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Home Page1. Survey Tracks Missourians' Outdoor Attitudes
2. Swans Establishing Christmas Traditions in Missouri
3. Share the Harvest Participation Increases
4. Commission to Meet in Jefferson City Jan. 15
5. Outdoor Calendar
"If we are not careful, we shall leave our children a legacy of billion dollar-roads leading nowhere except to other congested places like those we left behind." -- General Omar Bradley
Most Missourians support carefully regulated hunting, trapping and timber harvesting, but they have an inflated notion of how much land government agencies own in the Show-Me state.
JEFFERSON CITY -- State residents have given the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) high marks for the way it manages fish, forest and wildlife resources. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents to the MDC's Conservation Monitor survey said that Missouri is making good progress in protecting its wild animal and plant species.
The Conservation Monitor, an annual telephone survey conducted since 1994, gauges Missourians' perceptions of the MDC and conservation issues and it tracks their participation in outdoor activities.
"We conduct the survey because MDC is a public service agency and we're interested in understanding Missourians' expectations for fish, forest and wildlife and the values residents place on those resources," says MDC Research Analyst Dan Witter. "These results give us encouragement that there aren't glaring areas that the public sees in need of correction. It's good to know that programs don't require overhauling, but as always we look for points where we can fine tune programs."
The survey found that a majority of Missourians consider themselves to be environmentalists. And nearly all respondents agreed with the statement, "It is important to re-establish Missouri prairies where we can." Three-quarters agreed that MDC should make an effort to restore endangered species.
The Conservation Monitor confirmed that Missouri residents are among the most outdoorsy people in the country. Only 4 percent of those interviewed said that they do not participate in outdoor activities. Fishing was listed as the most enjoyed outdoor activity. Other favored outdoor pursuits included camping, walking, gardening, hiking and hunting.
Witter says time and proximity to outdoor facilities proved to be the biggest barrier to outdoor enjoyment. Because of this he says MDC must accentuate its long-standing strategic goal of providing recreational opportunities close to Missouri's urban and suburban populations.
While only a quarter of those interviewed hunt, the activity has fairly widespread approval. Hunting for food is acceptable to 90 percent of those surveyed. Support for hunting dropped to smaller majorities when the motives for the activity were camaraderie and tradition. Most were opposed to hunting for an exceptional animal or trophy hunting.
Trapping and timber harvesting within limits pose no problem for Missourians. Nearly two-thirds of Missourians called trapping "okay" as long as it was regulated. Respondents gave a 55-percent approval to cutting timber for lumber, furniture or wood products. That is a more favorable response than MDC got last year, when 47 percent of respondents in the Conservation Monitor supported timber harvesting for wood products.
Witter says opposition to use of fire as a resource management tool on MDC lands is testimony to the success of Smokey Bear's message, but indicates more educational efforts are needed to inform the public of the ecological benefits of prescribed burns.
The Conservation Monitor also found that Missourians greatly overestimate the amount of Missouri land in public ownership. Two-thirds of those interviewed believed that half of Missouri land is owned by public agencies, when in fact only 7% is in public ownership, with MDC responsible for about 2%. This may account for the public assumption that agencies in Missouri are in a stronger position to influence land management than is the case, says Witter.
To ensure that results from the Conservation Monitor are statistically reliable and accurately reflect Missourians' attitudes, the MDC contracts with The Gallup Organization to conduct the survey. About 860 Missourians aged 18 or older were surveyed each year.
-arleasha mays-
Restoration work in the upper Midwest has established a population of about 1,000 trumpeter swans, and the big birds are re-establishing traditional wintering areas in Missouri.
WEST ALTON, Mo. -- Birdwatchers near here are growing accustomed to seeing huge white birds at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Riverlands wildlife refuge along the Mississippi in December. Waterfowl hunters at Truman Lake are noticing the same, huge, snow-white birds each winter, and so are winter residents at Lake of the Ozarks. The sightings are the beginning of what hopefully will become a Christmas tradition in Missouri -- the annual return of the trumpeter swans.
Lewis and Clark saw trumpeter swans along the Mississippi River in 1804 when they launched their westward expedition. At that time, tens of thousands of trumpeters, with seven-foot wingspans, probably inhabited the area that now is the Upper Midwest. But draining of their wetland homes and unregulated hunting took a toll on the species. By the middle of the 20th century, the species seemed to be singing its "swan song" in the lower 48 states.
A remarkably successful restoration effort ensued. Birds from a remnant population near the Idaho/Wyoming/Montana borders were used to establish a population in South Dakota. In the 1980's they were introduced to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and, in the 1990's Iowa. Protected under modern hunting regulations the trumpeter swan population in the upper Midwest has swelled to about 1,000.
Dave Graber, a waterfowl biologist at the Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Research Center in Columbia, says the return of the trumpeters to Missouri is both predictable and a little erratic.
"Trumpeter swans have an instinct to migrate," says Graber, "so we expected that birds reared up north would find their way south to Missouri in the winter. That has been the case, and we have been seeing trumpeter swans here for quite a few years. But because they are starting from scratch, these swans didn't have a well-established migratory pattern. They had to explore the state, looking for good locations. As the years go by, we're beginning to see an emerging pattern."
Graber says that trumpeter swans can be seen fairly reliably each December at the Corps' Riverlands area in St. Charles County and at Lake of the Ozarks in Camden and Morgan counties. He says young trumpeters, some of them second-generation wild birds, still haven't established firm traditions of visiting specific wintering areas. This year alone, he has received reports of swans near the MDC's Blind Pony Fish Hatchery southwest of Marshall, at the Savannah city water supply reservoir north of St. Joseph, at farm ponds in Callaway County, a farm pond near Novinger, at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area in Boone County and at Harry S. Truman Reservoir south of Clinton.
