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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
PO Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Best Magazine

The Missouri Conservationist is the best magazine I have ever had delivered to our home! We certainly enjoy reading each one and we always learn something new. Keep up the good work!

Jackie Burgess, Independence

Poison Ivy

I just read Poison Ivy by Jessica Marie Baumgartner [June, Page 10], and although it was filled with a lot of interesting and useful information, I felt it necessary (as a retired dermatologist) to clarify some misconceptions. Studies have shown the plant’s oil takes 20 minutes to penetrate the skin, so if you find yourself in a patch of poison ivy, you have 20 minutes to wash it off. Because it’s an oil, a product that gets rid of oil is best. I often recommended carrying baby wipes. Since water and oil don’t mix, simply using water may dilute the oil, but won’t dissolve it.

Jerome Aronberg, MD Brentwood

Up Front

Up Front is the first thing I read when our Missouri Conservationist arrives. The words never fail to inspire and challenge me to open up to the world that needs our study and care. This time I sobbed when I read about Scout [May, Page 3]. I am so fortunate to have been surrounded by animals and birds for the entire more than 70 years of my life. In July 2021, I said goodbye to Duke, my 17-year-old Australian shepherd. Duke was loyalty. Now I live with a hole in the fabric of my being, and strive every day to be loyal. It is very hard work.

Janie Vale, via email

Watching Birds

Matt Seek’s insightful article [From Binge-Watching to Birdwatching, May, Page 11] on birdwatching, complemented by Noppadol Paothong’s photographs, accurately reflected the ways people become birders, and the progression that often occurs as experience and appreciation deepen. As a lifelong birder, I was particularly impressed with the authenticity of Matt’s article. He wrote from experience and from the heart. Thanks for continuing to provide wonderful articles of this caliber.

Rick Thom, Jefferson City

My wife and I have put out bird feeders for the last eight or nine years. From late September until the end of May, it’s all the usual suspects, but this year, much to our surprise, new visitors have shown up — rose-breasted grosbeaks. I read up on their migration and we are a little off the beaten path. I hope they continue to return. Our 3-year-old granddaughter loves watching, and I quiz her about who’s who at the feeder. We love your magazine; I just wish it was weekly.

Rick Carr, via email

Teachable Moment

I always enjoy reading the magazine and looking at the photos, but the Q/A about the central newt in the May issue brought back a great memory for me [Ask MDC, Page 7]. My great-nephew, Luke, loves to go on walks around their property where we found one last year. It turned into a teachable moment for this retired science teacher as we went through a key together to identify it.

Linda Dudley, via email