Missouri Elk Restoration - Bringing Them Back Video from MDC

Schools trash litter through No MOre Trash! contest

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Boys & Girls Club of Sedalia Middle School wins grand prize.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo  –  Almost 690 students from 33 Missouri elementary and middle schools helped fight litter by participating in the 2011 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter Free” trashcan-decorating contest.

The annual contest is sponsored by the Missouri Departments of Conservation (MDC) and Transportation (MoDOT) as part of their ongoing “No MOre Trash!” campaign to raise awareness about litter and to discourage littering.

The contest encourages classes from kindergarten through eighth grade to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative mediums. The winning school from each of three competition categories (grades K-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6-8) receives a $100 award. First-place winners are then eligible for a $500 grand prize and a trophy.

The Sedalia Middle School Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of West Central Missouri won first place for the Grade 3-5 category, and was selected as the grand-prize winner.

According to Boys & Girls Club Site Director Patricia Patrick, the eight participating students chose the theme, “Blast Trash Out of This World” and created a rocket ship out of a metal trashcan.  Students used recycled cardboard boxes for the ship’s wings and recycled chicken wire with foam insulation for the nose cone. Donated bed risers served as thrusters and the accompanying sign was made from soda cans and recycled wood flooring.  Students painted details on the rocket and sign with acrylic paint. The can will be on display in the Boys & Girls Club room at the school and was featured at the “Rockets and Wheels” expo sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club of West Central Missouri during national Boys & Girls Clubs week March 20-26.

Fredericktown Elementary’s second-grade afterschool Learning Zone students won first place for the Grade K-2 category.

The 14 students were guided by teachers Carol Stephens and Melissa West and chose the theme, “Beauti-Fly Our City.” The group created a butterfly trash can from various recycled materials including used water bottles collected by students and used aluminum foil from the school cafeteria. Students created the paper mache head of the butterfly from old newspapers donated by the school library along with donated paint, glue, pipe cleaners and other supplies. A local business donated Styrofoam scraps for the wings, which students decorated with donated tissue paper, paper and paint. The can is on display next to the main office at the school.

Osage Middle School’s  eighth-grade gifted students won first place for the Grade 6-8 category.

According to teacher Karen Blevins, the seven participating students were inspired by the 75^thanniversary of the game Monopoly. They created a No MOre Trash! version called Trashopoly with Mr. Monopoly front and center holding a No MOre Trash! pencil as his cane. A replica of stops from the original game board wraps around the top of the can with local street names replacing original locations. Additional images of Mr. Monopoly, along with game pieces made from recycled poster board, promote the No MOre Trash! theme.  Monopoly money decorates the top of the can. The can is on display in the teachers’ lounge to collect soda cans from the vending machine. The cans will be recycled to help pay for uniforms for the schools’ Special Olympics participants.

Participating schools were:

GRADES K-2 ENTRIES

·         West Englewood Elementary (Kansas City)

·         Hale Elementary

·         Fredericktown Elementary 

·         Pleasant Hope Elementary

·         Sherwood Elementary (Springfield)

·         Home School (O’Fallon)

·         East Lynne Elementary

·         Home School (Farmington)

·         Oak Grove Elementary (Popular Bluff)

GRADES 3-5 ENTRIES

·         West Englewood Elementary (Kansas City)

·         Linn County R-I (Purdin)

·         Pleasant Hope Elementary

·         Sedalia Middle School

·         Sherwood Elementary (Springfield)

·         Hale R-I

·         St. Paul School

·         Washington West Elementary

·         Wellsville-Middleton R-I

·         S. M. Rissler Elementary (Trenton)

·         West Elementary (Jefferson City)

·         Kingston Elementary (Cadet)

·         Mark Twain Elementary (Hannibal)

·         East Lynne Elementary

·         Running Fox Elementary (Kahoka)

·         Hillsboro Intermediate

·         Rock Port Elementary

·         St. John’s School (Villa Ridge)

GRADES 6-8 ENTRIES

·         Washington Middle School (St. Louis)

·         Sedalia Middle School

·         Hale R-I

·         Willow Springs Middle School

·         Bolivar Middle School

·         Kingston Junior High (Cadet)

·         Ava Middle School

·         Southwest Middle School (Washburn)

·         Lakeview Academy (Jefferson City)

·         Osage Middle School (Lake Ozark)

·         Smithton Middle School (Columbia)

·         Couch School (Myrtle)

“The contest is a great way for kids and schools to learn about how litter harms our environment, and to get involved in litter prevention and cleanup,” explained MDC No MOre Trash! Coordinator Joe Jerek.

