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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

Fireflies

I love fireflies [Twinkling of a Summer Night, May, Page 10]. Fireflies and cicadas are the best sights and sounds of summer. They always elicit memories of my youth.

Melissa Hope, Jefferson City

Awakening a Lifelong Hobby

I’m a recent graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville. I have lived in Missouri all my life, specifically Kearney and Liberty, and have fond memories of going to Kansas City region conservation areas on field trips when I was little.

I love the magazine and have been reading it for years. I even had a class in high school that offered extra credit for anyone who subscribed to the magazine.

While at Truman, I took Biology 506: Ornithology, taught by Dr. Joanna Hubbard. I originally took the class to fulfill a requirement to graduate but have since fallen in love with birds and birdwatching. Dr. Hubbard is an ornithologist doing research on eastern bluebirds and has such a passion for the subject that it made the class a blast. Our class had 13 people, and we would do lab days every other weekend during the semester where we go to a local state park or conservation area and observe the species there. This class was easily my favorite in all of college and I want to thank Dr. Hubbard for making my senior year just that much more exciting and for sparking this interest that I never knew I had.

Brayden Schoening, via email

Chuck-will’s-widows

The article about Chuck-will’s-widows in May’s issue really caught my eye [Species of Conservation Concern, Page 8]. We lived in southwest Florida for many years where we heard (but never saw) these wonderful birds every night. Theirs was a sound I thought was unique to nighttime in Florida, so I was surprised to read they exist in Missouri. I have never heard them here in Cape Girardeau County. But I’ll keep listening!

Thanks to the author for a great feature piece, and a reminder to me of “home.”

Mike Dillow, Jackson

Correction

On Page 10 of the June issue, we printed: “Per the Federal Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023, the Federal Duck Stamp has been converted to a digital version and hunters are no longer required to carry a paper copy. Hunters must have a digital version in their possession.” The second sentence isn’t fully correct. To hunt waterfowl, you must have a federal duck stamp, but it can be either a digital version (e-Stamp) or a traditional (paper) version. If you’re using a paper duck stamp, you must sign your name across the face of the stamp. If you use an e-Stamp, you do not need to sign and carry a paper duck stamp. For more information, see the Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest, which is available in July at permit vendors and online at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zjw.