Conservation Area Management Comment Opportunities

How important are conservation areas to you?

The Missouri Department of Conservation is in the process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments. To view management plans and share comments online, visit mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.  

The following draft Conservation Area Management Plans are available for public comment from November 1-30, 2015. 

Northwest Region

Northwest Region Platte River Accesses - This plan includes thirteen accesses along the Platte River in Buchanan, Nodaway, Andrew, Clinton, and Worth counties. Some of the accesses include camping, concrete ramps, and privies. This area plan includes the following accesses: Agency Access, Bridgewater Access, Bristle Ridge Access, Burton Bridge Access, Elrod Mill Access, Hadorn Bridge Access, Keever Bridge Access, Lathrop Bridge Access, Midway Access, Rochester Falls Access, Rock Quarry Access, Saxton Access, and Sheridan Access.

Southeast Region

Flatwoods Conservation Area - Flatwoods Conservation area is 935 acres of upland forest and woodland in Wayne County. This area is managed to provide wildlife habitat, forest products, and compatible recreational opportunities. An archery range, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible and firearm range with parking lot (ADA accessible) are available for public use.

Reynolds County River Accesses - Reynolds County River Accesses include Centerville Access and Lesterville Access along the Black River. Centerville Access allows canoe launch access. 

Wilhelmina Conservation Area - Wilhelmina Conservation Area is 1,476 acres of bottomland forest, old tree plantations, and open land. The area includes three gravel parking lots and a small concrete pad with two picnic tables. Popular recreational activities include fishing, hunting, and hiking.

Yokum School Conservation Area - Yokum School Conservation Area is 160 acres of forest and woodland. This area includes a graveled parking lot, 1,320 feet of woods trail, 1 fishless pond, and 1 primitive camping area available for public use.

Southwest Region

Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area (Idea Gathering Stage) - Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area is 2700 acres of forest, woodland, old field, and glade. This area is heavily used by campers, horseback riders, hikers, and mountain bike users. Facilities at this area include a shooting range, 2 multi-use trails, 2 picnic tables, 4 parking lots, and 8 individual campsites. Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area is accepting public comments prior to the development of its area management plan. The comment period for Busiek closes December 31.

Take a look at management plans and share your thoughts online at mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. Thank you for your interest in the management of your Conservation Areas!

MDC's Granny's Acres offers scenic hiking trails

Trails in Benton County timbered hills are well marked and maintained

Warsaw, Mo. – The trails at Granny’s Acres Conservation Area wind through woodlands, up and down steep hills, and across shady valleys cut by small streams. But trail hikers need not fear getting lost. Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) foresters have marked trails with signs and placed signboards with maps at intersections where trail loops meet. This oak and hickory-dominated woodland is a pretty place for a late autumn or winter walk.

   A visitor need not stay on the trails at Granny’s Acres, which is a bit over seven miles south of Warsaw, off Day Road, a short jaunt from U.S. 65 in Benton County. Deer hunting, turkey hunting, birding and cross-country trekking are allowed throughout the 351-acre area. But the trails offer convenient routes over rugged terrain.

   “It’s kind of a unique area,” said Jake Willard, MDC resource forester and area manager. “The trails go way back in and it’s fairly remote.”

   A parking lot off Day Road provides public access. First a short service road cuts down through a wooded hillside and around a hay meadow in a creek bottom that is being restored to native grasses and wildflowers. Then a trail crosses the intermittently-dry Whig Creek and leads up a hillside through timber, connecting with a series of trail loops. The signed hiking loops range from 2.6 to 4.1 miles in length.

   Hikers should be aware that the terrain is challenging, in places it is rugged. They will encounter steep hills. Often loose rock is underfoot on the trails. The rewards are pretty scenery and relative solitude in the woods. Wildlife can be spotted such as deer are even armadillos, a recent mammal migrant into Missouri. A wide variety of birds can be spotted on the area.

   “We focus our management on glade and woodland restoration,” Willard said.

   About 46 acres of glades, open areas with unique plant communities associated with limestone rock, have been restored. A woodland ecosystem is one with open areas between trees with native plants and shrubs. Granny’s Acres is in a general area of Missouri where historically America’s eastern woodlands met the prairies and intermingled.

   Willard is unsure the origin of the Granny’s Acres name. The area had a history of frequent wildfires before MDC acquired it in the 1960s. But the area retains a diverse tree and plant community that supports a wide variety of wildlife.

