March 2009
Hummingbirds are here; time to put out feeders
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
This year’s first recorded sighting came March 26 in southwestern Missouri.
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| Missouri’s first hummingbird sighting of 2009 occurred March 26 at Forsyth, in Taney County. Migrating hummers typically reach extreme northern Missouri two to four weeks after the first sighting in the south. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY–If there is a hummingbird feeder hanging in your garage, put it out quick. The first hummingbird of the year has reached southwestern Missouri, and more are sure to be close behind.
Lanny Chambers, of Fenton, Mo., maintains a website that tracks the progress of the spring migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds. That website, www.hummingbirds.net/map.html, shows a sighting March 26 at Forsyth, Mo., near Lake Taneycomo. Sighting reports are posted daily, so anyone who visits the site can follow the migration’s progress.
This year’s first arrival is on pace with those Chambers has recorded in recent years. Rubythroats also have been seen in extreme southern Illinois. After crossing the Arkansas-Missouri border, hummingbirds take two to four weeks to reach the Iowa State Line. Hummingbirds move north quickly after crossing Missouri. Last year the birds arrived at their most northerly nesting sites in central Canada in mid-May.
For information about ruby-throated hummingbirds and how to attract them to your home, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/8177.
-Jim Low-
Weather outlook favorable for spring dogwood display
Friday, March 27, 2009
Serviceberry trees already are in bloom, and redbuds are starting. Dogwood trees won't be far behind.
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| Barring unusual cold snaps, Missouri can look forward to a beautiful spring display of dogwood blossoms, starting in early April near the Arkansas border and reaching northern Missouri two or three weeks later. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY–Spring began March 20, according to the calendar, but for many Missourians spring starts with the first blossoming of Missouri’s native flowering trees. State officials say prospects are excellent for a good dogwood display this year.
The serviceberry (Amelanchier arobrea), redbud (Cercis canadensis) and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) all are native to Missouri. Serviceberry trees – also known as shadbush • bloom first, painting hillsides with splashes of bright white. Redbuds are next, sending out clusters of rose-purple flowers from late March through early May.
Dogwoods provide the season climax, normally reaching their blossoming peak in mid-April near the Arkansas border and two to three weeks later near Iowa. Pink dogwoods and other cultivated varieties often bloom earlier than their wild relatives. Even native varieties bloom earlier in cities, due to the warming effect of heat-retaining asphalt and concrete.
Weather plays a critical role in determining when flowering trees reach their scenic peak, and weather also can dramatically affect flowering duration. Serviceberry trees, redbuds and dogwoods all can bloom a week or two earlier than normal if March weather is unseasonably warm, as it was in 2007. By the same token, a hard freeze, such as the one that struck early in April that year can put an abrupt end to flowering.
Similarly, cool weather can retard blooming. Rainy, windy weather can cause redbud blossoms to drop early, and hot, dry weather in April sometimes shortens the dogwood display.
The serviceberry showing has been excellent so far and is well advanced over most of the state. Redbuds are just beginning to bloom in central Missouri, and dogwoods appear to be only days behind. However, parts of the Ozarks seem to be behind these trends, and dogwood bloom could be slightly delayed.
Overall, this year’s weather seems favorable for a spectacular dogwood display. The long-range weather forecast from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center indicated spring conditions consistent with the average date of last frost of April 6 in St. Louis. Slightly above-normal temperatures throughout much of March could cause dogwood blossoming to peak a little early in this area. Kansas City foresters say they expect a peak dogwood bloom in mid-April, barring a hard, late freeze.
Redbud and dogwood fans have several favorite drives that offer particularly good viewing. These include:
•Highway 19 between Montgomery City and Thayer;
•Highway 5 between Versailles and Gainesville;
•Highway 142 between Doniphan and Bakersfield;
•Highway 72 between Cape Girardeau and Rolla;
•Highway 63 between Kingdom City and Thayer;
•I-44 between Eureka and Rolla;
•Highway 50 between Eureka and Jefferson City;
•Highway 60 between Poplar Bluff and Springfield.
For more information about flowering trees in Missouri, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/8417.
-Jim Low-
Young archers take lifetime lessons from first state tournament
Thursday, March 26, 2009
One aspiring Robin Hood split an aluminum arrow down the middle.
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| Keli Smart, Tebbets, gets in touch with her inner Superwoman through athletics. She has been fascinated by archery since early childhood, and has since added power lifting, the discus throw and Shorin-Ryu-style karate to her sports interests. She says she loves the Zen-like focus of target shooting which shuts out everything else. Helping her score arrows is Hailey Hoth, from Helias High School. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
LINN, Mo.– Jill Szumigala had never thought of herself as Robin Hood until she competed in Missouri’s National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) tournament March 7. Keli Smart apparently saw herself as a Superwoman, but it took NASP to make her realize that her superpowers might land her a college scholarship.
The two were among more than 5,000 shooters across the Show-Me State who are discovering that bows and arrows can change your self-image. In some cases, they also changes how others think about them.
Szumigala, a junior at Helias High School in Jefferson City, got into archery when her school made it part of its life-sports program in physical education. Her father and younger brother are avid bowhunters, and Jill had done a little backyard shooting with them, but that was with equipment fitted to their size and strength. NASP uses one bow – the Mathews Genesis – that is adjustable for any shooter in grades four through 12.
Outfitted with a bow that fit her, Jill was excited about competing in the tournament at Linn State Technical College. When her turn came to shoot, she landed her first practice arrow in the center of the target. Her second shot hit the first arrow so squarely it peeled back the hollow aluminum shaft like the petals of a flower.
“I just thought it was an accident, and I felt really bad. I was like, ‘Coach, I broke an arrow. Do I have to pay for it?’”
Her worry turned to surprise when Coach Chip Malmstrom practically jumped up and down with excitement.
“He started freaking out and acting like it was a good thing,” remembers Szumigala. I didn’t know what was going on. Then I realized it was like Robin Hood.”
