MDC’s Sedalia Office Earns EPA ENERGY STAR® award

MDC Sedalia facility joins MDC Kirksville office and 27 other office buildings in Missouri recognized for environmental stewardship through energy efficiency.

SEDALIA Mo -- The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Sedalia office at 2000 S. Limit Ave. recently earned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) prestigious ENERGY STAR award. It joins the Department’s Northeast Regional Office at 3500 S. Baltimore in Kirksville, which received ENERGY STAR recognition earlier this year.

The Sedalia office received the ENERGY STAR award for incorporating energy-efficient technologies and practices into its construction, operation and maintenance. These include geothermal heating, maximizing the use of natural daylight, efficient fluorescent lighting, an outside air recovery unit, window tinting, good insulation and a commitment by staff to practice energy conservation.

ENERGY-STAR certification is the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. To qualify, buildings must perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. The MDC facility joins only 28 other office buildings in Missouri to receive ENERGY-STAR designation.

The Sedalia facility received a rating of 76 on the ENERGY-STAR performance scale. The Kirksville facility received a rating of 79. This measurement helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale is eligible for the ENERGY-STAR certification.

“The Conservation Department is pleased to accept the EPA’s ENERGY STAR award in recognition of our energy-efficiency efforts,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. "This achievement highlights our continued commitment to conservation stewardship and wise use of funds through lowering energy costs.”

MDC Design and Development Division Chief Jacob Careaga added that the state agency is broadening its efforts to improve energy efficiency at other MDC offices and nature centers throughout Missouri by 20% over the next five years.

These energy-reduction efforts include simple actions, such as reminding employees to turn off lights, computers and other equipment when not in use. Other efforts include improved energy efficiency of heating-ventilation-air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and installing more energy-efficient lighting. Larger-scale efforts include maximizing energy efficiency for new MDC facilities and for renovations of existing facilities.

“We use energy-conservation measures as much as possible in new construction and in renovations,” said Careaga. “These measures range from making sure that existing systems are operating as efficiently as possible to drilling wells for geothermal heating, utilizing natural daylight as much as possible, installing motion-sensor lighting and selecting more energy- efficient equipment for replacement.”

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is critical to protecting the environment, explained Jean Lupinacci, chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial and Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR.”

Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR award use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings. 

Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship and warehouses.

The EPA introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved nearly $17 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles.

For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov/buildings.

For more information about the MDC, visit www.missouriconservation.org.

 - Joe Jerek -

MDC’s Kyle Lairmore receives State Employee Award of Distinction

Governor recognizes MDC Private Land Conservationist for outstanding public service. 

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon recognized Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore with the 2010 Missouri State Employee Award of Distinction for Public Service at an Aug. 18 ceremony at the Capitol.

The award recognized Lairmore for his “outstanding dedication to the advancement of state service, which enhances the quality of life to citizens and is above and beyond the employee’s normal job requirements.”

The annual awards are coordinated through the Office of Administration, Division of Personnel, and recognize outstanding state employees in the categories of Public Service, Human Relations, Safety and Heroism and Innovative Suggestion of the Year.

“Missouri’s outdoor resources are some of our greatest treasures, and preserving them for the use and enjoyment of future generations depends on our wise stewardship today,” said Gov. Nixon. “I commend Kyle Lairmore for his dedication to both his profession and to conserving those natural resources we are blessed with.” 

A five-year employee with the MDC, Lairmore works with private landowners and others in Maries and Gasconade counties to help them achieve their land-use objectives in ways that enhance the conservation of Missouri's fish, forest, wildlife and natural communities. He is also active in numerous MDC committees and working groups from feral-hog eradication efforts to driver’s training to customer service.

His public-service activities include staffing fishing events for kids, assisting conservation agents on patrols, working with the Missouri Seed Program, coordinating local stream-bank stabilization projects for the Soil and Water Conservation District, teaching hunter education courses, serving as an instructor for Missouri’s National Archery in the Schools Program, serving as a guide and mentor for the annual Governor’s Youth Turkey Hunt and assisting with the MDC’s Prairie Chicken Recovery Project. 

