Missouri Outdoors and Conservation News for September 17th, 2016

Have a big nice Christmas tree for the governor?  If you do, the Missouri Department of Conservation would like to hear from you. Get your entry in by September 30th.  Here's where to get more info or enter a tree: https://goo.gl/qOmnp9

Missouri deer hunters who harvest deer and use Telecheck will get some new questions you probably should be prepared for.  Telecheck will ask deer hunters who harvest does if the distance from the edge of the eyeball to the edge of the nostril is greater than 4.5 inches. For deer hunters who harvest antlered bucks, Telecheck will ask if the circumference of an antler one inch above the base is greater than 2.5 inches (the approximate circumference of a nickel). The measurement request will not apply to hunters who harvest button bucks. The info will be used to determine age classes of harvested deer so they can manage the herd better,  

The MDC is seeking comments on management at Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area in Christian County.  You need to get your two cents worth in this month (September) and you can get the details at https://goo.gl/QwiP1z.

There has been initial approval made by the Conservation Commission on Smallmouth Bass and Rock Bass (known as Goggle Eye in Missouri).  There will be a comment period beginning in October.  The new regs will change length and possession limits in certain waters and the Commission hopes these changes will ensure a sustainable fishery for future generations.  MDC makes reg proposals based on sound science, and often local interests find them objectionable because they might change the way things have been.  We encourage readers to educate themselves on the reg changes and give their input.  More info is at https://goo.gl/lzrS6a.

One of the largest public land areas in Missouri is Current River Conservation Area, and MDC is also seeking

input on its management.  The comment period ends September 30th.

This area is rich in outdoor opportunities including paddling, fishing, hunting, hiking, and camping.  Let MDC know what you'd like to see happening in the area. Info is at https://goo.gl/QwiP1z.

The MDC has designated a new State Champion Tree - a chinkapin oak tree in Columbia, as the largest of its kind anywhere in the state.  

MDC Community Forester Ann Koenig took an official measurement using a uniform formula to assess a point value to big trees. The formula, which accounts for the tree’s height, crown spread, and trunk size, scored 310 points for the tree Russell nominated – dethroning the previous state champion chinkapin oak in St. Charles County by only 17 points.  See this beautiful tree below.

If you are interested on improving habitat on your property, particularly for quail, get a copy of the Covey Newsletter from MDC at https://goo.gl/Kb1AeW

If you are looking for some family outdoor fun on September 24th, check out Family Outdoors Day in Lee's Summit.  Exhibits and teaching stations will be set up throughout the Reed Wildlife Area at 12405 S.E. Ranson Road. Also serving as co-sponsors this year are Nathan’s Catch, a non-profit effort providing fishing rods and reels for youths, and the J.E. Fehsenfeld Family Foundation in memory of Jan M. Dillow.

Fishing gear and instructors will be available at a Reed Area lake. MDC staffers and volunteers can provide hands-on instructions on how to cast bait or a lure with a rod and reel. Loaner gear and bait will be provided for fishing. MDC experts can also answer questions about fish populations in the region’s lakes and streams.

It will run from 10 until 3 and more info is available by calling 816-622-0900.

With the Missouri deer season now underway with the archery season going, hunters are encouraged to help the less fortunate by utilizing the Share the Harvest program.  

The program works by deer hunters donating their extra venison -- from several pounds to whole deer -- to participating meat processors throughout the state who grind and package the deer meat. The packaged venison is then given to food banks and food pantries for distribution to Missourians in need of food assistance.

Processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors that include: MDC, CFM, Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, Gateway Area Chapter of Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Midway USA Inc., and the Missouri Food Banks Association.


Funds are available to help with processing costs when a whole deer is donated during all portions of the archery and firearms deer seasons. The Conservation Federation of Missouri reimburses processors a pre-determined amount for each whole deer donated. This allows processors to reduce processing fees to hunters. In addition, many processors have local funds available that allow deer to be processed for free or at a reduced cost. Hunters should contact individual processors to determine what funds are available. The cost of processing is the hunter’s responsibility when funds to help cover the full cost are not available.

