Conservation agents work to stop wildlife trafficking

MDC asks for help to report poaching and wildlife trafficking.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are working together to stop wildlife trafficking. Wildlife trafficking consists of poaching or taking of a protected or managed species to sell for profit. This includes buying or selling living or dead animal parts such as bones, skins, meat, and other products in violation of state or federal laws.

From the United States and Canada to Eastern Europe, China, and Africa, wildlife trafficking is a worldwide problem with some cases having roots in Missouri. It has been noted that wildlife trafficking once was predominately a crime of opportunity committed by individuals or small groups.  Currently that has changed to international criminal cartels that are well structured, highly organized, and capable of illegally moving large commercial volumes of wildlife and products.

Thousands of wildlife species are threatened every year by illegal wildlife trafficking globally. From killing elephants in Africa for their tusks to poaching rhinos for their horns, these represent just a few of the targeted species for international wildlife traffickers.

In response to this crisis, Presidential Executive Order 13648 was created to establish a task force and implement a plan to combat wildlife trafficking. The plan centers on three objectives: strengthening enforcement, reducing demand, and expanding international cooperation.  This cooperation includes several wildlife trafficking investigations taking place in Missouri.

What MDC is doing

Conservation agents have had a big role in working to stop wildlife trafficking both locally and globally. Missouri conservation agents have been fighting illegal caviar trafficking from paddlefish poachers on Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, and Table Rock Lake for years.

Caviar is a delicacy created by preserving fish roe in special salts. According to MDC, about 20 pounds of eggs or more can be harvested from a large, pregnant paddlefish.

“Caviar prices in illegal or black markets vary,” MDC Protection Division Chief Larry Yamnitz said. “A common black-market price is about $13 an ounce. Therefore a single large female paddlefish with about 20 pounds of eggs is carrying about $4,000 worth of potential caviar for black market sales.”

MDC agents, USFWS, and other state wildlife agencies have successfully stopped more than 100 people from Missouri and eight other states, from trafficking paddlefish eggs from Warsaw (Missouri) in order to sell them as caviar. Currently, 240 out of 256 state charges have been completed through the court system with more than $61,000 in fines and court costs collected. Some federal cases are still on going.

“It’s important that our conservation agents were a part of this because this is just one example of Missouri’s wildlife being exploited for commercial gain,” Yamnitz said. “If MDC didn’t put a stop to this, it could have wiped out Missouri’s paddlefish.”

Missouri also played a role in another large, nationwide criminal investigation. The investigation continues, but so far it has led to 41 arrests, 30 convictions and the seizure of smuggled elephant tusks and rhino horns with street value of more than $75 million.  Some of the rhino horns seized in the investigation were trafficked through a Macon (Missouri) resident.

“Wildlife trafficking also includes the illegal transportation of captive cervids, such as whitetail deer, across the U.S. This illegal movement of animals significantly increases the risk of spreading wildlife diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease,” Yamnitz said. “Our agents are actively involved in several investigations involving this around the state.”

The Show-Me-State also has a healthy ginseng, turtle, and snake populations. The international demand for such species makes Missouri a prime location for illegal wildlife trafficking for those also.

Yamnitz added that illegal wildlife trafficking investigations are complicated and often take months to even years to complete. From conservation agents going undercover and dealing with intense situations to filling out paper work and using hi-tech video surveillance, agents have to be prepared for anything when dealing with illegal wildlife trafficking.

How the public can help

MDC encourages the public to report any wildlife violation or concerns of wildlife trafficking to a local conservation agent or by calling MDC’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-392-1111. If an individual provides information to MDC and it results in an arrest, that individual may receive a reward. The Conservation Federation of Missouri assigns the reward based on the severity of the violation involved. Rewards range from $50 to $1,000 or more.

If an individual would like to help more, MDC encourages them apply to become a conservation agent. MDC is accepting online applications through Aug. 29 for its next class of conservation agent trainees. Selected candidates will undergo 26 weeks of intense training in all facets of law enforcement and resource management. Learn more about becoming an agent on MDC’s website at http://on.mo.gov/2aKSu7d. 

Related articles

• Montana grizzly hunt rules challenged in court (washingtontimes.com)
• Making a Comeback: California Island Foxes are No Longer Extinct (natureworldnews.com)

Numbers matter in Missouri’s feral hog fight

MDC regional hog coordinator compares the past, present and future of the feral hog problem.

