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Wildlife means big bucks, and not just the antlered variety.
JEFFERSON CITY--Wildlife recreation is a multibillion dollar industry in Missouri, according to the most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has conducted the survey every five years since 1955. The most recent update catalogs hunting, fishing and wildlife watching. Survey results are broken down by state.
The survey revealed that 1.9 million Missourians 16 years and older engaged in fishing, hunting or wildlife watching at least one mile from home. Wildlife watching was far and away the most popular wildlife-related activity in Missouri, with 1.7 million people participating. Anglers numbered 935,000, hunters 499,000. In addition to residents, 300,000 people from outside the Show-Me State came here to watch wildlife, while 309,000 came from outside the state to hunt or fish.
The average wildlife watcher spent $262 to observe, photograph and feed fish and wildlife. The average angler spent about $500 for his hobby, while the average hunter reported spending nearly $1,200. Dollars spent on wildlife-related recreation generated 55,000 jobs and more than $2 billion in additional business activity.
The survey shows that most Missouri hunters are males between 25 and 50 years old who have high school educations and live in rural areas. Their annual income is between $20,000 and $40,000. They hunt about 16 days per year, primarily on private land. Anglers are more likely to live in urban areas, and include many more women in their ranks.
Summaries or the full survey report are available by calling 703/358-1839 or via the Internet at http://fa.r9.fws.gov/.
- Jim Low -
Professional conservationists dominate 2000 awards.
JEFFERSON CITY--The late Ford Hughes, who became one of Missouri's best-loved conservation figures through decades of professional and citizen service, received the Conservation Federation of Missouri's (CFM) highest honor posthumously at the annual CFM convention March 25 at Lake of the Ozarks.
Seven of 10 awards presented by the Federation went to individuals whose primary work was in the field of conservation.
Hughes' professional career included 32 years with the James Foundation, where he worked in positions ranging from manager of Maramec Spring Park to vice president of the Foundation. One of his most ambitious projects was the planting of 35,000 trees.
Hughes served on the CFM's board of directors, executive committee and on many other committees, including the parks, scholarship and ways and means. He also served as vice chairman of the Conservation Foundation Charitable Trust and twice earned the CFM President's Award for outstanding service. His public service also included the presidency of the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association.
Always quick with a story or joke, Hughes was a perennial favorite at the podium of CFM meetings. He died Nov. 23 at the age of 77.
The CFM's Air Conservationist of the Year Award went to John A. Young, director of the Division of Environmental Quality for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). His career accomplishments include transforming the city of Times Beach from a dioxin-contaminated toxic waste site to a state park. The project required the safe destruction of more than 265,000 tons of dioxin-contaminated soil.
Ben Knox, chief naturalist and environmental services officer for the St. Louis County Department of Parks received the CFM's Water Conservationist of the Year Award. Knox serves as executive director of the Meramec River Recreation Association (MRRA). In this capacity he has helped create 30,000 acres of parks, preserves and conservation lands in the lower portion of the Meramec River watershed. By combining his responsibilities for St. Louis County and the MRRA, he has helped improve water quality in the Meramec River watershed, with beneficial effects on fish and wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.
Gene Fox, Kansas City metro media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, received the CFM's Conservation Communicator of the Year Award. His conservation information work through radio, television, video and newspaper work earned him the award. Fox also is credited with tireless work to help commercial news media cover conservation issues.
The CFM's Conservation Educator of the Year Award went to the Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District. The district's annual Outdoor Classroom, now in its fifth year, exposes 800 children in grades four, five and six to a wide range of resource management topics, including soil erosion, stream dynamics, geology, wildlife, wildflowers and water quality.
Forest ReLeaf of Missouri earned the Conservation Organization of the Year Award for its efforts in promoting tree planting in urban areas. To date, Forest ReLeaf has provided more than 25,000 trees worth $1.4 million to more than 100 communities and schools. The organization also cooperates with the Missouri Department of Conservation in the Missouri Forestkeepers Network, a volunteer forest-health monitoring program, and the Community Forestry Leadership Institute.
Ken McCarty, chief of natural resources management for the DNR's Division of Parks, received the Professional Conservationist of the Year Award for his work in restoring and managing savannas and woodlands. His knowledge and experience have had an impact far beyond DNR lands, helping other state and federal land management agencies use prescribed fire as a management tool for more diverse, productive wildlife habitat.
