Vol76 no4 2015

July 2015 VOL. 76, NO. 4

Executive Director

Conservation Stands Firm in the Capitol

Conservation Day at the Capitol attendees browse the booths that filled the 3rd floor rotunda. Credit: Emma Kessinger.

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he 2015 Missouri General Assembly Legislative Session presented a multitude of challenges.

Numerous bills were introduced that would have drastically altered the course of conservation in this state forever. The Conservation Federation of Missouri accepted the challenge and went to work on behalf of all Missourians who cherish our state’s incredible wildlife and natural resources.

To counter this onslaught of negative legislation, CFM developed and implemented a strategic plan that included grassroots organizing, hiring lobbyists, developing a Legislative Action Center and engaging the media.

Conservation Day at

the Capitol was an event the CFM hosted in the rotunda to bring legislators together with representatives of nearly 30 conservation organizations, hundreds of citizens and many members of the media. The event showcased an untied front, while highlighting the diverse conservation interests of Missouri citizens.

CFM retained the services of Schreimann, Rackers, Francka and Blunt L.L.C. This reputable lobbying firm came highly recommended and did not disappoint. Andy Blunt and Mark Schwartz were very dedicated to our efforts of stopping detrimental legislation from becoming law. Their established relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle opened doors for CFM, so we could present

information and explain why these bills were bad for Missouri.

Many media members took it upon themselves to write articles and broadcast news about the legislative attacks on conservation. CFM rallied 17 media members together for a media camp in January, where each attendee was briefed on what was happening. We continued to work with individual media members throughout the session to be sure legislative news was reaching the public.

CFM created a free online Legislative Action Center to provide citizens a platform where they could engage in the legislative process. The Legislative Action Center provides information about bills, informs users of who their legislators are and allows them to communicate with those legislators with the click of a button.

“Relationship building is, and will continue to be, the key to future successful legislative sessions. Through our office we were able to bring the message to over forty elected officials including House and Senate Leadership, those with perceived anti-conservation goals, and those in the inner-city that rarely, if ever, learn about the unique programs offered by CFM and the Department,” said Mark Schwartz of SRFB. Relationship building is time consuming and mundane, but we are doing a good job of it. This past session put CFM to the test, and on track to be more effective than ever at the Capitol. With the help of SRFB, we will continue to foster these relationships, and create new ones, as the elected officials term limit out.

I am pleased to say none of the legislation that would have negatively affected conservation was passed into law. This is quite an accomplishment considering how many bills were written and heard in committee throughout the session.

See you down the trail…

MIS S OURI

Brandon Butler Executive Director, CFM

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MISSOURI

Wildlife July 2015 Vol. 76, No. 4

Contents

Officers President Al Vogt 1st Vice President Ron Coleman Gary Van De Velde 2nd Vice President Secretary Nicole Wood Treasurer Randy Washburn

10 Leo A. Drey 12 Zebras in the Pawpaw Patch 14 Bringing Home the Gold 16 National Wildlife Federation Conservation Congress We Believe Statement 17 Grand Opening of August A Busch Archery Range A Huge Success 22 Missouri B.A.S.S. Federation Nation 2015 Spring Fling Held as a Benefit for CFM 24 Keep America’s Public Lands in Public Hands 25 For the Love of Streams

Staff Brandon Butler Rehan Nana Emma Kessinger

Communications Specialist

Micaela Haymaker

Office Manager Membership Director/ Managing Editor Creative Director

Laurie Coleman

26 Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Grants 27 The Importance of Hearing Protection

Joe Pendergrass

31 MIssouri Teen Awarded Top Honors in National Birder Competition 34 Beating the Drum for Conservation 36 Nature Conservancy Welcomes New State Director to Missouri

Executive Director/ Editor Deputy Director

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

39 Black Bears Make a Comeback in Missouri 40 Life After CLC - Where Are You Now? 42 Why I Became a Life Member of CFM Missouri Wildlife is the official publication of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, Affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

ISSN 1082-8591

news, updates and columns

728 W. Main Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559 Phone • 573-634-2322 Email • lcoleman@confedmo.org Online • www.confedmo.org

3 From The Stone House 6 President’s Message

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Agency News – Missouri Department of Conservation 20

MDC Changes Deer Hunting Regulations to Help Slow CWD

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MDC Encourages People to “Be Bear Aware”

MISSOURI WILDLIFE (USPS 012868) is published bi­ monthly in January, March, May, July, Sept­ember and November for subscribers and members of the Con­ ser­ vation Federation of Missouri, 728 W. Main, Jef­ ferson City, MO 65101-1559. Of each member’s dues ($35 minimum) $10.00 shall be for a year’s subscription to Missouri Wildlife. Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, MO. and additional mailing offices.

Department of Natural Resources – 32

A Day in the Life with Katy

33

Spotlight on Missouri State Parks — Rock Bridge State Park

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MISSOURI WILDLIFE, 728 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559

Member Information: 5 8 7 2 4

Business Alliance Members Business Alliance Spotlight CFM Affiliates

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Affiliate Spotlight New Members 14 Member’s Memories

Calendar

Front Cover: The spring was full of anglers ready for a weekend of fishing as the first whistle blew at Trout Fest on June 6 at Bennett Spring State Park.

Photo credit: Emma Kessinger.

Thank You! Business Alliance Members Our sincere thanks to all of our Business Alliance members.

Your support of CFM is making a difference for Missouri outdoors!

Platinum

Gold Alps OutdoorZ

Silver Drury Hotels

CZ-USA

MidwayUSA

G3 Boats

Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC

Doolittle Trailers

Learfield Communication, Inc.

Lilley’s Landing Resort & Marina

Show Me Farms

Poke N’ Stoke

Lowe Boats

Pure Air Natives, Inc.

Bronze Advantage Metals Recycling Ameren Missouri Assoc. of Missouri Electric Cooperatives Drury Hotels

Gray Manufacturing Company, Inc. Inn at Grand Glaize James T. Blair IV Missouri Petroleum Council

Missouri Wildflowers Nursery NW Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. Sierra Bullets, LLC Tiger Hotel

Iron 3 Creeks Outdoor Group

Fast Yeti

Missouri Deer Classic

Bass Pro Shops (Independence)

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Missouri Mavericks

Bee Rock Outdoor Adventures, LLC

General Printing Service

Missouri Teardrops

Black Widow Custom Bows, Inc.

Greenbrier Wetland Services

MTAR

Blue Ridge Bank and Trust

Grundy Electric Cooperative, Inc.

REMAX Boone Realty

Blue Springs Harley Davidson

Hartco Exteriors

Shade Tree Service, Inc.

Brown Printing

Hornbuckle Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, Inc.

Shady Lane Cabins & Motel

Cap America

Hulett Heating & Air Conditioning

Shafer, Kline & Warren, Inc.

Columbia Daily Tribune

Kansas City Parks and Recreation

Tabor Plastics Company

Commerce Bank

Lewis County Rural Electric Cooperative

The Bank of Missouri

Consolidated Electric Cooperative

McRoberts Farm, Inc.

United Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Dickerson Park Zoo

Meramec Bison Farm, LLC

White River Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Farmer’s Co-op Elevator Association

Missouri Conservation Pioneers

To learn more about how your business can benefit from supporting conservation call Rehan Nana at the CFM office, 573-634-2322.

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president’s message

Don’t Stop Thinking about Tomorrow

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he Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) is dedicated to developing organizational plans to achieve its mission. The process brings to mind the catchy lyrics from a Fleetwood Mac song - “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”. CFM is in tune with that advice about the future as reflected in its 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.

During the past year, CFM’s Strategic Planning Committee conferred with our Board of Directors, committee leaders, affiliates and other partners to revise and develop plans to address the future needs and direction of CFM. The expertise of a professional facilitator/ coordinator was employed to assist the committee in preparing a five year Strategic Plan. Wide-ranging perspectives and opinions were shared and discussed during the development of the proposed plan that has been approved by the Board of Directors.

CFM has a proud history and reputation for contributing significantly to the development of Missouri’s highly-regarded conservation programs. In keeping with that tradition, CFM’s Strategic Plan is directed toward positioning and preparing the organization to effectively respond to continuously emerging conservation issues.

Clearly, that expectation requires full collaboration between CFM staff, Board of Directors, committees, conservation partners and Missouri citizens.

Major goals identified as high priorities in the plan include: facilitating involvement of CFM’s Board of Directors, achieving a statewide organizational identity within the general public and appropriate organizations, developing efficient CFM operations and securing fiscal resources to support programs and operations.

CFM has prioritized objectives within these important goals for immediate attention. Several Priority Working Groups have been developed, comprised of CFM members and staff, as well as other partners. These Working Groups are preparing recommendations to the Board of Directors for possible organizational changes, as well as strategies and actions to address specific priorities, including: 1. the CFM resolution process, 2. communications and marketing, 3. Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC), 4. funds development, 5. membership, 6. board structure and function, and 7. funds and finance rules and controls.

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If I have stimulated your interest in learning more about CFM, please read the complete five year Strategic Plan that is posted on the CFM website at www.confedmo.org/ strategic-plan.

Yours in Conservation.

Al Vogt President, CFM

Plan your next weekend getaway.

Proud to support Missouri’s outdoors. www.thetigerhotel.com

Affiliate Spotlight —

Missouri Ducks Unlimited

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stablished in 1937, Ducks Unlimited (DU) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

Missouri Ducks Unlimited is a grassroots, volunteerbased organization. Its members are conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts. They enhance, restore, and protect wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl on both the wintering and breeding grounds.

Waterfowl are not the only beneficiaries of DU’s habitat work. Wetlands improve the overall health of our environment by recharging and purifying groundwater, moderating floods and reducing soil erosion. Wetlands are the most productive ecosystems, providing critical habitat to more than 900 wildlife species and invaluable recreation opportunities for people to enjoy.

DU is able to deliver its work through a series of partnerships with private individuals, landowners, agencies, scientific communities and other entities. In the last 25 years, DU, has worked with partners and volunteer landowners to conserve more than 110,000 acres of wetland habitat in Missouri alone.

The Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) has partnered with DU on several projects. CFM and DU were both sponsors, along with others in publishing the book “Waterfowl Hunting and Wetland Conservation in Missouri,” which traces the history of duck hunting and wetland conservation programs in Missouri. CFM has also partnered with DU on wetland projects such as the one at Mingo NWR. That project will enhance over 3,000 acres of wetland habitat in southeast Missouri.