Jerek encouraged others to get involved in litter prevention and cleanup through Missouri’s annual No MOre Trash! April Trash Bash.  The month-long event, sponsored by MDC and MoDOT, encourages individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to pick up litter, educate others about litter, conduct a litter-free activity and encourage friends and family to participate.

For more information on No MOre Trash!, including the April Trash Bash, call 888-ASK MODOT(888-275-6636), or visit www.nomoretrash.org.

USFWS Diving to Protect the Ozark Hellbender

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Missouri isn’t necessarily considered a vacation destination for snorkeling. However, when it comes to preserving and protecting the declining Ozark Hellbender, Missouri Ecological Field Office biologists don masks and wetsuits to find the amphibians in their natural habitats.

As the national lead for the Ozark Hellbender, biologist Trisha Crabill provides a voice for the amphibian. Conducting research in the field and at the St. Louis Zoo, Crabill is on the forefront of protecting the uniquely named Missouri species. She spends long days away from the office, swimming in cold and well-oxygenated streams in search of Ozark Hellbenders in the wild. She brings several tools along with her to aid in the search, like dive lights to spot the animal under bed rocks.

She sometimes has to be more creative when attempting to flip over large rocks while diving. “With physical lifts, sometimes I have to be creative with using the environment around me as an aid,” Crabill said.

Amphibians are usually described as more “cool and slimy,” rather than “warm and cuddly.” Ask Crabill about the Ozark Hellbender, and she presents a different perspective.

“There is a perception that they are icky or gross,” she said. But she believes their reputations aren’t deserved. “There are really so many interesting things to learn about them.”

When Crabill isn’t looking for the species in streams, she is partnering with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the St. Louis Zoo to investigate the reasons behind the disappearing numbers of the Ozark Hellbender. 

“There’s a huge lack of recruitment,” Crabill said. “You don’t see many young out in the wild.” To combat the rapidly declining numbers, Crabill works with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the zoo to augment wild populations through captive breeding and head-starting young.

Using techniques like “sperm cryopreservation,” which is freezing the amphibian’s sperm to help produce more young in captivity, she is hopeful the Ozark Hellbender benefits from her work in the field, at the zoo and in the office.

Courtesy:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Missouri Fishing

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Missouri still turkey-rich despite tough break

This year’s spring turkey hunting forecast includes a couple of bright spots.

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters in northern Missouri can expect to see a few more jakes during the spring turkey season, and hunters statewide will have more mature gobblers to hunt this year. Otherwise, the 2011 spring turkey hunting forecast from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) looks a lot like those for the past few years.

Missouri’s spring turkey season opens April 18 and runs through May 8. The youth season is April 9 and 10. Details about bag limits and other regulations are found in the “2011 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information” booklet, which is available from permit vendors statewide or at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/4066.

Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle, MDC’s resident turkey expert, says he expects this year’s turkey harvest to be slightly lower than last year’s. He said the 2011 turkey season will be defined by two factors. One is a diminished but still robust turkey population. The other is the poor hatches that have occurred during the past several years.

“Our turkey population unquestionably is down in parts of the state from where we were five years ago,” said Isabelle, “but it’s still enough to make us the envy of most other states.”

Turkey harvest figures and spring population estimates compiled by the National Wild Turkey Federation back up Isabelle’s analysis.

                               2010 Spring Harvest       2011 Turkey Population

Wisconsin                47,722                           not available

Missouri                  46,000                           308,000

Pennsylvania            42,478                          360,000

Tennessee               37,000                          310,000

Kentucky               36,000                           220,000

Oklahoma              37,000                          123,500

Arkansas               10,000                          100,000

Nebraska             20,000                           not available

Iowa                    not available                   not available

“I find those numbers very heartening,” said Isabelle. “Even with some challenging hunting conditions in parts of Missouri the past few years, it’s clear to see that we still have some of the best turkey hunting found anywhere in the country. Our turkey population is still very robust, and it will increase when we have a few years of good production.”

