MISSOURI January 2007 Volume 68 Issue 1 CONSERVATIONIST Serving Nature & You Vantage Point Conserving together This past year was an exciting time for conservation! Missouri citizens, conservation organizations and Conservation Department staff worked together to produce solid results. I recently read a summary of 2006 conservation accomplishments, and the “summary” is eighteen pages long! Here are just a few examples that Missourians can be proud of: s Missourians formed the 3,000th Stream Team. An excellent example of citizen-conservationists becoming te hI active participants in monitoring our aquatic treasures. f w f s The one millionth student received Hunter Education ClI training. The Hunter Education program, which began in 1957, relies heavily on over 2,000 volunteer instruc- citizens advance their goals and interests in conserva- tors. In 2006, these instructors helped certify more than tion. Recent surveys reveal more than 90 percent of 27,000 students. Missourians express an interest in fish, forest and wild- s Missouri’s 11-day, regular firearms deer season life resources. The cornerstone of Missouri’s conserva- produced a record harvest of 235,054 deer, an increase tion experience is the recognition that natural resource of 12,725 from the previous record set in 2004. The total protection is a balance between the needs of man and 2006 harvest will exceed 300,000 deer. A strong harvest nature. Those of us who serve you in the conservation helps maintain deer numbers at appropriate levels while professions are grateful for the partnership that strong also enhancing Share the Harvest, a partnership with citizen support brings to meeting our challenges. the Conservation Federation of Missouri, meat proces- Together we can keep the outdoors important and sors and hunters who annually donate over 250,000 keep conservation valuable to our state. I like the way pounds of venison to less fortunate Missourians. Margaret Mead put it best, “Never doubt that a small s Timber harvests were implemented on more than group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change 12,000 acres of Conservation Department forest land the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” to maximize benefits for wildlife habitat, ecological The most significant thing we can do is to provide diversity and forest health. The timber sales, designed all citizens with the opportunity to learn about and and managed by professional foresters using best understand our natural world. Only then will the management practices, also produced over 20 million Next Generation of Missourians be prepared to face board feet of valuable forest products. tomorrow’s conservation challenges. Experience tells us s Acquisition of 505 acres near the St. Louis urban area that this effort starts with individuals, spreads to com- to conserve over a mile of Jefferson County’s LaBarque munities and cities and, eventually, influences society’s Creek and its tributaries. This beautiful stream is wor- decision-making. thy of protection for its excellent biological diversity, As we head into a new year, it is appropriate to look including over 40 species of fish. back at 2006 and highlight recent accomplishments, The many conservation successes of 2006 can be but we do so with the understanding that real conserva- credited to Missouri’s unique legacy of citizen-led, tion progress is often measured in decades rather than citizen-driven, conservation governance. It is through years. The blueprint for the future is written in The Next this nationally recognized model for conservation that Generation of Conservation (www.missouriconservation. together we will meet the many significant conserva- org/conmag/2006/09/), the Department’s new strategic tion challenges facing Missouri’s natural resources. plan, providing the framework for conservation efforts Challenges include: invasive plants and animals that for years to come. In 2007, please join us in making threaten native Missouri species, plant and animal conservation progress in your backyard, your farm, your diseases, balancing the needs of both abundant and community and your state. rare wildlife, rapid development, and degredation of our stream systems. The Department of Conservation exists to help John Hoskins, director Contents January 2007, Volume 68, Issue 1 14 18 24 4 Nontoxic Shot It’s the future of dove hunting on conservation areas. DEPARTMENTS by DAviD UriCh Reflections 2 2006 Annual Report 28 8 Your Opinion Counts Conservation Department surveys help News & Almanac 30 determine how we can best serve you. by rON rEitz, hEAthEr SCrOGGiNS AND DAviD thOrNE, PhOtOS by CLiff WhitE COVER 8 Winter warmth—by Cliff White 14 Home Heating Use firewood to save money and improve your forest. by JOhN tUttLE, PhOtOS by CLiff WhitE 18 Wetland Renaissance Restore habitat and improve property with help from the Missouri Agricultural wetland Initiatives. by KEviN DACEy, PhOtOS by NOPPADOL PAOthONG 24 Weeding Trees learn how to get more value out of your tree harvest. by JASON JENSEN, PhOtOS by JAmES fAShiNG 4 Contact Information Regional offices centRal office subscRiptions Southeast/Cape Girardeau—573/290-5730 Phone: 573/751-4115 Phone: 573/522-4115 ext. 3856 or 3249 Central/Columbia—573/884-6861 Address:  2901 W. Truman Blvd.  