July 2009
Experiment in citizen science puts turkey hunters' devotion to the test
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Gobbling study needs dedicated volunteers to succeed.
JEFFERSON CITY–Getting up before dawn and trekking into the woods two days a week for two months is not everyone’s idea of fun. It paid off for J.D. Long, however, netting him a lifetime hunting permit and a chance to participate in an experiment in “citizen science.”
Long, of Osage Beach, is among 222 volunteers who took part in the Missouri Department of Conservation’s “Gobbleteer Study” this spring. Each gobbleteer recorded the number of wild turkey gobblers and the number of gobbles they heard during at least two 20-minute listening sessions each week from mid-March through mid-May.
The project is designed to help biologists understand gobbling activity from the north to the south and how it changes with weather and other factors that affect wild turkeys’ mating behavior. The ultimate goal is better management of spring turkey hunting.
Missouri’s turkey population has declined in recent years as a result of unfavorable weather during the nesting season. However, Missouri still has some of the nation’s best turkey hunting, which lures hunters from far and wide, pumping millions of dollars into the state economy each year.
Two months is a long stretch of rising an hour before the sun, but Long, a self-described die-hard turkey hunter, says it was anything but a hardship for him.
“I just enjoyed it,” said Long. “It’s relaxing to me to get up and do that for a couple of hours before work. I’m already up early with my wife and two kids anyway.”
The hours of enjoyment paid an added dividend for Long. He won the drawing sponsored by the George Clark Missouri State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Like all Gobbleteers, he automatically was entered in the drawing for his choice of a shotgun or a Resident Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit. Long, 36, has a lot of hunting ahead of him, so he took the lifetime permit, a $350 value.
In spite of the incentives, participation in the five-year Gobbleteer Study is declining. In 2007, the first year of the program, 433 volunteers reported 5,063 observations. This year, with half the volunteers, the Conservation Department received just 2,532 reports.
Resource Scientist Tom Dailey, who supervises the Conservation Department’s wild-turkey management program, speculates that the decreased participation might mirror declining turkey numbers, and general loss of enthusiasm for the rigors of scientific data collection.
“If turkey numbers have declined in a local area, it’s hard to convince someone to record zero or a just a few gobbles week after week,” he said. “We’ve also seen a large drop in data collection each year as the hunting season started. We anticipated hunters would be reluctant to give up hunting opportunities and designed the data collection so it ends 25 minutes before sunrise, figuring the hunters could still pursue gobblers.” “It’s unfortunate, because this program has the potential to benefit turkey hunters, who make up many of our gobbleteers.”
The low number of gobbleteers undermines the statistical validity of the data, Dailey said. “We started the study in 2007 with a goal of 1,000 volunteers. We knew from the start that working with volunteers observers would have its challenges. Offsetting those challenges was the potential to draw on a pool of field observers much larger than we could ever hope to match with paid staff.”
We’ve tried a lot of approaches to recruit gobbleteers – blogs, news items in the Conservationist and the NWTF state newsletter, and news releases each year. As with everything, people are very busy, and we are asking a lot of volunteers. I’m grateful for the hard work that current and past volunteers have put in the study.
Data reporting takes place online, so volunteers must have computers and Internet access. Details are available at www.mdc.mo.gov/19245. Results from the past three years of the Gobbleteer Study also are available at this site.
-Jim Low-
Precautions can prevent problems with Missouri's growing black bear population
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
“Although their time has long since passed, bears have a well documented history in early Missouri.” Daniel McKinley, The History of the Black Bear in Missouri, 1962.
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| Missouri’s growing black bear population is a source of satisfaction for nature lovers but also a potential source of trouble for beekeepers. Help in avoiding those problems is available at www.mdc.mo.gov/7835 or by calling the nearest Missouri Department of Conservation office. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
Black bears, once considered extirpated in the Show-Me State, have been staging a comeback for at least 25 years. Their resurgence is the result of a black bear reintroduction program started by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in the 1950s. That effort re-established a breeding population south of the Missouri border. As that population expanded and filled available habitat, bears moved north. Today, the Missouri Department of Conservation estimates the state’s black bear population at a few hundred and growing.
