Eleven trail projects will receive federal funding

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Eleven trail projects in Missouri will receive approximately $1.3 million funding through the federal Recreational Trails Program. 

             The Recreational Trails Program is a federally funded grant program for trail-related land acquisition, development or restoration. In Missouri, Recreational Trails Program funds are administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration.

             “Missourians are blessed with abundant parks and recreation areas.  It is important to support these natural resources and preserve them for years to come,” Gov. Jay Nixon said. “These trails provide opportunities for families and children to enjoy time together, as well as connecting them with their community.” 

             The grant recipients were chosen from 31 applications and were selected based on recommendations from the Missouri Trails Advisory Board, which represents diverse trail interest groups. The grants were awarded based on the results of a competitive scoring process and the application’s suitability under funding provisions included in Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). At least a 20 percent match is required by the applicant. A funding requirement targets 30 percent of the funding for motorized trails, 30 percent for non-motorized trails and 40 percent for diversified trail use.

            “These trails provide Missourians access to explore the many natural resources our state offers, as well as providing important fitness opportunities. We are proud to support this program, local communities and healthy lifestyles,” said Bill Bryan, Missouri State Parks director, a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  

            Following is a list of Recreational Trails Program grant recipients, along with a list of non-motorized and motorized RTP trail projects and their grant amounts.

2011 RTP Non-Motorized Trail Projects:

·         Missouri State Parks, Statewide - develop, renovate and maintain trails and various trail amenities in Missouri State Parks facilities - $348,821.

·         Grace Hill Settlement House, St. Louis County - renovate Riverfront Trail - $67,241.

·         City of Columbia Parks and Recreation, Boone County - educational accessible sign system - $20,000.

·         City of Warrensburg Parks and Recreation, Johnson County - construct a primitive trail at Lions Lake - $100,000.

·         Ozark Trail Association, Shannon County - construct backcountry hiking trail in Roger Pryor Backcountry - $73,575.

·         City of Kansas City Public Works Department, Jackson County - construct Riverfront Heritage Trail Beardsley Road Connector - $100,000.

·         City of Belton, Cass County - Cleveland Avenue Regional Lake Development trail construction - $95,149.

·         City of Greenville, Wayne County - construct a trail connecting the city to Wappapello Lake - $71,913.

·         State of Missouri/Office of Administration, Cole County - construct trail to connect to the Missouri State Penitentiary Trail - $100,000.

2011 RTP Motorized Trail Projects:

·         Midwest Trail Riders Association, Iron County - purchase equipment to maintain existing motorized trails - $14,500.

·         Missouri State Parks, Statewide - develop new trails, renovate and maintain existing motorized trails - $400,000.

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Hunters report taking five antlered does

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It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world for some white-tailed deer.

JEFFERSON CITY – The Kinks didn’t have white-tailed deer in mind when they wrote the lyrics to rock song “Lola,” but five antlered female deer reported to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) lend new meaning to the phrase, “It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world.”

MDC Resource Scientist Emily Flinn specializes in deer biology. She says she has received five reports this year from hunters who shot antlered deer that appear, at least externally, to be female.

Flinn said this phenomenon is not as rare as you might think. As many as one in every 65 or as few as one in 4,437 female white-tailed deer may grow antlers, depending on the region within North America. It’s all a question of hormones.

“Female deer can grow antlers if they have higher-than-normal testosterone levels,” said Flinn. “In most cases, does’ testosterone levels are too low for full antler development. They usually are small and poorly formed, and they aren’t completely hardened. They typically are still in velvet when hunting season arrives.”

That wasn’t the case with two of the deer reported this year. A 9-pointer taken in Platte County and a 10-pointer shot in Wright County both were symmetrical, fully hardened and polished. The Wildlife Code of Missouri distinguishes between antlered and antlerless deer, rather than bucks and does. Therefore, hunters who shoot deer with at least one antler measuring 3 inches or longer must check them as antlered deer, regardless of the animal’s sex.