However strong it might be compared to other states, Missouri’s turkey population continues to suffer from several years of poor reproductive success, partly as a result of cold, wet weather during the nesting and brood-rearing season. The heaviest blow fell in 2007, when a freak Easter freeze killed eggs in the nest and stopped mating activity cold across most of the state. But the record rainfall of 2008 and 2009 was just as rough on turkey reproduction in many areas, and 2010 was not much better.

The good news, such as it is, took the form of slight improvements in nest success in the past two years.

“Production was up about 8 percent statewide in 2009 compared with 2008, so there should be a few more 2-year old gobblers in the woods this spring,” said Isabelle.

He said statewide wild turkey reproduction was about the same in 2010 as in 2009, but MDC did record some encouraging regional differences. Production was up 14 percent in northeastern Missouri and 34 percent in the northwestern portion of the state. Consequently, hunters in these regions should find more jakes than they did last year.

Hunters concerned with not hearing as many gobbling birds in their area may consider passing on jakes this spring, said Isabelle. “The more jakes that make it through the season, the more 2-year old gobblers there will be to hunt next year.”

“Two-year-old toms tend to be the most active gobblers,” said Isabelle, “and most hunters gauge the quality of hunting by the amount of gobbling they hear. Due to the relatively poor hatches that we’ve had the past few years, a larger proportion of our mature gobblers now are 3 years or older, and older birds are generally harder to fool. But if you outsmart one of those birds, you certainly have something to be proud of.”

Isabelle mentioned a few items that hunters should know before this year’s spring turkey season. Most significant is the change in tagging procedures under the new e-Permits system. E-Permits makes permit buying more convenient, allowing hunters to purchase turkey hunting permits using home computers and print and have the permits in hand immediately.

Tagging is different under e-Permits, because the self-adhesive transportation tags that formerly came with deer and turkey permits are gone. Instead, the permit itself is the transportation tag now. Hunters must notch the month and date on the edges of the tag that correspond to the date they killed a turkey and attach the notched permit to the bird.

The new tagging procedure requires care to protect permits from moisture or tearing. MDC suggests that hunters carry permits in zipper-type sandwich bags and use string, tape or other material to attach permits to harvested game. Hunters still must check turkeys through the Telecheck system by 10 p.m. the day the bird is killed.

Another of Isabelle’s noteworthy items is an error in the “2011Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations.” The summary of youth turkey hunting regulations on Page 19 says that young hunters who shoot turkeys during the youth season may not harvest a second turkey until April 26. The correct date is April 25. Information in the spring turkey booklet is correct.

Hunters also need to know that the refuge portion of Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) is temporarily closed to hunting and all other activity because of elk restoration work there. The portion of Peck Ranch CA outside the marked refuge fence – approximately 12,000 acres in all – remains open to hunting and other activities.

“We know this is an inconvenience for turkey hunters,” said Isabelle. “We hope they will remember the historic role Peck Ranch played in Missouri’s amazingly successful turkey restoration program and bear with us as we work to restore another native species to that part of the Ozarks.”

Finally, Isabelle mentioned that specific regulations for some CAs have changed this year. Those changes are outlined in the “2011 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information” booklet. He urges hunters to get copies of the booklet before the season and double-check the regulations on CAs where they plan to hunt.

Isabelle says better times are ahead for Missouri turkeys and turkey hunters.

“One of the things that we’ve learned about wild turkey populations is that they are dynamic in nature. They can increase fairly rapidly when conditions are favorable. I know this is cold comfort to hunters when we are several years into a population slump, but it’s true. With a couple years of improved spring weather, we can expect increases in production, and an increase in the state’s wild turkey population.”

Isabelle said he hears from hunters who want MDC to shorten turkey season or reduce bag limits, but those measures simply won’t help at this time.