Evidence of this trend can be found in reports of a few bear-vehicle collisions each year. The most recent example was a 260-pound male bear killed by a vehicle near Willow Springs around July 8.
Most bears coming into Missouri from Arkansas are young males looking for their own territories. Sightings of females with cubs also are on the rise, however. Earlier this year, Conservation Department Photographer Noppadol Paothong photographed a black bear sow with three cubs in Christian County.
Missouri counties with the most bear activity are Iron, Shannon, Carter, Ripley, Reynolds, Howell, Ozark, Barry, Taney, Christian, Stone and Douglas. Ozark County is the epicenter of bear activity, with more than 100 reports since 1987. The next-most-active counties are Taney, Carter, Reynolds and Howell.
Although the Conservation Department has confirmed several bear reports north of the Missouri River, the area with most bear activity remains south of I-44. Sightings are few during the winter, when bears are less active. They increase in April and peak between mid-May and mid-June, when natural foods are scarce and bears are actively foraging.
Mirroring this seasonal pattern was an incident in mid-May. A Taney County beekeeper lost five hives to a hungry bear. The owner estimated the resulting damage at $1,200 to $1,500 worth of honey, plus $500 and 30 hours of labor for repairs.
The beekeeper’s next expenditure was $250 for an electric fence.
“He knew that there were bears around his area,” said James Dixon, the Conservation Department wildlife damage biologist who handled the beekeeper’s call for help, “but he hadn't taken any preventative measures because none of the other local beekeepers he knew had had problems. I helped him install an electric fence to protect his remaining hives. He could have avoided the financial loss caused by the bear if he would have made the investment in the fence when he first heard there were bears in the area.
Dixon said many other beekeepers fail to take precautions because they do not realize how real the risk is and how much they stand to lose. The Conservation Department receives roughly 200 bear sighting-reports each year. The agency has no way of knowing how many more sightings go unreported.
“We can help after people have a problem,” said Dixon, “but we really prefer to head off problems beforehand if possible. With bear problems, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Information about avoiding bear problems is available online at www.mdc.mo.gov/7835 or by calling the nearest Conservation Department office.
-Jim Low-
Toxic invader revealing its presence in Missouri
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Now is the best time for landowners to look for spotted knapweed and take action to halt the spread of this destructive exotic plant.
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| In an effort to control spotted knapweed, the Missouri Departments of Agriculture and Conservation and UMC Extension are releasing weevils that eat the seeds and attack the roots of spotted knapweed. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY–Missourians, to arms! An invading army is sneaking across Missouri’s borders hidden in bales of hay, poisoning Show-Me natives and taking over thousands of acres of prime pasture and wildlife habitat. Now is the time to attack, while they are most exposed.
That sounds overblown, especially when you discover the “invaders” are wildflowers. However, according to agriculture and conservation experts, Missouri is, indeed, in the midst of a serious invasion, and summer is the best time for landowners to mount a counteroffensive.
The invader is spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe. The 2-foot-tall perennial, bedecked with attractive, fringy pink blossoms, is a member of the aster family. It probably arrived in the United States in the late 1800s in contaminated hay or seed from Eurasia. Since then it has spread over 45 states. It can survive in a wide range of conditions, and it thrives in heavily disturbed sites, such as roadsides and agricultural field margins.
Unlike aster species native to Missouri, spotted knapweed’s roots produce chemicals that are toxic to other plants. It produces up to 1,000 seeds per plant. Once established, seeds accumulate, often exceeding 5,000 per square foot of soil. The seeds remain viable for at least eight years.