Most importantly, CFM has ensured that the voice for conservation is heard in the Missouri Capitol. Each year, legislation is introduced that could have important impacts on conservation programs that could directly impact the long-term health of waterfowl populations. It is a comfort knowing that a partner such as CFM is keeping an eye on these important decisions.

For more information on Missouri Ducks Unlimited visit www.ducks.org/missouri.

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Business Alliance Spotlight — Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops is America’s leading outdoor company.

The guiding conservation philosophy of the company comes from Johnny Morris, the founder. He states that “the people of our company believe very strongly that the future of our industry, the sports we serve and the sports we personally enjoy, is absolutely more dependent upon how we manage our natural resources than anything else.”

The company is more than a retail mecca for sportsmen.

Since the beginning, in 1971, Johnny Morris was dedicated to inspiring people, especially youth and families, to love, enjoy and conserve the great outdoors.

That commitment is the reason why Bass Pro Shops is known as the outdoor industry’s corporate conservation leader.

Bass Pro Shops was an early conservation advocate in Missouri. They gave full support to the Design for Conservation and ran advertisements across

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the state. The company supports the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) by contributing to the annual awards banquet, Share the Harvest, Operation Game Thief, National Archery in the Schools and is a platinum level Business Alliance member.

They extend strong, unwavering support to a wide range of deserving environmental and habitat conservation organizations and to youth education programs. The company’s philanthropic efforts are primarily directed toward not-forprofit organizations supporting conservation of fish and wildlife.

They take special interest in those which exhibit a strong emphasis on youth development.

Bass Pro Shops remains strongly committed to ensuring a bountiful outdoor future for all. The many national, international and local honors received to date stand as testaments to Bass Pro Shops’ continued environmental stewardship.

Your “1-Stop Shop” for your next building project

CALL TODAY! 866-378-4050

• Metal Roofing • Siding & Trim • Lumber Products • Vinyl Siding • Windows • Walk-In Doors • Custom and Stock Trusses • Overhead Garage Doors

We base our business practice on a solid principle: provide the best products for the fairest price, respect and trust our customers and exceed their expectations.

Proud to support our outdoor heritage.

• And Much More

Visit us online at martinmetalllc.com

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Leo A. Drey

The Gentleman Conservationist 1917 - 2015

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eo A. Drey was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1917.

He passed away on May 26, 2015 at the age of 98 in University City, Missouri which was home to his wife Kaye and family for many years. Leo was a mentor to many aspiring young conservation, forestry and parks professionals. I first met Leo in 1976 at an Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region meeting as a young parks director and I recognized then that Leo stood out like the tallest tree in the forest when it came to conservation and Missouri’s outdoors. He was a gentleman conservationist with a vision for protecting and preserving many of our states cherished natural resources.

Former L-A-D Foundation Vice President Susan Flader said Drey’s work in the Ozarks will be part of his greatest legacy. “He had a vision for what that part of the state could become with an economy based on the renewable natural resources of the area, the forest, the wildlife, the free flowing streams,” said Flader. “He worked all of his life in all of those different areas to try and make those things begin to happen and to get people to think about them and work with him.”

Leo Drey has received many honors for his good work and there is no doubt that his legacy will live on for the long term in Missouri.

The Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) honored Leo in 1991 as Conservationist of the Year, in 2006 Leo and Kaye Drey were presented a National Conservation Achievement Award by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and in 2014 the Drey’s were honored by The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region, an organization that they helped found in 1965, with a Lifetime

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Conservation Achievement Award.

In 2005 Leo was named as a Master Conservationist by the Missouri Conservation Commission, their highest honor.

Photo credit: L-A-D Foundation.

A Family History, May 26, 2015 Leo graduated in 1939 from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. After having begun a career in business, he was drafted and served as an officer in the U.S. Army during World War II, last posted as a captain at the Port of Embarkation in New York City. After the war, Leo returned to Wohl Shoe Company in St. Louis as assistant to the Treasurer.

Leo always had a strong interest in the outdoors. In 1950, a year after resigning from the shoe company without knowing what he might do next, he began to acquire and manage Ozark timberland. His purpose was to harvest timber conservatively - to regrow a forest while showing this could be done economically. At the time the Ozarks had been heavily cut-over, and much had been burned. Most of the merchantable oak, hickory, and pine had been removed,

causing erosion and damage to streams. By 1951, with the assistance of a professional forester, he had bought 10,000 acres of badly cutover land. Continuing acquisitions included a managed forest of 12,000 acres purchased from the Moss Tie Company.

In 1953, during a rest break while helping foresters fight a fire, Leo was advised by one of the men of the impending clear-cutting of a 90,000-acre tract owned by National Distillers, a whiskey distillery. This landholding earlier had been owned by the Pioneer Cooperage Company and managed using a model that relied on single-tree selection. When National Distillers had purchased this land, it publicized its continuing commitment to conservative forestry methods.

When Leo learned that National had begun to liquidate their white oak, he traveled to New York, eventually negotiating to acquire the land. Leo retained all of National Distiller’s foresters, headed by Forest Manager Ed Woods and Chief Forester Charlie Kirk (the latter, who had “plopped down beside” Leo to tell him of National Distillers’ plans) - men whose understanding of conservative forest management was profound. Today, Pioneer Forest comprises 143,000 acres of land in Shannon, Reynolds, Dent, Texas, Carter and Ripley counties.

Over the decades, Leo and Pioneer Forest have been able to demonstrate that an Ozark oak forest will regenerate itself if managed by uneven-age, single-tree selection - often called “selective cutting.” Pioneer lands continue to be managed by letting the timber grow continued on page 19

WELCOME C F M N E W members

Lauren Mackin, Kansas City

Connie Roessler, Manchester

Todd Mackin, Kansas City

Robert Rowlands, Ballwin

John Mahacek, Imperial

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Annette Young, Kansas City

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Beverly Letchworth, Saint Louis

Charles Robertson, Rolla

Dan Younger, Kansas City

Rich Eierman, Concordia

Keith Litle, Independence

Jerry Elder, Bloomfield

Jonathan Losos, Saint Louis

Megan Farrar, Emeryville, CA

Barbara Lucks, Springfield

Steve Bridger, Kansas City Bret Brooks, Jefferson City Bruce Brown, O’Fallon Steve Brown, Oak Grove Charles Burwick, Springfield Jeanne Chambers, Columbia Steve Christian, Kansas City Bill Cowling, Blue Springs

Kathy Schell, Warrensburg Mark Schell, Warrensburg Sterling Scott, Parkville Annette Silkman, Blue Springs Darren Silkman, Blue Springs Ruth Simmons, Lees Summit Matthew Simpson, Freeman Cassie Sinthusy, Independence Kit Sinthusy, Independence

Brent Thiessen, Grain Valley Joseph & Elizabeth Timbrook, Blue Springs Martin Trapp, Saint Louis Phillip Travis, Kansas City Lisa Treese, Kansas City Carl Von till, Saint Louis Ben Walkingstick, Peculiar Jeff Walters, Blue Springs Larry Whiteley, Springfield

CFM would like to thank the 303 members that renewed since our last publication.

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Zebras in the Pawpaw Patch On September 18, 1806, believed to be somewhere in the vicinity of Chariton County, Missouri, William Clark wrote in his journal, “Entirely out of provisions subsisting on poppaws. We divide the buiskit which amount to nearly one buisket per man, this in addition to the poppaws to last down to the Settlement’s which is 150 miles. The party appear perfectly contented and tell us that they can live very well on the pappaws.” The “poppaws” William Clark referred to are what we now call pawpaws.

A female zebra swallowtail ovipositing on a pawpaw. Photo credit: Linda Williams.

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba), is a small tree or shrub and the only member of the Annonaceae family of plants that exists outside of the tropics. They are native to 26 states with a range stretching from southern Ontario, Canada, to northern Florida and west to Nebraska. The suckering habit of 1 2

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the pawpaw was immortalized in a children’s American folk song.

“Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw patch.” George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both planted pawpaws at their homes.

The most notable trait of the pawpaw is its large, tropical-tasting fruit. The fruit is the largest, native, edible fruit in North America. It can be up to 5 inches long and sometimes weighs slightly more than one pound. It has a strong aroma and is often described as tasting something like a banana meets a mango. Not only can the fruit be eaten when ripe, but it’s also used in making a variety of culinary delights including jams, custard, ice cream, and pies.

Pawpaws are also the exclusive host plant for the stunning zebra swallowtail butterfly. Male adult butterflies will search for females in the understory near pawpaws.

The female will lay one egg on the underneath side of a leaf low on the tree. Once the larvae hatch, they will be dependent upon the leaves of the pawpaw for food until they are ready to pupate. Once they become larger, caterpillars feed only at night and climb down to hide in the leaves at the base of the tree during the day.

Pawpaws contain a natural insecticide that protects the plant and gives the caterpillars and butterflies a bad taste, causing predators to leave them alone. This compound of chemicals found in pawpaw trees is also being studied in the treatment of cancer.

Zebra swallowtails can begin their first flight as early as March in Missouri and they may continue into October in the southern part of the state. Adult zebra swallowtails have very short tongues and feed on flowers with short floral tubes such as verbena or milkweed.

Pawpaws grow as an understory tree or shrub in moist areas, but it is not uncommon to see adult zebra swallowtails out in the open prairies and gardens looking for available nectar.

Just as the famed explorers, who also once subsisted almost solely on the pawpaw fruit while traveling through Missouri, the adult butterflies often wander widely.

Having a pawpaw patch nearby not only brings zebra swallowtails to your yard, but also provides you with a living piece of Missouri’s ecological and historical inheritance.

For more information on pawpaw trees and other native plants, and where to buy them, go to www. grownative.org.

Mary Nemecek Mary Nemecek is the Conservation Chair of Burroughs Audubon, a Missouri Master Naturalist, a CFM and Missouri Prairie Foundation member. Grow Native! is a native plant education and marketing program of the Missouri Prairie Foundation, an affiliate member of CFM. Visit www.grownative.org, Resource Guide, for a list of suppliers of native shrubs and other native plants, seeds, and services.