“Kyle exemplifies what it means to be conservation professional, and we value him, his talents and his energy,” said MDC Private Lands Division Chief Mike Hubbard. “He conducts hundreds of on-site visits with landowners and provides dozens of workshops and presentations that teach thousands of people about conservation. Kyle’s passion and enthusiasm for Missouri’s natural resources also carry over into his personal life.”

A resident of Owensville, Lairmore is active in his community and with other conservation-related organizations.

He helped establish the Mid-Missouri Dream Hunters program for young hunters with disabilities and helps with other hunts for youth with special needs. He is active in the Gasconade River Gobblers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Four Rivers chapter of Quail Forever, the Ozark Border Bobwhites chapter of Quail Unlimited, the Gasconade County Youth Shooting Sports groups and other local organizations. 

He has been recognized for his conservation-related leadership and public service by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) and is active in the CFM’s Conservation Leadership Corps where he helps students and young professionals as they begin careers in natural- resources fields. Lairmore was recognized recently by the CFM as its Conservation Educator of The Year. 

Lairmore also received the National Rifle Association’s award for the Best NRA Youth Club for 2008-2009 and a Partnership Award from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for his work.

Lairmore was also named Owensville “Man of the Year” for 2010. 

 Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore recently received the 2010 Missouri State Employee Award of Distinction for Public Service from Governor Jay Nixon during a ceremony at the Capitol. Pictured are (l-r): MDC Private Land Services (PLS) Unit Chief Bob DeWitt, MDC PLS Agricultural Program Coordinator John Knudsen; Fisheries Unit Chief and Lairmore’s former supervisor Brian Canaday, Conservation Commissioner Don Johnson, MDC PLS Division Chief Mike Hubbard, Lairmore, Gov. Nixon, MDC Director Bob Ziehmer, MDC Deputy Director Tom Draper, Lairmore’s mother Chris Lairmore, Lairmore’s father Jerry Lairmore and Lairmore’s grandfather

Maurice Landwehr.

Writer gets northern exposure on Missouri’s Grand River

A new reel and an old filet knife get a workout on the trip

Bud Howsman, Chillicothe, has no trouble minding three fishing poles at once while fishing familiar haunts on Missouri’s Grand River.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

GALLATIN, Mo.— “How long you been fishing Howsman?” asked David Gray.

            “Oh, since I was six I'd guess,” replied Bud Howsman.

For Howsman, of Chillicothe, that meant 80 years. Gray could not match the older man’s depth of experience. However, as the founder of a high-end fishing reel manufacturing company, he had every reason to call himself an ardent angler.

The three of us, all newly acquainted, had one thing in common when we met to fish the Grand River last August: We were eager to catch catfish. Until that day, I had never tossed a lure in northern Missouri. I am not the only one. Many anglers turn south to Missouri’s big lakes and rivers to catch their limits. A day on the Grand River with Howsman and Gray convinced me that northern Missouri has a lot to offer an angler.

            We slipped Howsman’s 14-foot johnboat onto the smooth water of the Grand just after 7 a.m. After Howsman got the aging outboard motor running with a carefully placed tap from some old pliers, cool air whipped around the hair poking out under my new ball cap, which bore the name “Ardent Outdoors.” That is the name of Gray’s company, based in Macon. With Howsman's years of experience and Gray's high-quality bass fishing reels, I was smelling a fish fry in my future.

Long-time Grand River angler Bud Howsman, left, and Ardent Outdoors founder David Gray spent a day fishing for catfish with writer Sara DeBold last August. The outing was a revelation for DeBold, who had never cast a line in northern Missouri before that day.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

             By 7:15, Howsman had his boat wedged among some logs, and we were getting rigged up. Sunshine finally hit the river, striking sparks from every ripple. Howsman grabbed a fistful of plastic worms, which glowed red in the morning sun. I caught a familiar, pungent aroma.