"When the weather gets severe up north, they simply head south in kind of a random fashion, searching for good winter habitat," says Graber. "Consequently, they show up rather unpredictably here and there. We're hoping that over time they will develop firm traditions of visiting places that offer them safety and adequate food supplies."
Graber tries to keep tabs on the swans, so he can report their wanderings to the Trumpeter Swan Society, a national organization dedicated to the species' recovery. He says he would appreciate a call from anyone who sees swans.
The people most likely to encounter trumpeter swans are birdwatchers and hunters. Both groups pursue their sports in places that are likely to attract the big birds. He noted that being able to tell swans and other waterfowl apart is critical for hunters, who might otherwise shoot the protected birds, incurring legal problems. Trumpeter swans are likely to be seen near weltlands with Canada geese and other waterfowl.
"Trumpeters are easy to distinguish from game species," says Graber. "For one thing they're a lot bigger. The game species that looks most like a trumpeter swan is the snow goose, which is about a foot and a half long and has a wingspan of about three feet. Adult trumpeters are about four feet long, with wingspans up to seven feet. Their necks are much longer in proportion to their bodies, too." Graber also noted that trumpeter swans are all white, while snow geese have black wing tips. "Just don't shoot at birds that are all white."
Graber says it is harder to distinguish between trumpeter swans and tundra swans, which also could visit Missouri. Trumpeters can be distinguished from other types of swans by the fact that their bills are entirely black. The smaller, tundra swan, also known as the whistling swan, looks very much like the trumpeter, but usually has yellow markings on its bill just in front of the eyes. The mute swan has an orange bill with a prominent black knob at the base. Young swans, called cygnets, are gray. Both adults and juvenile swans may be quite tame.
Graber is interested in reports of swan sightings. Reports are especially valuable if the observer can use binoculars to determine the color of neck collars and wing tags worn by some birds. Not all trumpeter swans have these markings, but those that do can be traced to their original release site with tag information.
To report swan sightings, contact: Dave Graber, Fish and Wildlife Research Center, 1110 College Ave., Columbia, MO 65201. Phone: (573) 882-9880, ext. 3243. Or call MDC State Ornithologist Jim D. Wilson at (573) 751-4115, ext. 196. In return, they will share information with the observer about the history of marked birds.
Persons interested in the Trumpeter Swan Society can learn more at the group's first Missouri meeting Feb. 2 through 6 in St. Louis. For more information, contact: Jim D. Wilson, State Ornithologist, Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City 65102-0180.
-jim low-
An increasing number of hunters are sharing a wealth of food with the needy.
JEFFERSON CITY -- More and more charitable organizations are turning to the Share the Harvest program for help in feeding the hungry. Increased awareness of the program has helped it grow 160 percent in the past year, according to Dave Beffa, Missouri Department of Conservation protection programs supervisor. Beffa says more hunters are also becoming aware of how they can help put food on tables of those in need, and he's confident they will respond to the call for help.
"People are wildly enthusiastic about Share the Harvest," says Beffa. "We have 65 programs approved to receive donations. That's up from 25 a year ago. Conservation agents have worked to get the word out to hunters about the program, so we hope to see a corresponding increase in donations."
A corresponding increase in donations to Share the Harvest could put 20,000 pounds of venison on needy Missourians' tables. Hunters last year provided 8,200 pounds of venison for families statewide. Many Share the Harvest programs will be accepting donations through the end of the archery deer season January 15. Hunters who want to donate to the program must take their deer to an approved processor. Those making the donations pay for the processing and specify the amount and cut of meat to be donated. Changes in state health regulations no longer require that the venison be ground, as long as it is frozen at some stage of processing.
Beffa says cooperating processors are aware of the requirements for the donations. Hunters can contact their county conservation agent for information about approved processors in their areas or for information about organizing local Share the Harvest programs.
-arleasha mays-
JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Conservation Commission's next meeting will take place Jan. 15 at the Conservation Department headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City. The Commission will meet in closed executive session at 8:30 a.m. The open session will begin at 10:15 a.m. The Commission will not meet in February.
Commission meetings are open to the public. To be placed on the agenda for a hearing or other business, write to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. For information about Commission meetings, call (573) 751-4115. Persons requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements at the same address or phone number.
Commissioners are: John Powell, Rolla, chairman; Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg, vice-chairman; Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, secretary; and Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, member.
-jim low-
The history of the river otter in Missouri illustrates the resilience of wildlife populations under conscientious stewardship. Unregulated exploitation and loss of habitat nearly eliminated these large, intelligent mammals from Missouri by 1900. By the 1970s, fewer than 80 remained, mostly in remote, swampy areas of southeast Missouri.
In 1982, the Missouri Department of Conservation began a 10-year river otter restoration effort, bringing more than 800 otters from Louisiana to release sites in 34 counties. Today, the state's river otter population is conservatively estimated at 3,500. This year, MDC allowed carefully regulated trapping of otters.
Adult river otters may weigh over 25 pounds. Most at home in the water, they have long, streamlined bodies and webbed feet. They can close the openings of their noses and ears underwater, and their broad, rudder-like tails give them astonishing agility. Their primary foods are crayfish and fish.
For more information about river otters and other fur-bearing mammals, write for a copy of the publication "Introduction to Missouri's Furbearers" from: Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
Contact: Jim Low (News Services Coordinator) (573) 751-4115, ext. 243
January 15 MDC Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO
(For additional information contact the Department Director.)
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