New MDC foresters ready for duties in southwest Missouri

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Resource Forester
Cody Bailey will work out of MDC's Cassville Office and will
work with landowners in Barry, Lawrence and a portion of McDonald counties.

Cody Bailey and Guerric Good will work with landowners and on public land.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Helping landowners with conservation needs will be the primary duties of Cody Bailey and Guerric Good, two new Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) resource foresters who will work in the southwest part of the state.

Bailey, who began his job Jan. 16, will work out of MDC’s Cassville Office. He replaces Adam Bale, who is now district forester at MDC’s Neosho Office. Bailey will work with landowners in Barry, Lawrence and a portion of McDonald counties. He will also assist with the management of 13 MDC-owned lands. He can be contacted at 417-847-5949 or atCody.Bailey@mdc.mo.gov

Prior to coming to Cassville, Bailey was a resource forester assistant at MDC’s Sullivan Office. Before that, the Taylorville, Ill. native and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduate held forestry jobs in Illinois and Mississippi.

“I am very excited to begin helping landowners and to explore all the new MDC areas that I will be working with,” he said.

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Resource
Forester Guerric Good will work out of MDC's Bolivar Office
and will work with landowners in Polk, Cedar, Dade and a portion
of Hickory counties.

Good will work out of MDC’s Bolivar Office and will start his job Feb. 1. He will work with landowners in Polk, Cedar, Dade and a portion of Hickory counties. Also included in his duties will be assisting with the management of nine MDC areas in Polk, Dade and northern Greene counties. He replaces Brice Kelso, who transferred as resource forester to MDC’s Northeast Regional Office in Kirksville. Good can be contacted at 417-326-5189 or atGuerric.Good@mdc.mo.gov.

Good, a graduate of Ball State University, is planning to complete his master’s degree program this spring from the University of Missouri. He has performed forestry work previously in Indiana and Montana.

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MDC: Cape Nature Center hosts Women’s Trout Fishing event Feb. 20

Naturalists will lead the way to Jackson’s Rotary Lake for a morning of fishing for rainbows.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center invites women to learn how to fish for trout Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

“This is a chance to experience camaraderie with other women while learning a new outdoor skill,” said Michelle Randecker, a naturalist at the center. “Trout fishing can be very exciting, as the fish will sometimes put up a good fight on the line.”

Registrations for this event are required and may be made beginning Feb. 2. The event is designed for ages 12 and up. Ages 16 and under should be accompanied by an adult. Participants must have a valid Missouri fishing permit and anyone interested in keeping their trout must also have a trout permit. Both permits may be purchased at the Nature Center or anywhere hunting and fishing permits are sold. Randecker said all necessary equipment will be provided at the event, although attendees may bring their own trout poles. Participants are encouraged to dress in layers and be prepared for cold weather.

Randecker said knowing how to fish for trout opens up an opportunity to spend time outdoors during winter, when other activities might not be possible.

MDC stocks 24 winter trout areas in cities across the state. Anglers may harvest rainbow trout at Missouri’s stocked trout areas beginning Feb. 1. Rainbow trout, the “king of sport fish,” are cold-water fish.

To register for this event, call (573)290-5730. For more information on this and other programs at the Cape Nature Center, go online to mdc.mo.gov/CapeNatureCenter. To find more information on trout fishing, go online to mdc.mo.gov/fishing.

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MDC seeks info about poached bull elk found at Current River

MDC is investigating the death of a bull elk that appears to have been shot and had its skull plate and antlers removed.

SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is investigating a dead bull elk recently found along the Current River in Shannon County and asks the public to report any related information to the Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-392-1111.

According to MDC preliminary information, the elk appears to have been shot and the skull plate and antlers were removed with a chainsaw. The rest of the carcass was left intact.

Conservation agents were informed of the dead elk on Tuesday, Dec. 29, by a hiker on an area along the Current River. MDC agents went to the location and confirmed the report.

MDC staff have transported the carcass to the Department’s Conservation Research Center in Columbia for further investigation, including a necropsy, which is an autopsy of an animal.

Any and all information that could assist in this investigation is welcomed by MDC. Calls can be made to local MDC agents or to the Operation Game Thief hotline. Information can be given anonymously or a name maybe be given for a possible reward of up to $1,000 in the case of criminal activity.

The dead bull elk was one of approximately 130 animals that are part of the Department’s elk restoration and management efforts. The remaining elk can be seen at the Department’s Current River Conservation Area and Peck Ranch Conservation Area in the Missouri Ozarks. Learn more about Missouri’s elk at mdc.mo.gov/node/10141.

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Hunters harvest 11,061 deer during Missouri's alternative-methods portion of deer season

Top harvest counties were Franklin with 260, Howell with 247, and Texas with 235.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 11,061 deer during the alternative-methods portion of the 2015-2016 Missouri firearms deer-hunting season, which ran Dec. 19-29. Of the total harvest, 2,994 were antlered bucks, 1,594 button bucks, and 6,473 does. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 260 deer harvested, Howell with 247, and Texas with 235.

The harvest total for last year's alternative-methods portion was 11,067 and consisted of 2,851 antlered bucks, 1,503 button bucks, and 6,713 does.

For 2015 harvest totals by county and season portion, visit the MDC website athttp://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-harvest-reports under “Telecheck: Deer and Turkey Harvest Data.” For past season numbers, visit the same link under “Deer Harvest Summaries.”

Deer hunting continues for this season with statewide archery hunting through Jan. 15 and the statewide firearms late youth weekend Jan. 2-3.