Because it was a warm-up shot, her “Robin Hood” arrow didn’t count. She still managed to place fourth in the girls high-school division, however.
“I didn’t think I was going to place that well, but I did my best, I guess, and I hope I can do better in nationals.” Whatever she does at the national NASP tournament in Louisville, Ky., May 8 and 9, Szumigala already has been changed by archery. She said archery is different than soccer and the other sports she plays.
“It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and focus,” she said. “It’s unique. I think most people think of it as more of a recreational thing than as a sport you can compete in. When we did archery in lifetime sports I beat Coach Malmstrom, and I figured I should come out for the team.
“My brother is in seventh grade, and we’re really competitive. He and my dad go hunting everywhere and now that I’m showing that I have skills they’re saying, ‘Oh, I guess we should take you along!’”
Asked whether she expects to continue archery after high school, she said, “Maybe. I think you can get scholarships and stuff, so if it’s something that can help me out in the long run, I don’t know why I would stop.”
Smart, a senior at South Callaway High School, wore a Superwoman tee shirt to the tournament. A serious athlete who pursues karate, power lifting and the discus throw, she traces her interest in archery to the tender age of four.
“When I was really little,” she said, “we used to put strings on the sides of a stick and wait until they curved and make them into bows. I always felt that a bow felt right in my hand.”
Later, when she began studying Shorin-Ryu-style karate, the bow became one of her favorite weapons. She is careful to note that she doesn’t like hunting, but she loves the Zen-like focus of target shooting which shuts out everything else.
Smart’s coach, Mary Branum, took several of her archers from South Callaway High School to Jefferson City last year to meet with the Missouri Sportsman’s Caucus in the legislature. They set up a regulation NASP range and gave representatives and senators a hands-on introduction to the International Style Target Archery training that NASP brings to grades 4 through 12. The lawmakers were so impressed they voted unanimously to buy a full set of archery equipment – bows, arrows, targets and backstop curtain and bow hangers – for the school.
Steve Lanier, who coaches the Longview Farm Elementary School NASP team in Lee’s Summit, handled registration for the state NASP tournament. He said he knew the program had struck a chord when he received more than 200 registrations in the first week. His own passion for target archery dates back 20 years, to a time when he was trying to improve his hunting skills.
“A friend said it would make me a better hunter, and I just fell in love with it,” said Lanier.
He calls archery “the perfect sport for kids,” because anyone can succeed. Archery does not require above-average strength or stamina. It teaches discipline, responsibility, confidence, self esteem and the concentration skills needed to succeed in other activities, including academics. The steady improvement that comes with practice builds self-esteem.
Some of Lanier’s students have discovered that archery is more fun than video games. That thrills the coach, who knows the physical, social activity that archery provides is better for them than solitary, sedentary games. He has students whose academic performance is poor but who are excited about coming to school every day because of NASP.
“Parents will e-mail me and say their son or daughter is sick, but they want to come to school so they won’t miss archery.”
Lanier says archery also is a great way to get parents of elementary-age children involved in school activities. “It’s not just fluff,” said Lanier. “This is something where they can really connect with their sons or daughters.”
Bringing archery into his physical education curriculum was a long-time dream for Lanier. NASP made that dream doable.
In spite of only having received its equipment last November, Helias High School brought two teams to the tournament and won first and third places. Second place in the High School Division went to Hurley High School, Hurley.
Winners in the Middle School Division were Crane Middle School, Crane, first; Maries County R-2, Bland, second; and Dent-Phelps Middle School, Salem, third.
Winners in the Elementary School Division were: George Guffey Elementary, Fenton, first; Perry Christian Academy, Perry, second; and Longview Farm Elementary, Lee’s Summit, third.
Top individual scorers were: Joseph Schatz, Boys’ Elementary Division, Raymore, 270; Preston McHalland, Crane, Boy’s Middle School Division, 269; Brent Wildhaber, Jefferson City, Boys High School Division, 267; Marissa Quick, Salem, Girl’s Middle School Division 263; Keli Smart, Mokane, Girl’s High School Division, 251; Chelsea Eversmeyer, Perry, Girl’s Elementary Division, 241.
The top boy and girl scorers – Schatz and Quick – received chrome-finished Mathews Genesis bows donated by Brennan Industries.
Although NASP is barely two years old in Missouri, it already has spread to 64 schools. Participating school districts are working to spread the program to neighboring districts so they can have tournaments close to home. Four or five Missouri schools are qualified and plan to compete in the national NASP tournament, where 4,000 shooters are expected.
Missouri NASP is a cooperative effort of the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri. The Missouri Bowhunters Association helped with the state tournament. The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation donated $5,000 help the top team in each of the three divisions buy equipment or to attend the national tournament.
Information about NASP is available at http://mdc.mo.gov/teacher/masp/ or by calling Conservation Department Outdoor Skills Coordinator Kevin Lohraff, 573-751-4115.
-Jim Low-
Conservation officials offer advice for keeping bear encounters harmless
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Follow these tips to reduce your already slight chance of conflict with Missouri’s small but growing bear population.
JEFFERSON CITY–Warm weather is returning to the Show-Me State, and that means the state’s black bears will be more active. The Missouri Department of Conservation has advice for keeping both bears and property safe.
Spring is a lean time for bears. Many of their dietary staples – berries, acorns and other natural fruit – won’t start maturing for several more weeks. Hungry bears go in search of food, and conflicts with humans can arise when those wanderings lead to bee hives, trash cans and pet food.
The Missouri Department of Conservation says the state has an undetermined number of black bears. The animals’ shy nature makes bear sightings relatively rare. Still, the agency receives roughly 200 reports each year. Missourians are urged to report bear sightings to the nearest Conservation Department office.
Missouri counties with the most bear activity are Iron, Shannon, Carter, Ripley, Reynolds, Howell, Ozark, Barry, Taney, Christian, Stone and Douglas. Ozark County is the epicenter of bear activity, with 100 reports since 1987. The next-most-active counties are Taney, Carter, Reynolds and Howell.