With dual strategy, spotted knapweed’s conquest can be surprisingly rapid. Seeds strewed along roads by trucks transporting contaminated hay and by roadside mowing quickly sprout in roadside ditches. Two years later a phalanx of flowery invaders is ready to storm bordering pastures and woodlands.
“This is a very bad plant,” says Tim Banek, invasive species coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation. “It can go from small infestations to being out of control almost before you know it. Controlling an infestation when it first starts is much easier than tackling one that covers dozens of acres.”
Looking at a stand of spotted knapweed, with pink blossoms waving in the wind, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Banek said the invader, which is on Missouri’s official list of noxious weeds, is a problem for several reasons.
“It is bad news for wildlife because it tends to root out native vegetation and form monocultures over huge areas. It is not a good wildlife food plant, and biological diversity takes a nosedive when spotted knapweed takes over.”
Spotted knapweed is bad for agriculture, too. Pastures infested with it become less palatable and nutritious for livestock. In Montana alone, it caused $42 million in agricultural losses in 1996.
Early discovery of spotted knapweed infestations requires a close look at the ground. The plant produces only a flat rosette of leaves during its first year, as it builds a deep taproot.
Banek said spotted knapweed is an excellent candidate for “IPM” – integrated pest management. This means attacking invaders with a combination of physical measures, such as pulling plants, applying herbicides and using biological controls.
“The infestation in southern Missouri has gotten too large to control with herbicides alone,” said Banek. “Biological controls don’t produce quick results, but they provide long-term control that complements other methods. At this point, it looks like an integrated approach is the only way to deal with spotted knapweed.”
The Missouri Department of Transportation is using herbicide to control infestations along state highways. The Conservation Department, the Missouri Department of Transportation and MU Extension Service have been releasing two species of weevils that eat spotted knapweed seed heads and bore into the plants’ roots. The Conservation Department is evaluating the insects’ effectiveness on Cover Conservation and Tingler Prairie Natural Area in Howell County and along Highway 142, which runs near the Arkansas border in south-central Missouri.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has tested these insects on native plants and approved them for release. However, a permit is required before they can be released. The insects have been effective in other states. So far, they have not been found to affect any non-target plants.
The weevil trials are among the first in Missouri. Wider use of these and other biological controls could follow if the trials produce good results.
Photos of spotted knapweed in different growth phases and information about controlling infestations are available from MU Extension centers or at extension.missouri.edu/Webster/webster/agric/spottedknapweed.shtml. Missourians who would like to know more about spotted knapweed should contact Banek by calling 573-522-4115, ext. 3371, or by e-mail at tim.banek@mdc.mo.gov).
-Jim Low-
Master Logger Certificate hard to get, but pays dividends
Friday, July 17, 2009
This voluntary audit program gives loggers a competitive edge in a changing market.
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| Missouri timber harvesters begin the Master Logger certification process by completing a comprehensive five-day course that covers every aspect of safe, ethical, environmentally sustainable logging. For more information, call the Missouri Forest Products Association at 573-634-3252, or visit their website, moforest.org/education/masterlogger.html. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
The MFPA represents timber harvesters, sawmills and businesses that turn Missouri trees into everything from pulpwood and pallets to wood floors and furniture veneer. Together with the Missouri Department of Conservation the MFPA has developed the voluntary Master Logger Certification Program.
Brandon O’Neal, MFPA’s Master Logger Project Administrator, said the certification program bridges the gap between loggers’ knowledge of best management practices and the application of those practices.
“Missouri has had professional timber harvester training for years,” said O’Neal. “We have a lot of timber harvesters with the knowledge necessary to do the job right. The majority of them are implementing what they learned. However, landowners contracting with loggers had no way of knowing how careful the logger would be about preventing damage to the land or the forest, whether they made the best use of trees they cut and whether they had a record of ethical business dealings. Master Logger certification takes the guesswork out of choosing a logger.”