PIEDMONT, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and its partners can’t help but look at the numbers when it comes to feral hogs. Mark McLain is MDC’s feral hog team coordinator for the southeast region. When he added up the number of hogs trapped over the last two years, he realized those weren’t the only hogs that were taken off the land.

The southeast region hog team trapped 1,453 hogs in 2015 and 1,707 hogs so far in 2016. Add in the reproduction factor of feral hogs and the impact is huge.

“If half of those hogs were female, which is usually the case, and those females had two litters this year with an average of six piglets each, that’s almost 19,000 feral hogs that would’ve been destroying our southeast Missouri habitat and crops in 2016 if we hadn’t done anything,” McLain said.

“One hog can destroy an entire field in one night, so imagine what 19,000 hogs would’ve done,” he said.

McLain became the region’s feral hog coordinator in 2011, but the feral hog problem wasn’t new to him then. Feral hogs have roamed Missouri’s southeast region for more than 25 years, according to McLain, after misguided sportsmen illegally released hogs for hunting purposes in Wayne, Reynolds and Iron counties. MDC has locked arms with multiple agencies and partners in an organized effort to eradicate the hogs that have spread across the region and into other areas of the state. These cooperative efforts are paying off.

Partner government agencies include MDC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services (USDA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources. Other organizations involved in Missouri’s feral hog fight are the Missouri Farm Bureau, National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Forever, Quality Deer Management Association, Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Pork Association, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, and Missouri Farmers Association.

“Our team is dedicated and determined to make a bad situation better,” McLain said.

One of the ways the situation has improved is in trapping technology. McLain said the first traps that were used were corral traps with three 16-foot long panels and a three-foot wide rooter gate. It worked well, but they’ve found what works better.  Corrals were enlarged to four or five panels and six-foot drop gates, which meant more hogs would enter the trap faster because of the larger opening. These larger traps obviously caught more hogs, meaning an entire sounder of hogs could be caught at one time. This was important because hogs are adaptive and would spread out to other areas and avoid the traps later if they weren’t caught the first time in the trap.

The latest trap design is even better, according to McLain. The BoarBuster and Falling Panel Trap are suspended in the air and very fast. The BoarBuster is wirelessly triggered with video surveillance. The trapper can watch the video from a cell phone and wait to drop the panels the moment the entire sounder is inside the trap.

“These are efficient and we can catch hogs sometimes as soon as four hours after we set it up,” McLain said. “Thirty-eight hogs in a trap at once is our record.”

Trapping as many hogs as possible at one time is important considering the amount of traps available versus the need. MDC and the USDA work with landowners to teach them how to tend hog traps on their own land, so the dedicated five hog-trapping employees can continue to trap on public lands and assist new landowners who call in with hog damage.

“Last year we helped 144 landowners,” McLain said. “This year, so far, we have helped more than 80 new landowners in our region who’ve reported hog damage. We tend to have around 100 new landowners each year who call for help and we have approximately 60 hog traps out over the southeast region.”

The amount of landowners reporting damage demonstrates improvements in another aspect of the feral hog fight – public awareness.

“People are hearing from the news and seeing billboards about how to get help removing feral hogs from their property,” McLain said. “We’re doing everything we can to inform the public not just about the problem of feral hogs, but what to do if they have damage or see hogs on their land – and that’s contact MDC.”

McLain said landowners should immediately report feral hog sightings to MDC online atmdc.mo.gov/feralhog [make link live in GovDelivery]or call their local MDC or USDA office. McLain also said word of mouth has been very effective in spreading the word about hogs.

“Hearing that a neighbor has hog damage motivates landowners to action,” McLain said. “Thoughtful neighbors will warn each other and do what they can to help each other avoid the experience of hog damage.”

Overall, McLain said he knows there is a lot of work ahead in the fight against feral hogs. However, the high numbers caught by improved traps, the number of partners working together and the number of cooperative landowners point towards a hopeful future of eradicating feral hogs in Missouri.

Blinds open to photographers at MDC's Cooley Lake

Wetland and nearby forested bluff provide good birding and hiking opportunities

Kansas City, Mo. – Blinds added to the Cooley Lake Conservation Area wetland are open for use by wildlife watchers. Missouri Department of Conservation crews built the blinds last autumn. They are available for photography at the area east of Liberty off Missouri 210, just northeast of Kansas City in Clay County.