In recent years, the Conservation Department has been receiving more reports of bears north of I-44. Marion County in northeastern Missouri is the most northerly county with a confirmed bear sighting.
The number of bear reports begins to climb in April and peaks between mid-May and mid-June. Conservation Department Furbearer Biologist Jeff Beringer says a little knowledge goes a long way toward preventing such encounters from leading to serious trouble.
“Bears are naturally shy of people,” said Beringer, “so they seldom go looking for trouble. But they don’t know the difference between a dead fish in a stream and a garbage bag containing fish heads from a fishing trip. It all smells like food to them.”
Once a bear associates food with people, its chances of getting in trouble increase dramatically. The old saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear” is simply shorthand for something biologists know. Bears that hang around people are likely to cause trouble, and that trouble eventually comes back to bite the bear.
One reason that bears get in trouble is that their idea of what is “food” does not always match what people consider edible. Suet, millet and sunflower seed might not seem appetizing to you, but they are very attractive to hungry bears. And while a trash can full of smelly garbage might seem disgusting to the person who put it beside the road for pickup the next day, it is a treasure trove to a bruin with an empty stomach.
To keep bears from acquiring a taste for human-generated food, store garbage, pet food, livestock feed, bird seed and anything else that looks or smells even remotely edible indoors or in bear-proof containers. Clean up feed spills completely, and put out garbage as near to pickup time as possible. If a bear visits your bird feeders, take them down for two or three months to avoid becoming a regular stop on the bruin’s foraging rounds.
Other helpful tips include:
§ Clean up outdoor grills after each use and store them in sheds.
§ Put garbage out the morning of collection.
§ Don't place meat or sweet food scraps in your compost pile.
§ Never cook, eat or store food in tents or sleeping areas when camping.
§ Keep food locked inside vehicles when not in use. If a bear enters your campsite, get inside your vehicle and stay there until the bear leaves.
§ Never intentionally feed bears.
Spring also can bring bears into contact with hunters, anglers and hikers. Most human-bear encounters are fleeting and uneventful. However, such encounters can be frightening for people and for bears. Knowing how to avoid encounters with bears and how to act when you do see one helps keep people and bears safe.
Attacks by black bears are rare. Most occur because the animal is frightened or is defending cubs against a perceived threat. Black bears are excellent climbers, so trees offer little refuge.
Beringer recommends talking, whistling or attaching a small bell to clothing or pack to avoid startling bears while hiking or fishing. If you encounter a bear and it has not seen you, leave the area quietly and quickly.
If the bear is aware of your presence, avoid making eye contact, which bears perceive as a threat. Back away while speaking in a normal tone of voice. Don't run or make sudden movements.
Bears’ poor vision sometimes makes it difficult for them to identify humans, even at close range. In such situations, bears may stand on their hind legs and lift their noses high in the air. This is not a threat. The bear is just trying to use its keen sense of smell to find out what you are.
Avoid making a bear feel cornered. Black bears seldom attack if they can retreat. On a trail, step off the trail on the downhill side and slowly leave the area.
If you see a cub, move slowly and calmly away from it. Be on the lookout for other cubs, and avoid getting near them, which could trigger an adult bear’s protective instincts.
In the event of an attack, fight back. Black bears have been driven away when people fought back with rocks, sticks, even bare hands.
Shouting, banging pots and pans or making other loud noises almost always will frighten a bear away. If these measures fail, call a conservation agent or the nearest Conservation Department office.
Bears are protected by the Wildlife Code of Missouri, and it is illegal to kill one unless it is threatening people or property.
"The Conservation Department has people trained to deal with bear problems of all kinds," said Beringer. "Bears are an exciting and important part of Missouri's wildlife, and when conflicts arise, we want to help people resolve them in the best possible way.”
-Jim Low-
Sparing jakes could improve turkey hunting now and later
Friday, March 20, 2009
Missouri’s top turkey expert recommends patience and restraint.
JEFFERSON CITY–Turkey hunters in many parts of Missouri don’t need an expert to tell them the state’s turkey population is down. However, they might be interested in suggestions that could improve their hunting experiences this year and in 2010.
“I’m hoping that hunters will adopt a two-year strategy,” said Resource Scientist Tom Dailey. “Focusing their energy on making quality hunts this year is the best thing they can do for themselves and for the state’s turkey flock.”
Dailey, who oversees the Missouri Department of Conservation’s wild turkey management program, said he expects a significantly smaller turkey harvest this year than in 2008. Hunters checked 46,000 turkeys in last year’s spring turkey season. He expects the number to be closer to 40,000 this year.
The reasons are simple. First and foremost, Missouri has fewer gobblers this year than it has had in 20 years or so. Furthermore, the birds we do have are smarter. And, as is true of so many things related to turkey hunting, these differences are the result of weather.
“Three of the last four years have seen below-average nesting success,” said Dailey. “In fact, the number of poults (recently hatched turkeys) seen in the 2008 survey was a modern record low. It wasn’t much better in 2007 and only slightly better in 2005. 2006 is the only recent year when we had reasonably strong turkey reproduction.”
Weather records explain turkey hens’ poor success in recent years. 2008 was the rainiest year on record. Persistent cold showers drowned nests and chilled poults before they could grow enough feathers to keep warm and dry. The results were disastrous, not only for turkeys but for quail and pheasants as well.
Late March and the first few days of April 2007 saw daytime highs in the 80s. Then, starting April 4 – the peak of turkey egg-laying – the mercury plunged into the teens and low 20s for six days running. Turkey eggs froze in nests. The weather was so extreme that turkey mating stopped entirely, with behavior reverting to late winter patterns.
“Compared to those two years, 2005 was a great year for turkey reproduction,” said Dailey, “but in fact, it was a poor year, too. If it weren’t for 2006, we would really be looking at a dire situation.”
