Inbox

Letters to the Editor

Submissions reflect readers’ opinions and may be edited for length and clarity. Email Magazine@mdc.mo.gov or write to us:

Missouri Conservationist
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Salamanders

Spotted Salamanders was a pleasure to read [June]. I was not familiar with this beautiful little creature, but will now try to spy one in our 10 acres of woods or near our pond.

LeaAnn West via email

Make Way for Bears

Thank you for the informative article on black bears in Missouri [May]. I’ve never seen one, but hope to one day. And now after reading your article, I am better prepared if I do. I just hope I have my camera with me!

Dawn Blake Hollister

Squirrel Hunting 101

More than 60 years ago, my friend and I rode the inner-city bus from St. Joseph to Savannah with our shotguns. We got off at Stop 9 and walked to his sister’s place to squirrel hunt. With my 410 in hand, we scoured the place looking for the best targets. Finally, a squirrel scurried from one tree to the next and my friend let loose with his 12 gauge before I even saw the target. Good times and fond memories. [June]

Phil Sifers Kansas City

Magazine Memories

I taught at Licking Elementary School for 30 glorious years. You sent me the Missouri Conservationist all those years, and they were such a help in my second grade. I want to thank you for your wonderful magazine. They furnished me with information to teach the little ones – my aim in life.

I retired from teaching in 1969, but I still enjoy the magazine. I moved to Garland, Texas, four months ago. I write letters to several friends and share some of the articles with them. They will know that Missouri is a nice place.

Colleen Agee Garland, Texas

I want to tell you how much I enjoy your beautiful magazine. My husband of 58 years and I used to read it together cover to cover. He has sadly passed, but I still look forward to every colorful issue. We spent many hours on various Missouri lakes, boating and fishing, and our vacations on Table Rock Lake. Sometimes we would just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Please don’t discontinue your magazine and publish it only online. Reading and looking at the gorgeous pictures brings back so many wonderful memories.

Jeannine Crowe St. Louis

Praise from Indiana

I was visiting my son, who lives here, and I came across your free magazine in a local restaurant. I am really impressed by its quality and the real topics that it puts in front of the public. I am a hunter and I fish. I also own land back in Indiana that I apply conservation principles to, so that I can harvest deer, squirrels, and turkey. I also try to get young people involved in all of this. Great job and thank you for bringing such balance to conservation.

Nick Gray Marion, Indiana

Dedicated Reader

I would hate to miss even one issue of the Missouri Conservationist. Your articles and photos are the best in the country with regards to conservation and wildlife issues. You also have managed to stay above politics, a great and admirable feat.

Lloyd Houseworth Todd, North Carolina

Correction

Danny Brown was the photographer for and the author of Hunting Snipe and Rail, which ran in the July 2019 issue.

Stop the Invasion: Carp

Silver carp leap from the water, menacing boaters. Bighead carp devour plankton that native fish need. Grass carp consume aquatic plants. Black carp can gorge on native mussels. Stop the invasion in the aquatic zone. Catch, clean, and cook carp. Don’t move carp or use them as live bait. Join the fight at MissouriConservation.org

Woodchucks

The young of Missouri’s best-known wild mammal, the woodchuck (Marmota monax), also known as the groundhog, is busy digging temporary burrows before moving away to a more permanent home. Find them along fencerows or between timbered areas and open land. Woodchucks begin to fatten up in preparation for hibernation, which begins in October. They emerge sometime in February.

Connect with Us!

• /moconservation
• @moconservation
• @MDC_online

Conservation Headquarters

573-751-4115 | PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO

Regional Offices

• Southeast/Cape Girardeau: 573-290-5730
• Central/Columbia: 573-815-7900
• Kansas City: 816-622-0900
• Northeast/Kirksville: 660-785-2420
• Southwest/Springfield: 417-895-6880
• Northwest/St. Joseph: 816-271-3100
• St. Louis: 636-441-4554 Ozark/West Plains: 417-256-7161

Have a Question for a Commissioner?

Send a note using our online contact form at mdc.mo.gov/commissioners.