Address:  Circulation  Kansas City—816/655-6250 P.O. Box 180  P.O. Box 180  Northeast/Kirksville—660/785-2420 Jefferson City 65102-0180 Jefferson City 65102-0180 Southwest/Springfield—417/895-6880 E-mail subscriptions:  ombudsman Questions Northwest/St. Joseph—816/271-3100 [email protected] Phone: 573/522-4115 ext. 3848 St. Louis—636/441-4554 Online subscriptions and address changes:  Address:  Ombudsman  Ozark/West Plains—417/256-7161 mdc.mo.gov/conmag/subscribe P.O. Box 180  Cost of subscriptions:  Northeast Jefferson City 65102-0180 Free to Missouri households Northwest E-mail: [email protected] Out of State $7 per year editoRial comments Out of Country $10 per year Central Kansas St. Phone: 573/522-4115 ext. 3245 or 3847 Address Changes: City Louis Address:  Magazine Editor  Don’t miss an issue due to an   Southeast P.O. Box 180  address change. Go online,   Southwest Ozark Jefferson City 65102-0180 call, write or e-mail us to   E-mail: [email protected] update your information.  Serving nature and you www.MissouriConservation.org   Reflections MuSSel POWeR For more information on to a streambank and usually back Are any Missouri mussels suitable Missouri’s mussels, read Missouri’s from the water’s edge about 100 feet. for human consumption? [Outside In; Freshwater Mussels by Sue A glade is a treeless and brushless November 2006] Bruenderman and Janet Sternburg clearing that may resemble a prairie Maria Simone, Cole Camp at www.missouriconservation. and often has bedrock at, or just org/conmag/1999/08/40.htm. below, the surface. A revetment is a Editor’s note: Freshwater mussels are barrier—in this case [Don’t Go With eaten by raccoons, mink, otters and TRaNSlaTiON, PleaSe? the Flow; December 2006], something some ducks and fish. Humans can It has been quite some time since I to protect the stream bank from ero- eat freshwater mussels, but should have been on the farm. So, can you sion, such as trees anchored along the be careful. try to explain to a little old lady what a bare bank. The orange thing around The meat of freshwater mussels is watershed, a riparian corridor, a glade the dog’s neck is an electronic collar tough compared to saltwater mus- and a revetment are? used to communicate with and locate sels. This is because most saltwater Also, on page 23 of the December dogs in the field. mussels attach themselves to rocks issue, what is the orange thing around by strong filaments. Therefore, they the dog’s neck? eveRYONe likeS deSSeRT do not need to use their body to dig Mary Alice Porter, via Internet I took pictures this summer of a downy into the river bottom like freshwater woodpecker that took to visiting our mussels do. This makes the fresh- Editor’s note: A watershed is an area hummingbird feeder. he showed up water mussel’s “foot” tough. Since of land that drains into a particular daily and apparently drank the nectar. freshwater mussels also filter water body of water, such as a stream, river Is this common or rare? from the streams they live in, they or lake. A riparian corridor is the Craig Lingle, via Internet may contain contaminants. strip of land and vegetation adjacent Editor’s note: According to Andy Forbes, Department of Conservation ornithologist, what you describe at your hummingbird feeder is not uncommon. Woodpeckers love the sweet sugar water in hummingbird feeders, and they will often visit them for a drink. Baltimore orioles will also do this quite often. Raccoons are also sometimes known to pop off the yellow “flower” guards and chug the sugar water. If woodpecker feeding is something you want to discourage, there are a few things you can do: 1) Feed woodpeckers and other birds as far away as possible from hummingbird feeders. You can also buy specially designed nectar feeders with larger holes that woodpeckers POP! GOES THE VERbESiNA and orioles tend to prefer and put these delicate “blooms” occur during the first hard frosts each fall when them in another place. moisture from the plant’s still-active roots rises into the dried stems. Ice forms 2) You can purchase smaller as the moisture squeezes through cracks in the stem and freezes into frosty feeders or “mobile” feeders (like a ribbons. Native Missouri wildflowers that mature late in the year, such as yellow mobile over a crib) that are too light ironweed (Verbesina alternifolia) and white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica), are for larger birds to land on but are no good frost flower prospects. frost flowers often shatter if touched. these were problem for hummers. photographed at taum Sauk State Park by David hillquist of Arcadia. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy their antics!   Missouri Conservationist January 2007 MISSOURI CONSERVATIONIST Ask the Ombudsman GOveRNOR Matt Blunt THe CONSeRvaTiON COMMiSSiON Q:W hen are you going to start offering Stephen C. Bradford Chip McGeehan preference points for managed deer Cynthia Metcalfe hunts? i’ve put in year after year and never been Lowell Mohler selected. DiRECTOR John Hoskins ASSiSTANT DiRECTOR Denise Garnier Brown ASSiSTANT DiRECTOR John W. Smith a:w e will be implementing a change for the ASSiSTANT DiRECTOR Robert Ziehmer iNTERNAL AUDiTOR Nancy Dubbert 2007 season. GENERAL COUNSEL Tracy McGinnis Managed deer hunts are popular with many diviSiONS hunters. these hunts are held in a variety of loca- ADMiNiSTRATiVE SERViCES Carter Campbell tions around the state to provide a unique hunting DESiGN AND DEVELOPMENT Bill Lueckenhoff FiSHERiES Steve Eder opportunity and, in some locations, such as state FORESTRY Lisa G. Allen parks, community