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CORRECTION
A story that appeared in the Sept. 11 issue of All Outdoors contained an error concerning the name and location of a stream that has suffered a loss of biological diversity. The stream was identified as Fox Creek, located in the Meramec River watershed between the cities of Pacific and Eureka. The stream should have been identified as Fox River in Clark County.
- Jim Low -
1. Activities to mark National Hunting & Fishing Day
2. Governor's Hunting & Fishing Day Proclamation
3. Conservation Heritage Foundation making strides
"Most of us are only dimly conscious of our own personal ecology-how we're rooted to the soil and water, forest and field; how we're affiliated with the farmer and fisherman; and how we're connected even to wild animals and to hunting. Take the example of deer, which have become so abundant in many parts of the United States that they cause extensive damage to almost every kind of agricultural crop."--Richard K. Nelson, "Finding Common Ground," introduction to A Hunter's Heart
1. Activities to mark National Hunting and Fishing Day
Visitors will get to try their hands at fly tying, clay pigeon shooting, and a host of other activities at events around the state
JEFFERSON CITY--A proclamation signed by Gov. Mel Carnahan adds Missouri to the states where National Hunting and Fishing Day will be celebrated with public events the weekend of Sept. 26.
National Hunting and Fishing Day activities at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area near St. Charles will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 26. Displays, programs and activities will be provided by members of nearly two dozen conservation organizations, plus Conservation Department personnel.
Visitors will be able to zero in on their particular interests. Speakers will discuss how to get started hunting small and big game. They will cover the selection, training and working of hounds, pointers and retrievers. Information about rifle and shotgun target shooting also will be available, along with the basics of archery equipment, shooting and hunting.Anglers will have tips on using all kinds of tackle, from simple cane poles to casting and fly gear. Other specialists will explain how to select outdoor clothing and boots.
Conservation Department personnel will discuss ways of improving your property for wildlife and fish, as well as forest management. You will be able to watch fisheries personnel electrofish a lake to assess the fish population, watch the magic of a stream at work on a "stream table" and visit with members of Missouri Stream Teams. For more information on National Hunting and Fishing Day at the Busch Area, call (314) 441-4554.
Activities at the Conservation Department's regional office in St. Joseph (on the Missouri Western State College campus) include fly-tying demonstrations, a kid's casting contest, a log-rolling activity and woodworking projects for wildlife. The action starts at 1 p.m. and runs to 5 p.m. Sept. 27. An electronic deer decoy will be on hand, as will Smokey Bear. Other activities include learning how to make plaster casts of animal tracks and air rifle and archery shoots for kids. There will be free trapshooting at a range on site. A taxidermist and wildlife artist will field questions from visitors. For more information, call (816) 271-3100.
The Lake City Shooting Range and Training Center near Grain Valley will host a trap shooting clinic and free trap shooting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27. The United Bowhunters of Missouri will have a booth, as will the Ft. Osage Muzzleloaders, a historical re-enactment group. Instructors will be on hand to help visitors sight in their deer rifles, and a hunter education course will be underway. The Missouri Trout Fisherman's Association will provide a fly-tying demonstration and fly-casting lessons for neophytes. The National Wild Turkey Federation chapter of Excelsior Springs will give tips on turkey hunting and calling. Call (816) 229-4448 for more information on Lake City activities.
The Conservation Department will hold an event called "Great Outdoors Day" at the Bois D'Arc Conservation Area near Springfield. The action will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 26. Visitors can go on nature hikes or try a hands-on introduction to fishing, canoeing, shooting and archery. Instructors will tie fishing flies and help enthusiasts become better fly casters.
Call the nearest Conservation Department office for details about National Hunting and Fishing Day activities in your area.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation coordinates National Hunting and Fishing Day. The group likes to take the opportunity to note that sportsmen have provided more than $20 billion to wildlife management programs nationwide, contributing more than $3.5 million each day in the form of license fees, equipment taxes and purchases of duck stamps and other permits. The money has been used to restore animals like deer and wild turkeys to abundance.