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CALENDAR MISSOURI FESTIVALS AND AFFILIATE EVENTS

AFFILIATE EVENTS FRIENDS OF ROCK BRIDGE MEMORIAL STATE PARK JULY 10-11: Watch Bats Fly Out of Devil’s Icebox, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Columbia (7:30pm - 10:00pm) JULY 11: Water Festival, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Columbia (11:00am - 3:00pm) AUG 5-7: Junior Naturalist Day Camp, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Columbia (9:00am - 3:00pm) GREENWAY NETWORK JULY 4: Firecracker Race, Lincoln Shield access (9:30am) JULY 6: Regular Monthly Meeting, Saint Peters (7:00pm - 9:00pm) JULY 8: Bid Muddy Paddle - Speaker Series, Big A’s Restaurant, Saint Charles (4:30pm - 8:30pm) JULY 12: Great Rivers Confluence Volunteer Clean Up & Nature Walk, Jones Confluence State Park and Riverlands Bird Sanctuary, West Alton (8:30am - 2:00pm) JULY 25: Kayak Paddle & Safety Clinic, Riverlands, West Alton (9:00am - 11:00am) AUG 2: Saint Charles Pedal/Paddle Trip, Blanchette Landing, Saint Charles (10:00am - 2:00pm) AUG 3: Monthly Board Meeting, Saint Peters (7:00pm - 9:00pm) AUG 8: Canoe Paddle & Safety Clinic, Riverlands, West Alton (9:00am - 11:00am) AUG 9: Great River Confluence Volunteer Clean Up & Nature Walk, Jones Confluence State Park and Riverlands Bird Sanctuary, West Alton (8:30am - 2:00pm)

AUG 12: Bid Muddy Paddle - Speaker Series, Big A’s Restaurant, Saint Charles (4:40pm - 8:30pm) AUG 29: Race for the Rivers MISSOURI CONSERVATION AGENTS ASSOCIATION AUG 8-9: Family Outdoor Skills Camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, H. Roe Bartle Boy Scout Camp, Osceola; Tisha Holden (417) 532-7904 ext: 221 MISSOURI DELTA WATERFOWL AUG 15: Arch Chapter Annual Duckapalooza, Cardinal Rigali Center - Fleur De Lis Room, Saint Louis (6:00pm - 10:00pm); Tom Biggar (314) 609-7839 MISSOURI DUCKS UNLIMITED JULY 18: State Committee Grand Giveaway, Knights of Columbus, Columbia (1:00pm - 5:00pm); Sharon Koch (314) 707-4993 or Todd Carlton (573) 415-6697 JULY 19: Longview Buddy Bass Fishing Tournament, Truman Lake - Long Shoal Marina, Warsaw (6:00am - 2:00pm); Jeff Donovan (913) 747-2265 or Rene Sersch (816) 805-2801 MISSOURI FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION JULY 24-25: 2015 Annual Summer Meeting, Hilton Convention Center, Branson MISSOURI HUNTING HERITAGE FEDERATION JULY 9: 3rd Quarter Board Meeting MISSOURI NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION FUNDRAISING BANQUETS JULY 17: Finley River Chapter, Christian County Elks, Ozark; Jared Byerly (417) 840-4973 JULY 18: Ritchie Meredith Memorial Chapter, Elm Branch Church, Aurora; Brian Fronabarger (417) 840-4797

JULY 18: David Blanton Memorial, YMCA, Mountain Grove; Darren & Lori Jones (417) 746-4854 JULY 18: Gun Bash, Lucas Oil Speedway Race Track, Wheatland; Tim Besancenez (636) 262-0815 JULY 24: Shoal Creek Chapter, Saint Mary’s Catholic Church Gym, Pierce City; Bill House (417) 442-3719 AUG 1: Locust Creek Longbeards, Community Center, Milan AUG 7: Dry Fork Strutters, Oak Meadow Country Club, Rolla; Joe Malters (573) 364-1550 AUG 8: Rhine Valley Chapter, Saint George Church, Hermann AUG 8: Ozark Mountain Gobblers, Arcadia Valley Elks, Pilot Knob; Kenneth Sherrill (573) 546-3392 AUG 12: Derek’s Bottom Line, Kansas City; Derek Payne (573) 999-4574 AUG 15: River Bottom Gobblers, Armory, Caruthersville; Mickey Moody (573) 333-0662 AUG 23: Perry County Beards & Spurs, Elks Lodge, Perryville; Dominic Blythe (573) 768-0878 AUG 29: Saint Louis Sponsor Event, Anheuser Busch Mansion - Grants Farm, Saint Louis; Matt Ludwig (314) 853-4424 MISSOURI PARKS AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION JULY 20: Northwest Region Golf Tournament, Adams Pointe Golf Club, Blue Springs; Melissa Strader (816) 847-6233 AUG 2: Day at Six Flags, Eureka (10:30am 9:00pm) MISSOURI PRAIRIE FOUNDATION AUG 29: Dining Wild Event by Grow Native!, Lincoln University - Scruggs University Center, Jefferson City (3:00pm - 8:00pm)

Bringing Home the Gold

Three Senior Olympic Archery Competitors from Missouri Brought Home the Gold at the Last National Senior Games Held in Cleveland, Ohio Bill Meyers won his first National Senior Games title in he Compound Unlimited division. Bill is a past president of Missouri Bow Hunters (MBH), current Chair of the MBH Hall of Fame, President of Buder Park Archery Club and is the “go-to” guy for the Saint Louis Archery Club.

Clint Kasten has won three National Senior Games titles in the Compound Barebow division. He is a member of MBH, active in the 1 4

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Northside Archery Club at Creve Coeur, and has also held membership in the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) for over 50 years.

Dick Wood, attending three National Senior Game events, has won gold each time, all in the Barebow Recurve division. He also holds 4 titles from the Huntsman World Senior Games held in Utah in target and 3D animal. He has bow hunted Missouri whitetail deer for 60

Pictured left to right are Clint Kasten, Dick Wood and Bill Meyers all longtime members of Missouri Bowhunters. Photo credit: Wendi Ervin

years and is a lifetime member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, MBH, NFAA, National Wild Turkey Federation, longtime member of United Bowhunters of Missouri, Pope and Young Club and founder of the Christian Archers of Missouri.

MISSOURI SMALLMOUTH ALLIANCE JULY 18: First Annual River Hills Traveler Summer Fest, Morse Park North, Neosho AUG 22: Operation Clean Stream MISSOURI TAXIDERMIST ASSOCIATION JULY 31: 34th Annual Competition and Convention, Country Club Hotel and Spa, Lake Ozark MISSOURI TROUT FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION SPRINGFIELD — JULY 2: Monthly Meeting, Conservation Nature Center, Springfield (7:00pm) AUG 6: Monthly Meeting, Conservation Nature Center, Springfield (7:00pm) AUG 14: Insect - O - Rama, Conservation Nature Center, Springfield (6:30pm - 9:00pm) AUG 20: Fly Fishing Class (6:00pm - 9:50pm) AUG 27: Fly Fishing Class (6:00pm - 9:50pm) KANSAS CITY — JULY 19: Family Fun Day(10:00am - 2:00pm) AUG 9: Fishing Derby, Bennett Spring State Park MISSOURI WHITETAILS UNLIMITED AUG 1: Buck Fever Banquet, Community Center, Loose Creek AUG 22: Missouri River Chapter Banquet, Knights of Columbus, Washington AUG 29: Boone County Disabled Freedom Hunt Banquet, Knights of Columbus, Columbia

OZARK FLY FISHERS JULY 6: Board Meeting (7:00pm - 9:00pm) JULY 10-11: Current River Water Quality Outing JULY 23: General Membership Meeting, Queeny Park, Ballwin (7:00pm) AUG 27: General Membership Meeting, Queeny Park, Ballwin (7:00pm) OZARK WILDERNESS WATERWAYS CLUB JULY 4-5: Missouri River, Lewis and Clark Historic Park, Kansas City, KS (6:00pm) JULY 10: Day on the Lake, Smithville Lake (8:00am - 12:00pm) JULY 11: Water Quality Testing, Minor Park, Kansas City (10:00am - 11:30am) JULY 11: Potluck Dinner, Swope Park, Kansas City (6:30pm - 7:30pm) JUNE 11: Business Meeting, Swope Park, Kansas City (7:30pm - 9:00pm) JULY 20-21: Big River, Washington State Park, DeSoto JULY 25: Platte River, Schimmel City Access, Farley (9:00am) AUG 2: Kaw River, Edwardsville, KS (9:00am) JULY 8: Potluck Dinner, Swope Park, Kansas City (6:30pm - 7:30pm) JULY 8: Business Meeting, Swope Park, Kansas City (7:30pm - 9:00pm) AUG 14: Kaw River, Eudora, KS (9:00am)

For a complete list of affiliates visit: http://confedmo.org/about/affiliates/

OZARKS WATER WATCHERS AUG 14: Multi-Basin Regional Water Council, Rogers, AR; John Pennington (479) 295-7717 POMME DE TERRE CHAPTER MUSKIES, INC. JULY 17-18: Lake Saint Clair Outing; Denis Ledgerwood (636) 346-4288 AUG 26-28: Gil Hamm Chapter Challenge - Leech Lake, Horse Shoe Bay Lodge; Fred Wehrli (785) 584-6393 ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION JULY 18: Osage Buglers Big Game Banquet, Blue Springs; Faron Roschevitz (816) 331-3113 AUG 15: Lewis and Clark Trail Big Game Banquet, Jefferson City; Mark Nash (417) 399-5767 AUG 29: South Central Missouri Big Game Banquet, West Plains; Paul Adelsberger (417) 274-7099 SAINT LOUIS AUDUBON SOCIETY JULY 18: Birding Field Trip, BK Leach Memorial Conservation Area, Foley (7:00am - 5:00pm) AUG 1: Beginner Bird Walk, Forest Park, Saint Louis (8:15am - 10:30am) CFM EVENTS AUG 7: Pre-shoot Banquet, Bass Pro Shops, Columbia (5:30pm) AUG 8: 9th Annual Sporting Clays Classic, River Hills Sporting Clays, Boonville AUG 17-18: Affiliate Summit, Inn at Grand Glaize, Lake Ozark

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National Wildlife Federation Conservation Congress We Believe Statement During my 35 year tenure on the board of the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) I have often been asked who we are and what does CFM stand for in conservation today. As a CFM affiliate representative to the National Wildlife Federation I felt compelled to share with you the following “We Believe Statement” adopted at the 79th Annual Meeting of NWF by all 49 state affiliates with hope that it brings some clarity to the question...