  For information on the Granny’s Acres Conservation Area and maps, visithttp://on.mo.gov/1M6plkX

  MDC connects people with nature. To find public conservation lands near you, visithttp://mdc.mo.gov.

MDC helps deer hunters Share the Harvest

Kansas City, Mo. – Deer hunters in the Kansas City and St Joseph areas can donate venison to the needy through the Share the Harvest program, administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri. This statewide program allows hunters with extra venison to provide healthy food to be distributed by a local charitable agency.

    

Hunters can donate venison at Kansas City and St. Joseph locations

To donate, hunters must take their deer to an approved meat processor. They may donate all or part of the venison from a deer. The processor will package the meat and provide it to the charitable agency. Some local funds provided by donors may be available to pay or reduce processing costs, although those costs are the hunter’s responsibility when local funds are not available.

   Approved processors in or near the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas include: Clark’s Custom Meat Co., St. Joseph in Buchanan County; Peculiar Meats, Peculiar in Cass County; The Store, Raytown in Jackson County; Alewel’s Country Meats, Warrensburg in Johnson County; Gilbert Meat Locker, Holden in Johnson County; Alma Meats, Alma in Lafayette County; Higginsville Processing Plant, Higginsville in Lafayette County, and Hadlers Locker Plant, Wellington in Lafayette County.

   A complete list of all approved Share the Harvest processors in all counties is available in MDC’s 2015 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available at MDC offices and nature centers. The booklet is also available where hunting permits are sold and online at http://on.mo.gov/1OmlgHy.

   MDC also provides a free MO Hunting mobile app for digital devices athttp://mdc.mo.gov/mobile/mobile-apps/mo-hunting.

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O’Fallon angler catches state-record skipjack herring

Congratulations to James Lucas on breaking the state-record by catching a 1-pound, 14-ounce skipjack herring on the Sandy Slough.

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. – James Lucas of O'Fallon became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he hooked a giant skipjack herring on the Sandy Slough using a rod and reel. Sandy Slough is a Mississippi River backwater area located next to the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Sandy Island Conservation Area.

The new "pole and line" record skipjack herring caught by Lucas on Oct. 25 weighed 1 pound, 14 ounces with a length of 18 inches. Lucas used a white marabou Road Runner jig to catch the skipjack.

"My friend Alex Helms and I were fishing for white bass that day, and out of nowhere I caught a giant skipjack," Lucas said. "The fish didn't put up much of fight, but thank goodness my friend Alex was with me to net the fish, because once it was in the net it spit out the jig."

Lucas' recent record broke the previous pole and line state-record skipjack herring of 1 pound, 11 ounces caught on the Osage River in 2005.

MDC staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale in the town of Defiance.

Lucas is pretty familiar with holding state-records. He also holds the state-record for the skipjack herring in the alternative method. In 2009 Lucas snagged a 1-pound, 8.8-ounce skipjack herring on Sandy Slough and set the state-record.

"I still can't believe that I caught the giant skipjack," Lucas said. "I intentionally snagged one in 2009 to set the state-record, but catching a state-record skipjack with a rod and reel blows my mind. I never thought I would hold two state-records at the age of 24."

The young angler plans on making a custom replica of the fish.

Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl.

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish. For more information on state-record fish, visit the MDC website at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing/trophies-certificates/state-record-fish-list.

MDC’s Cape Nature Center hosts evening elk program

Pair this Nature Center program with a self-guided driving tour for a fall elk experience.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Elk will be the focus of the November Nature Center at Night event at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center Nov. 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. Elk were restored to the Missouri Ozarks in 2011, so it’s important for Missourians to learn how biologists are managing the herd, according to MDC naturalist Angela Pierce.

“We’re proud to have brought elk back to our state,” said Pierce. “We’ll learn all about elk and talk about how our population is doing.”

Elk will be the focus of the November Nature Center at Night event at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center Nov. 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. (MDC photo)

Plentiful before European settlement, elk disappeared from Missouri by 1865. In July 2010, the Conservation Commission directed the Department to reinstate plans to restore elk to a specified zone in the Ozarks with plentiful habitat.

“We hope folks will stop by and learn about these large amazing animals,” Pierce said.