“Production drives Missouri’s wild turkey population,” he said. “I know it seems logical to think that more restrictive regulations will help the population recover, but the truth is that those measures have little effect in situations like we are in right now. MDC will continue to monitor the turkey population very closely, and will be ready to make regulatory changes if we think that they would help the population. For right now though, we just have to be patient and wait for Mother Nature to deal turkeys a few good hands. That is the only thing that is going to turn things around.”

-Jim Low-

PUBLIC HUNTING GROUND

DNA tests shed light on cougar, wolf sightings

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Results confirm ties to mountain lions from South

Dakota and timber wolves from the Great Lakes states.

JEFFERSON CITY–Analysis of DNA and other physical evidence is helping biologists learn more about unusual wildlife sightings that have occurred in Missouri in recent months.

COYOTE OR WOLF?

The string of sightings began Nov. 13 with the shooting of what appeared to be an unusually large coyote in Carroll County. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) sought DNA tests to clarify the animal’s identity. Scientists sometimes can determine where an animal came from by comparing its DNA with DNA samples from animals of the same species from different areas.

The first round of testing compared DNA from the 104-pound canine to that of western timber wolves. The tests showed a poor match with western wolves but did confirm the presence of coyote DNA.  However, further testing linked the animal to timber wolves.

“Coyotes seldom get bigger than 30 pounds in Missouri,” said MDC Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer. “A coyote weighing more than 100 pounds just didn’t seem credible. Wolves are known to interbreed with domestic dogs and coyotes, so we had further testing done to look for evidence of that, and we found it.”

The second round of DNA tests compared the Carroll County canine’s DNA with samples from timber wolves from the Great Lake states of Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan. This time, the tests found a close match. Wolves from that area are known to have coyote DNA in their genes. This accounts for the match with coyote DNA in the initial tests.

“Lots of people were skeptical when we announced results from the first round of testing,” said Beringer. “We were too. But when you are trying to unravel a biological puzzle like this one, you take things one step at a time and go where the science leads you. This animal appeared to be very different from the western wolf samples it was compared with, but when we compared it with wolf DNA from the Great Lake states we found a match.”

When asked how a Great Lakes wolf got to Missouri, Beringer noted that wolves from northern states have turned up in Missouri before. The most recent case occurred in 2001. It involved an 80-pound timber wolf killed by a landowner in Grundy County. The man mistook the wolf for a coyote, but discovered his mistake when he found the animal wore a radio collar and an ear tag linking it to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, more than 600 miles away. He notified MDC, which was able to confirm its origin with Michigan officials.

MOUNTAIN LION DNA

Missouri’s other recent news about large carnivores consists of six confirmed sightings of mountain lions (Puma concolor), also known as cougars, since November. MDC verified three of those sightings – in Platte, Linn and St. Louis counties – with photos. MDC obtained hair from the cat photographed in Platte County, but DNA tests on the hair were only able to confirm that the animal was a mountain lion.

“We already knew that,” said Beringer. “The gentleman who saw it got photos that conclusively proved it was a mountain lion. We hoped DNA from the hair would enable us to learn where the animal came from, but hair is a poor source of DNA, and there just wasn’t enough to tell us more.”

Two confirmed sightings involved mountain lions that were shot by hunters, one on Dec. 31 and one on Jan. 15. With ample tissue for testing on these two animals, the DNA results were more revealing. Both had DNA consistent with mountain lions from South Dakota or northwestern Nebraska. Beringer said mountain lions from northwestern Nebraska and the Black Hills region of South Dakota are so closely related, it is almost impossible to distinguish between them.

Beringer said MDC uses other physical evidence to learn about mountain lions when their bodies are available for examination. Based on the condition of teeth and residual dark barring on their legs, the two male cougars shot by hunters were identified as being young animals.

“That is consistent with the theory that the cats we are seeing in Missouri are subadult males dispersing from their original home areas,” said Beringer.

Examination of the bodies of the two hunter-killed cats showed no evidence of them having been held in captivity. The stomach of the 115-pound cougar from Ray County was empty. The 128-pound cat from Macon County had eaten a rabbit. Both were in good physical condition. Further information about these and other confirmed mountain lion sightings is available at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/34168.

