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A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
Chillicothe, Mo. – The weather was crisply cool but comfortable and fall foliage held early autumn color at the 31st annual Poosey Fall Driving tour on Oct. 15. About 950 visitors in motorized vehicles, horse-drawn wagons or carriages, on bicycles, and on horseback took the tour. The tour route was on service roads normally closed to the public for vehicle traffic at the 5,863-acre Poosey Conservation Area northwest of Chillicothe.
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff greeted visitors at the Pike’s Lake starting point. The tour wound uphill and down through forests, past crop fields, and over streams. Besides enjoying the scenery, visitors could also stop at 13 interpretive stations along the route. MDC staff were stationed at some locations to answer questions and discuss wildlife habitat improvements. At one stop, visitors could also provide comments about conservation programs and issues in Missouri.
Themes at tour stops included fishing, tree identification, multi-use trails at Poosey, agriculture management, invasive species management, a prairie maze, a walnut tree plantation, healthy waters, wildlife food plots, upland forest and timber harvest management, and the value of diverse habitats. Visitors could also hike to the scenic limestone bluff formation known as the Panther Den.
For more information about the Poosey Conservation Area, visit http://bit.ly/2wSBSsD. To find other places to enjoy hunting, hiking, birding and fishing, visit http://mdc.mo.gov.
