Up Front

The singing of spring peepers and blooming of redbuds encourage us to venture outdoors. Among hunters and anglers, not sharing a “honey hole” or “secret spot” is a strongly held social norm. This month’s fishing story (see Page 10, Ate Up by Crappie Fishing) feels a bit like violating that practice. There’s no secret about the Lake of the Ozarks and crappie, but I hope this story can start a conversation about shifting the social norm. As hunters and anglers, we owe it to future generations to share these secret places so that others can use and enjoy them.

This issue also highlights the work of Ellie Prentice and our social science team (see Page 4, Nature Lab at Work). They develop how we reach out to you to better understand the expectations and opinions of Missourians. This is top of mind as we seek input on resident and non-resident hunting issues, waterfowl season framework, and the continuing challenges of deer management.

Our decision-making process relies on public feedback, so it concerns me to hear some say that giving feedback is a waste of time because MDC “will do whatever they want anyway.” We have not always got it right when it comes to management actions, and sometimes tough decisions don’t always align with public opinion, but it is extremely important that we engage and understand public sentiment. To this end, we will continue to leverage the expertise of MDC’s social science professionals to gauge your thoughts and maintain your trust.

Jason Sumners, Director

JASON.SUMNERS@MDC.MO.GOV