MDC: Ten Mile Pond Area pending closure from rising flood waters

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants waterfowl hunters and others to know that rising flood waters will most likely force staff to close the Department's Ten Mile Pond Conservation Area in southeast Missouri for public safety at some point over the next few days. The closure will happen when flood waters cover the low points on HWY FF, which leads off of HWY AA and on to HWY VV into the conservation area. Other roads leading to Ten Mile Pond are already inaccessible due to high water.

For updates on the pending closure, call the Ten Mile Pond Waterfowl Hotline at (573) 649-9491.

Josh Hager, MDC wildlife management biologist at Ten Mile Pond, said the closure will be indefinite depending on when flood waters recede. "We hope our area visitors will be patient, as the closure is necessary to ensure public safety," Hager said.

The closure will include waterfowl hunting on the area, as well as the waterfowl draw conducted daily on the area. The daily draw and waterfowl hunting on the area will resume as soon as flood waters recede and the area can be accessed by vehicles.

Roads to the area become impassible to vehicle traffic during excessive flood events and water levels can make conditions dangerous on the area as well, Hager said. High water creates conditions too deep for wading, and flood waters may hide water-control structures and other possible hazards to area users.

Ten Mile Pond is a 3,755-acre conservation area composed mostly of wetland habitats managed through the manipulation of water levels to provide high-quality food for migrating and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland wildlife species. Row crops and green browse are also grown on the area to provide nutritious food for geese and field-feeding species of ducks.