Looking for the source, I spied a plain white bucket filled with a peanut butter-like substance. I knew better than to have a taste. It was Sonny's Dip Bait. Howsman has been using it for years. We took turns dunking our red worms in the goo with a stick until a sizable glob stuck.

            While we waited for the first bite, Gray showed off his new reel, which already had logged quite a few miles since leaving the Ardent factory in Macon. He had taken the reel to a trade show in Florida. I would have expected the owner of a company that makes bass reels to test his product with a professional bass angler at the Lake of the Ozarks. Instead, he was testing new waters.

            “Bass fishers like catfishing too,” he explained.

.           Fishing northern Missouri is not exactly new to Gray. He may not have Howsman’s tenure, but he knows the benefits of Missouri’s northern waters. His Macon-made reels get tested on local waters. Gray said anglers overlook many great fishing spots on conservation areas.

            “People tend to think they need a huge reservoir like Mark Twain for good fishing,” he said. “You can have these bodies of water to yourself during the week.” 

The one boat we saw all day proved his point.  

            We made our second stop abruptly at 8:45 a.m., when Howsman slammed his boat against some flood debris. It was a bit disconcerting getting rammed into logs in a 14' boat, but I was more concerned with catching a fish. Just then, Gray got the first bite. His new reel got its first fish.

            “Your reel works,” Howsman said as he landed his first catfish of the day. “That's a nice smooth reel,” he said, cranking in his catch.

            I picked Gray's brain about his company. Anything made in the USA is worth talking about these days, but bass reels manufactured in Missouri, now that's cause for conversation. Ardent Outdoors employs 35 people, mostly in Macon. Gray explained that when he started Ardent Outdoors, there was no manufacturing of general bass reels going on in the United States. He set out to make high-performance fishing reels for American anglers.

David Gray brings in a catfish.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

             “Most anglers feel our reels work the best. It's certainly rewarding for all the work I've put in,” Gray said, not noticing a little bend in the tip in his rod. He said more than 30 professional anglers use Ardent reels.

            “We have the work ethic that made America great. Everyone in the plant is concerned with making the best fishing reels in the world.”

He discussed his company with such enthusiasm he missed at least two more bites. This didn't seem to bother him. He was happy just to be out fishing with a first-rate guide.

            “I take a lot of people fishing but I don't consider myself a guide,” Howsman said modestly.

I felt a tug and instinctively gave my rod a yank. The fight began. Gray quickly adjusted the drag on my Ardent reel and then, smoother than butter, I reeled in my first catfish of the day.

            “We’re going to catch us a mess of fish,” said Howsman.

He was right. We fished that honey hole for a good hour. The three of us rocked the boat to the rhythm of catfish landing in a plastic bucket, which soon was jumping with catfish.

            When the bucket was full, we stopped fishing so Howsman could dress the fish for us. He performed the operation right there in the boat, using a board and a knife whose blade was almost worn through from cleaning countless fish. Age apparently is no obstacle to efficient fish cleaning. The mess of fish was ready for the skillet in astonishingly little time.

“I can clean 30 crappie in 30 minutes,” Howsman said matter-of-factly.

            Howsman’s fishing knowledge extends well beyond the Grand River. He let us in on a few of his crappie-fishing secrets and followed them up with some good fishing stories from the area. This further whetted my appetite to check out northern waters.

“What’s the most important thing to know when fishing?” asked Gray. “Where to fish,” said Howsman. And Howsman knows where to fish.

After only one trip with Howsman, I didn't really know much about where to fish. To learn more, I contacted Conservation Department Fisheries Management Biologist Greg Pitchford. He said the Grand River owes its productivity to Northwest Missouri’s fertile soils. Despite the good habitat, channel catfish grow slowly in the Grand River. A channel catfish takes about 5 years to grow to 11 inches there.