The master-logger certification process is detailed and rigorous. First, applicants must complete the five-day Professional Timber Harvester Education Program. Next, program administrators visit one of the applicant’s logging sites to explain performance standards.
The applicant provides a list of five past and current harvest sites, along with three professional references. The MFPA’s Master Logger administrator checks references to ensure the applicant’s compliance with business and natural resource laws. At least two field verifiers – carefully selected to avoid bias – visit the applicant’s logging sites to ensure compliance with best management practices (BMPs) taught in the Professional Timber Harvester Education course.
If their work passes these tests, applicants sign a code of ethics, and their applications goes to the nine-member Master Logger certifying board. These members represent various forest stakeholders and areas of expertise. To maintain confidentiality and impartiality, application forms show only applicant identification numbers. Certifying board members do not know applicants’ identities.
Certifying Board members can request additional field verification if necessary. Certification requires a unanimous vote of all nine members.
Master Loggers must be recertified every two years. Failure to follow specified safety, environmental, forest management or business practices can result in decertification.
“In the past, many landowners assumed loggers were harvesting without regard to the environment or landowner’s best interests,” said Conservation Department Forestry Field Programs Supervisor John Tuttle Tuttle. “This program will take away a logger’s certification if he does not live up to the standards. Landowners can be assured they are working with the best of the best.”
Tuttle said a Master Logger Certificate also is a valuable marketing tool for loggers.
“Demand for ‘green-certified’ products is growing fast, especially in the housing industry,” he said. “Builders get credit under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system if they buy wood products from sources that follow forestry best management practices. This program is extremely important to keep Missouri forest products competitive in the world market.”
According to Tuttle, Master Loggers have a competitive advantage in a tough economy. Being certified as a Master Logger reduces a logger’s liability costs, too.
Information about the Master Logger Certification Program is available by calling 573-634-3252 or at moforest.org/education/masterlogger.html.
-Jim Low-
Everything coming up roses for duck hunters...so far
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Duck numbers are up overall, and nesting conditions have been good to excellent over most of North America.
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| Missouri will have a 16-day early teal season, thanks to burgeoning blue-winged teal numbers. This hunter has a green-winged teal, which also are legal during the early teal season. Details about breeding populations of teal and other ducks are available in Trends in Duck Breeding Populations 1955-2009 at www.fws.gov/. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
The report estimates North America’s total breeding duck population at 42 million. That is up 13 percent from last year and 25 percent more than the average since 1955.
The FWS estimates the mallard breeding population at 8.5 million. That is 10 percent more than last year and 13 percent above the long-term average (LTA) for the species most sought after by hunters.
The survey estimated breeding numbers of blue-winged teal at 7.4 million, 11 percent more than last year and up 60 percent from the LTA. This has special significance for the early teal season in September, whose length depends on blue-winged teal numbers. This year’s season will run for 16 days, from Sept. 12 through 27.
Estimates of other ducks’ breeding numbers were:
· Northern pintails, 3.2 million, up 23 percent from last year but still 20 percent below the LTA.
· Green-winged teal, 3.4 million, up 16 percent from last year and 79 percent above the LTA.
· Gadwalls, 3.1 million, about the same as last year and up 73 percent from the LTA.
· American wigeon, 2.5 million, about the same as last year and down 5 percent from the LTA.
· Northern shovelers, 4.4 million, up 25 percent from last year and 92 percent above the LTA.
· Redheads, 1 million, essentially the same as last year, but 62 percent above the LTA.
· Scaup, 4.2 million, up 12 percent from last year but down 18 percent from the LTA.
· Canvasbacks, 662,000, up 35 percent from last year and 16 percent above the LTA.
Resource Scientist Dave Graber, a waterfowl biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said ducks must find favorable nesting conditions in Canada and the northern United States in order for high breeding population numbers to translate into a strong fall flight of ducks. Particularly important to Missouri hunters is the Prairie Pothole Region of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, plus the north-central United States. The number of ponds in these regions was up 45 percent from last year and 31 percent above the LTA. Pond numbers were especially encouraging in Montana and the Dakotas, which had 108 percent more water than last year and 87 percent more than the LTA.
