Clean Water Review
Congratulations on an excellent article about using Best Management Practices in logging areas to prevent erosion and protect clean water. This kind of public education is critical in meeting the challenge of diffuse runoff, or non-point source pollution, the major cause of our nation’s remaining water pollution problems.
It’s especially pertinent during this Year of Clean Water, the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
G. Tracy Mehan, III, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Dog ID
We recently adopted a dog from an area rescue shelter. We, and everyone else who saw him, thought the dog was an Irish wolfhound mix. Thanks to the cover picture of your September issue, we now believe we have adopted a pudelpointer, instead. Now we’re trying to learn all we can about the breed so we can take care of our pet, which we’ve named “Fritz.”
Don & Judy Engelthaler, Shell Knob
We learned a great deal about our German shorthair pointer and our English shorthair pointer in your article about hunting dogs, and we now know why our Brittany/springer mix gets confused in the hunting field.
Brian & Jill Dourty, Columbia
Transplanting Time
I’m a transplanted Missourian. I left Jefferson City after 5 years of broadcast journalism. That was in 1957, when Jim Tom Blair was Governor, Stu Symington was Senator and Don Wooldridge headed your photo department.
I wanted to express my heartfelt appreciation of the Missouri Conservationist, one of the finest magazines of its kind in our nation. I have received your magazine continuously for 45 years. The quality has never faltered.
I just want to remind Missourians that they are blessed with an ideal Conservation Department—never tainted by politics—an organization that should stand as a model for conservation efforts nationwide.
Dick Chapman, Mound, Minn.
Bamboo Food
In your article on bamboo, you briefly describe the early use of bamboo by aboriginal Americans and early settlers. Aboriginal people all over the world use bamboo for house building and weaponry, as well as for food.
In China, we eat “baby bamboo” with Chinese-style cooking or as a salad. Bamboo is collected with knives from bamboo farms or from forests in the early morning and brought to the morning market. Housewives cook baby bamboo and serve it for dinner. The simplest way to cook it is to peel off the skin and boil the bamboo in water. After it cools, cut it in pieces and eat it with different dressings on top. Not only is baby bamboo rich in phosphorus, calcium and crude protein, but it also provides rich fiber that is necessary to our digestive organs.
Nelson Liu, Taiwan, ROC
Nonhunter Education
I recently attended your hunter education class at Bradleyville. I give the class an A+.
I am a 34-year-old female who took the class in seventh grade. I decided to take it again as a refresher. I’m so glad I did. I do not deer or turkey hunt, but I did learn a lot about how to be safe in the woods.
Thanks for offering the program, and thanks to the conservation agents and instructors who volunteer their time and share their knowledge. I recommend the class to anyone who enjoys the outdoors.
J. Adam, Marshfield
Trap Or Not
Thank you for publishing Kyle Reno’s article on trapping. In this age of political correctness, where we “harvest” animals, rather than “kill” them, trapping and trappers have become the next prey for animal rights advocates. Because few people have trapped, the public’s perception of the practice can easily be manipulated by animal rights propaganda.
Although I do not trap, I applaud those who do. If you hunt or fish, thank a trapper next time you meet one for helping you see more ducks and quail and to catch more fish. If you are camper, thank him for keeping your cooler safe from marauding bandits. We owe it to these guys to stand up with them and protect the sport.
John Markway, Tebbetts
I am a “hard-sell” on the issue of hunting, but over the years I have come to acknowledge it as a tool to control animal populations.
However, I am a “no-sell” on the issue of trapping. Trapping is cruel, and it is cruel for the sake of greed. Drowning any animal is inhumane, and using inhumane measures is totally unacceptable.
Mary House, Jefferson City
Seasoning Fish
Your article on clothes moths says cedar furniture or cedar shavings will keep these pests away. I use whole cloves as an alternative to cedar. It even has a nice scent, like food or chewing gum.
Some of my fly-tying materials have not have seen “daylight” for up to 6 years, yet they are as ready to use as the last time I saw them. The fish won’t know what vintage of material they bit.
Ted Roesch, Carl Junction
Brake For Cane
I certainly enjoyed your October article on canebrakes. We have a flourishing canebrake on our property. It is constrained by a driveway, but it’s lush and full and continues to spread. From a few sprouts until now, nine years later, it has provided us with lush beauty all year. It also makes for a wonderful privacy barrier.
Jerry & Margot Volding, Four Seasons
The letters printed here reflect readers' opinions about the Conservationist and its contents. Space limitations prevent us from printing all letters, but we welcome signed comments from our readers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Ask the Ombudsman
Q: Why did you eliminate January firearms deer hunting? We liked the extra opportunity to fill our unused antlerless permits.
A: The January Extension of past years was popular, but it didn’t fulfill its primary purpose of reducing the number of breeders (does) in the herd. The problem was that the extension was just a little too late. By January, some bucks are already shedding their antlers, increasing the possibility that hunters could mistake bucks for does.
The Department wished to continue to allow hunters an extra opportunity to fill unused antlerless permits, so they moved the does-only period to December 19 through December 22.
The Antlerless-Only portion of the firearms deer season is open only in units 1 through 27, 33 through 37, 58 and 59. Hunters with unfilled any-deer or bonus deer permits may use those permits to take antlerless deer only. Please note that many conservation areas are open to antlered deer hunting only. Hunters planning to hunt conservation areas during the Antlerless-Only portion of the firearms season should check with the appropriate regional office about conservation area regulations. For regional office contact information, see the Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Information pamphlet or go to <www.mdc.mo.gov/about/srvcentr.html>.
Ombudsman Ken Drenon will respond to your questions, suggestions or complaints concerning Conservation Department programs. Write him at P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, call him at (573) 751-4115, ext. 3848, or e-mail him at <Ken.Drenon@mdc.mo.gov>.
And More...
This Issue's Staff
Managing Editor - Bryan Hendricks
Art Editor - Dickson Stauffer
Artist - Dave Besenger
Artist - Mark Raithel
Photographer - Jim Rathert
Photographer - Cliff White
Staff Writer - Jim Low
Staff Writer - Joan McKee
Circulation - Laura Scheuler