   Cooley Lake is an old oxbow, or former channel, of the Missouri River. A shallow-water wetland, it attracts shorebirds, waterfowl, songbirds and birds of prey. On April 12, the spring waterfowl migration was still in evidence. Several species of ducks, a flock of pelicans and Canada geese were using the marsh.

   

MDC utilizes the blinds for a special managed youth waterfowl hunt in autumn. But they are available at other times for use by photographers and wildlife watchers. Access is only available by hiking on levees adjacent to the wetland, some blinds are a long walk from parking areas. Users should be aware that water levels fluctuate and conditions can range from dry to flooded at some blinds.

   The 1,348-acre area also includes a forested bluff and some upland areas north of the oxbow. A farm road and some trails provide hiking opportunities.

   For information on Cooley Lake Conservation Area, including maps, visithttp://on.mo.gov/1r09Cgi.

MDC and partners offer Prairie Days tours at Dunn Ranch

Free event celebrates grassland heritage with bison, birds and wildflowers

Bethany, Mo. – Northwest Missouri’s grassland heritage will be celebrated at Prairie Days June 24-25 at Dunn Ranch in Harrison County. Bison, butterflies, birds and native plants that support them will be on display. Experts will interpret prairie ecology at a free event sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), The Nature Conservancy, and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. No registration is required and all ages are welcome for hikes, tours and exhibits.

    A social and mixer will be held 9 to 11 p.m. at the Dunn Ranch Prairie headquarters onFriday, June 24. The movie “Green Fire,” a documentary about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold, will be shown. The headquarters  is at 16970 West 150th St., Hatfield, Mo. This rural address is west of Eagleville and can be accessed off Interstate 35 via Route M.

   Saturday, June 25. The kickoff is a guided bird hike 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. at MDC’s Pawnee Prairie Natural Area. This prairie is three miles northwest of Dunn Ranch and is accessed off South 140th Avenue, south of Hatfield. Visitors can walk on unplowed prairie remnants with diverse wildflowers, warm-season grasses and birds, as well as restored native grassland.

   At Dunn Ranch, activities begin at 8 a.m. with bison tours, prairie plant identification, grazing and nutrition sessions, and prairie ecology topics such as pollinator insects, mammals, amphibians and headwater streams. Visitors can view prairie tracts in bloom with wildflowers. Experts will discuss how water, plants and creatures interweave a prairie’s richly productive life cycles. The Conservancy utilizes a bison herd on the ranch in forage management. But other species contribute to the prairie’s colorful abundance, too.

   Pawnee Prairie and Dunn Ranch Prairie are part of a broader public and private partnership to enhance prairie species in the Grand River Grasslands. The effort extends north into Iowa with programs such as habitat management to boost prairie chickens, which are endangered in Missouri and Iowa.

   For more information on Prairie Days, call the MDC Northwest Regional Office at 816-271-3100. Concessions will be available onsite. No registration is required for the free activities.

   Information and a map for Pawnee Prairie Natural Area are available athttp://on.mo.gov/1KOa8Xv. To learn about Missouri prairies, visit http://mdc.mo.gov.

   To learn about Dunn Ranch Prairie, visit http://bit.ly/1ellp2i.

MDC invites duck hunters to meetings in Springfield, Joplin

Zone workshops in March will give hunters chances to offer input.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites area waterfowl hunters to two upcoming waterfowl zone workshops in southwest Missouri where MDC staff will gather hunter input about duck season dates and zone boundary locations for the 2017-2020 hunting seasons.

The upcoming meetings in this part of the state will be March 1 at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, 4601 S. Nature Center Way in Springfield, and March 2 at the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center, 201 W. Riviera Drive in Joplin. Both meetings will run from 7-9 p.m. and are two of 13 zone workshops MDC is holding around the state.

Participants at these workshops will have opportunities to review long-term data about weather, migration, habitat use, harvests and hunter opinions. Season dates and zone preferences will also be discussed. MDC will use the hunter input gathered through the workshops, along with results of hunter opinion surveys, to help establish the state’s duck season dates and zones for the 2017-2020 seasons.