Flathead and blue catfish are most common in the lower river, where the water is deeper. Channel cats are found consistently throughout the Grand.

According to Pitchford, all of Missouri’s stretch of the Grand River has good catfish numbers. He says that while you might not see many people, plenty of fishing goes on there. The farther you go upstream, the more difficult it becomes to maneuver a boat.

Bud Howsman.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

There are no dams on the Grand, and plenty of places to reach the river on conservation areas and boating accesses. Besides the 13 formal public access points, there are bridges where anglers can slip a canoe or kayak in the water. Pitchford suggests concentrating fishing efforts around deep holes with little current and around woody debris.

You can find fishing spots on the Grand River using the searchable Conservation Atlas Database at http://bit.ly/1h2XwO.

-Sara DeBold-

Doves, places to hunt them plentiful in Missouri

The Conservation Department manages fields especially for

doves and hunters. The birds get credit for their own abundance.

JEFFERSON CITY–For many Missourians, the opening of dove season on Sept. 1 marks the start of hunting season, and the state’s top mourning dove expert says this year’s season is full of promise.

Approximately 33,000 people hunt doves in the Show-Me State. Resource Scientist John Schulz says the mourning dove not only is the state’s most popular game bird, it is the most democratic, attracting hunters from every walk of life.

This popularity results from the mourning dove’s prolific nature. A pair of doves can easily raise six broods of two chicks each nesting season, starting as early as March and persevering well into September. Population surveys conducted in May and June showed a slight drop in dove numbers, but Schulz said this is nothing for hunters to worry about.

“You have to keep in mind that those surveys are a snapshot in time,” said Schulz. “When they were conducted we were having a lot of heavy rain. That may have caused a decrease in early hatching, but a lot can change between June 1 and Sept. 1.”

Schulz said reports he gets from around the state indicate an abundance of doves, and he sees plenty of doves wherever he goes.

“I’m seeing birds everywhere, and I’m hearing the same thing from people all around the state. If things stay like they are, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very good harvest this year.”

Abundance does not guarantee quality hunting, however. Hunters can spend hours in the field and only see a handful of doves, mostly too far away for a shot, unless something draws the birds into a small area. That “something” usually is an agricultural field. Doves have a strong preference for landing on bare ground, and they love to eat sunflowers, corn, wheat, sorghum and other grain left in crop fields after harvest. The first fields harvested each year attract astonishing numbers of doves.

Knowing this, the Conservation Department arranges to have sunflowers and other crops planted on 150 fields at 90 areas around the state. The fields total approximately 5,000 acres. These fields are managed to offer abundant food for doves and maximum opportunity for hunters.

“When people ask me how to find a dove hunting spot, I ask them how theycouldn’t find one,” said Schulz. “We go out of our way to make sure there’s a managed dove field near almost everybody who wants to go dove hunting.”

He said hunters can call any Conservation Department office to learn the location of managed dove fields or use the interactive locator map athttp://bit.ly/cSBEJn.

He offered one caution about the Conservation Department’s managed dove fields. Repeated heavy rains early in the summer hampered planting and growth of crops on some fields. Hunters should visit fields they want to hunt beforehand or at least call area managers for up-to-date information about field condition. Contact information for area managers is available through the Conservation Atlas database at http://bit.ly/1h2XwO.

Schulz also had advice for hunters who enjoy the challenge of finding their own, private dove-hunting spots. The obvious choice is to get permission from a farmer who has a harvested crop field. Some farmers do still welcome hunters, but the days of easy permission are past.

“It’s not 1965 anymore, and Aunt Bea isn’t in the kitchen baking peach cobbler,” said Schulz. “If you want to hunt farm ground today, you usually have to know the farmers or take time to build relationships with them.”

Other options are available, however. Hunters who understand doves’ habits and preferences sometimes can locate spots as productive as any managed dove field.