Ron Coleman, CFM 1st VP

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merica’s experience with cherished landscapes and wildlife has helped define and shape our national character and identity for generations. Protecting these natural resources is a cause that has long united Americans from all walks of life and political stripes. To hunters, anglers, hikers, birders, wildlife watchers, boaters, climbers, campers, cyclists, gardeners, farmers, forest stewards and other outdoor enthusiasts, this conservation ethic has evolved and is now integral to our heritage and fundamental to the very pursuit of happiness enshrined at the founding of this great country. It is this heritage that we will defend and pass on to our children. And for all Americans, whether they venture into nature or not, whether they live in the middle of our most densely populated cities or in small towns or rural communities or somewhere in between, we all depend on clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment. Our ties to the land provide spiritual sustenance and a path to virtue; they suggest a perfection in nature that exceeds anything humans can create. As Americans we share a sacred duty and obligation to protect and build upon our conservation heritage for the sake of native wildlife, ourselves, our neighbors, and most of all for future generations.

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To this end, we believe…

• Our nation’s wildlife, fish, healthy waters, clean air, and public lands are a birthright of all Americans.

• Government has a sacred duty to conserve and steward these public trust resources for all, including future generations, using the best available science and providing robust financial resources.

• Conservation on private land plays an essential role in supporting healthy fish and wildlife populations and providing and connecting their habitat.

• Our nation’s healthy lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, marine and coastal waters, forests, and other wild lands are vital to our public health, economy, wildlife, and quality of life.

• Diverse and abundant wildlife habitat is essential for urban, suburban and rural communities.

• We all have a right to enjoy sustainable and responsible outdoor recreation including: hunting, fishing, camping, birding, wildlife watching, hiking, climbing, swimming, boating, and gardening.

• Our nation must address climate change, continue moving toward cleaner energy sources, and make wildlife habitat and communities more resilient to such change.

• We have a national responsibility to get our children outdoors, for their health, their intellectual enrichment, their daily happiness, and to instill a conservation ethic in future generations.

As the National Wildlife Federation – a nationwide federation of state and territorial affiliate organizations and nearly six million members and supporters across the country: • We embrace a national responsibility to conserve wildlife and wild places wherever they may be and to broaden the conservation movement so that it encompasses America in all its diversity.

• We dedicate ourselves to share respectfully with our neighbors our understanding and appreciation of our natural environment, of conservation, of cultural preservation, and of America’s outdoor heritage.

• We commit to nurturing with resources, attention, and talent a diverse national conservation movement that inspires local, state, and national action and engagement on issues that transcend political boundary.

• And we fully accept our profound responsibility to speak up, to advocate, and to engage on behalf of America’s wildlife.

Grand Opening of August A. Busch Archery Range A Huge Success

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Renovated Range Now Open to the Public at No Charge

he excitement of the unveiling of this new magnificent facility at the August A. Busch Conservation Area in eastern St. Charles County, was truly justified. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has provided the public with what many call a “state of the art” facility that fulfills the needs of target shooters and bowhunters alike.

longer inflated balloons.

The second line of commemorative shooters was made up mostly of what Master of Ceremonies, MDC’s Jake Hindman called “Pioneers of Archery and Bowhunting in Missouri”. A 60 year veteran of bowhunting was introduced by Hindman.

That shooter was using an old Hoyt recurve bow and a 50 plus year old arrow, to honor MDC Hall of Fame

CFM members Ervin family and Wood family - Proof that Archery/Bowhunting is the greatest family sport. Photo credit: Clint Kasten.

MDC Director Bob Ziehmer and Deputy Director Tim Ripperger were on hand to welcome everyone, and to witness the Chairman of the Conservation Commission, Jim Tom Blair and his wife Anna, shoot the first ceremonial arrows to officially open the range. The huge crowd of onlookers erupted with loud applause when the Blair’s arrows found their mark and centered the two, no

members Earl Hoyt and Paul Jeffries, the two men who orchestrated Missouri’s first Archery Deer Season in 1946 and founded the Missouri Bow Hunters Association in 1947. These two legends of archery were instrumental in the St. Louis Bowhunters Club helping develop the original archery range at this site in the early 1950’s. Mr. Jeffries grandson Aaron serves as MDC’s Assistant to the Director, and was on hand

to observe this tribute.

The final line of impressive shooters, were representing the youth and future of archery and bowhunting in Missouri.

They were members of the Fenton area George Guffey Elementary Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program team.

This team has dominated competitions, winning for seven straight years.

It was announced by Director Ziehmer in his brief remarks, that there are now over 500 schools in Missouri implementing the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program with over 135,000 students participating.

This newly opened range is made up of 20 targets ranging from 10 yards to 40 yards in five yard increments.

Provisions for disabled shooters are present with ADA compliant parking, sidewalks and access.

There are two 14 target “field ranges” to simulate more of a hunting experience that provide marked yardage shots out to 60 yards. These well defined trails through the woods, providing access to this recreation, are as long as one mile loop.

The entire facility will typically be open dusk to dawn, Tuesday through Sunday.

The MDC and the CFM Archery Community are anticipating many families experiencing together, the joys of archery, along with bowhunters and target shooters. The opportunity is in place, thanks to the MDC, assisted by the Pittman- Robertson funds created by the popular program where consumers pay a 11% tax on archery equipment that in funneled back to the state to help provide for facilities like this, and other wildlife and educational needs.

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Leo... continued from page 10

and when a tract is ready to be cut, having a forester mark with paint every mature tree that is to be cut by the local logging company harvesting the tract. The forester’s intent as he marks timber is to create opportunities for good growth and reproduction and to enhance the long-term health of the stand. Trees cut may be “non-dominant” - in the understory, shaded and crowded by other trees - or they may be dominant, for instance if they are of a nonmerchantable species such as post oak, or not expected to survive for 20 years until the next cutting. Every five years for nearly six decades, the Continuous Forest Inventory conducted by Pioneer’s foresters has provided employees, and more recently researchers, with a detailed and accurate picture of the forest, encompassing data on individual trees’ size.

In 1962, Leo organized the L-A-D Foundation, a charity dedicated to the preservation of Missouri’s natural scenic resources. Two years later, as a first gift he deeded to the foundation a stand of old-growth virgin white oak located in Shannon County. Since then, to preserve sites of scenic, environmental or historical significance; to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities, and to facilitate scholarly research on Missouri forests, Leo donated more than a dozen other areas to the L-A-D Foundation. These areas, totaling about 4,000 acres, include the Ball Mill Resurgence Natural Area in Perry County, Cave Spring in Shannon County on the Current River, the Dillard Mill State Historic Site in Crawford County, and the Current River Natural Area in Shannon County. Several have been leased to the Missouri Parks Division or the Missouri Department of Conservation for the nominal “one dollar per year.”

Leo played an important role in public affairs. He was instrumental in the establishment by Congress in 1964 of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, a national park managed by the National Park Service along the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. Leo contributed scenic easements totaling thirty-five miles along the banks of the two rivers. He also led the effort to designate the Eleven Point River in Oregon County as a protected river under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.

In 1987, Greer Spring on the Eleven Point River, a spring that is the second largest in Missouri, was threatened by plans developed by Anheuser-Busch to bottle its water. Leo intervened to purchase the threatened site, ultimately persuading Anheuser-Busch to join with him in underwriting part of the cost when the U.S. Forest Service bought the spring.

Leo served for many years on the School of Forestry Board at the University of Missouri and on its Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council. For years Leo was chairman of the board of trustees of Antioch College.

He received frequent awards from national and regional conservation and forestry organizations. In 2004, Leo and his wife, Kay, gave Pioneer Forest to the L-A-D Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the nation that year.

Introduction by Ron Coleman CFM, 1st Vice President Leo A. Drey History and Image Provided by the Drey Family and The L- A- D Foundation

$ 2.00 OFF ADMISSION with this coupon or your CFM Membership card

July 31 - August 2, 2015 @ The St. Charles Family Arena

www.MissouriDeerClassic.com

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agency news - department of conservation

MDC Changes Deer Hunting Regulations to Help Slow CWD

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he Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is asking deer hunters in 19 central and northeastern Missouri counties to help limit the spread of a deadly deer disease through increased harvest opportunities this fall and winter. The Missouri Conservation Commission recently approved several changes to regulations for the upcoming 2015-16 fall deer hunting season that focus on slowing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD infects only deer and other members of the deer family by causing degeneration of brain tissue, which slowly leads to death. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100-percent fatal.

“A primary way CWD is spread is through deer-to-deer contact,” explained MDC State Wildlife Veterinarian Kelly Straka.

CWD Management Area. Photo credit: MDC

REGULATION CHANGES The regulation changes focus on slowing the spread of the disease in and around counties where CWD has been found. The changes will remove the antler-point restriction so hunters can harvest more young bucks. The changes will also increase the availability of firearms antlerless permits from 1 to 2 to help thin local deer numbers.

COUNTIES IMPACTED These regulation changes add to similar measures MDC enacted in 2012 for six counties in northeastern Missouri 2 0

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after CWD was discovered in Linn and Macon counties.

Counties affected by those regulation changes were Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph, and Sullivan.

The recent regulation changes add five more northeastern counties of Knox, Scotland, Schuyler, Shelby, and Putnam and come after six deer tested positive for CWD this past fall and winter in Adair County.

The recent regulation changes also include eight counties in central Missouri and come after a buck harvested in Cole County tested positive for the disease this past winter. Those counties are Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, and Osage.

CWD TESTING RESULTS The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that a total of 16 new cases of CWD were found in free-ranging deer through its testing efforts this past fall and winter. Of the 16 new cases, nine were found in Macon County, six in Adair County, and one in Cole County.

These 16 new cases bring the total number of Missouri free-ranging deer that have tested positive for CWD to 26 overall since the disease was first discovered in the state in 2010.

DON’T TRANSPORT CARCASSES Dr. Straka said that hunters can also spread the disease by transporting and improperly disposing of potentially infected deer carcasses. She explained that CWD can be spread through carcass parts that contain brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, or lymph nodes.

“To help prevent the spread of diseases, such as CWD, we strongly discourage deer hunters from moving carcasses of harvested deer from the immediate area,” she said.

“If possible, remove meat in the field and leave the carcass behind. If it’s necessary to move the carcass before processing, place the remaining carcass parts after processing in trash bags and properly dispose of them through a trash service or landfill.”

AVOID FEEDING DEER Dr. Straka added that MDC strongly discourages hunters and others from feeding or providing salt and minerals to deer.

