New citizen conservation effort forming in southwest Missouri

Citizen involvement is key to successful conservation of our natural resources. The Missouri Department of Conservation is working with the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council to organize a new citizen-driven conservation effort - the Local Environmental Advisory Forum (LEAF) - in Barton, Newton, McDonald and Jasper counties in southwest Missouri.

MDC partnering with Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council on LEAF initiative

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Citizen involvement and public input are crucial parts of natural resource conservation.

Citizens often have first-hand knowledge and valuable background information of local environmental issues. Plus, more than 90 percent of Missouri’s land is in private ownership, which means the bulk of the state’s wildlife habitat isn’t on public land.

These are the factors driving a new conservation initiative in southwest Missouri – the Missouri Local Environmental Advisory Forum (LEAF). This program is a partnership between the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council (HSTCC). The program’s focus is Barton, Newton, McDonald and Jasper counties – the four counties HSTCC serves. A primary goal of LEAF is to empower local stakeholders to implement conservation projects that are important to them.

A series of LEAF open houses this summer will provide residents with opportunities to discuss conservation topics in their areas. Natural resource professionals will be available to hear about local issues and to provide information on how to get projects started. There will also be information about how to get funding and technical assistance for projects. Here is the LEAF open house schedule:

Barton County: May 28, Memorial Hall, 1100 Broadway, Lamar

Newton County: June 11, George Washington Carver National Monument, 5646 Carver Road, Diamond

McDonald County: June 25, Pineville Community Center, 602 Jesse James Road, Pineville

Jasper County: July 7, Carthage Water and Electric, 627 W. Centennial, Carthage.

Each open house will be 3 p.m.-7 p.m. and will have a children’s activity area and light refreshments. These open houses will be great opportunities for resource professionals to get ideas from citizens and for county residents to hear about close-to-home conservation success stories.

More information about these open houses and about the LEAF program can be found atwww.MissouriLeaf.org. Information about LEAF can also be obtained by contacting MDC Community Conservation Planner Ronda Headland at Ronda.Headland@mdc.mo.gov or at417-866-1127.

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MDC seeks comments on forest-management guidelines

Guidelines to help landowners achieve forest management goals while also benefiting wildlife.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – If you own or manage forest land, you might want to take a look at the newly created, voluntaryforest-management guidelines being developed in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

MDC is asking for comments about the guidelines from anyone with an interest in Missouri’s public and private forests. These guidelines are strictly voluntary but are designed to assist private land owners in managing their forest resources.

“We want these guidelines to be understandable and practical for anyone to use,” says MDC Resource Forester Mike Bill. “To achieve that, we want everyone with an interest in management of Missouri’s forest to be able to read the guidelines and tell us what they think about them.”

A draft version of the Missouri Forest Management Guidelines is online for public comment at mdc.mo.gov/node/23881from Sept. 15 through Nov. 15.

Bill helped coordinate development of the guidelines, a process that took approximately 18 months. Contributors included public and private foresters, fish and wildlife biologists, botanists, landowners and representatives of Missouri’s forest products industry. This group was made-up of 30 representatives from 16 organizations.

The guidelines provide advice on how to carefully manage forest resources to protect and enhance soil and water quality, visual quality, wildlife habitat, rare plants and animals, historical and cultural resources, and forest health.  The document also outlines why a well-managed forest is important to all these resource elements.

“It’s our job to do everything we can to ensure that future generations of Missourians have the same or better forests than we have today,” says Bill. “You can’t do that without science-based management, and you can’t do it without active citizen support and landowner participation.  More than 80 percent of Missouri’s forest acreage is privately owned. It is absolutely critical that we engage landowners and the people who work and play on private forest land.”

More information about Missouri forests and forest management is available at mdc.mo.gov/your-property.

MDC and Ameren launch WOW program to improve wildlife habitat

Ameren (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wires Over Wildlife to enhance land underneath Ameren transmission lines.

ST. LOUIS, Mo -- In partnership with Ameren Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has created a new program to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat on land underneath Ameren transmission lines. Called Wires Over Wildlife (WOW), the new program encourages property owners to manage land for wildlife habitat where Ameren easements are located under transmission lines. MDC staff will provide technical counsel and Ameren will reimburse property owners to help reduce costs of land maintenance. Habitat work will focus on restoration of natural wildlife communities that occur, or could be established, under power lines on transmission easements. The program is scheduled to begin this spring.

“Wires Over Wildlife is one of many ways MDC works with and for Missourians to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. “By partnering with Ameren, and ultimately Missouri landowners, we can add valuable wildlife habitat on private lands while reducing costs associated with vegetation maintenance under these transmission lines. Everyone wins with Wires Over Wildlife.”

Ameren Missouri also has a long history of wildlife protection and enhancement.

“We help build eagle nesting boxes, improve song bird habitat, install swan diverters and assist in a banding program for peregrine falcons,” said Ameren Senior Vice President of Customer Operations Richard Mark. “Wires Over Wildlife is another great program that supports natural resource conservation. We are committed to being good stewards of the environment, and Wires Over Wildlife is another example of this dedication.”

Property owners whose land may be eligible for the program should contact their local MDC office or Private Lands Conservationist for more information. Visit mdc.mo.gov and search “Who’s My Local Contact” for MDC contact information by county.

Ameren Missouri, along with MDC and other organizations, also supports Forest ReLeaf of Missouri. Forest ReLeaf provides trees for planting by non-profits and communities.

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Agencies Seek Comments on Draft Plan to Restore Natural Resources in Southwestern Missouri

Image via Wikipedia

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are seeking comments on a draft plan to restore resources injured by the release of hazardous substances in the Springfield Plateau region of southwest Missouri.  The two agencies act as trustees under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) regulations in seeking settlements from responsible parties and planning and implementing restoration activities  to restore natural resources injured by the release of hazardous substances into the environment.

The Draft Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment outlines proposed alternatives for restoring injured natural resources in the Springfield Plateau region.  The Springfield Plateau has been impacted by releases of hazardous substances for which the trustees have achieved settlements with responsible parties for more than $20 million to date.  The funds will be used to implement restoration measures once the plan is finalized.

Comments are sought on the alternatives described in the draft plan, which include directly restoring injured natural resources; replacing or compensating for lost resources; a combination of the two; or taking no action.     

The draft plan can be found at (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/nrda/motristate/orhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/hwp/sfund/nrda.htm).  Comments on the plan may be sent via U.S. mail to: John Weber, Restoration Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 101 Park DeVille Dr., Suite A, Columbia, MO 65203; or Frances Klahr, Natural Resource Damages Coordinator, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176; or by electronic mail (E-mail) to John_S_Weber@fws.gov, or frances.klahr@dnr.mo.gov.

Under the NRDAR program, trustees work to restore natural resources injured by releases of hazardous substances. The goals of NRDAR program are to restore the injured resources to the condition they would have been had the hazardous substances not been released, and to compensate the public for the loss of their use or enjoyment of natural resources.

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