Get more info on Share the Harvest at https://goo.gl/hf7OVM

MDC will offer free Prairie Day event Sept. 17

Visit Wah'Kon-Tah Prairie near El Dorado Springs for tours and exhibits  

El Dorado Springs, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will host a free Prairie Day event 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie near El Dorado Springs. Tallgrass prairie is a diverse ecosystem of native grasses, wildflowers, upland streams, insects and wildlife. Prairie Day will offer wagon tours of the prairie, wildflower walks and conservation exhibits.

Co-host for the event is The Nature Conservancy. Much of the Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area is owned by the Conservancy but managed by MDC in a partnership. The St. Clair County Cattlemen’s Association will provide food concessions.  Representatives of the Osage Nation will discuss the tribe’s historic ties to the Upper Osage Grasslands.

MDC staff will discuss the role prairie plays today, whether it’s preserving the iconic grassland birds like the prairie chicken, conserving plant diversity, boosting wildlife habitat or providing a place to learn how conservative grazing can be used to improve wildlife habitat.

Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie and the nearby Taberville Prairie hold remnant flocks of prairie chickens, which are endangered in Missouri. But the key to those flocks surviving is the native grasses and wildflowers that provide food and good places to nest, raise broods, hide from predators and survive winter. The same warm-season grasses and forbs also can provide summer grazing forage or winter hay for livestock. Bobwhite quail and other ground-nesting birds also benefit from prairies or the use of native grasses and forbs in pastures.

Prairies are also simply beautiful to look at, either across the open horizons, or by observing the plant diversity during a hike. Prairies also harbor wildlife such as songbirds, deer and turkeys.

For information about Prairie Day, call 417-876-5226. Information and a map for Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area is available at https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/wahkon-tah-prairie. To learn about prairie in Missouri, visit http://mdc.mo.gov.

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MDC seeks public input on towersites across central Missouri

Public can comment through Aug. 31 on draft management plan. 

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is in the multi-year process of updating Conservation Area Management Plans and is seeking public input on how conservation areas are important to Missourians.  A draft management plan for the Department’s Central Region Towersites is available for public review through Aug. 31. To preview this draft management plan and share comments online, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. 

Towersites provide MDC a means for detecting wildfires and allow the public limited access for hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities. Towersites covered in this management plan include Branch Towersite, Camdenton Conservation Service Center, Freeburg Towersite, Proctor Towersite, and Rocky Mount Towersite. 

Statewide, MDC conservation areas cover almost one million public acres for the purpose of restoring and conserving forest, fish and wildlife resources, and for providing opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about these resources. Most Missourians are within a 30-minute drive of an MDC conservation area.

Conservation Area Management Plans focus on natural resource management and public use on conservation areas. The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. MDC will consider all ideas received and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife, and people. Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into area plans and on how to best incorporate them will be based on the property’s purpose, its physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and state-wide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.

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• MDC invites youth to dove clinic and hunt at Prairie Fork Conservation Area Sept. 2-3 (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)

Hunting the Conservation Areas of Missouri

Danville Conservation Area

This is a topic we have covered quite a bit on this blog, as well as on our website, family-outdoors.com, but it fits nicely here with the Missouri Conservation Areas series on which we are now on installment 2.  The hunter in Missouri has such a blessing in the respect that most midwestern states have not made the level of commitment that Missouri has with regard to state land on which you can hunt.

If you doubt this, take a look at Kansas or Illinois as an example. These two states differ from the Missouri model in that first, oversight of conservation is politicized, and second, there has never been an effort to devote land to hunting and fishing and other outdoor pursuits.