Before attending a workshop, MDC encourages hunters to review information compiled by MDC biologists on migration, harvest, weather, and hunter preferences for each region of the state. This information is on the MDC website at on.mo.gov/1gilHme.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives states the opportunity to change the number and location of duck zones every five years,” explained MDC Resource Scientist Andy Raedeke. “At these times, states can also select a continuous season or split season, which refers to a season that is open for a period of time, closes, and then reopens for a second period of time.”

Raedeke added that once selections are made, Missouri then keeps the same season-date formulas for multiple years, with the next ones being 2017 to 2020.

“Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt waterfowl. As hunters know, hunting conditions can vary tremendously from one year to the next,” he said. “During some years, the best hunting can occur early in the season. During other years, it can occur late. Limiting changes to every four or five years helps the Department of Conservation evaluate the effectiveness of zone boundaries and season dates over a range of conditions.”

Raedeke noted that recommended changes for a given period depend primarily upon hunter input.

“If most hunters from a particular region prefer a different season structure or season dates, we will likely recommend a change,” Raedeke said. “Hunter input from the last series of workshops prompted MDC to make two changes to the boundary of the south hunting zone.”

He added that, given the range of hunter preferences, not all hunters will be completely satisfied with season dates and zone boundaries.

“Our aim is to accommodate at least a portion of most hunters’ desires. We listen to what waterfowl hunters want and sincerely appreciate their time, effort and input.”

Related articles

• MDC to host waterfowl season workshops in March (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)

MDC assists with sandhill crane release at refuge

Sandhill crane raised at World Bird Sanctuary released at Squaw Creek refuge

Mound City, Mo. – A young sandhill crane hatched and raised at the World Bird Sanctuary was recently released at the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri. The release was a partnership effort among the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), World Bird Sanctuary (WBS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

   This was the first release of a captive-hatched colt, or juvenile, sandhill crane in Missouri. The colt is the offspring of a pair of sandhill cranes at the World Bird Sanctuary at Valley Park, Mo., in the St. Louis area.

   Walter C. Crawford, Jr., the late founder and executive director of World Bird Sanctuary, acquired the parent cranes two years ago from an organization in Wisconsin. The pair laid and faithfully incubated the egg, then raised the youngster, all under the watchful eye of Crawford. The release of the crane into the wild in Missouri was to boost the species in Missouri and also to honor Crawford, said Joe Hoffmann, WBS manager.

   World Bird Sanctuary is dedicated to saving birds, preserving Earth’s biological diversity and sustaining natural habitats. MDC helped WBS transport the young sandhill crane to western Missouri and assisted with release arrangements. The bird was released at a wetland in the vicinity of a pair of sandhill cranes that has frequented the refuge all summer. Biologists hope the young crane will join that pair or other sandhill cranes that visit the refuge.

   Sandhill cranes are somewhat rare in Missouri and a species of conservation concern within the state. But they migrate through neighboring Nebraska and Kansas in large numbers and their populations are stable nationally. A few pairs have successfully nested in Missouri in recent years, said Brad Jacobs, MDC ornithologist. Squaw Creek officials said a few pairs have nested and raised young at the refuge in recent years.

   

This sandhill crane was raised at the World Bird Sanctuary
in Valley Park, Mo., and released Oct. 1 at the
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Biologists hope it will
 join other sandhill cranes using the refuge. The bird's
parents cannot be released back to the wild due to wing damage.
 Holding the crane in preparation for release is Joe Hoffmann,
Wild Bird Sanctuary manager. After release in a wetland,
 the flight-ready crane calmly walked south and surveyed new surroundings.

                    

Sandhill cranes are among the largest birds frequenting wet prairies and dry grasslands. They are gray in color, up to four feet from head to tail, and stand on very long, graceful legs. Adults have long, black bills and a red color patch on their head. Many sandhills migrate from Canada and the northern United States to spend the winter in large concentrations. They overwinter in groups of up to 10,000 birds in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The Great Lakes crane population winters in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.

   “They’re a big bird and they’re very stately in how they behave and walk around,” Jacobs said. “They have a vocal tremolo you can hear from miles away, a woody, staccato sound.”

   Despite their long necks and legs, and wide wingspans, sandhill cranes are graceful when airborne. They fly in V-formations, and pairs and their young migrate together with flocks.