The most recent confirmed sighting occurred in Oregon County March 9. That cat left a tuft of hair on a barbed-wire fence after crossing the road in front of a motorist. MDC retrieved the hair, and testing at the University of Missouri confirmed it as a mountain lion. Further testing is planned to learn more about the Oregon County cougar’s relationship to mountain lions from other areas.

One of the more intriguing but still unexplained twists to Missouri’s recent mountain lion sightings is the fact that a cougar photographed with a trail camera Dec. 29 in Linn County appears to have been wearing a radio-tracking collar. The shape of the collar’s antenna suggests that it is a VHF transmitter, rather than one of the newer GPS collars that enable wildlife researchers to track animals’ movements continuously via satellites.

“I have made a lot of calls to other states trying to identify that animal, but so far my only lead is a missing, collared, subadult male from Utah. That would be one heck of a move – but not impossible,” said Beringer.

He noted that collars of the type the Linn County mountain lion was wearing have a short range, and their batteries eventually wear out. The transmitter might have been out of service before the cat left the area where it was collared, leaving the researcher who was tracking it unaware of its departure.

MANAGING PREDATORS

The March 9 sighting brings the number of verified Missouri mountain lion reports to 16. The first of these modern-day sightings was in 1994. Prior to that, the last confirmed sighting dates back to when the species was extirpated, in the early 20^th century.

Confirmed cougar sightings have been infrequent in recent decades. The spate of six confirmed sightings in four months surprised even experts like Beringer. He said the uptick in sightings could be a hint of things to come.

“Nebraska went from where we are now – having occasional verified sightings of dispersing animals – to having a breeding population in the space of 10 years. Young male mountain lions are the ones that most often leave their home areas, but I think it is realistic to expect that females will arrive here eventually. We need to be thinking about what we will do if mountain lions establish a breeding population here at some point in the future.”

Beringer noted that what is happening with mountain lions today is similar to what has been happening with bears for several decades. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission restored black bears (Ursus americanus) to that state starting in 1958. As bears filled up suitable habitat in Arkansas, a few individuals began dispersing north into Missouri. Today, the Show-Me State has a breeding population of bears, and MDC is developing strategies for managing the species.

MDC’s current policy regarding mountain lions, approved by the Missouri Conservation Commission in 2006, is not to encourage the establishment of a breeding population of mountain lions. The state’s Wildlife Code protects mountain lions. However, it also allows people to kill any mountain lion that is attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals or threatening human safety. Anyone who kills a mountain lion must report it to MDC immediately and turn over the intact carcass, including the pelt, within 24 hours.

The same applies to wolves and bears.

“The return of these long-absent predators is exciting to many Missourians,” said Beringer, “but it is frightening to others. Much of the fear is simply due to unfamiliarity. These animals are naturally shy of people and seldom cause problems, even in states that have thriving breeding populations.”

Beringer said contrasting the frequency of mountain lion attacks with more familiar dangers helps put the risk in perspective. For example, more than 50,000 people die in automobile accidents in the United States annually, and 86 people are killed by lightning. In contrast, deaths from mountain lion attacks have averaged one every seven years since 1890.

“Having mountain lions around again seems scarier than it really is because it’s new,” said Beringer. “But it would be a terrible pity if people let that keep them from enjoying the outdoors. We don’t let fear of traffic accidents or lightning keep us indoors. We shouldn’t let fear of predators scare us unnecessarily either.”

The Conservation Department set up the Mountain Lion Response Team in 1996 to track cougar sightings and investigate those instances where physical evidence – such as photos, video, footprints, scat or hair – exists. To report a sighting, contact any MDC office or conservation agent, or send email to mountain.lion@mdc.mo.gov.

Information about mountain lion and bear behavior and safety are available at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/3505 and www.mdc.mo.gov/node/35056.

-Jim Low-



 Ozark Fly Sales

MDC confirms mountain lion sighting in Oregon County

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DNA testing of hair left on a fence positively identifies a cougar.

WEST PLAINS – A tuft of hair left on a fence in Oregon County March 9 definitely belongs to a mountain lion, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

MDC Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer today released results of a DNA test on hair taken from a fence along Highway M, near the community of Rover. Beringer said Conservation Agent Jerry Elliott retrieved the hair after receiving a report form an area resident who saw the cougar run across the road.