“Feeding and mineral sites can concentrate deer from a broad area and place them in very close proximity

agency news - department of conservation to one another,” she explained. “This can increase the transmission of the disease.”

PUBLIC COMMENTS WELCOME MDC welcomes public comment on the regulation changes under consideration for the 2016-17 deer season.

Comment online at mdc.mo.gov/node/6.

DEER HUNTING IN MISSOURI Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians’ lives and family traditions. The continued spread of CWD in Missouri is likely to reduce future hunting and wildlife-watching opportunities for Missouri’s nearly 520,000 deer hunters and almost two million

wildlife watchers. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies.

DEER HUNTING DATES Fall deer hunting season dates are as follows.

Archery: Sept. 15 to Nov. 13 and Nov. 25 to Jan. 15 Urban Firearms: Oct. 9 to 12 Youth Firearms: Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 and Jan. 2 and 3, 2016 November Firearms: Nov. 14 to 24 Antlerless Firearms: Nov. 25 to Dec. 6 Alternative Methods: Dec. 19 to 29 Joe Jerek News Services Coordinator, MDC

MDC Encourages People to “Be Bear Aware”

Keep local bears from becoming nuisances on your property. Don’t invite them to dinner. Keep feed, garbage, and greasy grills out of reach. Photo credit: MDC

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he Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages Missourians to be “bear aware” this spring and summer. Black bears are on the move this time of year. According to MDC Resource Scientist, Jeff Beringer, most black bears that cause problems in Missouri are young males that are looking for new homes in spring and early summer after dispersing

from their mothers’ home ranges. In their search for food, these young males may come into contact with humans and cause problems.

Beringer explained that black bears are naturally fearful of humans and prefer to mind their own business as they forage for natural foods in fields and forests.

“Early summer can be a lean time for bears,” he said. “They are constantly looking for food. If they find an unsecured garbage can, a bowl of pet food left outdoors, or even a hummingbird feeder full of sugar water, their stomachs sometimes overcome their shyness. That can get them into trouble.”

A FED BEAR IS A DEAD BEAR The best way to avoid problems with bears is to never feed them.

“Bears are wonderful

animals,” said Beringer, “and they generally are secretive. But things can end badly for bears that get in the habit of foraging for food near people.

Harassment and other aversive conditioning often convince a bear to stay away from people. Feeding bears makes them lose their fear of people and usually results in the bears having to be destroyed.

Remember: A fed bear is a dead bear.”

Black bears in Missouri are found mostly in the southern part of the state with scattered reports from other areas. Beringer advises people living in southern Missouri to avoid conflicts with bears by not feeding birds and other wildlife from spring through fall, especially in rural areas. Bears are much less active from December through March, when supplemental feeding is more important for birds.

Beringer also recommends keeping pet food and livestock feed inside secure outbuildings.

The same is true for barbecue grills and other items that smell like food.

Trash should be put out as close to pick-up time as possible to minimize exposure to hungry bears.

Beringer encourages campers and floaters in southern Missouri to be bear aware by keeping their campsites clean, packing food in closed containers and placing them in secure locations, and disposing of garbage immediately.

To learn more about black bears, including preventing and dealing with black bears around potential food sources, visit MDC’s website at mdc. mo.gov/node/4607.

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Missouri B.A.S.S. Federation Nation 2015 Spring Fling Held as a Benefit for CFM The 2015 Missouri B.A.S.S. Federation Nation’s (MOBASS) Spring Fling was held on Pomme de Terre Lake on Sunday, April 19. This was the fifth year the tournament was held as a benefit for the Jim Zieger, MOBASS President, presents a check to Brandon Butler, Conservation Federation of CFM Executive Director. Photo Missouri (CFM). A portion credit: CFM of the entry fees were paid back to the anglers, and approximately 40% was donated to CFM. This year’s donation totaled over $1,800. Brandon Butler, CFM Executive Director, was in attendance and was presented with the check.

There were 52 boats entered in the tournament. The lake conditions were favorable for the anglers. Most fish were reported to be caught on jigs and plastics, and some on spinner baits and crank baits. If you missed the event, here is the recap: - 52 boats - 38 boats weighed fish - 209 fish caught and released - 465.8 pounds - 2.23 average weight per fish - 5.65 big bass weight - Team Drew Whitlock and Alan Daniels - 19.10 1st place - David Ackermann/William Pilcher - 18.55 2nd place - Aaron Fogelsong/Ben Redwing - 15.20 3rd place - Brian Wilson/Brian Kennedy - 15.20 4th place - Ben Ray/Mike Ray - 14.25 5th place - Don Heiser/Gary Martin Mike Cowart assisted at weigh-in by drawing boat numbers for the gift cards donated by Bass Pro Shops and several live target frogs donated by Official Hard Bait.

MOBASS would like to thank the sponsors and anglers for their support and involvement in the tournament.

A special thank you to the following people for their help in making the tournament run smooth: Bill Lewis, Jeannine Lewis, Elizabeth Lewis, Randy James, Kathy Blankenbeker, Phil Terry and Brandon Butler.

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Keep America’s Public Lands in Public Hands

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or many families, spring means one thing: spending more time outdoors. Few outdoor experiences rival hiking, fishing, hunting, or wildlife watching on public lands. And where only a tiny fraction of Americans own large tracts of land or have access to private hunt clubs, for the vast majority of Americans public lands provide nearly all outdoor recreational opportunities; they are the birthright of all Americans, as is often said and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court. Our public lands are the envy of the world.

Yet, just as my 3-year old daughter Riley and I—and millions of other outdoor enthusiasts—are shaking off the long winter by getting outdoors, a growing assault on our nation’s public lands is under way at the state and federal levels. The attacks range from efforts to give states control and potentially privatize national public lands to blocking presidents’ ability to establish national monuments to bills selling public lands and repealing essential safeguards for our water, air, and wildlife.

Polls consistently show that Americans care about public lands and the environment and nowhere is that more true than in the very states where some state and federal lawmakers are targeting our outdoor heritage. A recent bipartisan survey

by Colorado College shows that 96 percent of the voters in six Western states said protecting public lands for future generations is a priority and favor ensuring access to those lands for recreation.

Despite this strong public support, state legislatures throughout the Rocky Mountain West have spent the last several weeks and taxpayers’ money debating proposals that would harm wildlife, our public

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lands, and the local economies that depend on hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, and tourism.

Now, the action is picking up in Congress where Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently successfully offered an amendment to the budget resolution that supported selling or turning over federal lands to the states. While it was a non-binding resolution, it’s a harbinger of battles ahead. Utah Reps. Rob Bishop (R) and Chris Stewart (R) have formed a panel of House members to figure out how Congress can give federal lands to the states. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) has introduced a bill that would require the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to open about a third of their land to sale.

And unlike state legislatures, Congress has the authority to alter the landscape of our public lands legacy.

In Bishop’s state of Utah, legislators passed a law demanding the federal government transfer title of federally managed lands and minerals to the state by Dec. 31, 2014. Despite obvious constitutional issues, other states are making similar demands. Takeover proponents argue the West is at an economic disadvantage because 30 percent or more of the land in most states is federally managed. They say giving states title to the lands will allow them to profit from them as they see fit.

However, states don’t have the resources to suddenly start managing tens of millions of acres of land.

Taking on just the cost of fighting wildfires would be staggering. A report by the Center for Western Priorities shows that since 2001, the U.S. Forest Service has spent an average of $3.13 billion annually to protect Western communities from wildfire. To cover costs, public lands would undoubtedly be increasingly

mined, drilled or logged, reducing public recreational access – or sold to the highest bidders.

The losses would reverberate throughout the U.S. economy. Outdoor recreation generates an estimated $646 billion annually in consumer spending nationwide.

The Outdoor Industry Association reports that is nearly double what Americans spend annually in each of the following areas: pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles and parts, household utilities and gasoline and other fuels. The economic impacts are particularly big for communities that are gateways to national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and wilderness areas. Thousands of wildlife advocates, business owners, veterans and sportsmen and women have rallied in state capitals across the West and met with lawmakers to keep public lands in public hands.

The fallout wouldn’t be just economic. Our public lands belong to all Americans, no matter where they are. They are a fundamental part of our identity and constitute a shared legacy. Last year, all 49 state affiliates of the National Wildlife Federation unanimously approved a resolution affirming support for our public lands. Hunters, anglers, bird watchers, hikers and paddlers across the country know what’s at stake.

Collin O’Mara O’Mara is president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, one of the country’s largest and oldest conservation organizations.

Before joining NWF in 2014, he headed the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

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For the Love of Streams

he crisp morning air was full of excitement as volunteers gathered for a Stream Team clean up event in St. Louis. The day started out chilly, but warmed up to a beautiful spring afternoon dedicated to improving Missouri’s streams.

This particular clean up was at Earl Widman Park on March 28. The area was completely submersed during the flood of 1993, and has been riddled with tires and debris ever since.

“Today we picked up boats, car frames, hundreds of tires and just piles of trash,” said Brian Waldrop, the St. Louis and Southeast Regional Stream Team Assistant who helped put together the event. “If we don’t clean up this park, no one will.”

Volunteers started their morning off with some coffee and donuts, but quickly got to work clearing as much ground as possible. In addition to the Stream Teamers present, there were also various college volunteer groups, and a girl scout troop as well.

Missouri Stream Team program began in 1989 as a partnership of citizens concerned about Missouri’s streams. The program provides an opportunity for all citizens to get involved in stream conservation. The program revolves around the education, stewardship and advocacy for streams in Missouri.

Some, like Tom Mazurek, have been a part of Stream Teams for many years. Mazurek started in 1995 through his work, the DeSoto Car Shop. “I fish and play in that Joachim Creek all the time. So I thought, if I’m going to use it, I’m going to clean it. And I’ve been doing it ever since, all over the state of Missouri,” said Mazurek.

Now, the program consists of over 4,146 active stream teams who gather throughout the year to clean up numerous streams and streambeds all over the state.

In 2013 alone, 688 tons of trash was removed from Missouri’s rivers and streams.

“Some are professors, some are laborers, it doesn’t matter, we’re all on the same page when you’re a Stream Teamer. It’s for the love of rivers,” said Waldrop.

To learn more about Missouri Stream Teams and to get involved, visit www.mostreamteam.org. The 19th Annual Watershed Celebration is coming up on July 25 at Meramec State Park in Sullivan, MO. To see a video about the program made during the event, please visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube. com/confedmo.