Graber said the quality of duck hunting in Missouri in a given year depends as much on summer and autumn weather here as it does on breeding duck numbers and nesting conditions. Adequate but not excessive rainfall during the summer produces abundant food on Missouri wetlands to support migrating ducks for longer periods. Adequate autumn rainfall is necessary to flood habitat, making food available to ducks.
Too much or too little rain during the growing season can limit availability of natural foods. A dry autumn can limit the extent of shallow-water areas where migrating ducks rest and feed.
Finally, hunters rely on cold weather in Canada and the northern United States to push ducks southward into Missouri in the fall. Unseasonably warm weather can cause ducks to remain north of Missouri until late in the season, reducing hunting opportunity. In years when winter arrives early, wetland areas freeze up, and ducks fly farther south, again curtailing Missouri’s hunting season.
In years when ducks find open water and abundant food in the Show-Me State, they can linger for weeks or months, producing the kind of hunting season that memories are made of.
“It’s sort of a Goldilocks scenario,” said Graber. “Everything has to be ‘just right’ for a legendary season. Most years are somewhere from fair to very good. So far, things look extremely promising this year. With continued help from the weather, this could be a season to remember.”
For details of the FWS report, visit www.fws.gov/. The Missouri Conservation Commission will consider 2009-2010 waterfowl hunting seasons at its August meeting.
-Jim Low-
MDC's Low receives OWAA Jade of Chiefs top conservation award
Friday, July 10, 2009
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| (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
According to the OWAA, the Jade of Chiefs Award represents an affirmation of OWAA adherence to and support of the principles of conservation. The OWAA has honored 44 conservation communicators since the award’s inception in 1958.
“I am thrilled that my peers considered me worthy of such a high honor,” said Low, who served as OWAA president in 2006-07 and holds degrees in journalism and wildlife management from the University of Missouri-Columbia. “I will spend the rest of my career trying to live up to it.”
Low, who has worked for the MDC for 18 years, said he also is grateful for the opportunity to work for an agency whose tradition of excellence in communications made his career possible. “The Conservation Department has always encouraged all its employees – from full-time writers to conservation agents and other field staff – to preach the conservation gospel.”
In addition to Low, four former MDC employees are among the “Circle of Chiefs,” as recipients of the Jade of Chiefs award are collectively known: Werner Nagel, Dan Saults, Jim Keefe and Joel Vance.
In 1981, the MDC became the first and only government agency to receive another OWAA top conservation honor: The Mountain of Jade Award. The honor recognizes groups or individuals for outstanding conservation efforts. The MDC received the award for “its distinguished efforts to preserve, perpetuate, or improve the quality of America’s great outdoors” through its Design for Conservation program.
Since its inception in 1927, OWAA has become the largest and oldest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. OWAA’s mission is to improve the professional skills of its members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources and mentor the next generation of professional outdoor communicators. For more information, visit owaa.org.
The people of Missouri created the Department of Conservation in 1936. Its mission is to protect and manage the fish, forest and wildlife resources of the state; to serve the public and facilitate their participation in resource management activities; and to provide opportunity for citizens to use, enjoy and learn about fish, forest and wildlife resources. For more information, visit MissouriConservation.org.
-Joe Jerek-
Paddling ultra-marathon entries redouble
Friday, July 10, 2009
The time allowed for completion of this year’s Missouri River 340 has been shaved by 12 hours.
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| This photo shows 75 entries gathering at Kaw Point in Kansas City for the start of the 2007 Missouri River 340. Approximately 300 canoes and kayaks and more than 450 paddlers will throng the site for this year’s event, creating an unprecedented spectacle.(Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
When it began in 2006, the race drew just 15 entries. The second year it attracted 76. Concerned about their ability to conduct the event safely, organizers limited last year’s entries to 150. This year they raised the limit to 300. With nearly a month left before the race, 285 solo paddlers or teams have registered.