Jim Drew received the Forest Conservationist of the Year Award for timber and wildlife management on his 250-acre farm in Caldwell County. Using cost-share incentives and uneven-age tree management, Drew has increased the commercial value of trees on his land while improving wildlife and recreational values.
Continental Cement Company of Hannibal is the CFM's 2000 Wildlife Conservationist of the Year. The company has maintained a quarry and lime kiln operation since 1906, supplying portland cement for projects ranging from the Empire State Building to the Panama Canal. While producing 650,000 tons of cement per year, the company also has practiced careful land stewardship on the 3,000 acres surrounding the plant. Reclamation work permits company employees to hunt deer and turkey, catch largemouth bass and enjoy nature amid wooded hills and fields of warm-season grasses.
James A. Ragland received the CFM's Hunter Education Instructor of the Year Award. Besides teaching the principles of safe, ethical hunting to thousands of youths, Ragland also has trained many new hunter education volunteers and is active in the Missouri and International Hunter Education Associations. He works with the Youth Hunter Education Challenge at the state and national levels and staffs the hunter education display at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia each year.
- Jim Low -
JEFFERSON CITY--The Missouri Conservation Commission's next meeting will be held April 19 at the West Plains Civic Center. The public portion of the meeting will begin immediately after a closed executive session at 8:15 a.m.
Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180; fax 573/751-4467. Requests must be received by April 7. People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements at the same address, or by phone at 573/751-4115.
Commissioners are: Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre, chairman; Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg, vice-chairman; Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, secretary; and Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, member.
- Jim Low -
It will probably never be known if the mountain lion whose skin was found along an Ozark road was a Missouri native.
JEFFERSON CITY--Conservation officials say genetic testing has failed to reveal the geographic origins of mountain lion remains from Texas County. The mystery of how it how it came to rest alongside a gravel road may have been solved, though.
A deer hunter discovered the pelt of the mountain lion, with head and paws attached, beside a road in southern Texas County in November of 1998. Given occasional sightings of mountains lions in Missouri, the Conservation Department wanted to know if the animal was a wild, native animal or an escaped pet or zoo specimen.
Mountain lions have been considered extirpated in Missouri since the 1920s. Besides the Texas County specimen, only two mountain lion bodies have been recovered in Missouri in recent history. One skinned carcass proved to be an animal that had died in captivity and been discarded. Another had been shot in Colorado and dropped along a Missouri road.
The Conservation Department had responded to lion reports by forming an interagency Mountain Lion Response Team. Team members from the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Conservation Department examined the skin from the Texas County roadside carefully and took tissue samples for DNA testing. In an effort to establish the origin of the mountain lion, they hoped to find out if DNA from the pelt matched the DNA from mountain lions from any other areas.
DNA testing apparently won't accomplish that, however. "A Ph.D. student studying population genetics of mountain lions in North and South America has concluded that you can't determine one population from another in North America," said Dave Hamilton, a wildlife research biologist with the Conservation Department.
"Based on her genetic typing, we basically have one subspecies of mountain lion all across the United States," Hamilton adds. "From a population standpoint, using DNA probably isn't a useful technique."
Though researchers may never know if the mountain lion skin came from an animal that was living in the wild or its origins, how it was killed is apparently less of a mystery. The Conservation Department believes the skin came from a mountain lion that was shot four years earlier in Carter County. People who pleaded guilty in the Carter County case said they shot the mountain lion with a .22 in the eye and that it was a female. The head and pelt found along the road in Texas County were from a female animal. One of its eyes was punctured, and an x-ray of the head showed fragments of a .22 caliber bullet inside the skull.
The Conservation Department can't say conclusively it was the same animal, but circumstances indicate the strong likelihood it was. The pelt found along the road was freezer burned. Why someone kept it frozen for four years and then threw it away may never be known.
In January 1999, rabbit hunters encountered a live mountain lion in Texas County. Two deer carcasses found nearby showed signs of having been fed on by a mountain lion, so it is possible the animal is successfully living in the wild. The Conservation Department has since passed regulations that state mountain lions attacking domestic animals or humans may be killed without prior permission. The kill must be reported to an agent of the Conservation Department and the mountain lion carcass must be surrendered within 24 hours.