   “Their flight is so smooth,” said Corey Kudrna, wildlife refuge specialist at Squaw Creek. “Their wingbeats are smooth and they have very controlled flight.”

   Jacobs said sandhill crane nesting populations are growing in the upper Midwest, so Missouri may see more nesting pairs in the future.

   If the sandhill crane pair at the World Bird Sanctuary raises more young colts, they also may be released into the wild in Missouri, Hoffmann said.

   For more information on sandhill cranes in Missouri or MDC conservation programs, visithttp://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sandhill-crane.

   For information on the World Bird Sanctuary, visit http://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org. The World Bird Sanctuary thanks the Kathryn G. Favre Foundation for support for the sandhill crane release.

Related articles

• Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Celebrates 50 Years! (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Birds in Fog: Circular Flying Keeps Flocks on Track (natureworldnews.com)
• Sage Grouse Does Not Need Protection, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Says (npr.org)

MDC assigns new Private Lands Conservationist for St. Francois, Iron and Madison counties

The MDC’s private lands conservationists work with landowners to improve wildlife habitat by teaching management techniques such as timber stand improvement, food plot development and invasive species control.

“With the numerous forestry, glade and woodland opportunities in these three counties, her forestry education and experience along with her prescribed fire qualifications will be very valuable in helping landowners reach their management goals,” said Tony Jaco, the private lands regional supervisor.

Norris has worked for MDC in the Forestry and Private Lands Services divisions for nine years.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale in 2005.  Since then she has held several positions including resource forester assistant, resource forester, and her most recent position as a part time private lands conservationist.  In addition, Norris has a broad perspective having worked in multiple locations during her conservation career.

Norris is familiar with working with landowners to improve wildlife habitat, cost share programs, and working with contractors and conservation partners. 

“Julie has already developed an understanding of the people, along with their motivations and habitat challenges in these counties,” Jaco said. “She is well respected by other staff for her hard work, friendly demeanor, and professional way of interacting with people.” 

Jaco said Norris has a proven record of working positively with private landowners and understanding how each landowner and their property can be quite unique. 

Norris resides in Park Hills and can be reached at Julie.Norris@mdc.mo.gov or at (573)225-5829.

For information on how the MDC works with landowners to improve habitat, or to find a private lands conservationist near you, go online to mdc.mo.gov.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces Julie Norris has been selected as the new Private Lands Conservationist for the Farmington area effective Nov. 1. In this position at Farmington, Norris is assigned duties in St. Francois, Iron and Madison counties.

Related articles

• Conservation nonprofit forming alliances with landowners to preserve habitats (tdn.com)

MDC Seeks Input on Conservation Areas - Like voting, it is important to make your opinion heard

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 from November 1-30, 2014.   Northeast Region  Redman Conservation Area Management Plan - Redman Conservation Area includes 120 acres of grasslands and woodlands that are managed to improve wildlife habitat and increase plant and animal species diversity. The grasslands provide habitat for upland wildlife species that depend upon the native grasslands. The area includes many native plants that are rare in northeast Missouri.   Kansas City Region James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area (Idea Gathering Stage) - James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area is accepting public comments prior to the development of its area management plan. Southwest Region  Fiddlers Ford Access Area Management Plan - Fiddlers Ford Access provides access to Turnback Creek. It includes 50 acres of forested land, and provides fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreational opportunities for the public. 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!  Redman Conservation Area

Amy BuechlerPublic Involvement Coordinator 573-522-4115, ext. 3252 Amy.Buechler@mdc.mo.gov

Related articles

• SAFE Program Increases Sharp-tailed Grouse Habitat (magicvalley.com)
• Nearly 2,250 acres of open space to be preserved (wtnh.com)
• When climate change comes after even the most common species (pbs.org)

MDC offers habitat management field day in Platte County

Weston, Mo. – A field day to help property owners manage for healthy woods and wildlife habitat will be offered by the Missouri Department of Conservation 9 a.m. to Noon on

Saturday, Oct. 18, at Jungk Tree Farm near Weston.

   Taking Care of Your Land Field Day is free. Participants are requested to RSVP to MDC Resource Forester Paul Whitsell at 816-655-6263, ext. 1345. The property is reached about a half miles south of Weston on Route JJ.

