Letters

Capital friends

On behalf of Capital Region Medical Center, as the volunteer magazine cart person, I would like to thank you for giving us the Missouri Conservationist and Xplor. Patients and all waiting room guests enjoy your magazines. I leave Xplor in waiting rooms where children may be waiting.

We wanted you to know how appreciative we are for this contribution to our patients and visitors.

Mary Ann Hyleck, Jefferson City

MO firsts for all

Opening the April issue and reading the article by Tom Draper (Note to Our Readers: Landowners Make it Possible) made me think of how diverse our state is and all the exciting firsts I have experienced in the past 58 years. I still remember: my first whitetail deer while hunting, first bald-faced hornets’ nest, first wild turkey, first flock of prairie chickens, first cock pheasant, first family of river otters, first armadillo, first black bear, first brown trout and first musky. Then, just this year, I saw my first wild hog and first bald eagle’s nest.

 I have to say I know of no other state where I wouldn’t be surprised seeing something the first time, and I hope to see many more.

David Chenault, via Internet

Happy anniversaries!

Thirty years ago, my wife and I moved to Missouri. Throughout our years here we have enjoyed greatly the beauty of this state with all its wildlife, trees, birds and flowers. We have also found the people of Missouri to be very kind and friendly. In short, we are thankful to call Missouri our “home state.”

Much of our appreciation of Missouri is due to the work of the Department of Conservation. In this 75th anniversary year, we acknowledge that you folks have done, and are doing, a magnificent job! My wife and I love to take “nature trips,” taking photos of many wondrous scenes. We can do this largely because of your efforts.

God willing, now that we are retired, we plan to spend many pleasant hours “hunting” with our cameras, enjoying all there is to see and do in our beautiful state of Missouri.

Thank you much for all you folks at our Missouri Department of Conservation are doing for our state. Please keep up your good work!

Rev. Ben Schumacher, Aurora

From Facebook

This time of year there are many turtles on the road. What should a person do if they find one that has been hit and is still alive but injured?

Krystle Leyva

MDC: Turtles are crossing the road this time of year in search of mates and breeding locations. Keeping highway safety in mind, you can remove them from the road and place them off the road in the direction they were traveling.

 If you find an injured turtle, the best thing to do is to remove it from the road and let nature take its course. According to one of our turtle experts, they have a great ability to recover on their own from injuries. If they are too badly injured, there is not much you can do to help them, and they will complete a food chain.

We do not generally rehabilitate wildlife and there is no large rehabilitation center for turtles in the state. However, you can always check with your local MDC office for more local options.

Where can I find the specific codes/regulations for each individual county I plan to hunt?

Sam Wilburn

MDC: If you want to hunt certain conservation areas, you can find out the area regulations by using the conservation atlas or by calling the area manager. All of that information can be found at go.usa.gov/VCZ.