“Interest in this race is simply phenomenal,” said Scott Mansker, one of the race’s creators. “I have no idea how many racers we might have if we didn’t limit the number, but every time we double it, the roster fills up.”
Eighty percent of entries are men – 106 in the solo division plus 122 men’s tandem teams. The Mixed Tandem Division is the next-largest, with 22 entries, followed by the Women’s Solo Division with 19. The Team Division has nine entries with three or more paddlers each. Five women’s tandem teams have signed up. The smallest division, with just two entries, is for pedal-drive canoes and kayaks.
The more than 450 contestants come from 27 states, plus Ontario, Canada. That is some indication of the prestige the Missouri River 340 has achieved in four years.
First to cross the line in 2008 was Team Texas, a six-man powerhouse that skimmed across the state in a mere 36 hours, 19 minutes, averaging 9.4 miles per hour. This phenomenal pace, plus the need to prevent the racing pack from getting too strung out, prompted organizers to shave 12 hours off the time allowed to complete the race.
“We have certain time allowances for paddlers to reach checkpoints along the way,” said Mansker. “Those who don’t make the deadlines are dropped from the race. They can still complete the course, but they are no longer part of the Missouri River 340. Otherwise, we could have folks strung out from Lexington to Hermann, and we wouldn’t have enough safety boats to cover everyone.”
Faced with running a race for 300 boats, organizers reduced the time allotted from 100 hours to 88 this year. This pushes up each of the checkpoint deadlines enough to keep the racing pack reasonably compact for safety purposes.
Texan West Hansen won the first Missouri River 340 with a time of 53 hours, 40 minutes. He was in the tandem team that won the second race with a time of 44 hours, 27 minutes. Last year he was part of the winning six-man team.
This year, three-time winner Hansen will paddle in the Mixed Tandem Division with last year’s women’s solo champ. Iowan Katie Pfefferkorn’s time last year was exactly 50 hours. That was, down from the 98 hours, 36 minutes it took her to complete her first race in 2006.
“Pfefferkorn-Hansen is an apocalyptic pairing,” said Mansker. “I've gone on a couple training runs with them. They are serious. And it will be so interesting to watch the Women's Solo Division this year. Erin Magee (2007 women’s solo winner) will not be competing this year, so the women’s solo championship is up for grabs.”
Everything – even naming your entry – becomes a contest among such competitive athletes. This years’ roster includes the “Kayakkity Yaks,” “Carp Target Grannies,” “Death Row,” “Aquaholics” and “Cirrhosis of the River.”
Spectators can watch the spectacle of “Rub-A-Dub-Dub (Three Men in a Tub),” “Hicks with Sticks” and other contestants vying for the 2009 Missouri River 340 title. The race starts at 8 a.m. Aug. 4 at Kaw Point, near the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers in Kansas City. It winds up at midnight Aug. 7 at Riverfront Park in St. Charles. Checkpoints and river accesses between these two points also provide convenient race-watching spots.
For more information, visit www.rivermiles.com.
-Jim Low-
Storm damage estimated at $12 million
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Much of the downed or damaged timber will not be salvageable.
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| The Missouri Department of Conservation is working to salvage as much storm-damaged timber as possible from conservation areas. The agency also is seizing opportunities the storm created to restore wildlife-rich woodlands in areas with stunted, unproductive forests. |
Storms damage timber every year. However, the May storm spawned thunderstorms, tornadoes and extreme straight-line winds over an unusually large area. Straight-line winds of up to 90 mph did most of the damage, uprooting trees in swaths that covered hundreds of acres. Such damage is particularly serious, since uprooted trees cannot regrow from their stumps.