Emma Kessinger Communications Specialist, CFM

Tires were abundant in Earl Widman Park. Stream Team discarded over 100 tires throughout the afternoon. Photo credit: Emma Kessinger.

Stream Team members dig out tires at Earl Widman Park. Tires are difficult to retrieve, and must be rid of excess dirt before they can be discarded.

Photo credit: Emma Kessinger.

College students worked hard cleaning Earl Widman Park on a chilly Saturday morning. There were students from University of Missouri St. Louis and a couple nearby community colleges. Photo credit: Emma Kessinger.

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Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Grants Explore the Outdoors Coming to Saint Louis this Fall Saint Louis is the second stop of the Conservation Federation of Missouri's (CFM) series of regional events in 2015.

The event familiarizes Saint Louis area residents with the outdoor opportunities in their area while they learn more about the CFM. Attendees will enjoy auctions and a banquet in the evening. Everyone is invited!

The cost for individuals to attend includes a one-year membership to CFM. Spouses and children have a discounted family rate. Children ages six and under attend for free.

There are sponsorship opportunities for businesses. Sponsors receive ten tickets and an Iron Business Alliance Membership with their purchase.

For more information, please contact Rehan Nana at RNana@confedmo.org or 573-634-2322.

More details will be provided soon.

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The Missouri Bird Conservation (MoBCI) Initiative is now accepting grant applications for this year’s granting cycle. MoBCI offers matching grants each year in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation to any group that is doing habitat work in priority areas of Missouri. These grants range in amount from $1,000 up to $25,000.

MoBCI serves as a conduit in providing financial support to private and public organizations or to individuals who have partnerships that carry out bird habitat conservation projects in Missouri. Eligible activities include projects that protect, enhance or restore bird habitats on any lands in Missouri. All projects should be habitat based and not strictly designed for monitoring; however, monitoring can be a component of the project (<10%); some component of effectiveness monitoring is recommended.

MoBCI dollars are specifically directed to bird habitat improvement goals that meet the needs of birds that utilize native habitats in Missouri and must address the bird conservation initiatives below.

MoBCI grant projects must be relevant to the goals and objectives of one or more of the major national and international bird conservation initiatives, including the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plans applicable to Missouri, North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, and the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative.

Projects should benefit an array of species, such as grassland birds, forest birds, wetland birds or glade birds. An acceptable project may target one or more high priority bird species, but should include benefits to other species, involve habitat and ecosystem level planning and management, and engage partners with shared goals and objectives.

For complete grant application information, please visit www.MoBCI.net.

C o n s e r v a t i o n F e d e r a t i o n o f M i s s o u r i A F F I L IATES Anglers of Missouri, Inc. Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives Audubon Society of Missouri Bass-Hole Bassmasters of Missouri, Inc. Big Game Hunters, Inc. Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater Kansas City Capital City Fly Fishers Chesterfield Citizens Committee for the Environment Deer Creek Sportsman’s Club, Inc. Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club Forest and Woodland Association of Missouri Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park Gateway Chapter Trout Unlimited Greenway Network, Inc. Heaven’s Anglers Jefferson County Coon Hunters, Inc. Katy Land Trust Mid Missouri Outdoor Dream Mid Missouri Trout Unlimited Midwest Diving Council Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters Association Missouri Association of Meat Processors Missouri Atlatl Association Missouri BASS Federation Nation Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Missouri Bow Hunters Association

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Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society Missouri Chapter Soil & Water Conservation Society Missouri Conservation Agents Association Missouri Conservation Pioneers Missouri Consulting Foresters Association Missouri Delta Waterfowl Missouri Ducks Unlimited State Council Missouri Farmers Care Missouri Forest Products Association Missouri Grouse Chapter of QUWF Missouri Hunter Education Instructors Association Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation, Inc. Missouri National Wild Turkey Federation Missouri Native Seed Association Missouri Parks & Recreation Association Missouri Parks Association Missouri Prairie Foundation Missouri River Bird Observatory Missouri Smallmouth Alliance Missouri Sport Shooting Association Missouri State Campers Association Missouri State Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association Missouri State University Bull Shoals Field Station Missouri Taxidermist Association

Missouri Trappers Association Missouri Trout Fishermen’s Association Missouri Whitetails Unlimited Mule Deer Foundation North Side Division Conservation Federation Open Space Council of the Saint Louis Region Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc. Ozark Regional Land Trust Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club Ozarks Water Watchers Perry County Sportsman Club Pomme de Terre Chapter Muskies, Inc. Quail & Upland Wildlife Federation, Inc. Quail Forever & Pheasants Forever River Bluffs Audubon Society Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation South Side Division Conservation Federation Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers St. Louis Audubon Society Tipton Farmers & Sportsman’s Club Troutbusters of Missouri United Bow Hunters of Missouri Walnut Council & Other Fine Hardwoods Wecomo Sportsman’s Club Wild Elk Institute of Missouri Windsor Lake Rod & Gun Club

The Importance of Hearing Protection

ne thing a lot of old shooters have in common is poor hearing. Years of muzzle blasts do damage.

If you don’t want to end up an old timer who can’t hear, then using hearing protection while shooting is critically important.

Hearing protection has come along way from the big bulky ear muffs of days gone by. Modern options include electronic earplugs that are hardly even noticeable and won’t at all affect the way you hold your firearm.

SoundGear, from Starkey Hearing Technologies, is a line of all-digital electronic hearing protection products. Their In-the-Canal style is ready to wear right out of the box.

It rests discreetly inside the user’s

ear to deliver superior sound quality and natural wind reduction. It’s the smallest and lightest dynamic digital hearing protection on the market, and is packaged as a set to optimize environmental scanning from all angles. It offers switchless operation and comes optimized to work in any setting.

SoundGear products offer the latest advancements in highdefinition sound reproduction, enhancing sound up to 8x compared to traditional hearing protection products. The products block loud, harmful noises while still allowing basic communication to be heard; users experience reduced noise levels, less feedback and the ability to tune into their surroundings while protecting their hearing.

SoundGear’s versatile lineup is ideal for hunters, law enforcement officers, military personnel or anyone who works with loud, industrial machinery where hearing is key to success and safety. To learn more about SoundGear products or to purchase a set of hearing protection, visit http://www.soundgearhearing. com.

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Missouri Teen Awarded Top Honors in National Birder Competition

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lifetime awareness of wildlife, along with a nurtured interest in conservation, birding and art have helped a Missouri teen earn national recognition as the American Birding Association’s 2015 Young Birder of the Year.

The competition tests entrants’ abilities in a variety of birding skill sets. Marky Mutchler, a 16-year-old resident of Liberty, Mo., placed first in the Illustration module, second in the Conservation & Community Leadership module, and third in the Photography module. Her overall performance earned her the top title in the 14-18 age category.

“When they called me and told me I had won, I was amazed,” said Mutchler. “I had no words. It is such an honor.”

traveled near the front of the group with the leader, she identified a bird by its song—the result of hours at home studying bird calls on CD. Blackburnian Warbler! she called out. The trip leader heard it too and confirmed her identification.

“So he told me to lead the group,” said Mutchler. “That was my life Blackburnian Warbler, too.”

Fledgling birder She can’t remember exactly when birds became an integral part of her life. Mutchler’s earliest memories consist of a fascination with all things in nature, especially reptiles and amphibians. Birds became her focus by the time she was five years old. Her parents embraced this interest and supplied anything Mutchler needed to feed an appetite for understanding the avian world.

“My parents weren’t even sure what birding was. They would take me on hikes, and they helped me learn more about reptiles and amphibians,” said Mutchler. “When they realized I was interested in birds, they started taking me to a local nature sanctuary where I could find birds and meet other birders.”

A turning point in Mutchler’s birding career came at age 13 when she attended a bird walk hosted by the local Audubon chapter. As she

Marky Mutchler birds the habitats close to her home in the Kansas City area, including Smithville Lake. Photo credit: Kristi Mayo / Mile 90 Photography

Expanding her territory Over time, she learned to express her interest creatively through illustration and photography. Last October, Mutchler’s bird-related artwork and photography was featured in a public exhibition at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center in Kansas City.

Through projects like this, and by participating in bird walks, national youth camps and other conservation events, Mutchler has earned the respect of naturalists across the country.

Attending youth camps sponsored by the ABA, such as Camp Colorado and Camp Chiricahua in southeastern Arizona, has also given Mutchler a chance to connect with like-minded individuals her age.

“It’s good to know that I am not one of the only young birders,” she said. “It is so great to see other people your age birding. It’s not awkward when you meet new people in that group. We are immediately talking and laughing. I think it’s because we are already connected by the birds.”

Her difficulty in finding other teenagers locally who show an active interest in wildlife is offset by a community of young birders across the country who stay connected through social media. But she does wish that community could grow larger.

“As a kid, it is fun to get muddy.

But when you get older, I think maybe people feel the need to fit into a certain mold,” said Mutchler. “I don’t know if people make birding and nature study sound uncool, but there is more encouragement needed.

We need to start people at a younger age.

“If you know someone younger, help grow that interest in nature.

Offer to take a kid for a walk. Show them that spiders aren’t bad, and that bees are helpful. Give them a book on nature,” concluded Mutchler. “Simple things like that can make a difference.”

Kristi Mayo Kristi Mayo is a writer, photographer, and graphic artist based in Kearney, Mo. She is the owner of Wordsmith Publishing, specializing in custom publications and content creation; co-owner of Mile 90 Photography; and a member of the Missouri Bird Records Committee. She can be reached at writebirds@gmail.com.

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agency news - department of natural resources

A Day in the Life with Katy

For the past 15 years, Katy Trail State Park has hosted the Katy Trail Ride in June allowing 350 bicyclists to experience the scenic ride from Clinton to St. Charles. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the park. To learn more, visit mostateparks.com. Photo credit: DNR

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very remarkable friend is celebrating a 25th anniversary this year. Over the years, this friend has welcomed visitors 7 days a week from sunrise to sunset. People travel from miles away to vacation with this friend and neighbors, including myself, love to stop by for a quick visit and take in the sights. It takes a special person to keep the house in order and be ready for company at a moment’s notice, but despite some high water, this friend has managed it well during the past 25 years. Many of us call this friend Katy; however, visitors who are not as familiar refer to the more official title - Katy Trail State Park.