Doves like open ground, seeds, perching sites and water. Any spot that combines two or more of these elements can be an excellent hunting spot. An abandoned gravel road, an old airstrip or parking lot is a start. A pond with a wide margin of bare soil or mud is another possibility. Add a telephone line or some dead trees for perching, and you have a dove magnet.

“Say you have an old roadbed with foxtail and other weeds growing beside the pavement. The weeds drop their seeds, and maybe there are some low spots that catch rainfall. Birds can fly down to pick up seeds, flutter over a short distance for a drink, then fly back up to perch and digest their meal. A place like that can be just as good as a managed dove field.”

The Conservation Department bands approximately 2,500 birds annually as part of a nationwide effort to create a dove-management database. Approximately 12 percent of those doves are recovered and reported, mostly by hunters. Schulz said the most important thing dove hunters can do to improve their sport is to check every bird they shoot for a leg band and report any they find atwww.reportband.gov/ or by calling 800-327-BAND (2263).

“Data from band recoveries drive a wide array of analytical processes that directly affect how we establish mourning dove regulations each year,” said Schulz. “By reporting band numbers, hunters are helping manage our dove resource for future generations.”

He said a small number of hunters are asked to take part in the National Mourning Dove Hunter Wing Survey each year. Under this program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) gives hunters pre-paid mailers in which to send wings from doves they shoot to the annual National Mourning Dove Wing Bee in Kansas City. Biologists from around the nation gather there to examine wings for age and other characteristics.

Statistics from conservation areas where the Conservation Department records the number of doves killed and the number of shots fired show that hunters fire an average of five shots per dove. If you kill a limit of 15 doves with fewer than three boxes of shotgun shells, pat yourself on the back for being an above-average wingshot.

Then pick up all the empty hulls littering the ground around you. Leaving them in the field is littering, and could earn you a ticket.

-Jim Low-

For Great Missouri Public Lands Hunting, visit Missouri Public Lands Hunting

Also, see Dove Hunting Tips

AUGUST 19 AND 20 MEETINGS OF THE MISSOURI CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Conservation Department Headquarters

2901 West Truman Boulevard, Jefferson City, Missouri

Thursday, August 19, 2010 – 2:30 p.m. – Executive Session (Closed)

Friday, August 20, 2010 – 8:30 a.m. – Regular Open Meeting

TENTATIVE AGENDA

(Background documents related to each agenda item are available for public viewing at Conservation Department Headquarters, Jefferson City, for an 8-day period prior to the meeting. Any person who would like to comment to the Commission about a specific agenda item must make a written request to the Director at least four calendar days prior to the meeting. Speakers will be limited to five minutes each, a total of 15 minutes per each agenda item.)

Thursday, August 19, 2:30 p.m.

Executive Session (Vote to go into closed session – reconvene open meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, August 20):

(1)        Call to order and approval of minutes of previous Executive Session. (610.021 RSMo.)

(2)        Consideration of negotiated contracts. (Documents related to a negotiated contract, 610.021(12) RSMo.)

(3)        Update on potential real estate transactions/negotiations. (Leasing, purchase or sale of real estate, 610.021(2) RSMo.)

(4)        Consideration of supporting documentation for recommendation to suspend or revoke all hunting and fishing privileges of individuals who are juveniles or who are not in compliance with applicable child support laws. Action to be taken in open meeting. (Disclosure protected by law, 610.021(14), 454.440.9, 211.321, RSMo.)

(5)        Consideration of confidential or privileged communications between the Commission and its Internal Auditor regarding work product. (Communications between public governmental body and its auditor, 610.021(17) RSMo.)

(6)        Consideration of recommendation relating to the hiring/firing/disciplining/promoting of personnel. (Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting, 610.021(3) RSMo.)

(7)        Consideration of legal actions and attorney-client privileged communications involving the Conservation Commission. (Legal actions, causes of action or litigation, 610.021(1) RSMo.)

