Letters

Submissions reflect readers’ opinions and may be edited for length and clarity.

Night Photography

Your magazine always has beautiful nature photographs; however, the night photography in this month’s issue [Discovering Nature at Night; December] are absolutely amazing!

Judy Cook, St. Genevieve

The cover photo and all the night photos by Dan Zarlenga in the December 2015 issue are fabulous. Usually it is only my husband who loves every little bit of the magazine. This time I was bowled over by the beauty and uniqueness of these photos.

Cynthia Bolinger, Warsaw

Congratulations to Dan Zarlenga and the Conservationist for the outstanding article “Discovering Nature at Night.” Many Missourians live in areas where such views of the night sky are impossible due to light pollution. Hopefully, this article will encourage Missourians to visit their conservation areas, state parks, and other areas where they can enjoy the beauty of the night sky. The article helps to fulfill the Department mission of “Working for Nature and You” in yet another way.

Bill Palmer, Ashland

I really enjoyed your article in the December issue on Discovering Nature at Night. We live in Wentworth and there are repeated occasions that we enjoy the sky at night. We also enjoy the blooming of the wildflowers throughout the year. Keep up the good work of making your magazine enjoyable to the citizens of Missouri.

Jerry O’Neill, Wentworth

Thank you for the December issue. I found Dan Zarlenga’s creative night photos fantastic! He is truly an artist. My husband enjoyed the Wondrous Wetlands article and especially the pictures of Mingo “Swamp,” his term, as they took him back to his youth, hunting oversized rabbits with his father.

Philip and Carole Schaefer, via email

Rescue Dogs

I am writing in reference to Sporting-Dog Rescue [December]. I am 80 years old and hunt quail in your conservation areas every year. They are the only thing I hunt anymore. My hunting buddy and his dog moved away last year, and I really miss having a bird dog. Roland Brooks, Montreal

Author’s Note: If you are interested in rescuing a sporting dog, common breeds like vizslas (vcaweb.org/rescue/contacts.shtml), German shorthair pointers (gspca.org/Rescue/regional.html), German wirehair pointers (nationalgwprescue.com/Adoptable-GWPs.html), pointers (pointerrescue.org/available.html), setters (esrescue.org/), and labradors (mlrr.org/) have their own websites. If you are looking for another breed, simply type the word rescue and the desired breed’s name into your search engine and you should find more information. Another option is petfinder.com. Happy hunting!

Great information and help for the field dog lovers. My family stumbled on the Deutch-drahthaar while stationed in Germany. What a fantastic animal all wrapped up in a woolly coat! Axel-von-der-Verpel became a do-everything dog, mostly family-oriented. Thanks for the great article!

Mary O’Gorman, via email

Correction

In Archery in the Schools Program Builds Champions, in the January issue, we misspelled the name of Sarcoxie R-II fifth-grader Max Wangler, who took first place at the National Archery in the Schools Program/International Bowhunting Organization 3-D Challenge national tournament in Kentucky.

Reader Photo

Morning Coffee Spot

Mark Ziegler submitted this photo of Dry Fork Creek, which runs through his property in Phelps County. “My wife and I bought the property south of St. James and returned home to Missouri in 2012 after being away for 28 years,” said Ziegler. He calls this location on the property their morning coffee spot. “It’s a walk down the hill, along a path, to get there,” said Ziegler. “When we first bought the land, before we started building the house, we would often walk there and have coffee. In the spring and early summer, the bottomland looks like the set of a fairy-tale movie. It is heavily wooded but grassy rather than thick underbrush. There are flowers everywhere!”