News & Events

by Jim Low

Mysun Foundation Donates Area

Thanks to a donation of $1.75 million from the Mysun Foundation, Missourians are now able to enjoy nature at a new conservation area in Jefferson County.

The 429-acre Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family Conservation Area (CA) is named in honor of the late Myron and Sonya (Sunny) Glassberg and their family. The Glassbergs, who established the Mysun Foundation in 1968, were well-known throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area for their generous philanthropic spirit and love of nature.

Located in north-central Jefferson County about 6 miles south of Eureka, the property is mostly forested, with scattered old fields, limestone, sandstone, and dolomite outcroppings, scenic views of the Meramec River Valley, intermittent streams, and a 3-acre fishing lake. A series of old roads provide a trail system of 1.5 miles and an additional hiking trail (0.5 mile) surrounds the fishing lake. Completion of a new loop trail is planned for the future.

The new area is home to a number of state-listed species of conservation concern and more than 50 species of fish and is bordered by the Meramec River to the north. A monument recognizing the Glassberg family’s donation is located near the parking lot on the main entrance trail to the area.

Forestry Regional Supervisor Cathy deJong, who worked closely with the Glassberg family on the acquisition, commented: “Due to the generous spirit of Myron and Sonya Glassberg and the Mysun Foundation, this beautiful tract of land located in the valuable LaBarque Watershed will forever be preserved for the citizens of Missouri to enjoy. Both Myron and Sunny enjoyed the outdoors and gave generously to many projects that they were passionate about. Sunny and the Glassberg family enjoyed a small dedication ceremony that was held in their honor on May 6, 2013, on the area, just a few days before the passing of Sunny on May 19. The Glassberg area opened at the end of October 2012 and has already become a favorite area for hikers and conservation enthusiasts, with a full parking lot on many weekends.”

A grant from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program also assisted with the purchase of the property. To visit Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family CA, drive south on Route W from I-44 in Eureka, then drive 4.3 miles west on Route FF. The area parking lot is on the north side of the road, approximately 0.4 mile past the intersection of John McKeever Road and Route FF. For more information about the Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family CA, visit mdc.mo.gov/a201201. For more information about the Department’s land donation program mdc.mo.gov/node/23263.

2014 No MOre Trash Contest

Missouri students in grades K–8 can fight litter by participating in the 2014 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free” trash-can-decorating contest.

The contest encourages students to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter-prevention message, using a variety of creative media. The contest is designed to teach kids how litter hurts them, their communities, and their environment and raise public awareness of the litter. Public, private, and home schools may submit one entry in each competition category: K–2, 3–5, and 6–8. First-place winners in each category receive $200, which is awarded to the sponsoring schools. Winners are eligible for a grand prize of a trophy and $600 awarded to the sponsoring school. Contest rules and entry forms are available nomoretrash.org. Participating school groups must submit completed entry forms and up to three photos by March 14.

Apprentice Hunter Authorization

Missouri’s Apprentice Hunter Authorization empowers hunters to introduce friends and family to the outdoor traditions they treasure. The $10 authorization is not a permit, but a gateway to hunting. Missouri’s Wildlife Code requires anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, to pass an approved hunter education course before purchasing a firearms hunting permit. Buying an Apprentice Hunter Authorization waives the hunter education requirement for up to two years. This allows apprentice hunters to try hunting before investing the time needed to complete hunter education. During their apprenticeship, authorization holders must hunt in the immediate presence of companions (continued from Page 7) who are 21 or older and are hunter-education certified. This ensures both safety and the opportunity to learn from experienced mentors. The authorization is available to residents and nonresidents 16 and older for two years. It is a great way to give potential hunters a taste of what they are missing. For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/438.

New MO Woods Smartphone App

Missouri Forestkeepers has a new smartphone app that enables forest landowners to evaluate their woodlands for health, wildlife habitat, and commercial timber value. The MO Woods app also provides links to other forest-management resources, including information about insect and disease issues, wildlife habitat improvement, and guidance for conducting timber sales that protect forest health and maximize profits.