Getting on with the topic at hand - if you want to hunt any species in Missouri, and are willing to do Missouri Public Hunting Resource. It has a database, which is sourced from MDC, but arranged frankly in a manner that was and is convenient for us when looking for a hunting area by geographic region and by species we which to hunt.  In addition to MDC conservation areas for hunting, there is also extensive coverage of hunting on Mark Twain National Forest. Being summer, and there being a few months until the most popular hunting seasons kick in, you may want to bookmark the page we mentioned above for future use.

Screenshot from Family-Outdoors Missouri Public Land Resource
Page

the research to find the right conservation area, you should find what you are after.  One resource we have put together is out

MDC manages conservation areas with many competing interests, and hunting is certainly featured prominently in those considerations.  Many properties have food plots to enhance the density of wildlife that can be sustained in the area.  As a side note, MDC has in some cases reduced the planting of some food plots with the spread of CWD in the deer population.

Some conservation areas are sort of devoted primarily to giving hunters opportunity to harvest a particular species.  For example, there are conservation areas where waterfowl hunters will find fantastic facilities and populations of ducks and geese.  There are conservation areas devoted to dove hunting.  Pheasant hunters and upland game hunters will also find plenty of opportunities.

In conclusion, as I plan to remind folks in each segment of this series, all of these opportunities are what they are because politicians have been kept from screwing things up.  The non-partisan Missouri Conservation Commission oversees MDC, and much of the funding for CA's and other MDC efforts come from the sales tax on sporting goods that was long ago approved by forward thinking Missourians.  If you do not believe that there is a contingent of folks out there who would dearly love to hand things over to the politicians, read the comments under about any Facebook or other social media post by MDC.  Make sure your views of reason are heard too.

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Fishing Missouri Conservation Areas

Missouri conservation areas offer some of the best fishing in the state as well as access to good fishing.  Many people think of conservation areas as great places to hunt, which is true enough and a subject of our next blogs on CA's, but it is just an incomplete picture.

When I think about the conservation areas near to where we live in Warren County, two of the three offer some pretty darn good fishing, and it seems that this feature is often overlooked.  So, with a very little bit of research, you might find some outstanding opportunities you'd not considered.

A lake in Busch Memorial
Conservation Area

One conservation area that does get a ton of use in the STL region, is Busch Memorial Conservation Area.  I love this area because there is a little something there for anyone.  There is a ton of panfishing that can be fast and furious which is awesome for initiating kids into fishing.  During the winter, some of the lakes are stocked with trout.  There are so many species that can be caught out at Busch you could probably catch a different gamefish species everyday for a whole month. You can even rent fishing equipment and a small boat to go out on one of the dozens of lakes/ponds in the area.

It's pretty likely that if you are an avid Missouri fisherperson, you have looked up fishing on various bodies of water around the state and researched how to fish them.  That is awesome, and I do the same thing.

First results of web search for Hariison County, Missouri Fishing.  

But if you want to find some new places, try searching for fishing options in a geographical area, and almost certainly conservation areas will be featured prominently.  As a case-in-point, I searched for fishing in a county where I have probably done some deer hunting, but for sure had never fished.  The top two results are in the graphic to the left.

So when you get the results, for conservation areas (which are not always labeled as conservation areas...like Harrison Lake), often, there will be a "Fishing Reports" page for one or more of the areas in the county, and there will be pages for each of the conservation areas.  Both are helpful.

List of fish species available in area from MDC site.
Note also the camping and canoeing listing.

The individual conservation area pages list species and activities available in that CA (see right).  You can decide, based on what is there, whether or not you want to fish the area. You can also decide what gear and tackle to bring with you.  Many of these fishing spots - not all - are hidden gems that do not get much attention.  That is a good thing to know for a fisherman looking for a new spot. In most, if not all, Missouri counties, you will be able to locate such gems.

Sometimes, a conservation area is just an access to a body of water, such as river access points.  Often these are places to launch a boat or canoe, but they also can make very good fishing spots.  Rivers like the Missouri and Osage, just to name a couple, are dotted with MDC access.