   Topics covered will include thinning timber for healthier trees and better wildlife habitat, timber harvest, erosion prevention on trails, growing shitake mushrooms, flood plots for deer, invasive species control and pond construction.

   The event will include a hike to observe the results of healthy forest management practices. For information on forestry in Missouri, http://www.mdc.mo.gov.

Early teal season approved

Dates are contingent on breeding population survey.

JEFFERSON CITY–The Missouri Conservation Commission has approved dates for the early teal-hunting season, contingent on the results of population surveys.

Blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon teal are legal during the September teal season in Missouri. The season was established primarily for blue-winged teal (BWT) because this early-migrating species is essentially not present during the regular waterfowl season. Teal season frameworks depend on the current year’s BWT breeding population indices, which are determined after surveys conducted in May.

Each year, the Conservation Commission approves season dates contingent on results of these surveys in order to meet deadlines for the state rule-making process. This year’s contingent dates are:

• Sept. 6 through 21 (16 days) if the BWT breeding population index is 4.7 million or greater.
• Sept. 6-14 (nine days) if the breeding population index is at least 3.3 million but less than 4.7 million.
• No season if the BWT breeding population index is below 3.3 million.

If there is an early teal season, the limits will be six daily and 18 in possession.

Related articles

• Waterfowl forecast brilliant, teal season 16 days (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Early migratory bird seasons approved (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Duck Breeding Population Estimates Show Promising Numbers (kansas-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Blue-winged Teal (michaelqpowell.wordpress.com)
• 2012 Trends Report Indicates High Duck Breeding Population Numbers (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Minnesota: Breeding mallard numbers average; Canada goose population high (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Green-Winged Teal (storeroomoftheheart.wordpress.com)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces $27 Million to Missouri from Excise Taxes on Anglers, Hunters and Boaters

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute nearly $1.1 billion in excise tax revenues paid by sportsmen and sportswomen to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to fund fish and wildlife

City of Parkville, Mo. officials hold groundbreaking ceremony
for boat ramp and access road.
 Photo courtesy of Platte County Parks and Recreation.

conservation and recreation projects across the nation. The Service’s Midwest Region received over $210 million dollars from the excise tax revenues. This funding will be distributed among the Midwest Region’s 8 states including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin by the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.

“For over 75 years, hunters, shooters, anglers and boaters have supported the conservation of fish and wildlife resources and the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Their support has left a lasting legacy in the Midwest – restoring fish and wildlife populations, improving access for recreational boaters and boosting conservation related education programs helping people to connect with hunting, shooting, fishing and boating.”

Missouri has been a recipient of user-generated funding from the Service for decades. This year, the Missouri Department of Conservation will receive over $27 million dollars in Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration dollars. All of this funding has been invested in restoring and conserving Missouri’s fish and wildlife natural resources.  Over the past few years, funding has supported important restoration projects including the Platte Landing Park Access, turkey monitoring, and researching Missouri black bears, all of which will have a significant impact on outdoor recreation opportunities.  The 2014 Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds will support these ongoing projects and new conservation projects. Listed below are examples of conservation projects currently funded through these dollars.

Platte Landing Park Access

MDC partnered with the County to construct the Platte Landing Park Access which is funded, partially, through Sport Fish Restoration dollars.  When completed, it will be easier and faster for Missouri anglers and boaters to use and enjoy the Missouri River upstream of Kansas City. Given its location in a major metropolitan area and in a county with one of the fastest growing populations in Missouri, this new motorboat access will receive heavy public use and encourage boaters and anglers to access the Missouri River for recreational purposes.

Survival, Recruitment, and Movements of Missouri Black Bears

With the help of Wildlife Restoration dollars, the MDC is conducting research on the black bears in the state. This research project will estimate demographics such as reproduction and survival, and develop a model to be used to estimate population size and growth. This model will be used to estimate the time at which the black bear population in Missouri will be large enough to implement a harvest season. In addition, this study will help Missouri identify suitable black bear habitat and which travel corridors connect to significant areas of habitat.  Missouri will use the final results to develop black bear conservation and management strategies identified in Missouri’s Black Bear Management Plan.

The Service apportions the funds to all 50 states and territories through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration programs. Revenues come from excise taxes generated by the sale of sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment and tackle, and electric outboard motors. Recreational boaters also contribute to the program through fuel taxes on motorboats and small engines. The total distributions this year are $238.4 million higher than last year because of the inclusion of funds that were not distributed last year due to the government sequester and an increase in excise tax receipts from sales of firearms and ammunition in the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund.

