News and Almanac

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From Missouri Conservationist: Mar 1996
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ANGLERS' NET GAIN IS RECORD BOOK ENTRY

Fourteen anglers netted a place in the record book by tying or establishing state records for various species of fish in either the "Pole, Line and Lure" or the "Other" category in 1995.

Jessica Murray, 5, of St. Peters captured a 9.76-ounce yellow bass from the Mississippi River, and Nathan Derry, 10, of Butler caught a 1-pound yellow perch from Butler City Lake, tying the record set in the same lake in 1981.

Mike Jackson of Bourbon caught three records from the Meramec River: a 2-pound, 1-ounce shorthead redhorse, a 1.5 pound black redhorse and a 2 pound, 3-ounce golden redhorse.

Trotlines helped Douglas Stilts, 14, of Wappapello catch a 2-pound, 11 ounce smallmouth bass, and Greg Stilts of Wappapello catch a 5-pound, 14.5-ounce bowfin from the Castor River. Robert King of Marshall used a trotline to capture a 3-pound, 1.44-ounce black crappie from a farm pond in Saline County.

Terry Robb of California arrowed a 9-pound, 2-ounce common carp in the Upper Big Niangua River. A limb line set in Table Rock Lake resulted in a .75-pound bluegill for John Hardin of Texas.

Bill Willmert of Dexter reeled in a 4-pound, 1.76-ounce shortnose gar from Big Lake, and Wappapello resident Randy Woods reeled in a 2-pound, 10.5-ounce spotted gar.

Joe N. Tousingnant of Bourbon caught an 8-pound, 1-ounce river redhorse from the Meramec River, and Brad Farwell, 10, of Eagle Rock used a fishing pole to catch a 24-pound, .25-ounce longnose gar from Table Rock Lake

Polo resident Mike Miller's 7-pound, 9-ounce bigmouth buffalo from the Little Platte River earned a 2-pound test line-class record in the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

For information about record catches, request a State Record Fact Sheet from Fisheries Division, Conservation Department, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, 65102-0180.

QUAIL UNLIMITED HOSTS KIDS CAMP

Children 11-13 years of age can learn outdoor skills, wildlife identification and outdoor ethics at Quail Unlimited's Covey Kids Summer Camp June 21, 22 and 23 at Camp Clover Point, Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

Camp fee is $100 and includes meals, lodging and programs, as well as a Quail Unlimited Junior Membership. Registration deadline is May 31.

For more information write Jef Hodges, Quail Unlimited Regional Director, 382 NW Highway 18, Clinton, MO 64735.

Corrections: WETLANDS, BLACK BASS

The "Annual Report Fiscal Year 1994-1995" January Conservationist article wrongly indicated wetland acreage to be increasing. The Natural Resource Conservation Service inventory data actually show a net loss between 1982 and 1992 of 7,000 acres of farmed and natural wetlands in Missouri.

In the same issue we incorrectly listed a 15-inch minimum length limit for all black bass in the new James River Black Bass Special Management Area.

Instead, the regulations, which took effect Jan. 1, require anglers to release all smallmouth and largemouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. The minimum length limit for spotted (Kentucky) bass remains 12 inches. Anglers may only keep one smallmouth bass from the Hooten Town bridge to the Highway 13 bridge, near Galena.

PAVILION marks KC ZOO expansion

The recent opening of the Deramus Education Pavilion at the Kansas City Zoo marked the completion of a $71 million renovation project, which also included the construction of animal habitats.

The new pavilion includes a 400-seat IMAX theater, which features a 65- by 85-foot screen, and a walk-through environmental experience, called "The Journey." The pavilion also houses an 8,000-gallon aquarium, prepared with guidance and funding from the Conservation Department, which donated $2 million to the project.

Wetlands for Kids Returns to Busch

The Third Annual Wetlands for Kids takes place March 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area, near St. Louis.

The free event, co-sponsored by the Conservation Department and Ducks Unlimited, highlights wetlands and the species that live in them.

The event includes hands-on activities, displays, live reptiles, amphibians and water bugs, retriever dogs, wetland art and a children's activity book.

For more information call the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area at (314) 441-4554.

SUBSCRIBE ON LINE TO CONSERVATIONIST

The Conservation Department's Home Page on the Internet's World Wide Web has been updated to allow Missouri residents to subscribe to the Conservationist with their computers.

Head to the home page at mdc.mo.gov and then just click on "magazine" and "subscribe." Type in your complete name and address,including box or apartment numbers.

Residents of other states cannot subscribe on-line. They will have to mail in subscription requests, along with a $5 annual subscription cost.

OGT SUPPORTERS PRESENT "GIANT" PRINT TO GOVERNOR

Supporters of Operation Game Thief presented print No. 100 of the "Missouri Giant" series to Gov. Mel Carnahan at a recent ceremony in Jefferson City.

At the presentation were, from left to right, Conservation Department Regional Supervisor John Hoskins, Conservation Department Director Jerry Presley, Martin MacDonald of Bass Pro Shops, Gov. Carnahan, Conservation Commissioner Anita Gorman, Executive Director D.K. Hirner and Assistant Director Charlie Davidson, both of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, and Conservation Commissioner Ronald J. Stites.

"Missouri Giant" depicts the world-record non-typical white-tailed deer as Minnesota artist Ron Van Gilder envisions it looked when it stalked St. Louis County, before it was found dead in 1981.

Van Gilder provided 100 special edition copies of "Missouri Giant" to the Conservation Department. The lowest numbered prints were earlier sold to raise funds for Missouri's Operation Game Thief, which provides a toll free number for people to report game law violators and offers rewards for tips leading to arrest.

A few numbered prints remain and will be sold on a first-come, first served basis for $125 each, with the proceeds directly benefitting the OGT program.

To order a print by credit card, call (573) 51-4115, ext. 293, or you can send your check, payable to Operation Game Thief, to Missouri Giant, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, 65102-0180.

This Issue's Staff

Editor - Kathy Love
Assistant Editor - Tom Cwynar
Managing Editor - Jim Auckley
Art Director - Dickson Stauffer
Artist - Dave Besenger
Artist - Mark Raithel
Composition - Kevin Binkley
Photographer - Jim Rathert
Photographer - Paul Childress
Staff Writer - Joan McKee
Staff Writer - Charlotte Overby
Composition - Libby Bode Block
Circulation - Bertha Bainer