There certainly are MDC areas that are without fishing opportunities, or where they are limited, so do your research before going. But if you are looking for someplace to fish, or just somewhere new, give MDC conservation areas a try. You will be glad you did!

NEXT IN SERIES ON HUNTING MISSOURI CONSERVATION AREAS ON 6/17/2016

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How are conservation areas important to you?

The Missouri Department of Conservation is in the process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments. To view management plans and share comments online, visit mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.  

The following draft conservation area management plans are available for public comment June 1-30, 2016.

Central Region

Danville Conservation Area Management Plan – Danville Conservation Area is 3,136 acres of woodland, upland forest, glade, grassland, bottomland forest, old field, cropland, and ephemeral wetlands in Montgomery County. Management is focused on providing quality natural communities that support diverse wildlife populations and provide outdoor recreational activities. Three individual campsites without amenities, one designated camping area with six defined campsites, five parking lots, two privies, and a 3 mile hiking trail are available for public use.  

Mansfield Conservation Area Management Plan  – Alice Ahart Mansfield Conservation Area is 80 acres of forest in Camden County. Management activities are focused on wildlife, forest, and woodland resources with an emphasis on healthy forests and compatible recreational opportunities. This area offers a parking lot and a 0.75 mile hiking trail for public use.

Kansas City Region

Pinhook Access Management Plan  – Pinhook Access is 4 acres of forest and grasslands in Pettis County. This area is managed to provide public fishing access to Muddy Creek for bank anglers. There is one parking lot for public use.

Northeast Region

Anderson & DuPont Conservation Areas Management Plan  – This plan includes both Edward Anderson Conservation Area (1,046 acres) & DuPont Reservation Conservation Area (1,320 acres) in Ralls and Pike Counties. These areas provide for multiple public uses and for conserving and managing the areas’ natural resources.

Shelby County Conservation Areas (Less Than 155 Acres) Management Plan  – These areas provide compatible outdoor recreational activities including hunting and fishing. Conservation areas included in this plan are Arrow-Wood Conservation Area, Fed Bollow Conservation Area, and Pin Oak Conservation Area.

Northwest Region

Crooked River Conservation Area Management Plan  – Crooked River Conservation Area is 1,420 acres of forest, open fields, woodland, old field, grassland, food plots, impounded water, wetland, and infrastructure in Ray County. This area is managed to provide quality upland habitat and associated wildlife while providing a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for the public. There are seven parking lots, seven individual campsites, two fishing ponds, and one fishing lake for public use.

Nodaway County Community Lake Management Plan  – Nodaway County Community Lake is 320 acres of old field, lakes/ponds, grassland, cropland, forest, and woodland. The purpose of this area is to provide fishing and hunting opportunities for the public in and around the Maryville area. This area offers a concrete boat ramp, one fishing jetty, one privy, three parking areas, one designated primitive camping area, and 2.6 miles of hiking trails.

Ozark Region

Dan and Maureen Cover Memorial Wildlife Area Management Plan  – Dan and Maureen Cover Memorial Wildlife Area is 282 acres of forest, woodland, grassland, old field, warm-season grass field, and open water in Oregon County. This area is managed for a mosaic of grassland, woodland, and forest natural communities to provide a diversity of wildlife habitats and to provide compatible public recreation opportunities. This area provides a parking lot and 1 acre Cover Lake for public use.

Southeast Region

Coldwater Conservation Area Management Plan  – Coldwater Conservation Area is 10,738 acres of upland forest, woodland, and savanna in Wayne County. The purpose of this area is to provide outdoor recreational opportunities and to manage the area’s forest and field resources for the benefit of wildlife and timber production.

Take a look at management plans and share your thoughts online at mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. Thank you for your interest in the management of your Conservation Areas!

