Letters

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

Tower Grove Park

I was so happy to see the article on my favorite park in the city [Tower Grove Park]. When we lived in the neighborhood, I used to speed walk in the park every morning. There was always something new and interesting to encounter — a new bird song, a tree I hadn’t noticed before, or an opossum on the walking path, blindly wandering toward me.

Even though we moved out of the neighborhood and I can no longer walk well, I still go to the park often to visit favorite trees and listen to the birds sing. It’s truly a gem in the city and always in my heart.

Kelli Tovar, via email

I really enjoyed your story on Tower Grove Park. I have been there many times and am awed by the most beautiful birds, landscapes, dazzling architecture, and ponds. My children have also gone to this park because it is too beautiful not to share. This is one of my favorite parks in St. Louis, even though it’s quite a trip out from Franklin County. But it’s totally worth it. Thank you for the great articles!

Eunice Fields, New Haven

I enjoyed your story on Tower Grove Park, especially the pictures of the birds. I wish I lived close to the park. Please give us more on the birds in Missouri and where they can be found. Thanks, Danny Brown. Great job!

Jo O’Connell, St. Charles

Thanks for the walk down memory lane with Tower Grove Park. As a child I would take the Bates bus to the end of the line then walk to the middle of the park to the wading pool with a big fountain in the middle. It was so fun.

Dorothy Hittner, St. Louis

As a longtime birder, I’d like to praise Danny Brown for his excellent feature and superb photographs of native birds found in Tower Grove Park. Also regarding the Conservationist editorial staff, they deserve praise for adhering to traditionally good English by not capitalizing common names of the birds mentioned in the article. Case in point, the American robin by any other name is best known as a robin.

James P. Jackson, Washington

App-reciation

Congrats, MDC, on the app. I enjoy using it, the historical data, and convenience. Works great!

Andrew Hood, Blue Springs

It was easy to renew my hunting and fishing licenses on the app. I’m glad it was an option.

Leland P. Hawk, via Facebook

Editors’ note: The MO Hunting and MO Fishing apps, available for Android and iPhone, allow hunters and anglers to purchase and view permits on their mobile device. For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZwP

Wildfire

Thank you for the story in the March issue, Answering the Call. I never realized how much training and hard work went into controlling and preventing fires. I lived in the country before moving to town and learned how quickly fires from trash get out of hand. Keep up the good work.

Mary Bryan, Franklin City

January Issue

Well you finally outdid yourselves. I’m referring to the January 2017 issue. It was informative, encouraging, and enlightening. Continue to march on! One thing I would like to see you do is encourage the Boy and Girl Scouts. In so many ways, they are your future. Life is not as easy today for the Scouts as it was when I was a Scout in the 1930s and 1940s.

William F. Lewis, Edina

Reader Photo A Whole New World

Erin Volker captured this photo of a fledgling robin in her Springfield backyard, where she sees a lot of birds. “It is always exciting when a new species shows up,” said Volker. “I try to learn new species as much as possible. I really try to listen even more than looking. I can tell when the cardinals are out, even from inside the house, when I hear their ‘peter peters.’” Volker describes herself as a nature lover and says her family loves floating Missouri’s Ozark streams. When she isn’t taking pictures, Volker enjoys doing artwork.