Turkeys’ strong nesting performance three years ago set the stage for a paradoxical 2009 spring turkey season. A strong year-class of three-year-old turkeys means there will be a good supply of big gobblers for hunters to pursue. The bad news is that such gobblers are notoriously gun shy.
“Three-year-olds are trophy birds, with big spurs and long beards,” said Dailey, “but it’s the two-year-old toms that gobble so lustily it makes hunters’ hair stand on end. A goofy 2-year-old will often run to a hunter’s call gobbling like crazy, but a 3-year-old is likely to sneak in silently, looking for the hen that’s supposed to be making those seductive sounds. Or, he might just stand out in the middle of a field waiting for the hen to come to him. They’re tough customers.”
That, said Dailey, sets up a situation that could perpetuate diminished hunting opportunities.
“I hope hunters don’t hammer the jakes (1-year-old gobblers) on account of a lack of 2-year-olds. This year’s jake is next year’s two-year-old. I’m hoping hunters will focus on quality hunts for older birds and less on just bagging a turkey. The number of jakes already is down in many areas.”
Asked why the Conservation Commission didn’t put jakes off-limits to hunters this year, Dailey notes that this would penalize hunters in areas where turkeys still are abundant. It also would put an unnecessary burden on hunters, who might have trouble distinguishing between mature and juvenile turkeys.
“The recovery of our turkey flock will follow naturally when we get two or three years in a row of favorable nesting conditions,” said Dailey. “Hens are the key to rebuilding the population, so sparing a few jakes this year won’t increase the number of birds we see in 2010. However, in areas where turkey numbers are down significantly, it could make for a better quality of hunt next year.”
Northern Missouri has recorded the biggest decline in turkey numbers, but Dailey says that is relative. Northern counties went into the current slump with larger turkey populations than those south of the Missouri River. Consequently, many northern counties still will have good hunting.
“That was really evident in the results of our gobbling study last year,” says Dailey. “Things were down quite a bit in the north, but there was still more gobbling in the north than in any other part of the state. While hunters in many areas are bracing for lower turkey numbers, many of the people I talk to see no problem whatsoever in their areas.”
Dailey noted that Franklin County usually is in the top three turkey harvest counties statewide. He said this east-central Missouri continues to have very strong turkey numbers, and last year’s poult count was good, so he expects the area around Franklin County to have good hunting again this year.
With a good carry-over of three-year old birds and reduced numbers of 2-year-olds and jakes, Dailey recommends that hunters adjust their strategies. He said “patience” and “restraint” are this year’s watchwords – patience for those who want to shoot mature gobblers, and restraint for those who want better hunting next year.
“I think in general, people are going to have to move around more to find birds,” said Dailey. “It’s a balancing act. You don’t want to sit there all morning in a spot where there is no gobbling, but there might, indeed, be a bird there. Patience is important, but so is knowing when to move. If you’re pretty sure there are turkeys in an area, stay put. Rely less on gobbling response and more on good calling.”
He said pre-season scouting is the best way to solve this dilemma.
“Because there is going to be less gobbling this year, it is going to be more difficult for someone to come into a new area and find birds. Hunters who put in the time to find those 3-year-old birds and learn their behavior patterns stand a much better chance of getting in a position where they get a shot.”
This year’s spring turkey season starts April 20 and runs through May 10. The youth season is April 4 and 5. Details of hunting regulations are available in the 2009 Spring Turkey Hunting Information booklet, which is available wherever hunting permits are sold, or at mdc.mo.gov/hunt/turkey/sprturk/.
-Jim Low-
2008 rains affect 2009 trout stocking
Monday, March 16, 2009
Stocking will be down 10 percent in most waters.
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| Record rainfall in 2008 hampered trout hatchery operations, forcing the Missouri Department of Conservation to reduce stocking rates in trout parks and trout management areas by 10 percent in 2009. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY–The effects of last year’s record rainfall continue to be felt a year later, with an announcement that the Missouri Department of Conservation will reduce trout stocking.
2008 was the wettest year in Missouri history, with nearly 6 feet of precipitation falling during the year in some areas and more than 12 inches of rain falling in less than 24 hours in others. Conservation Department Hatchery Systems Manager James Civiello said these torrential rains affected trout hatchery operations in several ways.
The most significant impact came from the forced release of massive amounts of water from Table Rock Dam in Taney County. Prior to 2008, the most rapid release ever witnessed there was 31,000 cubic feet per second. Last year, the dam let as much as 47,500 cfs pass through turbines and flood gates.
“Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery sits right below Table Rock Dam,” said Civiello. “The enormous volume of water pouring into Table Rock Lake forced the Corps of Engineers into record releases in June, and that created less-than-ideal water conditions for trout in our facility.”
Civiello said the temperature of water flowing from Table Rock Lake through the hatchery reached 65 degrees at times. This is too warm to spawn trout eggs and keep hatched fish healthy. Water quality became an issue, too. As a result, the hatchery lost more than 30,000 pounds of fish to disease and parasites, compared to the normal annual loss of approximately 7,000 pounds. Most of these were 3- to 6-inch fish that otherwise would have gone to other hatcheries.
In most years, Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery produces approximately 1.3 million trout for stocking and smaller fish for transfer to other hatcheries, where they are reared to stocking size. Last year the number fell to 1.1 million.
Meanwhile, other hatcheries were experiencing rain-related problems, too. Bennett Spring Hatchery near Lebanon and Maramec Spring Hatchery near St. James both lost fish to floods that compromised water quality and washed fish out of rearing areas.
To compensate for losses, hatchery managers “pushed” small fish, feeding them more to hurry their growth to the average stocking size of 12 inches. While this helped keep last year’s stocking near target levels, it amounted to borrowing fish from 2009. The hatchery system no longer has enough fish in the pipeline to keep up with this year’s stocking goals.
Consequently, the Conservation Department plans to reduce stocking at Missouri’s four trout parks and most other waters by 10 percent. This includes trout management areas and Lake Taneycomo. Statewide, the cutbacks will result in stocking 180,000 fewer trout this year than expected.
