Letters

Wild Youth

Brandon Pope’s mission and life’s work is an invaluable asset to the greater Kansas City community [Opening the Outdoors to Everyone; July]. No doubt his work, and the work of others like him, has ignited an interest in experiences that otherwise may not have been granted to the lives of the youth they have reached. Thank you, Mr. Pope, for all you have done and continue to do to enrich the lives of urban youth and instill in them an appreciation and wonder for their state’s natural resources and wildlife.

Steven R. Lande, Kansas City, Mo.

Kauffman’s Kingbirds

I really enjoyed the article in the July issue on The Kingbirds of Kauffman Stadium [July; Page 8]. I have attended games there for the past 30-plus years and have always wondered about the birds flitting around. Often they are more interesting to watch than the action on the field. Great story by Larry Rizzo and, as always, Noppadol Paothong contributed outstanding photos.

David Hoefer , Leawood, Kan.

From India to STL

I live in the southern city of Bangalore in India and I have been visiting St. Louis frequently for over 10 years now. Since my daughter and son-in-law live here, I have been subscribing to the Missouri Conservationist and have long enjoyed the great articles and wonderful images. I am a keen nature enthusiast and an active volunteer for some conservation issues in Karnataka, the state where I live.

I have been fortunate to stay close to Forest Park, in St. Louis, and have been walking there regularly and observing the birds and the mammals. I’ve met people like Danny Brown, who have shown me some beautiful spots in the park to sit quietly and observe. I have visited a few of the nature areas, too, such as Shaw Nature Reserve, and the Missouri Bottoms area, and I am always interested in what the articles tell me about such places.

The photographs, of course, are quite stunning. I am an amateur photographer, and I am collecting the issues just for the photos sometimes! I particularly loved the roadrunner piece [June; Page 22]... a bird that I only knew through the “Beep-Beep” cartoons!

Thank you, once again, for a lovely magazine, where I get so much information about the wildlife and conservation issues of Missouri.

Deepa Mohan, via Internet

Geocaching

Loved, loved, loved Heather Bodendieck’s story about geocaching with her family. My husband and I have been geocaching for over 15 years, from Colorado to Missouri to New Jersey. We also discovered a website, www.letterboxing.org, that hides handmade stamps all over the country and is family friendly. Have Heather give it a whirl.

Donna Accardi, Osage Beach

Where is it?

I was disappointed to see that your current issue does not include the “What is it?” feature, where you show a small close up on the back cover and then show the identity inside the back cover. As an elementary school teacher, I valued this feature. I used it to help teach my students how to include detail in their descriptions. They loved it, and so did I. Any plans to reintroduce this element in future issues?

Leslie Forsythe, ELL Teacher Gotsch Intermediate School, St. Louis

Editors’ note: The decision was made to return to the “I am Conservation” feature on the back cover. We are keeping track of public comments, however, and we will record your opinion. The “What is it?” feature will continue to appear in Xplor, our children’s magazine. Subscription information can be found on Page 3.