During the alternative-methods portion of firearms deer season, hunters are allowed to use muzzle-loading firearms, center-fire pistols, air-powered guns, bows, crossbows, or atlatls.

Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies. For more on Missouri deer hunting, go online to the MDC website atwww.mdc.mo.gov and click on Hunting/Trapping at the top of the home page.

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MDC to help host Eagle Days at Smithville Lake

Free event Jan. 9 & 10 will include wildlife exhibits and live raptor shows

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and partners will host the 21st annual Eagle Days at Smithville Lake on Jan. 9 and 10. The right combination of weather that’s cold, but not too cold, can concentrate waterfowl and eagles at the lake north of Smithville and Kansas City. Regardless of weather, the indoor conservation exhibits and live raptor shows are always popular. All programs are free and all ages welcome.

   Conservation displays, crafts for children, and a program with live predatory birds will be available indoors at the Paradise Pointe Golf Course Clubhouse, 18212 Golf Course Drive, Smithville, Mo. Operation Wildlife will showcase live raptors. Other exhibits including wild birds rehabilitated from injuries by the Lakeside Nature Center will be on display.

   A wild eagle viewing station will be set up, with spotting scopes and guides, at the Highway W boat ramp. The ramp is near a waterfowl refuge and a prime eagle viewing area. If weather conditions move eagles and waterfowl to other locales, information on a change in viewing station location will be available at the event.

   Eagle Days event hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, and 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 10. Operation Wildlife will present four shows on Saturday and three on Sunday. For more information about Eagle Days and live bird show times, call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 816-532-0174.

   Eagle Days at Smithville Lake is a partnership between MDC, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Clay County Parks and Recreation Department, and other public and private conservation partners.

   Also in MDC’s Kansas City Region, an Eagle Days event will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. onSaturday, Feb. 6, at the Schell City Community Center and at MDC’s Schell-Osage Conservation Area. The area is in Vernon County northeast of Nevada, Mo. Raptor programs and conservation displays will be at the community center. Guided eagle viewing will be offered at the lakes at the nearby conservation area. For information, call MDC’s El Dorado Springs office, 417-876-5226.

   For information about these and other Eagle Days events throughout Missouri, and for eagle viewing sites throughout winter, visit mdc.mo.gov/events/eagledays.

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Start the New Year with First Day Hikes in Missouri State Parks on Jan. 1

Free, guided hikes in nearly 30 state parks and historic sites throughout the state will be held on Jan. 1. The effort is a part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes, which gives visitors the opportunity to start the year off right with an outdoor hike.

“At state parks throughout the state, we are offering First Day Hikes to allow our guests to begin 2016 with a healthy hike,” said Bill Bryan, director of Missouri State Parks. “It’s a fun and relaxing way to spend New Year’s Day while also getting a head start on a year of adventures in the outdoors.”

Guided hikes being hosted in state parks range from a half mile to four miles and are taking place on a wide variety of trails in every region of the state. A list of state parks with guided hikes on Jan. 1 is available atmostateparks.com/page/59235/first-day-hikes.

Nationally on Jan. 1, 2015, more than 41,000 people participated in guided hikes that covered over 79,000 miles on 997 hikes. Details on every state’s hikes are located at naspd.org. Participants are encouraged to log their adventures on social media with #FirstDayHikes.

Missouri State Parks guests were among the more than 25,000 Missourians who have completed more than 4.5 million miles as a part of the Governor’s 100 Missouri Miles Challenge. In 2015, Gov. Jay Nixon and First Lady Georganne Nixon kicked off the third year of the challenge, which celebrates Missouri’s award winning trails and encourages Missourians to enjoy the outdoors. The fourth year of the challenge begins in 2016.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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Master Naturalist training planned for Joplin

Attendance at Jan. 4 orientation is required for participation in upcoming course.

JOPLIN, Mo. – Protecting Missouri’s natural resources is an ongoing and challenging task. The challenge is made easier when private citizen groups – as well as state agencies – can provide education, outreach information and services. That’s the idea behind Missouri’s Master Naturalist Program.

The Chert Glades Master Naturalist Chapter will hold Master Naturalist training Jan. 25 through April 18 at the Walter Woods Conservation Area in Newton County just south of Joplin. The course doesn’t start until Jan. 25, but interested people must attend an orientation that will be held 6:30 p.m. on Jan 4 at the Walter Woods Area.

After attending this orientation, participants must register by Jan. 10 for the course. The Missouri Master Naturalist program mixes science with service. Master Naturalists engage Missourians in the stewardship of our state’s natural resources through science-based education and volunteer community service. The Master Naturalist program is a partnership between the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the University of Missouri Extension.

“The intent of the Master Naturalist Program is to better connect people to the environment and nature,” said MDC Volunteer and Interpretive Program Coordinator Syd Hime. “There are a lot of people with an interest in nature who are looking for opportunities to develop their skills as a naturalist and use those skills in volunteer service. We provide that through a community-based natural resource volunteer and education program.”

To become a Master Naturalist, individuals must receive training and contribute volunteer services. Once individuals receive Master Naturalist certification, they will be required to give 40 hours of service and complete eight hours of additional advanced annually training to maintain their certification. Individuals must be age 18 or older to participate.

For more information, call MDC Conservation Education Consultant Jeff Cantrell at 417-629-3423 or e-mail jeff.cantrell@mdc.mo.gov Details about the Master Naturalist Program can also be found at www.chertglades.org or http://extension.missouri.edu/masternaturalist.