Missouri's Conservation Areas: A Series starting Mid-June

View from Stegal Mountain firetower. Stegal is a part of Peck
Ranch Conservation Area

Starting the middle of June, we will highlight the incredible opportunities that people who enjoy the outdoors have with regard to the Missouri Conservation Areas. Run by the Missouri Department of Conservation, owned by the people of Missouri, and funded primarily by a sales tax on sporting goods, the recreational opportunities on these tracts of land are almost limitless.

These areas also provide places for commerce, scientific research, as well as places to preserve native species and sometimes re-introduce native species that have been extirpated - a current example being the reintroduction of elk at Peck Ranch Conservation Area.  Given the opportunities available, and the value of what is at stake, then combine that with an effort by some to limit scientific management practices by the MDC - in effect throwing management to the politicians - and the reader can see how it would be to the advantage of Missouri's citizenry to know a little more about this state land.

History of Conservation Lands

Glade in Daniel Boone Conservation Area in Warren County

In 2011, the MDC celebrated its 75th anniversary. These 75 years have seen the department become one of the most respected government-based land stewardship entities in the United States, and perhaps it would not be stretching the truth to say in the world.

The department was established by state vote in 1936, and came into being at a time when the state of hunting and game populations across the state was absolutely abysmal. It got so bad that even deer were numbered at just a few hundred.  The Conservation Federation of Missouri, still an active and vital participant in advocating for Missouri outdoor issues, was the group instrumental in getting things done.

Nationwide, as well as in Missouri, the management of hunting and fishing practices as well as most all conservation related issues was done at the state legislatures.  As is the case now, legislators were beholden to special interests, and the needs and desires of sportsmen and women were put on the back burner if they made it to the stove at all.  The Conservation federation was almost like a union of folks interested in getting the power back from the special interests, and by banding together they finally had the power to do so.

One part of our series will be devoted to the recent efforts to dismantle the work those old-timers did to put Missouri back to where it needed to be - places to hunt, fish, hike, and camp as well as fairly abundant populations of deer, turkey, game fish, and a myriad of other game species.  There are always special interest that try to sway politicians through their lobbying efforts, so in recent years rural legislators have been gnashing their teeth about how to wrest control from the MDC regarding a wide range of issues.  Almost universally, sportsmen and women do not want to see this happen.

Huzzah Creek Conservation Area

Some of the most famous conservationists played vital roles in the genesis of MDC formation - guys like Aldo Leopold.  These were the Teddy Roosevelt ilk of conservationists. They were hunters, fishermen, explorers, and they wanted to make sure there was land available and fish and game on that land.

The Missouri Department of Conservation now manages nearly one million acres across the state employing management practices suited to the competing needs necessary.  Deer are abundant, turkey hunting is amongst the best in the nation, streams run clear, timber is selectively harvested to keep stands healthy and to benefit local economies.

As we highlight the variety of activities available on these lands, and look at specific conservation areas across the state, keep in mind that they are in constant peril of being overrun by politics.  Perhaps make it a point to follow stories you hear about this issue, and take the time to let your legislators know you want them to keep politics out of our great system we have in place.

Put in your thoughts with MDC on SE Missouri Conservation Areas

Tywappity Community Lake is located in Scott County near Chaffee. The area plan for Tywappity Community Lake and Towersite is open for comment until Dec. 31. (Photo by Candice Davis)

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to know what Missourians think about its nearly 1,000 conservation areas around the state. MDC is in the multi-year process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments.

Draft plans for Tywappity Community Lake and Towersite in Scott County and Horton Farm Conservation Area and St. Mary’s Access in Ste. Genevieve County are available for public comment until Dec. 31. To preview draft management plans and share comments online, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.

Tywappity Community Lake is located in Scott County near Chaffee. The area consists of 147 acres of woodland and 37 acres of surface water. Management of the area is directed toward protecting the watershed and providing recreational facilities. A large grassy area near the lake has a pavilion, grills, and picnic tables. A boat ramp and privies are also provided.

