Reflections

Jul. 2004 - Vol. 65, No. 7

Trash Collector

Reading "Stash That Trash!" in your May magazine reminded me of the time when my family and I were camping on the Chariton River. In the evening we heard lots of vehicles and voices coming from the bridge not far away. The people there were evidently having a party.

The next morning,my son, my daughter and I spent 20 minutes picking up bottles and cans from under the bridge. I found a piece of cardboard and used a marker to make a sign on the guard rail that said,"The river is not a trash can. Please pick up your junk."

About a week later, I went by there and was heartbroken when I found someone had intentionally thrown a pile of trash right under the sign.

Some people just don't get it.

Calvin Teeter, Salisbury

Bat Care

Reading "Stocking Your Bat House the Hard Way" brings mixed reactions to me as a physician and a nature enthusiast. I have even put up a bat house in the past but am concerned about liability with its location because human rabies is attributed to bats more than any other animal. Granted, rabies is rare in the U.S. (32 human cases from 1990 to 2000), but it is fatal once it develops.

The Center for Disease Control recommends exposure to a bat in a home be evaluated by a physician for prophylaxis (treatment to keep rabies from developing). Bites by bats may be minor or not recognized. Any scratch or bite possibly from a bat needs treatment unless the bat is proven to not have rabies. Bats should not be handled by untrained and unvaccinated people or kept as pets. Bats should be excluded from houses and adjacent structures to prevent direct association with humans.

It may be of value to your readers to be aware that bat houses should be kept remote from human locations and of the precautions that should be used with respect to bats.

George Kerkemeyer, M.D., Hannibal

Snakes Alive!

Thank you for your excellent article on water snakes ("Cottonmouth Confusion"). We live on a lake and my wife refuses to go into the water because she saw a snake swimming near shore last summer. Hopefully, the article will lessen her fear, and we can enjoy the lake once again.

Larry Vaughn, Ste. Genevieve

Canine Affection

I am not much of a hunter and have never been duck hunting, but I would like to say kudos to Mark Goodwin for a wonderful story, and more kudos to Cliff White for the wonderful photos, especially the one on page 23. This one leaped right out at me and made me believe from the look in the dog's eyes that he is waiting for his master to give him a big hug and hear the words,"I love you,"and the command to Fetch or Back.

I have a stray that came to me 10 years ago, a 17-pound part terrier, and I know when she needs a hug, and she knows just when to come and lay down by my side.

Bud Allen, Fredericktown

Dam Afterthoughts

The Clarence Cannon Dam is a good thing. Ditto for Mark Twain Lake, as you say in your article. However, the dam and lake did miss some important objectives. One was that the lake was going to provide big boosts in employment and economic growth to the "disadvantaged" county that it was in. I guess whoever put the plan together didn't realize that campers generally bring everything they need with them, including groceries, gas, etc.

Maybe with some creative thinking a mile or so of shoreline could have been placed in something like a "trade-free zone," allowing at least hotel and resort interests to be on the water with large marinas.

Jim Hagan, Ellisville

Ask the Ombudsman

Q: Pines and spruce trees grow in northeast Missouri. Why won't they reproduce here?

A: Although these non-native trees may grow well in Missouri, most require special conditions for seeds to germinate and survive. For example, blue spruce needs a bare mineral soil to sprout.Your area--in fact, most of Missouri--doesn't have mineral soil.Many of the pine and spruce trees are likely hybrids that don't produce viable seeds. Even if they were viable,well manicured lawns beneath these ornamentals prevent the seeds from reaching bare soil. Other conifers require fire to start their reproductive process.

To produce trees from seeds, you'll probably have your best success with native species. For additional information have a look at the US Department of Agriculture's Handbook 654, The Silvics of North America.You may be able to find it at your local library, or on the web at <www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm>.

Grow Native is a program that promotes native wildflowers and plants, including native trees. For details on this program, go to <www.grownative.org/> or contact your local Conservation Department office.

The Conservation Department also provides seedling trees from the George O. White nursery for a nominal fee from mid-November through the end of April. For details please see www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/nursery/ or contact your local Department office during that time frame.

Ombudsman Ken Drenon will respond to your questions, suggestions or complaints concerning Conservation Department programs. Write him at P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, call him at 573/522-4115, ext. 3848, or e-mail him at <Ken.drenon@mdc.mo.gov>.