- Jim Auckley -
Hunter safety training is credited for reductions in accidental firearms deaths in Missouri and 32 other states.
JEFFERSON CITY--Accidental firearms fatalities in Missouri have decreased 22 percent since 1987, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). The state's improved firearms safety record contributed to a nationwide decrease in accidental firearms deaths, which the NSC says are at their lowest level since record keeping began in 1903.
In 1987, the NSC recorded 37 fatal firearms accidents in Missouri, 12 of which were hunting accidents. In 1996, the most recent year for which state-by-state statistics are available, Missouri had 29 fatal firearms accidents, including one hunting fatality.
Nationwide, 33 states recorded declines in accidental firearms fatalities during the 10-year period. Fourteen states showed increases, and three had no change. Among states with declines in accidental firearms deaths, 14 saw double-digit decreases. Three statesDelaware, Hawaii and Utahreported no accidental firearms deaths in 1996.
State and national officials attribute the long-term improvement in firearms safetyin spite of increasing gun ownershipto firearms training and hunter education programs.
"We have seen a pretty steady decrease in firearms-related hunting accidents in Missouri ever since hunter education became mandatory in 1988," said Protection Programs Supervisor Bob Staton with the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City. "Each year since then, a larger percentage of Missouri hunters have had formal training in firearms handling and hunting safety. It's no coincidence."
Bob Delfay, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Newtown, Conn., said a diverse group of organizationsfrom the National Rifle Association to Boy Scouts of America and 4-H groupsshare credit for conducting training that has led to the improvement in firearms safety.
"The nation's 75,000 volunteer hunter safety instructors deserve most of the credit for bringing down the number of accidental firearms fatalities," said Delfay. "They contribute hundreds of thousands of hours of time annually to bring safety courses and messages to groups and individuals."
Delfay said the number of fatal firearms accidents nationwide reached an all-time low of 900 in 1998. By comparison, 2,513 Americans died in firearms accidents in 1974.
NSC figures for 1998 showed the accidental firearms death rate was lower than the death rate from falls (16,600), poisoning (9,000), drowning (4,100) or choking (3,200).
Of the 900 accidental deaths due to firearms in 1998, 700 occurred in the home.
- Jim Low -
Conservation Department trees help fourth-graders learn about and enhance the environment.
JEFFERSON CITY--On April 7, Missouri fourth-graders will carry on a 114-year tradition that has made the state a lot greener. The students will plant trees in celebration of Arbor Day.
For the past 20 years the Missouri Department of Conservation has provided seedlings to help children throughout Missouri commemorate Arbor Day. This year it will distribute 120,000 river birch, deciduous holly or smoke tree seedlings along with care and planting instructions to help those trees prosper.
The trees and instructions apparently are being put to good use. A Conservation Department survey found that three-quarters of students who receive seedlings plant them. Many end up in the students' back yards. About one-third of the trees survive to add beauty and help clean the air and water in our communities.
In addition to giving trees to students, the Conservation Department teaches children about the importance of trees. MDC provides each fourth-grade teacher with an activity booklet and other materials that provide hands-on lessons about trees. The lesson plan outlines a week's worth of activities to teach children how trees grow and benefit people. At the conclusion of the week, students know the parts of a tree, its life cycle and how trees generate the oxygen we breathe, help the environment and provide forest products that help the economy.
Arbor week activities also include information on the history of Missouri's forests and the origins of the state and national Arbor Day celebrations.
Missourians have celebrated Arbor Day since 1886, when the Legislature declared the day should be set aside for the appreciation and planting of trees. Arbor Day is officially observed the first Friday in April in Missouri, but celebrations are planned throughout the month.
Springfield residents will hold an Arbor Day celebration April 28. Students at Carver Middle School will join City Utilities of Springfield and Ozark Greenways in planting trees along the Wilson South Creek Greenway adjacent to the school. A total of 64 trees will be planted to supplement 45 planted in January. The goal is to enhance the greenway and give Carver's outdoor classroom program a mission. The celebration is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Carver Middle school at 3325 W. Battlefield.
