jefferson County Coonhunters, Inc. Lambert Field Rod & Gun Club Meramec Area Sportsman Association Midwest Diving Council Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters Missouri Association of Meat Processors Missouri Atlatl Association Missouri Bass Federation Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Missouri Bow Hunters MIssouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society Missouri Chapter Soil and Water Conservation Society 3 0
Missouri Conservation Agents Association Missouri Consulting Foresters Association Missouri Department of Agriculture Missouri Ducks Unlimited State Council Missouri Forest Products Association Missouri Hunter Education Instructors Association Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation Missouri Hunting Spaniel Club Missouri National Wild Turkey Federation Missouri Native Seed Association Missouri Parks & Recreation Association Missouri Parks Association Missouri Prairie Foundation Missouri Ruffed Grouse Society Missouri Smallmouth Alliance Missouri Society of American Foresters Missouri Sport Shooting Association Missouri State Campers Association Missouri State Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association Missouri State Council Quail Unlimited Missouri Taxidermist Association Missouri Trappers Association
SEPTEMBER 2010
Missouri Trout Fisherman’s Association Missouri Waterfowl Association Missouri Whitetails Unlimited Monett Sportsman League MU Student Chapter Wildlife Society Northeast Missouri Coonhunters Association North Side Division Conservation Federation Open Space Council Ozark Fly Fishers Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club Perry County Sportsman Club Pomme de Terre Chapter Muskies, Inc. Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation Quail Forever & Pheasants ForeverRiver Relief, Inc. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Saint James Civic Club South Side Division Conservation Federation Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers Tipton Farmers & Sportsman Club United Bow Hunters of Missouri Walnut Council & Other Fine Hardwoods Wecomo Sportsman Club Wild Elk Institute of Missouri Wildlife Society of Missouri State University Windsor Lake Rod & Gun Club
MISSOURI
Wildlife September 2010 Vol. 71, No. 5
OFFICERS Mike Schallon President Duane Addleman 1st Vice President Richard Ash 2nd Vice President Sara Parker Pauley Secretary Randy Washburn Treasurer
STAFF Dave Murphy Executive Director/ Editor Matt Gaunt Director of Development Amy Buechler Teaming With Wildlife Coordinator Micaela Office Manager Haymaker Laurie Coleman Membership Associate/ Managing Editor Lynne J. Lampe Design & Production
Missouri Wildlife is the official publication of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, Affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. ISSN 1082-8591
728 W. Main Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559 Phone • 573-634-2322 Fax • 573-634-8205 Email • dmurphy@confedmo.org Online • http://www.confedmo.org MISSOURI WILDLIFE (USPS 012868) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November for subscribers and members of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, 728 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559. Of each member’s dues ($25 minimum) $10.00 shall be for a year’s subscription to Missouri Wildlife. Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, MO. and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MISSOURI WILDLIFE, 728 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559
COVER: A photographic reproduction of the posters and billboards used in the 1935-36 CFM campaign to create the Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri.
Please join CFM today to conserve our natural resources for tomorrow! Check the membership category you prefer: ❑ $25—Individual ❑ $15—Student ❑ $30—Family ❑ $100—Sustaining ❑ $1000—Lifetime Your dues include a 1-year subscription to Missouri Wildlife, a logo sticker and a membership card.
Please mail this application with your membership dues to: Conservation Federation of Missouri 728 West Main • Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559 If you have questions, call us at 1-800-575-2322 or visit us at www.confedmo.org Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________________________ State: __________________________ ZIP code: ______ Work phone:__________________________________________ Home phone: ______________________________ Fax number: ________________________________ E-mail address: ______________________________________
Please make checks payable to the Conservation Federation of Missouri.* If you prefer, you may charge your membership dues to your MasterCard, Visa, or Discover card. Credit card number: __________________________________________________ Expiration date: __________ Signature of cardholder: ____________________________________________________________________________
*Note: CFM is an IRS-approved tax-exempt not-for-profit, so your donations are tax deductible.