Friday, August 20, 8:30 a.m. – Regular Open Meeting:

Approval of minutes of previous meeting.

Consideration of the Report of the Regulations Committee, which includes recommendations for the 2010-2011 waterfowl hunting season and changes to the 2011 Wildlife Code. 

Presentations:

9:00 a.m.         Design & Development Division Report – Design & Development Division Chief Jacob Careaga.

9:15 a.m.         Fishers & Farmers Partnership – Fisheries Division Chief Chris Vitello.

10:00 a.m.       Presentation of Employee Service Awards and Special Awards.

Consideration of 1) Major Construction/Development Projects Status Report; and 2) bids received for the construction of the Eminence City Park Access Development Project located in Shannon County, and authorization to enter into a contract with the low bidder.

Consideration of Fiscal Year 2010 Year-End Review of Revenue and Expenditure Trends and July Monthly Financial Summary.

Recommendation for authorization to seek: (1) executive operating lump sum spending authority of $145,534,841 for fiscal year 2012; (2) capital improvement biennial spending authority of $44,000,000 for fiscal years 2012 and 2013; (3) reauthorization of the fiscal year 2011 federal stimulus and capital improvement appropriations; and (4); appropriations to other state agencies from the Conservation Commission Fund for fiscal year 2011 for related operational expenditures.

Recommendations for approval of 1) personnel reclassifications; and 2) change to employee retirement contribution rate to Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System (MOSERS) for employees hired after January 1, 2011.

Quarterly Update of Conservation Employees’ Benefits Plan Trust Fund.

Presentation: 

Forest and Woodland Management on Lands Held in Public Trust – Forestry Division Chief Lisa Allen.

Recommendation for authorization to advertise and sell an estimated 846,000 board feet of timber located on 241 acres of Compartment 4, Fourche Creek Conservation Area in Ripley County.

Recommendation for approval to purchase 171 acres in Jefferson County as an addition to LaBarque Creek Conservation Area in Jefferson County.

Recommendations for approval to suspend or revoke: 1) one or more hunting, fishing and trapping privileges of individuals for cause; 2) all hunting and fishing privileges of individuals who are not in compliance with applicable child support laws; 3) one or more hunting, fishing and trapping privileges of individuals in accordance with the terms of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact; and 4) hunting privileges of individuals who inflicted injury to another person while hunting

Announcement of actions taken in executive session, if any.

Other matters of interest.

Confirmation that the next regular meeting will be held on October 14-15, 2010, at Kirksville.

MDC to hold public meetings on potential elk restoration

MDC will hold meetings in counties around restoration zone and is seeking public comment.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – As part of its efforts to obtain public input regarding potential elk restoration in a limited area of Carter, Reynolds and Shannon counties, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will hold the following public meetings:

Monday, Aug. 23, 5-8 p.m. – Van Buren High School Cafeteria, 202 W. College

Tuesday, Aug. 24, 5-8 p.m. – Eminence High School “Old” Gym, 1 Redwing Drive

Thursday, Aug. 26, 5-8 p.m. – Ellington High School Multi-Purpose Room, 1 School St.

“The successful management of Missouri’s fish, forests and wildlife, including possible elk restoration, involves partnerships with citizens, organizations and other agencies,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. “We value public input and are gathering public comments as we work to develop an elk restoration plan for the Conservation Commission."  

In addition to the public meetings, the MDC is seeking written comments by Oct. 1. Comments can be emailed to www.mdc.mo.gov/contact-us under “Elk Restoration Comments” or mailed to Missouri Department of Conservation, Director’s Office, PO Box 180, Jefferson City MO 65102-0180.

The MDC is considering elk restoration for several reasons, including requests to restore the once-native species, the ecological benefits from native-species restoration and economic benefits to Missouri through tourism and hunting.

Elk once ranged throughout Missouri. Over-harvest and habitat destruction eliminated this native species from the state by the late 1800s.