Naturalist led programs will begin at 5:30 and 7 p.m. Youth and adult groups are welcome to attend this free program.

Pierce added this Nature Center at Night event would make a perfect preview for those who might consider taking the MDC’s self-guided driving tour at Peck Ranch Conservation Area where the elk reside. Peck Ranch is located near Winona in Shannon County. The driving tour is open sunrise to sunset seven days a week (except during calving season April 1 to July 1, managed deer hunts, fall firearms deer season, and in the event roads are closed due to weather). The autumn is a great time to take the tour as the bulls are bugling to attract harems of cows.

For more information on programs at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center go online to mdc.mo.gov/CapeNatureCenter. For more information about the self-guided driving tour at Peck Ranch CA, go online to http://mdc.mo.gov/node/15985.

Conservation Commission Action – OCTOBER 2015

The Missouri Conservation Commission met Oct. 22 at the MDC Twin Pines Conservation Education Center in Winona for its closed session and Oct. 23 at the MDC Ozark Regional Office in West Plains for its regular open meeting. Commissioners present were:

• Marilynn J. Bradford, Chair
• David W. Murphy, Vice Chair
• James T. Blair, IV, Secretary
• Don C. Bedell, Member

PRESENTATIONS:

The Commission received the following staff presentations/reports:

• Communications Update -- Joanie Straub, Outreach and Education Division Chief
• Report of the Regulations Committee (no action items) – Tom Draper, Deputy Director and Chairman, Regulations Committee
• Southwest Missouri Quail Ecology Project and Quail Focus Area Update -- Bill White, Private Land Services Division Chief; and Kyle Hedges, Wildlife Management Biologist
• Information Technology: Past, Present, and Future – Douglas  Fees, Information Technology Services Chief
• Major Construction Projects Status Report – Jacob Careaga, Design and Development Division Chief
• Current Financial Report – Margie Mueller, Chief Financial Officer
• Fountain Grove Conservation Area Pump Station -- Jacob Careaga, Design and Development Division Chief; Jennifer Battson Warren, Wildlife Division Chief; and Sherry Fischer, Stream Services Program Supervisor

ADMINISTRATION:

The Commission:

• Recognized Department staff members who have received recent awards.
• Received public comments from Spencer Turner of Columbia (delivered by Dan Kreher of Ellisville) regarding smallmouth bass management in Missouri waters.
• Received public comments from Leonard Sonnenschien of St. Louis, President of World Aquarium and Conservation for the Oceans Foundation, regarding development plans for a new public aquarium on the St. Louis riverfront.
• Approved the Conservation Priorities Three-Year Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2017-2019.
• Approved an agreement for the design of 13 radio tower replacements across the state.
• Approved proposals for the fabrication of exhibit features at Runge Conservation Nature Center located in Cole County.
• Approved a contract for construction of the Conservation Commission Headquarters Corridor Replacement Project located in Cole County.
• Approved the designation of Mingo Natural Area in Stoddard and Wayne Counties as a new Missouri Natural Area for the Missouri Natural Areas System.
• Approved revisions to the Department’s Hunting Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy.
• Approved the suspension or revocation of one or more hunting, fishing, or trapping privileges of 15 individuals for cause:
•      Mike E. Boyer, Willow Springs, Hunting, 1 Year;
•      William S. Cade, Wapappello, All Sport, 1 Year;
•      Jeffrey T. Clayton, Jr., Louisiana, Hunting and Fishing, 1 Year;
•      Eric T. Colburn, Carrollton, Fishing, 1 Year;
•      Robert A. Dodds, Mansfield, Fishing, 2 Years;
•      Steven M. Ebling, St. Joseph, All Sport, 1 Year;
•      Clint E. Hipkins, Shelbina, Fishing, 1 Year;
•      Gary N. Hipkins, Shelbina, Fishing, 1 Year;
•      Charles D. Hoffman, Trenton, Hunting, 3 Years;
•      Rickey B. Holt, Bunker, Hunting, 1 Year;
•      Michael A. Leeper, Plattsburg, All Sport, 1 Year;
•      Justin W. Miller, Osage Beach, All Sport, 1 Year;
•      Richard L. Parsons, Monett, Hunting, 1 Year;
•      Aaron Rummerfield, Kirksville, All Sport, 1 Year; and
•      Cotton R. Wheeler, Weaubleau, Hunting, 1 Year.
• Approved the suspension or revocation of all hunting and fishing privileges of 454 individuals who are not in compliance with applicable child support laws.
• Approved the suspension or revocation of one or more hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges of 291 individuals in accordance with the terms of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
• Set the next regular meeting for December 10-11, 2015, in Jefferson City.

