Commission Meetings and Actions

Missouri Conservation Commission May 2025 Meeting Tentative Agenda

• Thursday, May 15, 12 p.m. – Workshop and Closed Executive Session
• Friday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. – Regular Open Meeting

All activities will be held at MDC Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd. in Jefferson City.

Background documents related to open meeting agenda items are available for public viewing at Conservation Department Headquarters, Jefferson City, for eight calendar days prior to the meeting. Any person who would like to comment to the Commission about a specific agenda item must make a written request to the Director at least four calendar days prior to the meeting. The time allotted for public comment and the number of speakers will be at the Commission’s discretion. Recording the open meeting is permissible, pursuant to any guidelines established by the Commission to minimize disruption to the meeting. Individuals wishing to record the open meeting by audiotape, videotape, or other electronic means should notify the Director at least four calendar days prior to the meeting so accommodations for such recording can be made.

To view live streaming of the open meeting, or to watch recordings of past meetings, go to http://on.mo.gov/2nodPJU.

May 15 at 12 p.m. — Workshop and Closed Executive Session

• Commission Workshop
• Presentation: Conservation Employees’ Benefits Plan
• Presentation: Regulations Pipeline
• Vote to close meeting
• Approval of minutes of previous executive session(s) (610.021 RSMo).
• Consideration of supporting documentation related to recommendations to suspend or revoke hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges (621.021(1), 610.021(14), 454.440.9, 211.321 RSMo).
•  Consideration of confidential or privileged communications between the Commission and its Internal Auditor regarding work product (610.021(18) RSMo).
• Consideration of legal actions, causes of action, or litigation and attorney-client privileged communications as provided for in 610.021(1) RSMo.
• Consideration of potential real estate transactions/negotiations (610.021(2) RSMo).
• Consideration of recommendations relating to the hiring/firing/disciplining/promoting of personnel (610.021(3) RSMo.  

May 16 at 8:30 a.m. — Regular Open Meeting

Call to order — Margaret F. Eckelkamp, Chair

Administration:

• Director’s Comments — Jason Sumners, Director
• Action Item: Consideration of items on the Consent Calendar (to be approved with a single action unless any Commission member requests an item be removed and taken up separately). Items removed will be addressed as the last action item on the meeting agenda.

Regulations Committee:

• Action Item: Report of the Regulations Committee, and associated action items — Laura Conlee, Deputy Director and Chair, Regulations Committee
• Presentation/Action Item: Recommendations for changes to the Wildlife Code regarding rules pertaining to all portions of the 2025-2026 deer hunting season — Presentation by Jason Isabelle, Cervid Program Supervisor
• Presentation/Action Item: Recommendations for the 2026-2030 duck zone boundaries and season date formulas — Presentation by Reid Viegut, Migratory Game Bird Coordinator
• Presentation/Action Item: Furbearer Regulation Review and Sideboard Considerations — Presentation by Nathaniel Bowersock, Furbearer Biologist, and action items presented by Laura Conlee, Deputy Director

Administration – Budget:

Melanie Crane, Chief Budget Officer

• Presentation: Financial Report
• Action Item: Recommendation for approval of the Department’s Fiscal Year 2026 Internal Expenditure Plan

Infrastructure Management Branch:

Jacob Careaga, Infrastructure Management Branch Chief

• Presentation: Major Construction Projects Status Report
• Action Item: Consideration of bid for construction of the Roaring River Fish Hatchery Oxygen Line Replacement, Propane Line Replacement, and UV Improvements project located in Barry County, Missouri.

Realty Committee:

Aaron Jeffries, Deputy Director and Chair, Realty Committee

• Action Item: Recommendation for approval to purchase approximately 5.9 acres in Franklin County as an addition to Engelmann Woods Natural Area.
• Action Item: Recommendation for approval to accept the donation of approximately 158-acres in Barton County from Ida Lorene Higgins.
• Action Item: Consideration of items removed from the Consent Calendar, if any.
• Legislative Update — Aaron Jeffries, Deputy Director
• Other matters of interest
• Adjourn

CONSENT CALENDAR:

Items on the following Consent Calendar either require Commission Action (if noted) or may be written reports presented for Commission information only.

The Consent Calendar covers routine items to be taken up by the Commission as the first order of business and approved with a single action.  Any Commission member may request an item be removed from the Consent Calendar to be addressed individually.  Any Commission member may abstain from voting on an item without removing it by specifying the item number and his/her desire to abstain prior to the vote.  Items removed from the Consent Calendar are taken up in numerical order as called for by the Commission Chair or as listed on the regular meeting agenda.

• Action Item: Approval of minutes of previous open meeting(s)
• Action Item: Recommendation for approval to suspend or revoke one or more hunting, fishing, or trapping privileges of individuals for cause — Chad John, Internal Auditor
• Action Item: Consideration of request for reinstatement of fishing privileges — Chad John, Internal Auditor           
• Quarterly Permit Suspensions/Revocations Report — Chad John, Internal Auditor
•  Action Item: Recommendation to appoint new members to the Board of Trustees for the Conservation Employees’ Benefits Plan — Tom Neubauer, Human Resources Branch Chief
• Quarterly Personnel Changes Report — Tom Neubauer, Human Resources Branch Chief
• Information Technology Projects Status Report — Douglas Fees, Information Technology Branch Chief