The man told Elliott that a full-grown mountain lion ran across the road in front of him and got its hind leg caught as it attempted to jump a fence on the opposite side of the road.  He said the animal struggled briefly before it escaped, leaving a tuft of hair the size of a cotton ball in the top strand of the barbwire fence.

When he arrived at the scene, Elliott placed the hair in an evidence bag. Subsequent testing at the University of Missouri positively identified the hair as coming from a mountain lion, Puma concolor.

Beringer said the University’s laboratory does not have adequate reference material to evaluate the cat’s possible relationship to mountain lions from different geographic areas.

“We want to find out as much as possible about where the animal might have come from,” said Beringer, “so we will send the remaining hair sample to a genetics lab in Montana to determine the cat’s likely origin.”

Beringer said that testing could take several weeks to months.

This is the sixth verified mountain lion sighting in Missouri since late November and the 16^th in modern times. In cases where carcasses have been available for examination, most have been young males. Young male mountain lions go in search of new territories when they mature. Beringer said MDC has no evidence to suggest that a breeding population of mountain lions exists in Missouri.

Mountain lions, also called cougars, panthers and pumas, were present in Missouri before pioneer settlement. The last documented Missouri mountain lion was killed in the Bootheel in 1927. The closest populations of mountain lions to Missouri are in South Dakota and a small population in northwest Nebraska.

Beringer said that MDC has never stocked or released mountain lions in Missouri and has no plans to do so.

To report a sighting, physical evidence or other mountain-lion incident, contact a local MDC office or conservation agent, or email the Mountain Lion Response Team at mountain.lion@mdc.mo.gov.

There have been no confirmed cases in Missouri of mountain lions attacking people, pets or livestock in modern times. For more information on mountain lions in Missouri, visit www.MissouriConservation.org and search “mountain lion.”

Missouri Hunting Information

MDC Contributes $5 Million to Waterfowl Conservation

Image via WikipediaKANSAS CITY, Mo., March 18, 2011 –With this year's state grant program contribution of $250,000, the Missouri Department of Conservation reached the $5 million mark for donations to waterfowl breeding grounds in Canada. With the support of MDC during the past five years, Ducks Unlimited conserved, enhanced and restored 235,059 acres of prime breeding habitat and positively influenced an additional 1.2 million acres.

"The MDC partnership with Ducks Unlimited is one of the strongest and most effective in the nation," Mark Flaspohler, DU manager of conservation programs for Missouri, said. "Their commitment to the state grants program is just one manifestation of that partnership."

The state grants program represents a unique international funding partnership that preserves critical waterfowl habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada, while working toward achieving the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Contributions from the states are matched by DU Inc. and DU Canada, as well as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. 

"It is the committed support of partners like the Missouri Department of Conservation that makes waterfowl conservation and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan a success," DU CEO Dale Hall, said.

DU Canada uses a combination of strategically targeted direct programs, agricultural extension and public policy efforts to advance its conservation goals. Direct habitat programs such as land acquisition and conservation easements help secure the remaining habitat base and provide restoration opportunities. Agricultural extension programs focus on adding nesting cover and/or improving wetland conditions, while the promotion of waterfowl-friendly agricultural practices provides positive economic benefits to producers.

"MDC's investment in Canadian waterfowl habitat yields direct, tangible returns for Missourians," said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. "Leveraging our contribution and money from other states four-to-one lets us put $2 million into protecting critical nesting habitat that sends millions of ducks winging down the Mississippi Flyway to Missouri and beyond each fall."

Waterfowl band recovery data has established a clear link between waterfowl produced and banded in Canada's PPR and subsequently harvested in the Mississippi Flyway. Priority habitats in Manitoba stand out as a primary Canadian source of ducks harvested in Missouri.

"The conservation of this vital habitat will ensure Missouri hunters experience strong waterfowl flights from Manitoba for many years to come," Tom Shryock, DU Missouri state chairman, said.

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.




Maintaining Duck Hunting Gear

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