This document is provided for public information only and is not an official record of the Missouri Department of Conservation or Missouri Conservation Commission.

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MDC's west-central waterfowl areas ready despite floods

Add caption

Wetland conditions fair to good at four areas offering public waterfowl hunting

Kansas City, Mo. – Habitat conditions at four key Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wetlands hit by floods rains in summer will vary from fair to good for the waterfowl hunting season. MDC’s Four Rivers, Settles Ford, Montrose and Schell-Osage conservation areas are all in the Middle Zone under statewide seasons and limits. The hunting season in the Middle Zone for ducks and coots starts with a youth hunt Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, and the regular season is Nov. 7 to Jan. 5.

   

Most waterfowl habit at MDC wetlands in west
central Missouri is in fair condition, as summer
floods shortened the growing season in low-lying areas.
But habitat is good enough for a good waterfowl
season if the weather conditions push ducks through the area.

Spring and early summer brought heavy rains and flooding to the Kansas City region, including the South Grand, Deepwater, and Osage River and feeder streams in west central Missouri. Habitat quality at public waterfowl hunting areas in the region will vary depending on how late flood water stood on managed wetlands, said Chris Daniel, MDC wildlife management biologist and manager for the Four Rivers Conservation Area. The lowest areas holding water into summer provided a shorter growth period for moist-soil plants that provide food for waterfowl, such as wild millet and annual smartweed. Fortunately, the higher and drier areas are in good shape.

   “There’s a lot of variability in habitat quality across the areas,” Daniel said. “Across all areas, fair is possibly the most accurate average of habitat.”

   Despite delays due to wet conditions, MDC crews were still able to implement some management practices that provide food for migrating waterfowl. Cropping was limited to just a few locations and no corn was planted in wetland units. But moist-soil management which promotes native plants such as annual smartweed and wild millet was somewhat successful. Aerial seeding of Japanese millet was done on some areas. Seeds from those plants provide wildlife food.

   Duck populations in the northern states and Canada are strong, biologists say, so large flocks of waterfowl are expected to migrate southward this autumn. That combined with management efforts could make for good hunting on MDC areas, if the weather patterns also cooperate.

   “The waterfowl hunting this year could be very good,” Daniel said.

   However, waterfowl hunting success is very weather dependent. Warm weather can delay ducks in their migration; severe cold fronts can push them quickly south. But if the weather cooperates, MDC public hunting areas are ready for waterfowl and hunters.

   The last flood water receded from the four conservation areas in late July. Overall, vegetation will be shorter than normal this year.

   At Schell-Osage, spring and summer rains provided ample rainfall for areas lakes used as the primary water source for wetland units. Along with fall rains, all hunting positions should be usable by mid-season. Wet conditions prevented any corn from being planted in wetland areas this year. Army worms also destroyed much of the planted and wild millet at Schell-Osage.

   At Four Rivers, hunters should note that the disabled-accessible waterfowl hunting blind at Pool 9 at Four Rivers is closed for repairs until the 2016 season.

   At Settle’s Ford Conservation Area, managers say a dry autumn has reduced water levels in wetland pools. However autumn rains could quickly recharge the system to full levels.

   Hunters will find the MDC Waterfowl Hunting Digest for 2015-2016 at nature shops and offices, or visit http://on.mo.gov/201Jtur. The digest has the complete list of seasons and regulations for all waterfowl hunting in Missouri.

   The MDC MO Hunting app allows hunters to purchase hunting permits online or carry a signed digital permit utilizing devices such as cell phones and tablets. Visithttp://mdc.mo.gov/mobile/mobile-apps/mo-hunting.

   Information on MDC conservation areas that offer waterfowl hunting is available athttp://on.mo.gov/1ikSpa3. The MDC online Atlas gives information about areas including telephone numbers and maps.

   Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt.

Related articles

• MDC hosts free National Hunting and Fishing Day activities (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Kansas City gets $475,000 grant for environmental cleanup (fox2now.com)
• Record 100-pound flathead catfish pulled from Missouri River (ky3.com)