In all, the Missouri Department of Conservative estimates the extent of the damage at 204 million board feet of timber on 113,000 acres. Of this total, 68,102 acres are private land, 28,717 are on the Mark Twain National Forest, and 7,722 acres are on conservation areas.
The commercial value of this timber is estimated at $12 million. That does not include areas with light damage, which covered approximately twice as many acres.
Although damage ranging from significant to severe occurred in 36 counties, three-quarters of the destruction fell on six counties: Reynolds (28,351 acres), Madison (17,854 acres), Shannon (10,944 acres), Dent (9,920 acres), Iron (9,514 acres) and Bollinger (8,473 acres) counties.
Some trees damaged or felled by wind can be salvaged if removed promptly. Landowners have a year or more to harvest downed hardwoods, such as oaks, maples and walnuts, before rot sets in. Pine trees are much less durable, succumbing to fungus and beetle infestation within weeks in hot weather.
Hardwoods retain some value for making pallets, railroad ties and packing materials after they begin to deteriorate. Deteriorated pines sometimes can be salvaged for pallet lumber or pulpwood.
The Conservation Department estimates it has 33 million board feet of downed or damaged timber on 13,000 acres. As much as three-quarters of this might be in good enough condition for commercial use. However, accessibility will limit how much of this actually can be saved. Conservation areas where salvage harvests are planned include Amidon, Angeline, Apple Creek, Cedar Grove, Current River, Ketcherside, Logan Creek, Rocky Creek, Sunklands and Whitewater. Amidon, Angeline, Logan Creek and Sunklands conservation areas were particularly hard-hit.
The Missouri Forest Products Association said statewide damage from the May 8 storm equals approximately one-third of Missouri’s annual timber harvest. Much of the damaged timber will be difficult to reach, and some is damaged too badly to be commercially valuable. Foresters expect about half to be salvageable. On top of all this, the sheer magnitude of the salvage operation might be too great for the number of loggers available to do the work.
Timber salvage is important for more than the economic benefits it can provide. Removing damaged trees also reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Furthermore, destruction of timber stands could actually enhance management on some conservation areas.
Before the storm, the Conservation Department already had the goal of restoring stunted forest in some areas to a mix of trees and grassland. Such sites were savannas or open woodland prior to European settlement. While these areas do not produce much in the way of commercially valuable trees, they are highly productive for certain wildlife, such as quail and some songbirds. The May storm–a natural event–increases opportunities for woodland restoration on a landscape scale.
“It is heartbreaking to look down from a helicopter and see thousands of acres of trees laid waste,” said State Forester Lisa Allen, “but it is important to remember that this storm was a natural event. Catastrophes like this one have always played a role in shaping our forests. What we do in the wake of the storm ultimately will outweigh the damage done, so we are focusing on the future.”
-Jim Low-
Warren County included in antler-point restriction
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
The map on the Conservation Department website is correct, but Warren County does not appear as part of the antler-point restriction in the print version.
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| All of 65 counties and parts of three others are included in the antler-point restriction for Missouri’s 2009 deer-hunting season. The antler-point restriction map printed in the Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet fails to show Warren County in the restriction area. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY–The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking hunters to help spread the word about an error in a booklet about this year’s deer seasons.
A map on page 4 of the 2009 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet shows areas where hunters may take antlered deer only if they have at least four antler points on one side. However, the map incorrectly leaves Warren County out of the area where the antler-point restriction is in effect this year.
The text of the booklet correctly includes Warren County in the antler-point restriction area. Both the text and map on the Conservation Department’s website (mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/antlers.htm) also has correct information about the antler-point restriction area.
Conservation Department Publications Coordinator Joan McKee said hunters who only look at the map in the print version of the booklet could unwittingly violate the rule.
“We are trying to get the word out every way we can about this error,” said McKee. “We hope hunters, hunting clubs and sporting goods retailers will help spread the word. In spite of that map, the antler-point restriction will be in effect in Warren County this year.”
-Jim Low-