All this leaves the most intriguing questions about antlered does unanswered, however. According to Flinn, these deer fall into three categories. The first is female deer with unusually high testosterone levels. These are the ones likely to grow under-developed antlers. They usually are fertile and able to bear fawns.

The second category is deer that are fully functional males but also possess some female anatomical features. In some, male genitalia are hidden beneath the skin or within the body, giving the appearance of female deer. However, their testosterone levels are high enough to produce fully developed antlers.

The third category is true hermaphrodites, animals with both male and female reproductive organs.

Flinn said it is difficult to say how common these abnormalities are in Missouri’s deer population.

“We only know about the ones that hunters shoot, and probably not even all of those,” she said. “It seems likely that some are field-dressed without the hunters noticing the anatomical oddities. If you shoot an antlered deer, you’re pretty much going to assume it’s a buck. If it’s early or late in the day, you might field dress it without noticing the presence or absence of some anatomical oddities.”

Missouri’s fall deer population is estimated at 1.4 million. If at least five of the 186,000 or so deer killed during the November hunt were sexually ambiguous, that would mean that 40 or more “Lola” deer probably are roaming Missouri’s fields and forests.

If you encounter one, you can report it to any MDC office.

Caribou are the only members of the deer family for which antlered females are normal.

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Public invited to comment at Cadastral Mapping Standards Stakeholder meeting on December 8

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ROLLA, Mo., NOV. 28, 2011 – Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Geology and Land Survey staff will conduct a Cadastral Mapping Standards Stakeholder meeting on Thursday, Dec. 8.

The public meeting will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Ha Ha Tonka conference room, 1730 E. Elm St., in Jefferson City.

At this meeting, the department will accept comments from interested stakeholders regarding promulgation of a rule in development for Cadastral Mapping Standards.

The purpose of this rulemaking is to establish standards for the cadastral layer of Geographic Information System mapping. The cadastral layer is the foundation for property ownership, rights-of-way, easements and other restrictions or burdens placed on parcels of land.

For more information, contact the department at 573-368-2300 or write to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Land Survey, Land Survey Program, PO Box 250, Rolla, MO 65402. People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements by calling the department at 573-368-2300 or call toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419(Telecommunications Device for the Deaf).

For more information or a complete meeting agenda visit the department’s websitednr.mo.gov/geology/landsurvey/lsp-rules-in-dev.htm.

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Forest Will Leave Noblett Lake Temporarily Dry Until Spring 2012

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AVA, Missouri – Mark Twain National Forest will leave Noblett Lake temporarily dry until spring 2012.

After coordinating with Missouri Departments of Natural Resources and Conservation, Mark Twain National Forest has decided  to leave the dam gate open, leaving the lake bed dry except for the perennial stream portion, until spring 2012.

This will allow cold weather to kill undesirable vegetation within Noblett Lake.

Vandals August 17, 2011 accessed Noblett Lake’s dam and opened the gate, allowing Noblett Lake water to flow into surrounding streams. The 70-year Civilian Conservation Corps-built lake has been filling in with sediment and vegetation over the years.

“The water loss presented a unique opportunity to consider restoration of the lake as a fishery, or return the area to its natural condition,” said Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs District Ranger Jenny Farenbaugh.

Once undesirable vegetation has been eliminated, the dam gate will slowly be closed spring 2012 during a period when precipitation is expected in order to minimize stream drying and potential fish kills.

“The lake will refill over a period of weeks, depending on the amount of precipitation and spring discharge,” Farenbaugh said.

“Although we know residents want to know if and when Noblett Lake will be re-stocked, we are working with Missouri Department of Conservation to determine the feasibility of restocking.”

Farenbaugh said Mark Twain National Forest is also working with partners on the restoration project.

“Opportunities to partner with state, Federal and non-governmental organizations for a project of this magnitude abound and are being explored,” Farenbaugh said.

Law enforcement investigators continue their investigation into the vandalism that resulted in water loss at Noblett Lake, located south of Willow Springs, Missouri in Douglas County.

If someone has information about the August 17, 2011 Noblett Lake incident, please contact 417-683-4428 ext. 199.