“We stuck with the traditional stocking level for opening day at the trout parks,” said Civiello. “Since then, however, we have been stocking about two fish per anticipated angler instead of the usual 2.25 per angler. We should be able to sustain that level of stocking 12-inch fish for the rest of the year.”
One exception to the reduction is the trout stocking program at Fort Leonard Wood. Another is the winter trout fishing program at urban lakes, for which the Conservation Department buys fish from other hatcheries.
Civiello said he hopes to return to normal stocking levels in 2010. He said the agency will continue to monitor hatchery inventories, trout tag sales and other factors and make adjustments to minimize the effect on stocking.
-Jim Low-
Missouri paddlefish get a supernatural boost
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The grandfather of Missouri’s paddlefish management program seems to have reached out from that big hatchery in the sky.
JEFFERSON CITY–The future is bright for Missouri paddlefish enthusiasts, thanks to a lucky alignment of the stars and an assist from beyond the grave.
Thousands of anglers who head out for the opening of paddlefish snagging season on Sunday will find a superabundance of young fish swimming in waters from Lake Table Rock to the Missouri River. The story of how those waters got four times as many paddlefish as expected began last year at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Blind Pony Hatchery near Sweet Springs.
Every year, hatchery personnel at Blind Pony place several hundred thousand tiny paddlefish “fry” in fertilized rearing ponds, where they feed on microscopic zooplankton and commercially produced fish feed. Several months later, they harvest juvenile paddlefish measuring 8 to 16 inches and stock them in reservoirs and rivers, where they grow to maturity.
In a typical year, approximately 15 to 20 percent of paddlefish fry survive to stocking size. When harvest time arrived in 2008, fisheries personnel harvested 260,000-plus paddlefish, which represented a 40-percent survival rate on stocked fry. This is the most paddlefish ever produced in one year at Blind Pony Hatchery.
Asked what caused this population boom, Conservation Department Fisheries Field Operation Chief Bill Anderson said, “We know exactly what happened. The stars lined up right.”
Pressed for details, Anderson admitted that a complex mix of factors, including water temperature, weather and influences beyond hatchery personnel’s control determine the number of fish produced each year.
Whatever the cause, the 2008 paddlefish crop was a record-breaker. You might think this situation was a hatchery manager’s dream come true, and it was…sort of. On the other hand, it also was a problem.
Missouri belongs to the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association (MICRA), a partnership of state and federal agencies that are trying to assess paddlefish stocks and movement in the Mississippi River basin. To aid this effort, participating states have agreed not to stock any paddlefish without first tagging them to establish when where they were released. Each paddlefish released in Missouri has a 1.5mm wire tag implanted at the tip of its spoon-shaped rostrum. Each tag is uniquely numbered and can be used to identify individual fish or batches of fish.
Blind Pony Hatchery was prepared to tag the requested 65,000 fish and then some. In all, it had more than 150,000 tags on hand. Never in their wildest dreams had anyone expected to be caught more than 100,000 tags short.
Rather than going back on its tagging agreement and releasing 100,000 without tags, fisheries personnel launched a national search for more tags. But they could only find a few hundred tags here and a few thousand there. Things looked hopeless.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Biologist Joanne Grady coordinated the national paddlefish tagging program for MICRA. Consequently, she was at the center of the frantic search for tags. She was particularly frustrated by the fact that she had several dozen spools of wire – more than enough to finish the job – that were useless because no one knew whether other tags with the same identifying numbers had been used previously. If they had, it would lead to confusion between different stockings.
The spools were a legacy from the late Kim Graham, the pioneering biologist who was instrumental in developing Missouri’s paddlefish rearing and management program. Graham was admired and beloved among the cadre of younger fisheries biologists whom he mentored, including Grady.
“I was sitting in my office late at night looking at this pile of what must be thirty spools of old Missouri coded wire tag found in Kim's stuff many years ago,” said Grady. “There were no records to tell me where it came from or when they used it. I thought that those answers had gone to the grave with Kim, and I said aloud to myself and to Kim that I needed his help to solve the problem.”
The next morning, a hand-written note from Graham turned up in files he had left with Conservation Department Fisheries Management Biologist Craig Gemming. The note included batch code numbers for the spools of wire that Grady had. It was as if Saint Kim, Patron Saint of Paddlefish, had reached from the beyond to get his beloved fish out of troubled waters.
That wasn’t the end of the challenge, however. It took dozens of Conservation Department workers and volunteers more than 2,500 staff hours to implant tags in more than a quarter of a million fish. Exhausted, but relieved to have pulled it off, fisheries crews sent 88,000 paddlefish to Lake of the Ozarks, 69,000 to the Missouri River, 56,000 to Truman Lake, 20,000 to Table Rock Lake and 1,000 to the Black River. An additional 30,000 went to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, which released the fish into Beaver Lake and the lower White River.
All the Missouri waters got at least twice the normal annual stocking. Anderson said this relieved Blind Pony Hatchery of the need to raise paddlefish this year. The timing is excellent, since the hatchery’s rearing ponds are being renovated. Not having to raise paddlefish relieves what otherwise would be a capacity crunch for other fish-stocking needs.
Fisheries Management Biologist Trish Yasger says last year’s double stocking won’t affect this year’s paddlefish action. It takes stocked paddlefish about 8 years to grow to 34 inches. A 34-inch paddlefish weighs about 30 pounds. These paddlefish will start showing up as legal catches around 2016. Male paddlefish begin making spawning runs at 6-7 years. Females take about 8 years to become sexually mature.
Paddlefish snagging season runs from March 15 through April 30. Table Rock Lake, Lake Ozark and Truman Lake and their tributaries have a 34‑inch length limit, measured from the eye to the fork of the tail.
The minimum length for the rest of the state is 24 inches. This includes the Osage River below Bagnell Dam.
Yasger said water temperatures are cool as the season opener approached, and she expects a slow start to the season.