The app is available in both Android and Apple formats for smartphones. Find it in your app store by searching for “Missouri Forestkeepers” or “MO Woods.” Once it is loaded on your phone, go to your woods. The app’s detailed instructions and photos will guide you through entering the necessary information about forest density, and tree species, size, and quality. With this information, the app will provide three prescriptions — one for timber-sale potential, one for forest health, and one for wildlife value. You can instantly email results to a forester for further information.

Renew Permits for 2014

Many hunting and fishing permits expire at the end of February, including 2013 permits for small game, fishing, trout fishing, and combination hunting and fishing permits. Now is the time to renew these permits so as not to miss opportunities in the year ahead.

Buying permits is easier now than ever, with three options. You can buy permits by visiting mdc.mo.gov and clicking on “Buy Permits.” This e-Permits option lets hunters, trappers, and anglers buy permits at home or on any computer and print them immediately.

All sport-fishing and sport-hunting permits are available through e-Permits, along with trapping permits and the Apprentice Hunter Authorization. A $1 convenience fee is added to online permit transactions. The $1 covers all permits purchased at one time.

E-Permits are printed on regular printer paper and can be saved on a computer, allowing you to print replacements if permits are lost or destroyed. Permits may not be shared, and additional copies of a permit do not provide additional valid permits for the buyer or others to use.

Commercial permits and lifetime permits can be purchased only through MDC’s Central Office by calling 573-751-4115. You can still buy permits from vendors or by phone by calling toll-free 1-800-392-4115. Allow up to 10 days for mail delivery of permits purchased by telephone. Phone purchases are subject to a $2 convenience fee.

Low permit cost is one more reason Missouri is a great place to hunt and fish. Missouri residents pay $12 for an annual fishing permit, while residents in the eight neighboring states pay an average of $20.80. Missouri’s $17 Resident Any-Deer Permit is a bargain compared to the average of $46.63 for equivalent privileges in surrounding states.

Hunting Mentorship in Missouri

Missouri’s rich hunting tradition benefits the state in many ways, from providing healthful recreation and food to pumping more than $1 billion into the state economy annually. Hunting also is a necessary tool for managing wildlife populations. To ensure the continuation of these benefits, the Conservation Department has a wide array of programs to encourage hunting. But the mainstay of hunter recruitment continues to be mentorship by those who already hunt. The following examples illustrate the importance and the rewards of mentoring new hunters.

Jamie Floyd, of Warrensburg, introduced his two sons to hunting early. Justin shot his first deer in 2010, at the age of 6. Julian, 7, joined the fraternity of deer slayers during the early youth portion of the 2013 deer season.

“We spend as much time as we can on my uncle’s farm in Cedar County,” says Jamie. “Whether they know it or not, the youth deer season is the ultimate classroom for them. It’s not just lessons on firearms safety and hunting ethics, but everyday lessons that I’m convinced they will use throughout their lives.”

Floyd is careful to make their father-son hunts fun. “It’s their time,” he says. “If they make more noise than I do and get busted by a whitetail, we just chalk that up to a learning opportunity.”

Julian surprised his dad by being first to spy a deer last November. Practice sessions at the shooting range paid off when the youngster dropped the 8-point buck where it stood. It turned out to be the largest ever taken at the family farm.

“What a confidence booster for a little guy who didn’t believe he would ever get a deer,” says Jamie. “Words can’t describe the joy and pride those times give me as a father. I’m thankful for the father-and-son moments shared over the course of that weekend. No TV or video games, just the Missouri forest full of life.”

Faron Teague rallied friends to create what they call “Deer Camp” at Teague’s business, Indian Trail Archery and Guns in Salem. Each year during the early youth portion of firearms deer season, they open early and stay open late during the weekend season, serving chili and hot dogs to everyone who brings in deer or comes to see the deer others bring in. Every youngster who brings in a deer gets his or her photo taken and are entered in a drawing for prizes. The most coveted prize each year is a taxidermy mount of a deer. This is awarded in a random drawing, without regard to the deer’s size or sex. One winner was so thrilled with her mounted doe head that she held it in her arms throughout the 25-mile drive home from the taxidermist.

