Summer camp is not over, MDC hosting a free one in KC

All ages welcome at Discovery Center's walk-in summer camp activities July 29

 Kansas City, Mo. – So if you wish summer camp hadn’t ended so soon, or you didn’t get to go, or hadn’t been in decades, lament not. The staff at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center is firing up a campfire, games and crafts. All ages are welcome to attend the Center’s free Summer in the City event 6 to 9 p.m.on Friday, July 29.

 This event gives families a chance to go to “camp” for an evening in the heart of Kansas City, 4750 Troost Ave. Discovery Center’s outdoor classroom with native plants, trees and trails is fun to visit in any season. For camp night, Discovery Center will include activities such as archery, fire starting, fishing rod casting game, nature art, and camp games. Or visitors can just enjoy a summer evening strolling in the outdoor garden. Popcorn will be served at the campfire.

  “We want people to enjoy the fun parts of summer again before school starts,” said

Heather Shellenberg, MDC education specialist. “It’s a chance for families to get outside one more time before kids head back inside for school.”

  For more information, call 816-759-7300. Information about the Discovery Center is available at http://mdc.mo.gov/node281.

Missouri River Eagle Day at KC on Dec. 12

Eagle Day will feature live birds of prey, exhibits and boat tours on the river

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a chance to learn about bald eagles oft seen soaring over the Missouri River during winter months. A Missouri River Eagle Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at LaBenite Park in Sugar Creek, just east of the Missouri 291 Bridge. Sugar Creek is a suburb in the Kansas City metro area.

    The Missouri River flows through the geographic heart of Kansas City. Migrating eagles often frequent areas along the river with large trees that offer perches. The eagles catch fish for food from the river or pursue migrating waterfowl that also utilize the river.

   MDC’s Missouri River Eagle Day program is free and all ages are welcome. The on-shore portion will include a live eagle program presented by the Dickerson Park Zoo. Injured raptors such as eagles are rehabilitated at the zoo. Those that are unable to be released back into the wild are used in programs promoting conservation. The programs give visitors an up-close look at eagles. Also offered at the event will be conservation discovery stations and activities.

   The event will also offer an eagle viewing boat ride on the Missouri River. Registration is required for this portion of the program, as seating in the boat is limited. Registration opens Dec. 1. This activity is open to those ages 8 and older, and all youths ages 8 to 17 must be accompanied on the boat by an adult.

   For information about the event or to register for the eagle viewing boat tour, call 816-228-3766. For information about all Eagle Days events throughout Missouri, and possible places to view eagles during winter, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/events/eagledays.

MDC stocks rainbow trout at Kansas City area lakes

Stocked trout give anglers an additional winter outdoor option in the metro area

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) annual winter trout fishing season is underway in the Kansas City metro area. Trout were stocked at four locations on Nov. 18.

   Three lakes were stocked at the James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area at Lee’s Summit. Coot Lake and Plover Lake each received 2,000 trout. Plus 14 lunker trout from the MDC Fish Hatchery at Bennett Spring were stocked in each lake. Also, 200 trout were stocked in Honker Pond, which is open for youth fishing only.

   Lakes at the Fountain Bluff Sports Complex in Liberty were stocked with 1,000 pan-sized rainbow trout and 14 lunkers. The complex is at 2200 E. Old 210 Highway in Liberty, east of Missouri 291.

   MDC stocked 1,000 trout in Chaumiere Lake, which is in the Kansas City park system. Chaumiere Lake is near Interstate 35 and the intersection of North Cleveland Avenue and Northeast 43rd Terrace.

   Trout require cold, clear water and are not native to the Kansas City area. But winter temperatures cool lakes and enable them to support trout. MDC stocks trout in urban lakes to give anglers additional opportunities to catch a fun, good-eating fish close to home.  

   Statewide trout fishing regulations apply. All Missouri residents over age 15 and under 65 must have a valid fishing permit, and all non-residents over age 15 must have a fishing permit. The daily limit is four trout. To keep trout, all anglers must have a Missouri trout permit.

   MDC will also be re-stocking the lakes with trout at intervals throughout the winter. A winter trout fishing hotline for the Kansas City metro area with updates on stocking is available at816-525-0300, ext. 4001.

   For information on winter trout fishing in Missouri, visit http://on.mo.gov/1k87SOk.