I’m sure all CFM members love spending time outdoors during any season. However, the summer months provide us with longer days to spend more time fishing in our favorite waterway, working in the garden, or exploring Missouri’s 87 state parks and historic sites -- all time well spent outdoors enjoying nature. I spend a number of my mornings and evenings

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walking our two dogs along Katy Trail State Park. We are fortunate this valuable jewel within the state parks system runs alongside our property, providing us with numerous opportunities to enjoy the park.

The trail offers opportunities for recreation, a place to enjoy nature and an avenue to discover Missouri’s colorful past. Before opening as a state park, the rail line had a long history of showcasing Missouri’s most scenic views across the state. The Missouri-Kansas Texas (MKT) Railroad ran from Parsons, Kan., to St. Louis, Mo., and south to Galveston, Tex. The MKT ran continuously from the 1870s until 1986.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources acquired the railroad rightof-way through a 1983 amendment to the National Trails System Act. The amendment allows inactive railroad corridors to be used as recreational trails. Thanks to a generous donation by the late Edward D. “Ted” Jones and his wife Pat, the department was able to open the first section of the trail between Rocheport

and Huntsdale back in 1990.

The Missouri River keeps the Katy company while hikers and bicyclists enjoy the vastly diverse landscapes that provide breath taking views along the 240-mile trail. The trail highlights Missouri’s dense forests, wetlands, deep valleys, remnant prairies, open pastureland and gently rolling farm fields. In the spring, visitors may enjoy the budding dogwood and redbud trees that glimmer in the sun and cast a spotlight on the trail. The fall is equally rewarding with the rich reds and oranges of the sugar maple, sumac and bittersweet trees. Visitors who continue to explore during the winter months share the magnificent views with the bald eagles that soar majestically above the trail.

As one of Katy’s neighbors, I’ve watched as many of the small communities and businesses located along the Katy near my home have expanded and thrived thanks to the nearly 400,000 visitors who enjoy the park every year. The Department of Natural Resources is hosting a variety of special events to celebrate Katy’s anniversary this year, and you can learn more about these events by visiting mostateparks.com. To read more about Katy Trail State Park and the rich history, be sure to check out the Missouri Resources magazine on the department’s website at dnr.mo.gov/ magazine. The park is featured in the summer issue.

I hope you and your family are able to pack up the bicycles or set foot on the Katy Trail State Park this year to help the department celebrate this special anniversary. It will be time well spent as you get outdoors and enjoy some of Missouri’s most precious natural resource areas. See you on the Katy!

Sara Parker Pauley Director, DNR

agency news - department of natural resources

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Spotlight on Missouri State Parks – Rock Bridge State Park

ust minutes from Columbia and Katy Trail State Park, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park contains a wide diversity of natural and cultural resources to explore. Some of Missouri’s finest examples of karst topography, restored grasslands, forests and streams rest within the park boundaries.

Visitors in the park will notice many sinkholes, caves, underground streams and small springs, all characteristic of a topography known as “ karst.” The park’s most prominent karst feature, the rock bridge, was separated from the rest of the cave system when a portion of the cave roof collapsed. Devil’s Icebox Boardwalk leads visitors over the rock bridge, to Devil’s Icebox, by a sinkhole, past Connor’s Spring and back through the 125 foot-long natural tunnel. The Devil’s Icebox is a double sinkhole that offers a view of the underground stream and cool, refreshing air, which explains the name.

Connor’s Cave, downstream, can be explored on your own. Devil’s Icebox Cave, upstream, is closed except to those who register in advance for daylong wild cave tours usually offered during certain seasons of the year.

Visitors can explore the natural wonders of the park along hiking and bicycling trails. Streams, bordered by bottomland forests and surrounded by forested hills, flow through the park.

Gans Creek Wild Area features Gans Creek, surrounded by high bluffs with small glade openings, rare plants and moist shaded hillsides. This area can be explored on foot or horse. Grassland and Karst trails wind through restored native grasslands and past scattered wooded sinkholes, which provide habitat for wetland plants and animals.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park provides visitors of all ages with the opportunity to explore nature – whether that includes hiking in the Gans Creek Wild Area, examining a large cave system with it rock bridge, sinkholes, a spring and underground stream at the Devil’s Icebox or gathering a taste of the underground world at the opening of Connor’s Cave. Photo credit: DNR

Visitors, using only a map and a compass, can find their way through these wooded areas using the park’s orienteering course. Park staff provide tours of Devil’s Icebox Boardwalk and Connor’s Cave for groups who make arrangements in advance. Summer bat emergence programs and other programs are offered to the public.

Picnic sites, scattered throughout the park, offer a quiet place to enjoy lunch or rest after a day of hiking. Reservable picnic shelter and playground equipment make the park a great place for family gatherings. Primitive camping for non-profit organizations such as Scout, youth and educational groups is available by making advanced reservations. To learn more about the park, visit mostateparks. com or call 800-334-6946 or 573-4497402.

Upcoming Event at the Park Water Festival – July 11 Have fun with water and learn about animals that live in streams through activities designed for children and families from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Naturalists at several stations will guide participants in activities such as catching aquatic animals in the stream, playing games that teach, using an interactive stream model, finding what watershed you live in, exploring Connor’s Cave tours and hiking Gans Creek. The activities will be available throughout the day, except the stream hike, which will be from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The stream hike will be about one mile on the trail and one mile in the stream and is recommended for those 8 years old and older.

Sara Parker Pauley Director, DNR MIS S OURI

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Beating the Drum for Conservation

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f you ever doubt that one person can make a significant difference through volunteer work, consider Anita Gorman. During a volunteer career spanning six decades, she has accumulated an array of achievements that amounts to a sort of immortality.

She also is a strong believer in the type of collective volunteerism that is the hallmark of the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

Evidence of Gorman’s influence is visible in several Missouri place names: Anita B. Gorman Park near her home in Clay County, the Anita B. Gorman Hiking Trail and Prairie Restoration Area at Smithville Lake, and the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center along Brush Creek in Kansas City all bear witness to her determined efforts to ensure access to nature for future generations. But unlike some people whose names decorate facades because they were born to wealth or power, Anita Belle McPike grew up on a farm in rural Marion County during the Great Depression. Her grandparents and parents earned their living from the soil.

Over the years she has served on the boards of the Citizens Association of Kansas City, the Salvation Army and Union Mission, the Starlight Theater, the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau and many other organizations. In 1965, she threw herself with characteristic determination into the effort to build Kansas City International Airport.

Gorman’s service on the Parks and Recreation Commission put her in contact with the Conservation Department, where she found enthusiastic and capable partners on projects of mutual interest. One example involved Hidden Valley Park in North Kansas City. The 193-acre park’s deep ravines had discouraged farming or other development, and a biologist told Gorman this one area still harbored more orchid species than existed in Hawaii.

“If ever there was a place around North Kansas City that was still the way God made it this was it,” says Gorman. “Ernie Dunn and Bob Aylward were on the Conservation Commission at the time, and I told them they needed to protect it. It was a park, but people drove ATVs all over it, and there was no money to put up barriers to protect it.”

Gorman says her appointment as the first woman to serve on the Conservation Commission was a complete surprise to her. “Divine intervention” is as close as she can come to explaining it. That intervention began when the late Gov. Mel Carnahan, a Democrat, attended the 1992 annual meeting of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Gorman received an award at the event. If 3 4

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Anita Gorman has helped shape Kansas City for more than 50 years.

Carnahan had heard of her prior to that, it is unlikely he had given her much thought. But it so happened that he needed to appoint a Republican to the Conservation Commission at that time, and when he heard the catalog of Gorman’s accomplishments a light went on.

“There had never been a woman on the commission and I was one,” says Gorman pragmatically. “I always felt like that had to be it, because he didn’t know me, and I didn’t know him.”

Once on the Conservation Commission, Gorman’s focus broadened from Kansas City to the entire state, where she found no lack of projects deserving of her attention. She is particularly proud of her role in forging a deal whereby the Conservation Commission bought 4,300 acres adjacent to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Although it was a long way from her home, the project was close to her heart.

“There are the two greatest rivers in the whole country and they join in Missouri,” says Gorman. “That needed

to be in public hands, so it would always be there for people.”

Another of Gorman’s most gratifying achievements was the establishment of the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF) in 1997. This nonprofit entity has essentially the same goals as the Conservation Department. However, its status as a non-profit organization puts it in a unique position to channel funding from donors to particular projects that are beyond the Conservation Department’s material resources. To date, MCHF has funded $20 million worth of projects ranging from wounded-warrior events and a summer camp for girls to low-water bridge improvements that benefit the endangered Niangua darter.

As a conservation commissioner emerita, Gorman continues to lobby behind the scenes when she thinks she might be in a position to help. Most recently, when legislators proposed bills that would hamstring the Conservation Commission, she discreetly told influential officeholders that those efforts threatened one of Missouri’s greatest successes and a source of citizen pride. She told them the moves were motivated by a fourletter word “E-N-V-Y.” Although she didn’t mention it in our conversation, Gorman’s most visible and direct legacy is the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center at 4750 Troost Ave. in Kansas City. She was instrumental in establishing a program that provides grants to help schools develop outdoor classrooms. Since outdoor classrooms are less practical in urban areas, she wanted to provide the children of Kansas City a place where they, too, could enjoy an outdoor education.

To bring her vision of urban conservation education to fruition, she personally raised $3.8 million to match Conservation Department funds for the Discovery Center. It stands as a tribute to both Gorman’s dedication and to the foresight of Missourians in general in creating a world-renowned conservation program.

Gorman says the Discovery Center that bears her name and the Conservation Department’s other nature centers and interpretive facilities around the state perform an essential function that conservation areas, fishing and boating accesses, shooting ranges and other facilities don’t. She likes to tell the story of a trip to Massachusetts several years ago to illustrate the appeal of nature centers and the renown of Missouri’s conservation program.

Dogged determination in the face of long odds is a hallmark of Gorman’s civic activities. So are brief, tightly reasoned arguments, a skill she honed on high-school and college debate teams. Perhaps most important, though, is her ability to set aside political and personal differences in the interest of achieving shared goals.

Conservation commissioners are under continuous pressure from every imaginable faction to do some things and not do others. Knowing this, I asked if her duties ever grew tiresome in the 12 years she served. “No,” she replied flatly. “When you care about something like that, it becomes like a child, and you don’t ever get tired of your children. I continue to watch and do what I can when I see something I think the Director ought to know, I fire off an email.”