Prompted by requests from Missourians and conservation organizations, the MDC conducted a feasibility study on elk restoration in 2000. The study identified an area in the Ozarks around the Peck Ranch Conservation Area as a potential restoration zone. The zone, covering parts of Carter, Shannon and Reynolds counties, has suitable habitat, high public-land ownership, low road densities and limited agriculture activity.

Due to disease and habitat concerns, the Commission suspended the Department’s consideration of an elk restoration in 2001, and directed staff to facilitate additional discussion to determine if concerns regarding elk restoration could be addressed to the satisfaction of citizens.

Renewed interest from citizens and conservation organizations, along with elk restoration success in other states, recently prompted the Commission to revisit the topic. Following a period of public comment ending Oct. 1, MDC staff will present a proposed elk restoration plan to the Commission at its meeting Oct. 15 in Jefferson City.

Ziehmer noted that key points about the MDC’s efforts to restore elk in Missouri are:

·        Elk is a native species to Missouri, and restoring native species holds many benefits.

·        Elk restoration will be limited to a targeted restoration zone in southeast Missouri.

·        Elk restoration will include herd-management guidelines, with hunting as the primary tool to maintain an appropriate population.

·        Elk restoration will include health protocols, such as disease testing, to ensure the health of domestic livestock and other wildlife.

·        Elk restoration will include plans for dealing with elk that wander where they are not welcome.

·        Elk restoration in other states has provided resource and economic benefits.

Additional information on the MDC’s proposed elk restoration efforts can be found online at www.missouriconservation.org by searching “elk restoration.”

-Joe Jerek -


Visit Family-Outdoors for Missouri Hunting and Fishing Information

Profile: Union Ridge Conservation Area

Union Ridge Conservation Area is in the heart of Missouri's best whitetail deer hunting territory. It is not far from Kirksville, on Route D, two miles north of Greencastle.  In addition to being an area rich in deer hunting potential, it also is a beautiful area to hike, hunt other game, or even fish.  There is even enough room in its over 8000 acres to get back and do a little camping.

Deer Hunting at Union Ridge
First of all, there are rather strict regulations in place on this property for deer hunting.  This is likely due to the heavy pressure that the area has seen, and a fear that the population would be essentially eliminated.

At the writing of this article (and regulations have not changed much if any over the past few years), the regs called for antlered deer only and of course the 4-point restriction is in place.  For more detailed information on hunting regs, visit the links below.

For some hunters, these regulations may be a great opportunity.  Anything that makes hunting more difficult in an area tends to whittle down the number of hunters.  For the hunter who can scout the area thoroughly, and is willing to get way off the beaten path, this area holds some very large deer.  For scouting tips visit Scouting Missouri Public Lands Using Google Earth.

Other Species Hunting at Union Ridge
Pheasant quail and turkey enjoy fair populations.  Rabbits and squirrels have good populations.  There are special regulations ion place on some of these species.  See link below for more information.

Fishing
This area contains fair populations of bass, crappie, sunfish, and catfish.  They can be found in Union Ridge Lake (11 acres) as well as Ponds 1 and 2 (.3 and .1 acres respectively).

Camping
Camping is allowed in Union Ridge Conservation Area.  The areas around parking lots fill quickly during the firearms deer season.  See the regulations at the link below for more information.

Union Ridge is a truly beautiful and fairly remote area.  Whether you are visiting for the hunting or fishing opportunities, or just to get outdoors, you cannot go wrong in this area.  It is really one of the Conservation Area gems in northern Missouri.

Contact Information:
 660-785-2420
Union Ridge Conservation Area Map
Union Ridge Conservation Area Brochure
Union Rodge Conservation Area Regs


*For comprehensive research on hunting areas on Missouri public land, visit Missouri Public Hunting.  Here you will find links to pages with Missouri Conservation Areas divided by county.  These pages also list game populations present on the property.  They were designed to assist hunters to hone in on an area to hunt.  Additionally, you will find a Mark Twain National Forest Hunting page