Teague figures they spend $500 to $1,000 a year on Deer Camp.

“It’s worth every penny,” says Teague. “It’s kind of my pre-Christmas present to me. Honestly, it’s the most fun thing they’ll ever do. The kids that come in here have an excitement I lost years ago. It’s all new to them. It’s the same as when I sell a bow to a young person. I love to look in their eyes when they first shoot. When they hit the center of the target, that’s a look you’ll never see again.”

Beyond the pleasure it gives him and his band of “loafers,” Teague sees Deer Camp as an investment in the future.

“The average age of Missouri deer hunters is going up,” says Teague. “If we don’t get young people involved in our sport, we’re going to lose them.”

Do you know a boy or girl who has shown an interest in outdoor activities but whose family doesn’t hunt? Does one of your coworkers ask you about hunting? They might be waiting for an invitation.

Conservation Commission Actions

The December Commission meeting featured presentations and discussions regarding the habitat, wildlife, and public-use management at August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Springs conservations areas; the Ozark National Scenic Riverways General Management Plan; and Missouri wetlands science and management. A summary of actions taken during the Dec. 12–13 meeting for the benefit and protection of forest, fish, and wildlife, and the citizens who enjoy them includes:

Approved the following seasons:

Turkey

• Youth — April 12–13, 2014
• Spring — April 21–May 11, 2014
• Fall — Oct. 1–31, 2014

Firearms Deer

• Urban Portion — Oct. 10–13, 2014
• Early Youth Portion — Nov. 1–2, 2014
• November Portion — Nov. 15–25, 2014
• Antlerless Portion — Nov. 26–Dec. 7, 2014
• Alternative Methods Portion — Dec. 20–30, 2014
• Late Youth Portion — Jan. 3–4, 2015

Voted to move ahead with changes it approved earlier this year for fishing regulations at Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake. The changes will go into effect March 1, 2014. Those changes include instituting a slot length limit that protects blue catfish between 26 and 34 inches and increasing the daily limit to 10 blue catfish, with not more than two fish 34 inches or longer.

Voted to allow the sale of one crayfish species, Orconectes virilis (also known as the northern or virile crayfish), for use as live fish bait, effective March 1, 2014.

Approved the purchase of 3.7 acres in Adair County as an addition to the Northeast Regional Office.

Approved accepting the donation of approximately 223 acres in Hickory County from the estate of Lawrence Matthew Schumacher as an addition to Mule Shoe Conservation Area.

Approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 1,282,888 board feet of timber on 717 acres of Compartment 6 of Pea Ridge Conservation Area in Washington County. The harvest will improve wildlife management, forest health, and the long-term sustainability of the forest by removing overstocked and mature trees.

Approved the nominations of Edwin ”Ed” Stegner and Elizabeth ”Libby” Schwartz for induction into the Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame.

The next Conservation Commission meeting is March 6 and 7. For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/3430 or call your regional Conservation office

Did You Know?

Missourians care about conserving forests, fish, and wildlife.

Connecting Missourians to Conservation

• Xplor: Six times a year, the Department’s magazine for kids reaches more than 150,000 subscribers with exciting information about critters, natural places, and outdoor activities. Free to Missouri residents, visit xplormo.org to subscribe your child.
• Website: For more information about conservation in Missouri and other ways to receive information from the Department, visit mdc.mo.gov.
• Facebook: With nearly 60,000 “likes” and regular updates and posts, our Facebook page is a great way to receive and share conservation information. To find out more, visit facebook.com/MDConline.
• Email lists: For regular updates on Department news and events, subscribe to one or more of our email lists at mdc.mo.gov/user_mailman_register.
• YouTube: The Department’s YouTube channels contain more than 1,000 videos that have had more than 8 million views. Topics range from how-to videos on land management practices to cooking wild game to wildlife to outdoor skills and much more. Visit youtube.com/user/moconservation to learn more.
• Twitter: If you’re looking for shorter bursts of conservation information, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/MDC_Online.