MISSOURI WILDLIFE
3 1
CFM Conservationists For Life ($1,000 Contribution) Charles Abele, Saint Louis R. Philip Acuff, Saint Joseph Duane Addleman, Springfield Nancy Addleman† Tom Addleman, Kansas City James Agnew, Arnold Allan Appell, Calhoun Richard Ash, Saint Charles Carolyn Auckley, Ballwin Michael Baker, DeSoto Dane Balsman, Perryville Nancy Blankenship, Joplin Jim Tom Blair, Saint Louis Marilynn Bradford, Cape Girardeau Stephen Bradford, Cape Girardeau Glenn Chambers, Columbia Ron Coleman, Saint Albans Mark Corio, Columbia Bill Crawford, Columbia Ryan Diener, Marthasville John Enderle, Kelso Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Fleming, Columbia Howard & Sara Fleming, Moberly Mr. & Mrs. Matt Fleming, Moberly Matt Gaunt, Columbia Timothy Gordon, Maryland Heights Dave Kolb Grading, Saint Charles Richard & Sally Graham, Hartsburg Gray Manufacturing Company, Saint Joseph Debbie Gremmelsbacher, Saint Louis Gery Gremmelsbacher, Saint Louis Mark and Kathy Haas, Jackson Herman Hanley, Grain Valley Mickey Heitmeyer, Advance Randy Herzog, Saint Joseph James Hill, Mexico
Allan Hoover, Pleasant Hill John Hoskins, Fremont Larry & Joan Hummel, Glencoe Patricia Hurster, Saint Louis Aaron Jeffries, Jefferson City Don Johnson, Festus Malcolm “Mac” Johnson, Hartsburg Roger & Debbie Johnson, Humansville Tom Karl, Farmington Duane & Cosette Kelly, Independence Marty King, University City Judd Kirkham, Climax Springs Sara Knight, Charlotte, NC Carl Kurz, Leawood, KS Ann Kutscher, Jefferson City Larry Lackamp, Bates City Kyle Lairmore, Owensville Jay Law† Gerald Lee, Kansas City Joel LeMaster, Fulton Norman Leppo, Saint Louis John Lewis, Columbia Leroy Logan, Arnold Christine Logan-Hollis, Blackwell Ike Lovan, Steelville Chip and Teresa McGeehan, Marshfield Richard Mendenhall, Columbia Cynthia Metcalfe, Saint Louis Davis Minton, Dexter John Moore, Jr., Springfield Johnny Morris, Springfield David Murphy, Columbia Dean Murphy, Jefferson City First Lady Georganne Wheeler Nixon, Jefferson City Gov. Jay Nixon, Jefferson City Sara Parker Pauley, Hartsburg Abe Phillips, Saint Louis Jan Phillips, Saint Louis Jerry Presley, Centertown
Albert Price, Columbia Nick Prough, Harrisonville David & Janice Reynolds, Springfield Gerald Ross, Jefferson City Bruce & Jan Sassman, Bland Mike Schallon, Wentzville Mossie Schallon, Wentzville Timothy Schwent, Jackson George Seek, Meadville E. “Sy” Seidler, Saint Louis Sara Seidler, Saint Louis Gary & Susanna Smith, Neosho M.W. Sorenson, Columbia Ed Stegner, Pilot Grove Charles & Winnie Stribling, Mexico Mary Stuppy, Joplin Mark Sullivan† Jim Talbert, Jefferson City Tim Thompson, Saint Charles Jeff (J. T.) Tillman, Lake Ozark Gary Van De Velde, Jefferson City Barbara VanBenschoten, Kansas City Lee Vogel, Kansas City Al Vogt, Columbia Julius Wall, Clinton Randy Washburn, Jefferson City Henry J. Waters, III, Columbia Robert Werges, Arnold Mark Williams, Lawson Stephen Wilson, Hartsburg Michael Wilson, Saint Louis Daniel Witter, Holts Summit Dick Wood, Saint Louis Howard Wood, Bonne Terre Dan Zerr, O’Fallon Jim Zieger, Hannibal Robert Ziehmer, California † Deceased
When will you add your name to the list? CFM Life Membership Application Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Address:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ______________________________Email: ____________________________________________________ Payment Method (circle one):
Cash
Check
Credit Card __________________________________________________Exp. Date: __________________________ 3 2
SEPTEMBER 2010