“I would expect water temperatures to drop with the cool front coming in ahead of March 15,” she said. “Anglers will catch some local fish on opening day as well as fish that begin their spawning run early. As water temperatures increase, snaggers should start to see more fish, especially larger females, moving upstream. Generally speaking, snagging tends to be better earlier at Table Rock, which is farther south and warms up a little earlier.
Yasger reminded anglers that anyone operating a boat for snaggers must possess a valid fishing permit. On Lake of the Ozarks and its tributaries, the Osage River below Highway 54 and Truman Lake and its tributaries you have to stop snagging, snaring or grabbing for any species after taking a daily limit of two paddlefish.
She also urged snaggers who use gaffs to land fish to first carefully consider whether a fish is legal. Some anglers tell her they see some small dead paddlefish that have been severely gaffed.
“Before using a gaff, please look at your fish to see if it is large enough to keep, and when in doubt please try to avoid using a gaff to keep from seriously injuring a sublegal fish,” she said. “Every fish that dies before reaching legal size is one less fish for you to catch in the future.”
Yasger posts periodic snagging reports at www.mdc.mo.gov/7253.
-Jim Low-
Missourians need be more careful with fire than ever
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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| Woody debris from ice storms and tornadoes during the past two years has increased the danger from wildfire in Missouri. For information about protecting property and preventing wildfires, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/15942. Missourians also can write to MDC, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102 or email pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov and request the following free booklets: F00013 “Living with Wildfire,” F00015 “How to Protect Your Home.” (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
JOPLIN, Mo.–Wildfires have destroyed at least three homes already this year, and officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation urge Missourians to be careful with fire and take precautions to protect their property.
Assistant Chief Todd Chlanda of the Redings Mill Fire Protection District (FPD) in southwestern Missouri reported that fires destroyed two homes in his area last month.
On Feb. 16, an earth-contact home burned after the owner dumped ashes from her fireplace in nearby woods. The resulting brush fire burned back to the earth-contact building, where it set fire to the roof. By the time the homeowner noticed the fire, it had burned her phone lines, preventing her from calling 911. The blaze burned 60 percent of the home before it could be extinguished.
Another home fire occurred Feb. 22 when the homeowners burned residual vegetation their garden, and the fire escaped, destroying their house. Another fire on Feb. 23 – a grass fire of undetermined origin – destroyed a home.
These were among more than 30 wild-land fires the Redings Mill FPD reported in the first two months of 2009.
Statewide, wildfires have destroyed nine homes and damaged 12 more. Wildfire has destroyed another 22 outbuildings, such as sheds and barns this year and damaged 20 others.
Wildfires sometimes take a human toll as well. At least one person has died as a result of wildfires this year. An 81-year-old man died of a heart attack while fighting a fire north of Diamond in Newton County in January.
“The fires we are facing this year are more difficult to contain due to two ice storms and a tornado,” said Chlanda. “The fuel load is greater, and it is more difficult to put a line in around the fire because of all the limbs and trees that are down. There is a lot more work to containing a fire, more snags to drop and a lot more logs and down trees left burning inside the black. These are almost impossible to extinguish due to their location and the amount of water needed. This creates another hazard of the fire re-igniting from embers and possibly causing more damage.”
Bill Altman, forestry field programs supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said similar conditions exist across much of Missouri, particularly in the southern half of the state.
“We are seeing quite a bit of wildfire activity in the southwest quarter of the state,” said Altman, “from just south of Kansas City to Lake Ozark to West Plains. Other parts of the state are having fires as well, but the southwest is most active right now.”
Burning can be done safely. In fact, burning can improve wildlife habitat if done under the right conditions and with professional supervision. The Conservation Department and private landowners use carefully controlled “prescribed fire” at this and other times of year. Advance preparations – clearing fire lines, checking fuel and weather conditions and coordinating with neighbors and local fire officials – keep the danger posed by prescribed burning extremely low.
“People mostly get into trouble when they light a fire casually,” said Altman. “People don’t give as much thought as they should to burning trash or brush piles. Those who take time to think through a prescribed burn, get enough people to help and pay close attention to weather forecasts almost never have a problem. On the other hand, lighting a pile of trash on a dry, windy day without precautions raises the risk of property damage tremendously.”
Anticipating the heightened wildfire danger as a result of recent years’ ice storms, the Conservation Department has partnered with local fire departments on programs to raise public awareness. The campaign provides information home and business owners need to create buffers of “defensible space” around their property.
The Redings Mill FPD also is connecting older or disabled landowners, who might have trouble preventing or fighting wildfires, with local churches or other organizations that will help.
Information about preventing wildfires and protecting property is available at www.mdc.mo.gov/15942. Missourians also can write to MDC, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102 or email pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov and request the following free booklets:
• F00013 Living with Wildfire
• F00027 Prescription Fire
• F00015 How to Protect Your Home
-Jim Low-
Conservation Federation names 2008's top conservationists Adds Lifetime Achievement, Corporate Conservationist awards
Monday, March 09, 2009
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| Conservationist of the Year Lisa Allen is the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Forestry Division Chief and State Forester. Her passion for conservation is rooted in a childhood spent in Missouri’s Ozarks. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
The Conservation Federation, representing more than 70 affiliate groups and 80,000 individual members, presents the awards each year to recognize outstanding conservation efforts in various fields. It also presents an overall Conservationist of the Year Award, which went to Lisa Allen of Jefferson City. This year’s awards were presented at an awards ceremony Feb. 27 at The Lodge of Four Seasons at Lake of the Ozarks.
Conservationist of the Year Lisa Allen formed a lasting attachment to the state’s forests and wildlife growing up in the Ozarks. After earning a degree in forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia, she went to work as a forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation, eventually rising to her current job as Forestry Division Chief in 2006.
During her tenure as state forester, Allen has been instrumental in bringing private, state and federal resources to bear on the challenge of improving the management of private forest land.