Horton Farm CA is located in Ste. Genevieve County and provides opportunities for bird watching and hunting for deer, dove, rabbit, squirrel, and turkey. The area has over 500 acres of forest and woodland and over 100 acres of grassland.

St. Mary Access provides access to Old River, south of the junction of Highway 61 and Route U in St. Mary. The access provides a concrete boat ramp and fishing opportunities for bass, catfish, crappie and other river fish.

MDC invites comments from recreational users, neighboring landowners, conservation groups, elected officials, government agencies, and other interested persons or groups. To make a comment on this area plan, go online to www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.

MDC manages nearly 1,000 conservation areas covering almost one million public acres throughout the state for the purpose of restoring and conserving fish, forest and wildlife resources, and for providing appropriate public use, research and demonstration areas.

Conservation Area Management Plans document strategies for natural resource management and public use on specific conservation areas. Area plans also help communicate an area’s purpose and management direction to staff and interested citizens.

“It’s important that citizens have a chance to provide their input to their conservation areas,” said Rocky Hayes, MDC’s forestry regional supervisor for the southeast region. “We provide a service by managing these areas and we strive to develop quality habitat to promote wildlife health as well as outdoor opportunities for Missourians.”

Conservation Area Management Plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

Area plans are currently posted on the MDC website and available at MDC offices for public comment for a limited time.

The enjoyments of activities on MDC conservation areas such as Pickle Springs CA help enrich Missourian’s quality of life. For more information on area plan comment periods go online to www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.

Public input sought for Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area

The Missouri Department of Conservation is seeking input from the public in regards to developing a 10-year management plan for the Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area in Christian County.

Citizens can comment on area's management plan Oct. 15-Dec. 31.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to know what Missourians think about its nearly 1,000 conservation areas around the state. The Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area in Christian County is among the areas currently under review.

MDC is inviting the public to provide comments about Busiek to aid staff in developing a 10-year management plan for the popular public use area. Interested persons or groups – including recreational users, neighboring landowners, conservation groups, elected officials and government agencies – can share ideas online Oct. 15-Dec. 31 atwww.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans

“Missourians care about conservation and use conservation areas for many different reasons,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. “These areas help people discover nature through various activities and help make Missouri a great place to hunt, fish and enjoy outdoor activities. We want to know how conservation areas are important to Missourians. Encouraging public comments on Conservation Area Management Plans is part of MDC’s ongoing efforts of working for and with Missourians to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.”

MDC staff will review comments as they develop a draft management plan for the Busiek Area. Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into area plans and on how best to incorporate them will be based on the property’s purpose, it’s physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and state-wide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.

When the initial draft is complete, the Busiek Area Plan will be posted online for additional public comments and will be available for viewing at www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. After considering all public comments, the final plan will be drafted, approved and posted online.

The 2,700-acre Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area is located on U.S. 65 in southern Christian County. The landscape is primarily forest, with intermittent woodland areas, glades and old fields. The area is crossed by a permanent stream (Woods Fork) and an intermittent stream (Camp Creek).

Busiek offers hunting opportunities and a variety of other recreational uses. A well-marked trail system provides approximately 18 miles of trails for use by hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders. Primitive camping is allowed only with a permit that can be obtained from the MDC Southwest Regional Office in Springfield. The area also features an unstaffed shooting range.

MDC land acquisitions in Pemiscot County means more public use opportunities

The MDC has purchased 4,278 acres as an addition to the Stephen C. Bradford Unit of Black Island CA in Pemiscot County. The land also adjoins the Wolf Bayou Unit of the area on the northwest side. This map shows the area's new boundaries. (Map provided by Ross Glenn) The added acres tie several smaller land tracts together including several natural communities, riverfront forestland, wet bottomland forest, oxbows and sloughs. (MDC photo by Ross Glenn) PUBLIC HUNTING INFO

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has purchased 4,278 acres as an addition to the Stephen C. Bradford Unit of Black Island Conservation Area (CA) in Pemiscot County. The land also adjoins the Wolf Bayou Unit of the area on the northwest side.

