Community Conservation

Taking Action

Easement Protects Wetlands

• Group featured: John Timmermann in partnership with the U.S. Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited and the Department of Conservation
• Group mission: Protect wetland habitat for wildlife and outdoor recreation.
• Group location: St. Charles County

The donated conservation easement John Timmermann established on his St. Charles County farm, Mallard Point, assures there always will be wetland habitat for wildlife and outdoor recreational opportunities for his family. The easement enabled Timmermann to restore wetlands and protect his 576 acres from development. That land and other wetlands located in the Mississippi-Missouri River confluence area are among the nation’s most critical habitat for migrating birds. Increased urban development threatens the future of the wetlands.

Timmermann accomplished his wetlands restoration project through partnerships with the U.S. Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited and Department of Conservation. He hopes other landowners follow his lead and take action to protect wildlife and conservation traditions.

Property owners interested in establishing conservation easements to protect wetlands in the confluence area should contact DU at (660) 938-4646.

Give and Take

Muskies Inc. partnership projects help fish habitat.

For members of Muskies, Inc. improving the muskellunge population goes hand-in-hand with the privilege of pursuing the fish. The Pomme de Terre Chapter provides funds to help improve fish habitat and they partnered with the Shawnee Muskie Hunters Chapter to provide netting to cover hatchery rearing ponds to reduce predation by fish-eating birds on small muskies. The anglers also participate in the Show-Me Muskie Project, a volunteer angler catch reporting system which gathers data to help evaluate the muskie program.

Share the Harvest

Funding assistance available for donations.

A venison donation to the Share the Harvest program helps provide nutritious meals to thousands of needy Missourians. To participate in the program, hunters simply take their deer to an approved meat processor listed in the Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet and let the processor know how much venison they wish to donate. The cost of processing the deer is the responsibility of the hunter. Funding assistance is available for hunters who donate a whole deer. Be sure to contact individual processors to determine what funds are available at that particular location. For details on the Share the Harvest program, read pages 44 and 45 of the Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, or see the links listed below.