Jim Auckley -
2. Governor's Hunting & Fishing Day proclamation
Governor Mel Carnahan has proclaimed Hunting and Fishing Day in Missouri. Carnahan's proclamation reads:
WHEREAS, hunting, fishing and trapping were vital elements in the successful colonization and settlement of Missouri; and
WHEREAS, men and women who actively participate in hunting and fishing were the earliest and most ardent supporters of laws establishing hunting and fishing permit fees to pay for conservation programs; and
WHEREAS, such men and women continue their conservation advocacy roles by contributing millions of dollars to the study, restoration, maintenance and enhancement of Missouri's forest, fish and wildlife species; and
WHEREAS, conscientious hunters and anglers demand professional management of our precious natural resources; and
WHEREAS, the Office of the Governor believes it appropriate to commend those individuals, organizations and government agencies dedicated to protecting our land, fish and wildlife;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MEL CARNAHAN, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, do hereby proclaim September 26, 1998, to be Hunting and Fishing Day in Missouri and urge all citizens to enjoy the beauty of Missouri's outdoors.
3. Conservation Heritage Foundation Making Strides
Partnerships with individual citizens, private conservation groups and public agencies allow this nonprofit organization to accomplish things government can't.
JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri's private Conservation Heritage Foundation is now funding projects that will benefit all Missourians who use the outdoors.
A St. Louis resident was looking for a way to establish a memorial to his late wife, who loved nature. A beautiful garden of native plants will be established and maintained at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood in her name, thanks to an endowment to the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation.
The donor agreed to give $5,000 to hire a landscaper to rework a wildflower garden the Missouri Department of Conservation uses to teach visitors about native plants. He provided an endowment of $20,000 through the Conservation Heritage Foundation. Income from the endowment will be used each year to hire someone during the growing season to care for the plants.
The gift will allow the staff at the Conservation Nature Center to concentrate on serving the thousands of visitors who visit Powder Valley each year, while providing a fitting memorial to the donor's wife.
This gift to Missourians who visit and enjoy the outdoors is one of a number of projects underway at the relatively new Heritage Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization that supports conservation programs. Through the Foundation, donors can specify the projects on which their money will be spent.
As an example, a donor or group of donors can ask that their dollars be earmarked to buy a particular tract of land or to fund a conservation education facility in their city.
One large project involves the purchase of 391 acres of land called Cedar Gap for public use in Wright County. The Conservation Heritage Foundation has received some 170 donations totaling $22,847.99 for the project from citizens and corporations. The total cost of the land will be $150,000. This is a tract of land with high natural values in the headwaters of an Ozark stream.
Funds also are being used to restore endangered wildlife. In Springfield, a gift of $5,000 from Commerce Bank and $405 from 10 other sources is providing support for releasing peregrine falcons on the Southwest Missouri State University campus. The goal is for the birds to make Springfield their home and begin nesting in the area.
The Conservation Heritage Foundation has brought together a host of donors to build a 60-foot cable suspension bridge that completes a 6-mile hiking trail along the unchannelized portion of Locust Creek in Linn County. The trail connects Pershing State Park and Fountain Grove Conservation Area.
The total cost of the bridge project is $15,000. The Wire Rope Company of Chillicothe donated $462 in steel suspension cable, while $1,200 in galvanized soil anchors came as a donation from Larry Glenn at Kriz-Davis in St. Joseph. Don Farris at Sentinel Lumber Industries in Ashland and the Missouri Forest Products Association kicked in more than $200 in lumber.
John Powell at Powell Lumber Company in Rolla, Dan Wilson at Great Central Lumber Company in Jefferson City and Dan Bryant at Meek's Lumber in Jefferson City also donated lumber. The Conservation Department provided $7,000 in labor for the bridge project. A request for additional funds from the National Trails Act is pending.
Students in the 5th grade class at Holy Infant School in St. Louis have donated $725.45 for use on an endangered species habitat project. Other donations include $785 for a bench and children's area bookcase at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and $524 (not yet earmarked) at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.
One of the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation's ongoing projects is a campaign to sell bricks and memorial trees as a fundraiser for the Conservation Department's planned Discovery Center in Kansas City.
Located near Brush Creek and just east of the Country Club Plaza, the Discovery Center will focus its education programs on helping children growing up in the city to appreciate the bounty and beauty of nature and learn outdoor skills, such as fishing, hiking, camping, wildlife viewing and hunting.
The Conservation Department expects 350,000 visitors per year at the Discovery Center, a place where people can learn how to explore the outdoors and how to make their yards more attractive to wildlife. Visitors of all ages also can learn to explore nature through writing, drawing, painting and photography.
Thirteen bricks have been sold, representing donations of $1,300. The Perry Foundation donated $500.
Funds donated to the foundation must be directed to it, and not the Conservation Department. Donors can send mail to the foundation at PO Box 366, Jefferson City, MO. 65102-0366. All contributions to the foundation are tax deductible.
- Jim Auckley -
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