According to Pemiscot County Conservation Agent Brian Shelton, the land was purchased to create more opportunity for public use and to improve connectivity of the areas alongside the Mississippi River.

“The plans for this area are to give the public an opportunity to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors,” Shelton said. “The existing habitat on the land is primarily bottomland hardwood forest, reconstructed wetland pools, and Robinson's Lake.”

In addition to creating opportunities for recreational use, the additional conservation area is an opportunity for more wildlife habitat development. Before the transfer of land to the MDC, it was a tree farm owned by Westvaco Paper Company, Shelton said.

Black Island CA has great biodiversity according to Shelton, as it supports numerous species of conservation concern. The added acres tie several smaller land tracts together including several natural communities, riverfront forestland, wet bottomland forest, oxbows and sloughs. Because of this diverse habitat, the area is used by numerous neo-tropical migrant songbird species throughout the year and hosts thousands of waterfowl and other wetland birds through the fall and spring migrations. A multitude of game species live on the area and have benefited from habitat improvements over the last few decades, according to Shelton.

Shelton said deer hunting on Back Island CA is similar to other conservation areas, with statewide deer hunting regulations for the 2015-2016 deer season applying with a restriction of antlered deer only with a firearm.

Along with the purchase of this tract of land, a previously purchased 419 acre tract located on the SE corner of Black Island CA to west of the Desoto Unit will open to public use this year.  It also contains bottomland hardwoods and an old Mississippi River channel that the locals refer to as Crow's Hole.  The regulations for the area will be archery only for deer and all other statewide regulations apply.

To get to the Stephen C. Bradford Unit of Black Island CA, take the Hayti I-55 exit, then take Highway 84 east, then County Road 337 north, and County Road 338 east. More information about Black Island and Wolf Bayou Conservation Areas can be found at mdc.mo.gov.

MDC seeks public input for Wappapello and Clearwater Management Lands

Public can comment during June on long-term management plans of areas associated with these lakes.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to know what Missourians think about its nearly 1,000 conservation areas around the state. MDC is in the multi-year process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments.

Draft plans for the Wappapello and Clearwater Lakes Management Lands in Reynolds and Wayne counties will be available for public comment from June 1 through June 30. To preview draft management plans and share comments online, visitwww.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.

Clearwater Lake Management Land is located five miles west of Piedmont on Route HH. This area has forests, old fields and croplands. Hunting and fishing regulations and opportunities vary greatly on this conservation area, which is divided into the Black River upstream of Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake, and the Black River downstream of Clearwater Lake.

Wappapello Management Land is located north of Silva on State Highway 34. This area has forest, old fields and cropland with primitive camping, hiking trail, a designated horse trail and three permanent streams (St. Francis River, Logan Creek and Clark Creek). There is no access to Wappapello Lake from these lands.

Statewide, MDC conservation areas cover almost 1 million public acres for the purpose of restoring and conserving forest, fish and wildlife resources, and for providing opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about these resources. Most Missourians are within a 30-minute drive of an MDC conservation area.

“Missourians care about conservation and use conservation areas for many different reasons,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. “These areas help people discover nature through various activities, and help make Missouri a great place to hunt, fish and enjoy other outdoor activities. We want to know how conservation areas are important to Missourians. Encouraging public comments on Conservation Area Management Plans is part of MDC’s ongoing efforts of working for and with Missourians to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.”

Conservation Area Management Plans focus on natural resource management and public use on conservation areas. The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. MDC will consider all ideas received and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife, and people.

Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into area plans and on how to best incorporate them will be based on the property’s purpose, its physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and statewide context and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.

Related articles

• Missouri gets nearly $30M from US Fish and Wildlife Service (kspr.com)
• MDC seeks public input on Lone Jack Conservation Area (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)