“Eighty-five percent of the state’s forest acreage is non-industrial forest owned by individuals and families,” said Allen. “That is wonderful, because Missourians really do love their forests. Unfortunately, only about 7 percent of that land is managed with the help of professional foresters. That means that most of our forest is less healthy and less productive than it could be. My main goal as state forester is to change that.”
One way Allen has addressed that challenge is by using financial incentives available through federal farm bill programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program. This money makes it affordable for landowners to hire consulting foresters to develop forest management plans for their land. In Fiscal Year 2008, the Natural Resources Conservation Service allocated $1.2 million for forestry practices in Missouri. This helped pay for 195 management plans covering 24,935 acres.
Allen’s other priorities include promoting air and water quality and alternative energy sources while benefiting Missouri’s economy.
The Conservation Federation also initiated a new award for Corporate Conservationist of the Year. Bass Pro Shops received the award in recognition of its long-standing commitment to conservation causes. A key part of the national outdoor equipment retailer is “inspiring people to love, enjoy and conserve the outdoors.”
Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris said “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 on how we manage our natural resources than anything else. It is far more important than any catalog we mail, any new store we open or any new product our vendor creates.”
Among its many conservation contributions are financial support for Share the Harvest, the Operation Game Thief Hotline, Teaming With Wildlife, the America’s Fish Habitat initiative, the More Fish campaign, the Table Rock Fish Habitat initiative and Missouri’s Archery in the Schools Program. It also underwrites programs sponsored by the Conservation Federation, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield.
Another first in this year’s awards program was the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Charles Burwick of Springfield. A graduate of Joplin High School and Southwest Baptist College, Burwick has contributed more than 5,000 hours of his time conducting naturalist programs at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. He also has served as president of the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society and Audubon Missouri and has served on the steering committee for the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative.
The 2008 Professional Conservationist of the Year is Greg Iffrig, who works for the St. Louis-based L-A-D Foundation. Iffrig oversees recreational, natural area and endangered species program on the LAD Foundation’s 140,000 acres, the largest private forest in Missouri. Among his 2008 achievements was helping secure a grant of nearly $100,000 from the Federal Highway Administration through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trails Program. The money will help develop a section of the Ozark Trail along the Current River.
Bill Cooper, St. James, is the Conservation Federation’s Conservation Communicator of the Year. His accomplishments include work as an outdoor author, newspaper, Internet and magazine writer and radio and television producer and host . His special emphasis is on youth, as evidenced by his many articles about young hunters and anglers and his personal involvement in youth mentorship programs.
Conservation Department Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore, Owensville, is the Conservation Federation’s Conservation Educator of the Year. His work helping landowners in Cole and Osage counties learn about forest, fish and wildlife management are only the start of his educational work. He also joined with sportsmen in his community to form Mid-Missouri Dream Hunters, a group dedicated to providing opportunities for youth with special needs to experience the outdoors. Lairmore also coached a Gasconade County team that won first place in the Missouri 4-H State Wildlife Contest and went on to represent Missouri in the national competition.
The Upper White River Basin Foundation is the 2008 Conservation Organization of the Year. Its mission is to promote water quality in the upper White River watershed in Missouri and Arkansas. The Foundation monitors water quality and advocates for legislative and regulatory policies to benefit water quality. Partnerships with other organizations and public education about water-quality issues are key elements to the Foundation’s success.
Forest Conservationist of the Year Jeremy Wilson, Monroe City, is the owner and CEO of Quality Forest Management, LLC, the largest full-service forestry and wildlife management consulting firm in Missouri, with 17 employees. Quality Forest Management does more timber-stand improvement and tree planting than all other Missouri consultants combined. He owns three tree farms and a sawmill as well as a firewood business. He conducts complete timber-stand improvement on forest land he purchases.
Hunter Education Instructor of the Year Gwen Morris, Imperial, transferred her passion for teaching high school to hunter education. A retired teacher of more than 30 years, she taught nearly 300 students in 11 hunter-education classes in 2008 and coached a 14-year-old girl who won the Missouri Scholastic Clay Target Program Rookie Championship. She has donated nearly 1,000 hours of her time as a range and program volunteer and is an instructor in the Youth Hunter Education Day camp, Youth Outdoor Skills Camp and the Youth Trap Shooting Camp each summer. She is an avid duck and deer hunter who field dresses her own game and has been involved in the Missouri Youth Hunter Education Challenge for 14 years.
Water Conservationist of the Year Mike Kruse, Columbia, is a fisheries professional who has worked for the Conservation Department for 22 years. He chaired the committee that developed the Conservation Department’s state trout management plan and has been instrumental in implementing the plan. In addition to his role in developing Missouri’s trout fishery, he has contributed to a number of conservation projects undertaken by Trout Unlimited. As chairman of TU’s national Embrace-A-Stream Program, he helped provide funding for habitat restoration, research and education projects nationwide. In 2002, the program topped $200,000 in funding for projects in 22 states.
Anyone can nominate candidates for Conservationist of the Year Awards. For more information, call 573/634-2322 or visit www.confedmo.org/.
-Jim Low-
Purple martins still recovering from 2007 freeze, need help from people.
Friday, March 06, 2009
The Missouri Department of Conservation has advice for meeting the insect-eating birds' nesting needs.
JEFFERSON CITY–A soaring, darting, chattering flock is on its way to the Show-Me State, and the Missouri Department of Conservation has a publication to help bird-lovers prepare for their arrival.
Purple martins – usually older males – may arrive in Missouri as early as the first week in February. A few were reported near Farmington March 1. However, most mature birds arrive and begin nesting in early April. Reports of martin arrivals in Missouri are available at purplemartin.org/scoutreport/scout.php?Y=2009&S=MO. A map showing the migration progress nationwide is found at http://purplemartin.org/scoutreport/.
Getting an early start exposes them to hazards associated with cold weather. A late, hard freeze can kill martins outright, as it did in 2007 when temperatures dipped into the teens for several days running during the first week of April. Just as serious, such weather kills the insects on which martins depend for food. John Miller, a self-proclaimed “obsessed purple martin hobbyist,” noticed the impact on the purple martin colony he helps maintain in St. Louis’s Forest Park and the Missouri Botanical Garden.