St. Joseph residents are invited to celebrate Arbor Day with the Conservation Department April 1. The event from 10 a.m. until noon at Mark Youngdahl Urban Conservation Area will include tree planting and pruning demonstrations, activities for children and an appearance by Smokey Bear. Each family attending the event will receive a free tree seedling.
The city of Liberty's Arbor Day festivities take place April 7. A tree planting project for Mill Street will highlight the activities. Activities also are planned for 9:30 a.m. at Franklin Elementary School.
Kansas City's Arbor Day celebration will take place April 8 at 1 p.m. at Loose Park.
Riverview Park will be the site for Platte City's Arbor Day activities beginning at 9 a.m April 8.
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center in Blue Springs will hold a Forestry Centennial Celebration at 10 a.m. April 22. Free tree seedlings will be distributed at the event commemorating 100 years of the forestry profession in the United States.
The Conservation Department and the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department will help fourth-grade students at Mill Creek Elementary celebrate Arbor Day April 27. The event will consist of activities to educate students on the importance of trees.
Parkville's Arbor Day festivities are set for 10:30 a.m. April 29 at Spirit Fountain on Highway 9.
- Arleasha Mays -
More than a dozen homes have been destroyed, and Missouri's spring fire season has just begun.
CAMDENTON, Mo.--Fires that swept across thousands of acres in southern Missouri last week, destroying homes, automobiles and businesses, could be just a hint of things to come. State officials are urging citizens to help put a damper on forest arsonists' costly crimes.
County, city and state fire officials suspect arson in many of the 140 fires that blackened more than 15,000 acres March 6 through 9. The largest fire occurred in St. Clair County northeast of Nevada, where 2,000 acres of forest and field went up in smoke. Hundreds of firefighters from as far away as Kansas City and St. Louis converged on Camden County to fight the largest concentration of fires.
Last week's "natural-cover" fires destroyed 13 homes. In all, the fires damaged or destroyed more than 30 structures according to Bruce Palmer, forestry information coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City.
Doug Halliwell, state fire supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the current situation isn't likely to improve. Some parts of the state went into the year 2000 with a 15-inch precipitation deficit dating back to last summer. Above-average rainfall in February helped in some areas, but those gains can be erased by a few days of clear, windy weather.
Missouri's long-term weather forecast indicates that the state is likely to get lots of such weather in the coming weeks. The National Weather Service says to expect above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, except in southeastern Missouri.
"We are likely to have a high fire hazard this spring until the trees leaf out and the grass greens up," said Palmer. He said unseasonably warm weather could work against firefighters by encouraging trees to leaf out early, exposing them to damage by a late freeze. "If leaf-out gets set back by a hard freeze, trees will have to form new leaves, and that would extend the fire season."
The weather is beyond Missourians' control, but their own behavior isn't. Palmer said lack of caution is responsible for some of Missouri's wildfires. "People don't always think as carefully as they should before deciding to burn brush or leaves," he said. "This time of year, a fire can easily get out of control if the surrounding natural cover is dry or the wind comes up. If you want to burn, it's a good idea to check with the nearest fire department first and heed their advice. They have access to the latest weather reports, and they know when conditions are too dangerous for burning."
Some wildfires are set with malicious intent. Palmer said catching those who start natural-cover fires is next to impossible without the help of alert citizens. "All it takes to start a fire this time of year is to drop a match in the right place," he said. "The few arsonists we do catch almost always are turned in by alert people who don't take kindly to having their homes and property endangered."
Operation Forest Arson, a program cosponsored by the Conservation Department and the Conservation Federation of Missouri, allows citizens to call toll-free to report arsonists. An anonymous call to 800/392-1111 is all it takes.
"Setting brush fires isn't just a prank," said Palmer. "Firefighters put their lives in danger fighting these fires. People lose their homes, and natural-cover fires cause enormous losses of private and government resources. Everyone should be angry about this, and we should all be watching for chances to stop it."
Palmer offered the following recommendations to avoid starting a wildfire accidentally:
--If you must burn, pick an overcast day when winds are calm and the humidity is high.
--Notify local fire officials when you intend to burn.
--Burn before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
--After burning, check several times to ensure the fire is out.
--Keep water, rakes, wet gunny sacks and other firefighting tools at hand when burning.