Gorman’s two terms on the Conservation Commission brought her into frequent contact with the Conservation Federation. The late Ed Stegner was then near the end of his 40-year career as the Federation’s director. He attended commission meetings, serving the dual function of being the Conservation Department’s watchdog and defending the agency and its constitutional prerogatives in the Legislature. Gorman says she considers the Federation indispensible to Missouri’s continued conservation success.

“It’s essential. The Federation can say things that the Conservation Department can’t say. It has much more freedom than the Department does, because it speaks for the people, not for a government agency. As a conservation commissioner, I learned how important that independent voice is.

“The Federation has the opportunity to raise issues in a way the Conservation Commission could never do, asking the public what they think,” says Gorman. “If I ask you if you like my necklace, you’re probably going to say you do. But if somebody else asks, you are more likely to say what you think.”

If you want to make things happen, you have to get out in the community, she says. Take an interest in nature and issues that affect your favorite places or activities.

Support candidates for public office who share your interest in conservation.

“Anyone can be on the team,” she says. “You don’t have to be beautiful or smart or wealthy or wellconnected. You just have to be willing to work.”

Age has not dimmed Mrs. Gorman’s commitment to public service. At 83, she still rings the bell for the Salvation Army each year at Christmas time, and she is now in her 51st year teaching Sunday school at Avondale United Methodist Church.

Back in the 1940s, Anita McPike played the bass drum in her high school’s marching band. I think this is fitting metaphor for her conservation career. She isn’t a flashy drum major or a brassy trumpeter. Her function is far more important. Hers is the drumbeat that keeps everyone in step, marching in unison toward important goals and keeping on until they are met.

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Nature Conservancy Welcomes New State Director to Missouri Adam McLane will lead efforts to protect and restore Missouri’s natural treasures

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dam McLane has been hired as The Nature Conservancy’s Missouri State Director.

McLane will oversee the strategic direction of the program and joins a committed team of staff, volunteers, and the state’s over 10,000 members in advancing the organization’s mission of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.

McLane comes to Missouri from the Indiana chapter of the Conservancy, where he served as the director of operations and strategic engagement.

“Adam is highly respected among his peers and staff.

He is known for his strategic thinking, solid work ethic, strong relationship building, and engaging leadership style. We are fortunate to have him working to protect Missouri’s rich natural heritage,” said Rob McKim, director for the Central Division of the Conservancy. “As well, Adam is an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing in Missouri in his past years. He has a real passion for the state.”

Protecting that natural heritage takes many forms in Missouri—from acquiring and actively managing critical natural areas throughout the state to improving the quality of freshwater resources we all depend upon. The Conservancy, with offices in St. Louis, Van Buren, and Hatfield, has operated in Missouri for almost 60 years and helped protect over 150,000 acres of land for future generations to enjoy.

McLane is looking forward to his new role in helping continue that effort. Prior to working for the Conservancy’s Indiana chapter, McLane worked in Missouri’s private sector, during which time he developed a deep appreciation for the state. “I spent several wonderful years living in Missouri and fell in love with the wealth of natural areas throughout the state. The opportunity for conservation that benefits both people and nature is abundant. I am thrilled to once again call this remarkable state my home and am proud to contribute to the Conservancy’s work protecting Missouri’s natural resources.”

McLane resides in St. Louis with his wife and two young children — all of whom are excited to muddy their boots and wet their waders exploring the wealth of natural areas throughout the state.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www. nature.org

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One rimďŹ re to rule them all.

For more info visit: www.cz-usa.com

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thick fog rising off the river made it difficult to see where your lure would land. This didn’t stop hundreds of anglers anxiously awaiting their first of many casts. When the whistle blew at 6:30 a.m., Trout Fest began.

CFM’s inaugural Trout Fest drew a crowd at Bennett Spring State Park. The event was a partnership between CFM, MDC, DNR and State Parks, and happened in concurrence with Free Fishing Weekend on June 6 and 7.

Some walked away with a free prize associated with one of the 200 tagged trout released between Saturday and Sunday. Participants tested their fly casting skills in both accuracy and distance competitions. A limited number had the opportunity to attend a special two hour seminar by notable fly fisherman Mark Van Patten. Many enjoyed a movie under the stars during our screening of A River Runs Through It on a blow up screen in the park.

The event raised awareness about the important role of CFM in conservation issues. It celebrated trout and trout fishing, while encouraging people to be outdoors enjoying the amazing recreational opportunities Missouri has to offer.

Trout Fest put a smile on the faces of many. Watching the excitement of children as they received their prize was definitely a highlight. CFM looks forward to hosting the event again next year.

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Black Bears Make a Comeback in Missouri

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he growing population of black bears in Missouri has been attracting attention in the recent years. Reports of bears are common in southern Missouri, and research from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) indicates a population of nearly 300 bears.

In order to ensure the natural heritage of bears in Missouri, Governor Nixon has recognized the people of Willow Springs for their efforts supporting Missouri’s black bear in a recent proclamation.

“I, Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon, governor of the state of Missouri, do

Photo credit: Noppadol Paothong, MDC.

recognize the people of Willow Springs, Missouri for their superlative efforts to support our state’s growing black bear population and applaud their vigorous work on behalf of this, and future, generations of Missourians.”

Missouri’s black bear population was almost completely eliminated due to unregulated hunting and habitat changes in

the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the population has reached a healthy, thriving state.

Males weigh up to 485 pounds and females up to 220 pounds.

MDC continues to measure survival and productivity of females to predict the growth of the population. This research can help determine when a bear hunting season may take place. The hunting season would help ensure a healthy bear presence integral to the natural heritage of the state.

South central Missouri is the center of increased black bear activity. The citizens of Willow Springs, in Howell County, have

shown enthusiasm for these positive improvements in the black bear population.

A group of bear enthusiasts, who formed the Missouri Black Bear Foundation, have been actively promoting black bears and bear awareness throughout the state. The organization has been working with the citizens of Willow Springs to highlight the area as Bear City, Missouri.

Black bears have always been a part of Missouri’s natural heritage.

With the help of a few organizations, Willow Springs is honoring the black bear’s comeback to Missouri.

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Life After CLC - Where Are You Now? Jake Swafford:

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ake Swafford didn’t expect to end up in New Mexico. He did expect to be the first employee for a national organization to work in the “Land of Enchantment.” And hailing from Columbia, Missouri, he certainly didn’t expect to live on an expansive plateau in the middle of the high desert while managing a nearly endangered species. But, through his time in the Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC), this is exactly what he was prepared to do.

“I carry the lessons I learned in CLC with me everyday out here. The importance of networking and working together is one of the most significant traits I learned participating in CLC,” said Swafford, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist. “As the first New Mexico employee from Pheasants Forever, it was critical I hit the ground running, grow partnerships, and showcase the ability to accomplish our habitat mission. Thankfully, I have made some wonderful partners here with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, and the Center of Excellence,” continued Swafford.

From a young age, Swafford learned to enjoy the outdoors canoeing and hunting with his family. However, he didn’t always consider himself a conservation spokesperson. “Taking a leadership role wasn’t something I had done growing up, but the CLC helped me discover that characteristic about myself,” said Swafford. “The first couple years of CLC, I was really invested in the resolutions process and I was proud of what they accomplished. As I got older, I stepped into a leadership role by guiding the new CLC students, letting them pick the topics and issues, because I wanted them to have their creative moment. It was an amazing experience helping them find their voice.”

Swafford joined the CLC in 2006 following graduation from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Conservation Honors program. He attended every year thereafter until his graduation in 2011. Following graduation, he worked with MDC until he had the opportunity, through CFM connections, to join Pheasants Forever in New Mexico. In his role as a Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, he works with farmers and ranchers on rangeland management with an emphasis on the lesser prairie chicken, a species in decline.

Settling in New Mexico, Swafford recently married his longtime girlfriend, Katelyn. Swafford’s good friend Mike Baker, who he met at CLC, married the two.

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When asked when he was going to be returning to Missouri, Swafford replied, “I’m not sure. Coming out here, it didn’t seem like anything I was used to,” said Swafford, “But, the days right after a rain, you see the flowers bloom, grasshoppers, and other things start to stir.

As long as you look for it, there is a lot going on and a lot of life. Out here, you can see for miles.”

Rehan Nana Deputy Director, CFM Rehan Nana Deputy Director, CFM

Memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Memories

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Why I Became a Life Member of CFM Tim Grace: I have been a Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) member for a long time. I became a life member because of the many legislative proposals that could weaken the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). It’s very upsetting to see the introduction of these potentially damaging bills that could lessen MDC’s capabilities despite the great citizen support for the agency. Missouri has one of the best conservation departments in the country because long ago its citizens passed two constitutional amendments that created and supported MDC financially. I want to help MDC continue its excellent work. I am very grateful for the legislators that support the Missouri Department of Conservation.

CFM’s interests match mine very well. I belong to other outdoor organizations, all with worthy goals, but CFM’s mission covers all of my outdoor interests in Missouri. I hope my contribution helps.

We need to take care of our natural resources now and in the future.

If we mistreat our natural resources, we will in turn be mistreating ourselves.

Tim Grace Columbia, MO Life Member, CFM

New Lifetime Members since the March issue.

Bernie Bahr, Kirkwood

David Graber, Columbia

Todd Keske, Earth City

James Baker, Belton

Elizabeth Hannaman, Blue Springs

Kevin Riley, Lohman

Rodger Benson, Peculiar Tim Grace, Columbia

Mike Riley, Lake Ozark

John Karel, Sainte Genevieve

— 228 Life Members and growing —

To see the full list go to: http://confedmo.org/about/lifetime-members-2/ 4 2

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2015

What Great Deer Hunters Do While you’re sitting at home in the air conditioning, great hunters are out in the heat locating deer they plan to hunt in the fall and patterning their movements.

While you’re inside watching the baseball game, they’re outside locating food, water sources, and hard-toreach areas of cover where they deer hunt.

While you’re reading the newspaper, they’re reading a topographical map to find saddles, funnels, and edges that deer use to hide their movements. Then they determine locations for treestands and hang them, clear shooting lanes, and try to figure out where other hunters might spook deer to them.

By September they are ready, which is about the same time many hunters have just start thinking about the upcoming seasons.

By Larry Whiteley, Host of the awardwinning Outdoor World Radio For more tips, go to basspro.com and click on 1Source

MIS S OURI

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If there are any errors in your name and address, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve moved from this address, or if you plan to move, please notify us at Missouri Wildlife, 728 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65101 or call (800) 575-2322.

Visit our website: www.confedmo.org