Mark Twain National Forest is the largest public land manager in Missouri with 1.5 million acres in 29 counties in southern and central Missouri. Mark Twain National Forest’s mission is to continue to restore Missouri’s great outdoors and maintain a healthy, working forest.

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Whooping cranes pay rare visit to southwest Missouri

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What a hunter thought might be someone in trouble

turned out to be a flock of rare birds with 7-foot wingspans.

NEOSHO–Jeff Richards was hunting deer north of Neosho Monday night when he heard what he thought might be an injured hunter calling for help. When he went to investigate, he was amazed to find a pair of whooping cranes.

Whooping cranes are endangered, with fewer than 500 left in the wild. They also are spectacular, with wingspans exceeding 7 feet, white bodies and striking red-black-and-white heads. In addition to being a hunter, Richards apparently is a naturalist, too. He knew immediately what he was seeing and called the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) office in Neosho with the news.

Jeff Cantrell, a conservation education consultant for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) hurried to the site and was stunned to find an adult crane and a juvenile fitted with a leg band and a radio transmitter. The two birds were feeding contentedly in a crop field amid Canada geese and crows.

“I got to watch them for an hour or so and share the observations with some avid and budding birders in the area,” said Cantrell. “What a wonderful opportunity for everyone. We witnessed lots of fascinating parental behavior, foraging, and some hopping/dancing almost. When they flew off in the mid-morning they finally called for us. It was truly a heart-stirring moment.”

Whooping crane sightings have been a rarity in Missouri for more than a century. MDC has records of two separate sightings of a single bird at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in 1958, a pair in Jackson County in 1970 and another single bird at Stockton Lake in 1996. The most recent sighting was of a group of  four to eight whooping cranes mixed in with a flock of sandhill cranes in Bates County in October 2010.

MDC asks that anyone who sees a whooping crane report it to the nearest MDC office.

-Jim Low-

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Five Keys to Whitetail Deer Hunting Success

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Regardless of where you are at in your whitetail deer hunting career, there are a few basic steps that you should know or perhaps review, prior to your hunting endeavors this year. If you are new to this sport, these ideas may be new to you. If you are experienced, perhaps reviewing these will be of benefit to you.
1. Scent Control

While this can be taken to any level of extremes, I guess you really cannot be too careful with regard to this matter. Some basic steps you can take include the following things. Do not wear the clothes you will be in while hunting until you are heading into field. Consider keeping your clothes in some form of scent proof bags until you get out of your vehicle (or camper, tent, cabin, etc.) and then slip them on just as you are ready to head out. Don't get up and cook breakfast for example and then wear these clothes to the field.

Remember this for sure; do not wear the boots you will wear in the field until heading out in the field. On that point, it is pretty well established that rubber boots carry the minimal scent of any other type of boots. If you are not in a cold place, cheap rubber boots are fine. More expensive lined (thinsulate is usually the material) boots may be required in colder climates. Scent-Lok materials are available for clothing and boots if you wish. Not required. Also, there are laundry detergents, deodorants, and scent-blocks available and these may be advisable, but again, are not absolutely necessary.

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Estimating the Age of a Buck Whitetail Deer in the Field

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Ethical hunting involves knowing the animals you will be hunting. Beyond this, if you own your own property and wish to manage the deer population through selective harvesting, aging of deer is an important skill. While the most accuratemethods are done using teeth wear (tooth replacement-wear method), thesemethods are not a practical answer for deciding whether or not to harvest a deer. Doing this will require some knowledge of how deer mature physically as they proceed through various stages of development.

Prior to beginning our discussion of these characteristics, let's establish why we are discussing age of deer in the increments we use. Fawns are born in the Spring and reach the age of 1/2 a year in the Fall around hunting season. Thus, we discuss the ages of deer, as fawns, 1 1/2 years of age, 2 1/2 years of age and so on. Antler development reaches its pinnacle at the time the deer reaches maturity, which is around age 5. Therefore, we will discuss the physical characteristics of deer through age 5 1/2, but deer typically retain their maximum antler size through approximately age 8.

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