--Call fire officials immediately if a fire escapes.
--Ask your neighbors not to burn on dry, windy days.
--Educate your children to be safe with fire.
Don't burn brush piles. They make great wildlife habitat and will naturally decay in two to five years.
- Jim Low -
Rock bass, smallmouth bass, catfish and carp all abound.
JEFFERSON CITY--East Central Missouri's Big River should offer good angling for rock bass and smallmouth bass this spring and early summer. That's according to the Conservation Department's Fishing Prospects at Selected Missouri Lakes and Streams 2000.
The report says that angling for rock bass should be "very good," possibly due to high flows last spring that kept anglers from harvesting many of the fish. Fisheries biologists found an abundance of 7- to 9-inch rock bass when they sampled the river last fall. "Anglers using minnows, crayfish or small jigs around root wads and logs should catch fish," according to the report. If you catch one rock bass, fish the area thoroughly, because others are likely to be nearby.
A 9-inch rock bass is a desirable fish, fun to catch and a good size for eating. Rock bass grow slowly, only about 1 inch per year after the fourth year of life, so a 9-inch fish is a fairly mature specimen. The diet of rock bass is about 70 percent crayfish, so small crayfish are a top bait for them.
Rock bass are shy, nocturnal fish. Outside the spawning season, they are not often seen in daylight away from cover. Look for them around hiding spaces, such as in piles of rocks. Rock bass have large eyes that help them hunt in the dark and search for prey on the stream bottom. They hunt the lower reaches of the river for food. A small grub-and-spinner combination is a good artificial lure for rock bass.
"The Big River and its sister stream, the Bourbeuse, are full of downed logs and root wads," says Kevin Meneau, a fisheries research biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Rock bass love this cover in the spring. The old adage 'you're not getting snagged, you're not fishing near the fish' is very true for spring rock bass angling."
The report also cited good fishing for smallmouth bass on the Big River, especially in the Special Management Area. "Good numbers of 12- to 17-inch smallmouth exist," the report notes. "Fall 1999 electrofishing surveys showed smallmouth up to 20 inches. Most smallmouth continue to be caught near rock slides, root wads or logs in current, near deeper water." The report says effective artificial lures include a jig and pork rind combination.
The Conservation Department extended the Stream Black Bass Special Management area on March 1, 2000. The new borders are from the Highway 21 bridge over Big River near DeSoto and the County Highway F bridge over Mineral Fork Creek in Washington County to the Meramec River confluence. The area regulations remain unchanged. The daily limit is six black bass, only one of which can be a smallmouth. Length limits are 15 inches for smallmouth and 12 inches for largemouth. There is no length limited for spotted (Kentucky) bass.
The report also notes that fishing for some other species also should be good on the Big River. "Flathead and channel catfish action should be fair. Last year's fall survey turned up several flatheads over 15 pounds and channel cats in the 4- to 8-pound range. The 'Great Flood of '93' produced a banner carp spawn. They have grown quickly and are now up to 8 pounds. Carp up to 20 pounds can be found in pools with little current near brush.
For a copy of the 2000 Missouri Fishing Prospects report, write to "Fishing Prospects" Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
- Jim Auckley -
Missouri is one of several states participating in an Internet service that allows hunters to find places to go.
JEFFERSON CITYYour next trip to scout a hunting location could be the walking distance from your easy chair to your computer desk. Access to information on hunting and recreational shooting opportunities is available online through the National Shooting Sports Foundation's (NSSF) hunting information website.
The site, at www.huntinfo.org, enables hunters to research opportunities to pursue game across the nation. An easy-to-use search feature provides links to websites with information on prime hunting locations based on the type of species hunters want to pursue or the state where they want to hunt. The site also has summaries of hunting opportunities and season frameworks for most states. NSSF officials say summaries for nearly all states should be available soon.
Virtually all information available online regarding how and where to participate in shooting sports is accessible through the hunting information website. Links to state wildlife agency websites provide access to detailed information on season regulations, permit fees, harvest data and other information.
Web surfers can access the NSSF home page and other sites for information on firearms safety, hunter ethics and the availability of local opportunities to learn how to safely operate firearms and participate in recreational shooting activities and organizations.
