Letters

MO-mentos

It’s great to see the brilliant pictures of wildlife and scenery of home in my favorite time of year. You never realize what a great place you live in until you leave it.

This might be the place of the Garden of Eden (Iraq), but it sure doesn’t add up to a spring morning in Cooper County. It’s good to see a piece of home. Thanks.

Sgt. Patrick Meyer, Camp Taji, Iraq

The Joy of Fishing

An expatriate Missourian of over 30 years, I moved to Alaska to enjoy the fishing. Regardless of whether one pursues king salmon or bluegill, the beautiful photo of the young boy that graces your “Contents” page [May] evokes the universal joy fishing brings to us all.

I hope that his line was soon taut with a fish!

John Erkmann M.D., Anchorage, Ak

Quite a Character

Didn’t the Missouri Conservationist feature or have pictures of a raccoon years ago? Seems like I remember one—a little, cartoon-style animal.

Wesley Miller, Truxton

Editor’s note: The magazine did feature a raccoon cartoon character for a number of years. He was known as Consy Coon, and he sprang from the pen and imagination of Jim Keller who worked in our former Information Section. Consy made his first appearance in 1951 and played a role in the magazine for the next 14 years, often appearing on the back cover. He presented monthly nuggets of conservation philosophy, tips and skills in a segment called “Consy’s Scrapbook.”

Kingdom of Poosey

Having lived in Rolla and Sunrise Beach for 40 years, and traveling throughout Missouri, I never heard of Poosey Conservation Area until the April issue [“Places to Go,” pg. 6]. When was it established and why was it so named?

Clarence Posey, Indian Head

Editor’s note: Poosey Conservation Area is in northwest Livingston County, 13 miles northwest of Chillicothe on Route A, 1 mile west of the Route W junction. The Conservation Department purchased the original 814-acre tract for Poosey CA in 1979 from Robert Daugherty. Additional purchases have increased the area’s size to 5,738 acres.

This portion of the Grand River Valley was one of the last parts of Missouri yielded by the American Indians. In 1833, the last remnants of the Shawnee tribe left the area, opening the area to settlement by people of European extraction, who came here via Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The settlers, who preferred forested tracts to open prairies, were attracted by plentiful natural supplies of food, fuel, water and building materials.

The rugged landscape reminded some of the settlers of the Poosey region in Kentucky, giving rise to the area’s name. The area continues to be known as the “Kingdom of Poosey.”

Poosey CA contains forests, grasslands, croplands, prairie, old fields and savanna. Facilities/features include boat ramps, a picnic area and pavilion, a fishing dock, firearms and archery ranges, numerous fishing ponds, Indian Creek Community Lake and Hawthorn Natural Area. This is a designated Important Birding Area.

For more information on Poosey CA, call 660-646-6122 or visit our online atlas.

Submissions reflect readers’ opinions and may be edited for length and clarity.