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program apportionment for 2014 totals a record $760.9 million, which includes $20 million that was sequestered from FY 2013 but subsequently returned to the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund. The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Program apportionment for 2014 totals $325.7 million, which includes $18.5 million that was sequestered from FY 2013 but subsequently returned to the Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund. The FY 2014 Sport Fish Restoration apportionment is $34.1 million lower than FY 2013 due to lower domestic fishing equipment excise tax receipts.

The Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost of each eligible project, while state fish and wildlife agencies contribute a minimum of 25 percent, generally using hunting and fishing license revenues as the required non-federal match. For information on funding for each state, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/wsfr/apportionments-fy14.html. To learn more about the projects funded in the Service’s Midwest Region, visit http://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/WFSRfunding.html.

To learn more about the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, please visit our website at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/.

Related articles

• National Wildlife Refuges Expand Hunting (exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com)

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Award $750,000 to Missouri Prairie Foundation

Prairie chicken. Photo by USFWS.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources have awarded the Missouri Prairie Foundation $750,000 to purchase and protect tallgrass prairie in southwestern Missouri.

The funds are the result of a Natural Resources Damage Assessment settlement with ASARCO, a lead mining and smelting company that polluted the environment while it operated in Jasper and Newton counties over the last century.  By-products of lead and zinc mining on the landscape have degraded the environment for many years and have contaminated streams with runoff from waste. Funds recovered from Natural Resource Damage Assessment settlements are dedicated to restoring natural resources in contaminated areas as well as other affected areas nearby.

Missouri Prairie Foundation will use the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds to purchase remnant prairies from willing sellers and reconnect existing prairies, or establish wildlife habitat easements. The foundation submitted the best proposal in a competitive process, and will use the awarded funds for work in Jasper and Newton counties.

“The Missouri Prairie Foundation is extremely grateful for this funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.” said Jon Wingo, President of the foundation’s board of directors. “The funding will allow us to purchase and protect perhaps several hundred acres of the fewer than 90,000 scattered acres of original tallgrass prairie remaining in the state. Our mission is to protect prairie gems that remain, which are part of Missouri’s rich natural heritage, and to reconstruct land to connect remnants, thereby building larger prairie landscapes. We invite individuals to learn more about our work and how they can contribute to the conservation of our 2,600 acres, and help us protect even more.”  

Prior to European settlement in Missouri, there were 15 million acres of prairie in the state.

The areas in which Missouri Prairie Foundation will be working to protect and restore prairie with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife award is  a focal area for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is part of the “Our Missouri Waters Initiative” for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. By protecting and restoring upland areas, downstream resources such as the Spring River will benefit.

Missouri Prairie Foundation is an established non-profit land trust that has operated in Missouri for nearly 50 years. This organization not only preserves 2,600 acres of tallgrass prairie for the benefit of wildlife and the public, but also reconstructs former prairie areas that have been converted to agriculture or other development and engages in prairie outreach and education statewide.  For more information, call Missouri Prairie Foundation at 888-843-6739, or visit their website at www.moprairie.org.

Related articles

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Suspends Operations in Missouri Due to Federal Government Lapse in Appropriations (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Re-Opens Following Government Shutdown (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endorses Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)

Missouri waterfowl hunting forecast: Loads of ducks!

With favorable weather, the 2013-14 season

could be one of the best in recent memory.

JEFFERSON CITY–Ducks are abundant. The table is set for them at many state-managed wetland areas. If the weather cooperates, duck hunting could be excellent in the Show-Me State this year. That’s the word from the Missouri Department of

Conservation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates this year’s total number of breeding ducks at 45.6 million. That is down 6 percent from last year’s record number, but still 33 percent above the long-term average. Mallard numbers were estimated to be 10.4 million, down 2 percent from 2012 but up 36 percent long-term. Long-term trends for other popular duck populations in this year’s survey include:

·        Northern shoveler +96 percent

·        Gadwalls +80 percent

·        Redheads +76 percent

·        Blue-winged teal +60 percent

·        Green-winged teal +51 percent

·        Canvasback +37

·        Widgeon +2 percent

·        Northern pintail and scaup -17 percent each.