The NSSF hunter information website, which is available free of charge, was created to provide the public with easily accessible information about hunting and target shooting sports. NSSF is a nonprofit organization formed in 1961 to promote firearms and participation in shooting sports.
- Arleasha Mays -
Missouri's resident Canada geese can be a joy. However, they also can be messy and aggressive. Conservation officials have solutions to these problems.
JEFFERSON CITY--To Canada geese, a well-manicured lawn can look like an engraved invitation to take up residence in your yard. Short green grasses provide the perfect living conditions for the geese, but the birds' presence can be a source of misery to people who must endure droppings and the risk of attacks from nesting birds. Avoiding those and other goose nuisance problems is possible by making a few landscaping changes.
Letting the grass grow is key to avoiding goose nuisance problems. Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Biologist Dave Graber says taking away their ideal habitat will force geese to forage more widely for food, making them less likely to spend time in one location.
"Mowing creates a succulent, tender grass that provides a high protein diet for geese," Graber says. "Short grasses also provide the perfect habitat for them. They like to have a clear view of all the area around them, so they can quickly spot predators. Geese tend to avoid areas with tall grasses because it blocks their view. It's also high in fiber, so it's not as nutritious or appetizing to the geese."
Concentrations of geese also can be detrimental to humans. Geese that flock at or near airports can collide with aircraft. Urban birds lose their natural fear of humans and may attack people who enter their territory during nesting periods. Graber says while the goose attacks usually cause little harm, people have been injured by falling down when trying to escape from surprise attacks by geese. He says the majority of those injuries occur among the elderly.
Large amounts of droppings and denuded lawns also are consequences of geese concentrating in urban areas. A goose produces about one quarter of a pound of droppings per day. Large gatherings of the birds quickly foul sidewalks, ponds and other areas used by humans.
The nesting season for geese is beginning now, so home and business owners should act now to make their properties unattractive to the birds. Graber advises property owners to remove all artificial nesting structures, refrain from feeding geese and limit access to ponds or lakes on their property.
"If you don't want geese on your property, the first thing to do is remove nesting tubs," says Graber. "Years ago we used to promote nesting tubs to help in our restoration efforts. With the population thriving the tubs are no longer necessary, but if they are there the geese will use them. Because they are protected, it is easier to prevent geese from nesting initially than to make them leave once they have started nesting on your property."
Graber advises homeowners to allow grass to grow six to eight inches tall to discourage geese from feeding on their property. Adding trees and shrubs to land around a pond or lake also can reduce open space. Because geese typically walk rather than fly from water onto the adjacent lawn, tall plants or a three-foot high fence can help discourage them from entering your property.
Further deterrence can be achieved with flashy plastic tape or by using dogs trained to harass geese. "We realize that letting grass grow will not be an acceptable option in all locations," Graber says. "However, it is an option that is often overlooked."
Longer hunting seasons and higher bag limits are among the steps the Conservation Department has taken to help control local goose populations. Graber says those changes help offset the annual 12 percent increase in the number of Canada geese in Missouri since 1993.
When hunting, harassment and eliminating attractants fail to remedy nuisance problems, nest and egg destruction and lethal control may be required. To use these more drastic measures, you need a special permit, which is available through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
For assistance in controlling nuisance goose problems, contact the nearest office of the Conservation Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the USDA.
- Arleasha Mays -
The Conservation Department begins stocking Combs Lake this month.
KENNETT, Mo.--Bootheel anglers only have a short time before they can begin fishing the new 150-acre Combs Lake on the Conservation Department's Little River Lake Conservation Area near here.
The lake is to be stocked with 1,000 16-inch channel catfish in March to provide an immediate target for anglers when the lake opens at 8 a.m. April 1. The Conservation Department will add 7,500 redear sunfish and 7,500 black crappie in March or April and will stock 15,000 largemouth bass and 75,000 bluegill in June. These fish will require time to grow to catchable size. To help them, Combs Lake will get an initial stocking of minnows, a favorite food of the larger fish.
A public event at the new lake is tentatively planned for Free Fishing Days June 10 and 11.
Combs Lake has a boat ramp with courtesy dock, parking area, fishing dock and privies. This winter the Conservation Department placed almost 200 Christmas trees in the lake to provide fish cover around the floating dock, a concrete platform and four rip rap jetties.