“Many mature martins had arrived, and many perished,” says Miller. “Even into the 2008 season, there were reports from around Missouri of vacant housing where birds had died during the spring a year earlier.”
Miller said the colonies hardest hit were small ones consisting of just a few birds. Enough martins survived in larger, more established colonies to permit them to rebuild their populations fairly quickly.
While cold weather probably limits the northern extent of purple martins’ North American range, the hardy birds establish colonies all the way into Canada. Miller said the freak freeze of 2007 had little effect on martin numbers continent-wide, as indicated by observations in the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Martin numbers have increased slightly in Missouri since the first survey in 1965. For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov/8048.
Purple martins are the only wild birds in Missouri that rely almost exclusively on humans for nesting sites. Their association with humans began thousands of years before Columbus discovered North America. Indians hung gourds with entrance holes cut in them from poles to attract the birds, which devour flying insects, such as horseflies and wasps. For more about the history of martins-human association, visit purplemartin.org/main/history.html.
Miller, a member of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, has made a second career of being a martin landlord. He says the design and placement of martin houses and other nesting structures can be critical to a colony’s success. Nesting success also depends heavily on conscientious maintenance to get rid of old nesting material and the parasites it can harbor and on quick action when starlings or house sparrows try to move in on martin’s territory.
“Hosting martins is an opportunity to become an amateur wildlife biologist,” says Miller. “Martins thrive at sites where humans provide good housing that protects nestlings and allows more to fledge. There has been a wealth of information learned in the past decade based on research by the Purple Martin Conservation Association and members in the field. My advice to prospective purple martin landlords is to learn all they can.”
One way to learn about purple martins and their care is by obtaining a copy of “Missouri’s Purple Martins,” a comprehensive, 12-page booklet with illustrations. The booklet is available at mdc.mo.gov/12199. Printed copies are available by writing to MDC, Missouri’s Purple Martins, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, or e-mail pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov.
“These are enchanting birds,” says Miller. “They can be a window on the larger natural world even as broad as global weather patterns and the health of the planet. They lack the bright coloring of our delightful bluebird, but they are highly animated and seem to be just joyous. They can make your heart soar.”
-Jim Low-
Hunting, fishing permits expired Feb. 28.
Friday, March 06, 2009
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JEFFERSON CITY–If you are planning a hunting or fishing outing, you might want to check your permits. Missouri’s hunting and fishing permit year ends on the last day of February, which means some hunters and anglers are walking around with expired permits.
Through 1995, the Missouri Department of Conservation used pre-printed permit forms that came in books and were filled out by vendors. Those permits expired at the end of each calendar year. In 1996, the agency changed over to the present electronic system, where permits are issued electronically and printed at the “point of sale.”
When it implemented the point-of-sale system, the Conservation Department changed the permit expiration date to the last day of February. This recognized that hunting seasons for some game, including rabbits, squirrels, quail, pheasants, ruffed grouse and some waterfowl, extend into the new year. The requirement for new permits on March 1 also coincides with the start of the regular fishing season at Missouri’s four trout parks.
Missouri sport hunting and fishing permits are available from permit vendors statewide or online at wildlifelicense.com/mo/. To accommodate holiday gift giving, permits for each permit year go on sale Dec. 1 of the preceding year. Permits purchased for the next permit year are valid from the date of sale, making it possible to get 15 months of hunting or fishing for the price of a year.
The Migratory Bird Hunting Permit and the federal duck stamp are exceptions to the usual expiration date for sport hunting and fishing permits. These are valid from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.
Hunters and anglers will find some changes in hunting and fishing permits in 2009. These include:
• The Youth Deer and Turkey Hunting Permit and the Youth Antlerless Hunting Permit will not be available after June 30. Starting July 1, resident and nonresident youth may purchase regular fall firearms deer and turkey hunting permits at half the price of resident fall firearms deer and turkey permits. Youth Deer and Turkey Hunting Permits purchased during the 2009 spring turkey season remain valid for the 2009 fall firearms deer and turkey hunting seasons.
• Youths age 15 and younger may trap without a permit.
• Reduced-cost nonresident landowner permits no longer will be available after the spring turkey hunting season.
• Nonresident students attending public or private secondary, post-secondary or vocational schools in Missouri and who live in Missouri while attending school may purchase resident permits, except lifetime permits. Nonresident students must buy resident permits at Conservation Department offices and must carry evidence of Missouri residence and student status while hunting, fishing or trapping.
• Beginning in 2010, participants in the light-goose conservation order must purchase a resident or nonresident Conservation Order Permit if they are 16 or older.
• When mentoring a firearms hunter who is not hunter-education certified, all mentors, including landowners hunting on their own land, must be at least 18 years old and hunter-education certified unless they were born before Jan. 1, 1967.
Additional details about hunting and fishing permits are contained in the 2009 summaries of hunting, trapping and fishing regulations, available wherever permits are sold or at mdc.mo.gov/regs/permits.htm.
-Jim Low-
Youth turkey hunting clinic still has openings
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Sign up now. Registration for the March 28 event is limited to 40.
BLAIRSTOWN, Mo. – Hunters age 9 through 15 who want to learn about turkey hunting can register for a youth turkey hunting clinic March 28.
The clinic is co-sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and Everhart’s Wilderness Lodge. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the lodge, northwest of Clinton.
The event gives youths a chance to learn from experienced turkey hunters. Participants learn about turkey hunting rules and regulations, firearms safety, shotgun patterning, choke and shot selection, calling, scouting, decoy use and equipment. The free clinic includes ammunition and lunch.
Registration is limited to 40 youths. Each youth must be accompanied by an adult sponsor. Each adult may sponsor up to two youths. Youths are encouraged to bring their shotguns. For more information, or to register, call Johnny and Linda Everhart, 660-885-5049.
-Jim Low-