With numbers like that, you might think good hunting is assured. But without quality habitat and favorable weather, a boom year for waterfowl numbers still can turn into a bust for hunters.

The habitat picture at state-managed wetland areas is generally good, with plenty of water and fair to good crops and moist-soil vegetation available at most areas. Exceptions include:

TED SHANKS CONSERVATION AREA (CA), where flooding damaged levees and will prevent flooding the southernmost part of the area. The area has no row crops, but millet and moist-soil vegetation have done fairly well.

COLUMBIA BOTTOM CA also sustained significant flood damage. Row crops will be scarce, but moist-soil vegetation has done well since floodwaters receded in June, and water levels should be normal.

MARAIS TEMPS CLAIR CA, where extended high water wiped out row crops, but moist soil plants are in good shape, and water levels are expected to be normal.

EAGLE BLUFFS CA lost early crops to flooding, but there was time to replant and they are expected to provide fair to good food for ducks. Sparse natural cover will make layout boats or blinds the best way to hunt some pools.

FOUR RIVERS and SCHELL-OSAGE CAs lost all their row crops and most of the moist-soil vegetation to flooding. Late plantings of buckwheat and Sudan grass in Draw Units 1 and 2 at Four Rivers fared poorly due to lack of rainfall. The 16 to 18 parties that go out on opening day will find little food or cover, and shallow water may limit accessibility with larger boats. Four Rivers’ Draw Unit 4 will have the worst conditions, due to extended and repeated flooding that drastically limited plant growth and damaged levees used to hold water in wetland pools. There will be some walk-in hunting opportunities in Pools 17,18, 19, and 20. Draw Unit 3 will offer some of the area’s best hunting this year. Moist-soil vegetation growth was good in this unit, and it currently is holding 250 to 300 acres of water, with more possible with favorable weather.

The overall picture at Grand Pass CA is good. The area has good crop growth and good moist-soil vegetation. Summer flooding wiped out crops at Coon Island, but it still has fair to good moist-soil vegetation.

Montrose, B.K. Leach, Otter Slough, Ten Mile Pond, and Little River CAs also should generally have good hunting this fall.  On the other hand, although Fountain Grove, Nodaway Valley, Bob Brown, and Settles Ford CAs have fairly good habitat conditions, drought could affect the ability to pump enough water to flood wetland pools at these areas.

Updated information about hunting conditions at the Conservation Department’s managed wetlands is available at mdc.mo.gov/node/9627.

Weather is the final factor – and always a wild card – in determining waterfowl hunting success. The best waterfowl seasons have a series of cold fronts that push waves of new ducks into Missouri from farther north throughout the hunting season. The worst-case scenario is a strong, early-season cold front that pushes the ducks into Arkansas before Missouri hunters have much chance at them. Another less-than-ideal possibility is a late fall, when ducks arrive late in one or more of Missouri’s three hunting zones and leave soon after.

Missouri’s waterfowl seasons are set to coincide with the average peak of migration in previous years. This year’s season dates are:

            North Zone:                  Youth season - Oct. 19-20

                                                Regular season - Oct. 26- Dec. 24

            Middle Zone:                Youth season – Oct. 26-27

                                                Regular season - Nov. 2-Dec. 31                                            

            South Zone:                  Youth season – Nov. 23-24

                                                Regular season - Nov. 28-Jan. 26        

Whether these dates coincide with peak migrations and how long ducks and geese linger in the Show-Me State this year won’t be known until the season is history.

Details of duck and goose hunting regulations are available in the 2013-2014 Waterfowl Hunting Digest,which is available wherever hunting permits are sold, at Conservation Department offices and nature centers, or online at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/5646/.

More detailed information about hunting conditions at state-owned wetlands is available atmdc.mo.gov/node/9627. For information about this year’s duck and goose population surveys, seehttp://bit.ly/12AgOjx.

Related articles

• Duck Breeding Population Estimates Show Promising Numbers (kansas-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Wisconsin's Northern and Mississippi river zone duck seasons open Sept. 21 (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• North Dakota Hunters Should Note Canada Goose Limits (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Teal Season Kicks Off Sept. 7 (kansas-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• 2013 Duck and Goose Seasons Set (kansas-outdoors.blogspot.com)