All largemouth bass less than 15 inches long caught at Combs Lake must be released immediately. Daily limits will be six largemouth bass, four channel catfish, 30 crappie and 20 of all other species combined. The Conservation Department is asking anglers not to stock fish on their own, since this could cause problems in producing the best fishing possible for the lake.
The Conservation Department built Combs Lake to provide fishing opportunities in a part of the state where lakes are almost nonexistent. Soils in the Bootheel Region are underlain by deep beds of sand and gravel deposited by the Mississippi River over tens of thousands of years. Consequently, a conventional lake dug in the ground won't retain water. The Conservation Department ringed the clay soil of the future lake bed with levees, creating an above-ground reservoir.
The lake was filled with water, but then was discovered to be leaking. To fix the problem, the lake was drained and resealed with a layer of packed clay. Six weeks after the work was finished, the lake was at normal pool and holding water well. Reworking the basin included creating some fish habitat in the lake bed with excess sandy soil, which should bode well for the future of angling there.
- Jim Auckley -
Anglers will find the rules have changed when paddlefish snagging
season opens March 15.
LAKE OZARK, Mo.--Anglers who pursue Missouri's most unusual finned creaturethe paddlefishare affected by several changes in fishing regulations that went into effect March 1.
Paddlefish snagging season opens March 15 and continues through April 30, with a daily limit of two. The minimum length limit remains 24 inchesmeasured from eye to fork of tailin most waters. However, anglers need to know that:
--The minimum length limit is 34 inches on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake and Truman Lake and their tributaries.
--The Osage River between Bagnell Dam and the U.S. Highway 54 bridge is closed to snagging, snaring and grabbing from March 15 through April 30.
--You must stop snagging, snaring or grabbing for any species of fish after taking a daily limit of two paddlefish on Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks and their tributaries and on the Osage River below Highway 54.
Full details of paddlefish regulations are listed in the year 2000 Summary of Fishing Regulations, which is available free wherever fishing permits are sold.
- Jim Low -
The Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration and Wildlife Restoration programs are two of the most successful conservation programs in the world.
JEFFERSON CITY--Many anglers and hunters probably are not aware of it, but every time they buy fishing equipment, a firearm or motor boat fuel they pay a small tax that is used for fish and wildlife conservation programs in their home state. Missouri reaps about $10 million per year from the programs. The money is used for projects ranging from the development of river access sites to the creation of conservation areas.
The Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration program is more commonly known as the Dingell-Johnson Fund, in honor of the two federal legislators who sponsored the original enabling legislation. Similarly, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program is better known as the Pittman-Robertson Fund. Money from both funds is distributed among states and territories by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using formulas based on each state's land and water area and the number of licensed hunters or anglers in each state.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri ranks fourth nationwide in the number of fishing permits sold, and ninth in hunting permit sales. Because of these numbers, Missouri receives a large share of federal fish and wildlife aid.
The year 2000 is the 50th anniversary of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund. Federal fisheries aid comes from a 10 percent excise tax that manufacturers pay on sport fishing tackle such as rods, reels and lures. Also included in the program is a 3 percent excise tax on electric trolling motors and fish finders, as well as a dedicated portion of the existing motorboat fuel tax.
Missouri's abundant river and lake accesses are due in part to federal aid for purchase of land and construction of boat ramps. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration funds are dedicated to those kinds of sport fish projects, plus building and operating hatcheries, fish management, research, public education and making facilities accessible to disabled anglers. Of a total of $212,429,143 distributed to states in 1999, Missouri received $5,423,439.
The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program is more than 60 years old. It's based on an 11 percent excise tax paid by manufacturers on sporting firearms and ammunition, a 10 percent tax on handguns and a 12 percent tax on archery equipment.
Missouri has more state-owned public hunting and fishing lands than most states, in part because of money made available by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Fund. This money is dedicated to wildlife restoration projects and wildlife management and research. State agencies received a $165,353,469 in 1999 under the program. Missouri's share was $4,583,022.
Federal aid is important to states like Missouri in carrying out fish and wildlife conservation programs. The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting a series of meetings to make the program even stronger.
