Letters

Night Bird

I loved Danny Brown’s photo of the yellow-crowned night heron. I used to regularly see two of these herons feeding in a swampy area near Blue River in south Kansas City. Alas, the swamp was drained. I’ve not seen the herons since.
Mac Houston, Kansas City

From Facebook

We were down by Peck Ranch and were sad to see that it was not open. That was one of the reasons we went down to that area last week.
Lana Evans Hill

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: We are sorry about that. While part of Peck Ranch is still open to the public, the Refuge Area is closed into July to give elk in the area a chance to birth calves, and to give the elk we just placed there a chance to acclimate without a lot of human disturbance. Here is a link to more information: mdc.mo.gov/node/22455

My maple tree is covered with tar spots. Isn’t it a little early for this?
Ruby Ann Kellems Kelsey

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: We have seen a lot of disease and insect problems this spring, given the cool and wet weather. One of these diseases is called Anthracnose, which is a fairly common problem each year, but some years (including this one) it is more severe. This type of disease can affect different species of trees, but is most common on sycamore, maple, and ash trees. The black spots on the foliage are a sign of Anthracnose disease on your tree. Some leaves may drop, but a re-flush of leaves will occur shortly after. This is not a deadly disease, but rather just a slight setback in development. The only help that you can provide is to rake up what leaves do fall and dispose of them off-site, or by burning. This will reduce the amount of disease/fungal spores in the area and reduce the spread and severity of infection in the future. There are fungal sprays that you can apply to trees, but they are costly and unnecessary for this specific disease. Here is a website with more information: nicolewarduk.blogspot.com/2013/05/anthracnose-diseases-of-shade-trees.html.

Is pole spearfishing the only legal spearfishing method allowed in Missouri streams? I’ve been reading nongame regulations on the website and that’s what I thought, but I wanted to make sure.
Keith Jackson

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: You may use an underwater spear for nongame fish. You may also use a gig or atlatl. See Page 10 of our Fishing Summary booklet. Here is a link: mdc.mo.gov/node/11414.

Will my 9-year-old need a fishing permit?
Dawn Whitlow Pehle

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: He won’t need a fishing permit until he is 16, but you’ll need one if you plan to fish with him. If you are going trout fishing, he will need a permit for trout. Other exceptions apply, please see the fishing regulation summary at mdc.mo.gov/node/11414 for more info.

I just got my fishing permit, but I need to change my address. Is there a place I can do it online?
Sharry Murphy

Missouri Dept. of Conservation: You can’t change that online, but you can call Permits at 573-526-4115, ext. 3549, and they will help you.