- Jim Auckley -
Conservation Department officials say a drop in the number of eagles seen this winter is nothing to worry about.
JEFFERSON CITY--For the first time in eight years Missouri's winter eagle population dropped below 2,000. The Missouri Department of Conservation midwinter eagle survey found 1,970 eagles in the state. That tally is 403 less the last year's eagle count of 2,373.
Conservation Department Ornithologist Jim D. Wilson does not consider the decrease in the eagle population cause for concern. In fact, he expected the figures to be lower than they were.
"Considering the extremely mild winter throughout the continent," says Wilson, "I'm surprised we had nearly 2,000 eagles in the state this year. Eagles generally winter in Missouri because the rivers, streams and lakes in the north freeze over. That didn't happen much this winter. Eagles take advantage of a readily available food source, rather than expending energy migrating and taking the risk that there will be enough resources available to assure their survival in a new location. I'm sure our decrease in eagles this winter was offset by an increase in the winter eagle populations of states to the north."
Habitat conditions and an expansion of the eagle's range in Missouri also may have affected this year's count. Wilson says low water across the state reduced the amount of eagle habitat in the state. He also says some birds may have been missed because they populated areas that they hadn't in the past.
"Eagles were found in more counties than ever86 of the state's 114 counties," Wilson says. "Because eagles would concentrate in some areas in the past, those were the areas we focused our attention on during the survey. We may not have missed as many under those circumstances."
Ornithologist Wilson says despite Missouri's eagle population decrease there is nothing to indicate that the overall eagle population is on the decline. He says the ratio of adult to juvenile eagles is a good indicator of the health of the eagle population. When juveniles comprise a third or more of the population that usually means the birds are reproducing at a good rate. Immature eagles accounted for 37 percent of Missouri's eagle population in this year's count.
Wilson says that the overall trend for eagles over a 16-year period is up. Eagles, once on the endangered species list, have recovered and are no longer considered endangered.
The largest concentration of eagles seen this year was 346 in Barry County. Conservation agents in Stone County counted 110 eagles. Miller County has the third largest concentration of eagles in the state with a total of 84 along the Osage River.
Eagles are counted two ways in Missouri. The Conservation Department surveys the Missouri River and many of the state's wetlands from an airplane. Conservation agents statewide also count eagles from the ground. The eagle survey is conducted annually in conjunction with the midwinter waterfowl survey.
-Arleasha Mays -
A "conservation action" declared by Congress allows Missouri hunters to continue taking snow, blue and Ross' geese.
JEFFERSON CITY--For the second year in a row, Congress has approved a "conservation action" to enable hunters to help reduce numbers of snow, blue and Ross' geese in order to stop ongoing ecological damage.
The action is separate from the regular hunting season, which ended in January. Under the conservation action, hunters are allowed to use some methods not permitted during the regular season. These include hunting with unplugged shotguns, using electronic calls and unlimited daily take.
The extraordinary measures are a response to an extraordinary situation. Snow and blue geese have taken advantage of waste grain and other agricultural crop bonanzas in recent years, building to an unprecedented population of more than 5 million. As a result, the birds have begun to damage the fragile tundra habitat that they and other animals use during the summer. The damage already is extensive andsome biologists fearpermanent.
Hunting snow geese requires hard work and specialized strategies, but those who learn the tricks find it immensely rewarding. They note that few outdoor experiences can compare with being at the center of a swirling vortex of several thousand squawking snow geese settling into a decoy spread.
Missouri hunters can harvest snow geese through the end of April. But snow geese grow restless, moving from one wetland area to another and eventually north, out of Missouri. To help hunters locate snow goose concentrations, the Conservation Department provides a snow goose report on its web page. For the latest information about areas where snow geese are, go to
If you already have a freezer full of snow geese and would like ideas about how to prepare them for the table, check out the "Snow Goose Cookbook," published by the Arctic Goose Joint Venture Conservation Office in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The colorful, 40-page cookbook has recipes for the campfire or a gourmet kitchen.
The book's $7 cost includes shipping and handling. To order, send check or money order to Snow Goose Cookbook, Publications Sales, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. Telephone orders can be placed using Visa, Discover or Mastercard at 800/364-4263.
- Jim Low -
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