parks and refuges, to control deer HUMAN RESOURCES Debbie Strobel OUTREACH & EDUCATiON Lorna Domke numbers. Due to limited space, managed hunts can accommodate only a certain PRiVATE LAND SERViCES Stephen J. Wilson number of hunters, so a random drawing process is used to determine who will PROTECTiON Dennis Steward get to hunt at these areas. RESOURCE SCiENCE Dale D. Humburg WiLDLiFE Dave Erickson hunters may apply for only one hunt, and the random drawing process has CONSeRvaTiONiST STaFF ensured that everyone has had the same odds of being selected. however, de- EDiTOR iN CHiEF Ara Clark pending on the number of applicants for a hunt, the odds of being selected could MANAGiNG EDiTOR Nichole LeClair ART DiRECTOR Cliff White be very low—3 percent last season for a hunt at Swan lake, or very high—100 WRiTER/EDiTOR Tom Cwynar percent at Caney Mountain. See www.missouriconservation.org/hunt/deer/draw. OUTSiDE iN EDiTOR Joan McKee htm for odds information. ARTiST Dave Besenger ARTiST Mark Raithel for a long time, unsuccessful hunters have asked for special consideration PHOTOGRAPHER Noppadol Paothong that would help them get selected for managed hunts. the Department of STAFF WRiTER Jim Low DESiGNER Susan Fine Conservation hesitated initially because there was no way to be fairer CiRCULATiON Laura Scheuler than giving all applicants the same chance. Another justification for a totally The Missouri Conservationist (ISSN 0026-6515) is the of- random process was simplicity. Any type of point system would be administra- ficial monthly publication of the Missouri Department tively difficult. of Conservation, 2901 West Truman Boulevard, Jefferson City, MO (Mailing address: P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, with current advances in technology, the Department feels that some help can MO 65102.) Subscription free to adult Missouri residents; be provided to unsuccessful applicants for managed hunts by implementing a out of state $7 per year; out of country $10 per year. Notification of address change must include both old weighted, random selection process. hunters will now have their names entered and new address (send mailing label with the subscriber into the random drawing an additional time for each year they are not selected. number on it) with 60-day notice. Preferred periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, Mo., and at additional en- So, those who miss out in 2007 will go into the hat two times in 2008. If they are try offices. Postmaster: Send correspondence to Circula- again not selected in 2008, their names will go into the hat three times in 2009 tion, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Phone: and so on, until they are selected. 573/751-4115. Copyright © 2007 by the Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. Because it is important to encourage young and new hunters, successful ap- plicants for managed hunts one year will still be allowed to apply the following Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Missouri Department of Conservation season. to encourage parties to include persons who have fewer “points,” the aver- is available to all individuals without regard to their race, age number of points for hunters in a party will be used. color, national origin, sex, age or disability. Questions Details on deer season will be on the Department’s web site and at permit should be directed to the Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, (573) 751-4115 vendors this summer. If you are interested in managed deer hunts, please check (voice) or 800-735-2966 (TTY), or to the U.S. Fish and out the information provided. Wildlife Service Division of Federal Assistance, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop: MBSP-4020, Arlington, VA Opening day of the November portion of the firearms deer season will be 22203. November 10, 2007. Other season dates will be announced this summer. Printed in USA Ombudsman Ken Drenon will respond to your questions, suggestions or complaints concerning Conservation Department programs. Write him at P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, call him at 573/522-4115, ext. 3848, or e-mail him at   Printed on recycled paper with soy ink [email protected]. www.MissouriConservation.org   NONTOxIC SHOT It’s the future of dove hunting on conservation areas. by david urich e t hI w f f ClI   Missouri Conservationist January 2007 M y friend and I were standing in the park- ing lot on the west side of the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in St. Charles County at 11 a.m., and the temperature was already approaching 100 degrees. It was opening day of dove season, and I was fortunate enough to have a hunting reservation. We checked our supplies before leaving our vehicle. My backpack contained some snacks, a gallon and a half of water and two boxes of steel shot shells for my side-by-side shotgun. I knew I would need the water because the temperature was forecast to be near 105 degrees by mid afternoon. Because of the excessive heat, I had left my Labrador retriever at home. I couldn’t possibly carry enough water for myself and an 80-pound dog that insists on wearing a heavy black coat, no matter what the weather. Besides, he is such a sloppy drinker that I knew he would waste most of the water. I don’t like hunting without my dog. It seems unnatu- ral and lonely. We are a team and he is a good compan- ion, although I seem to do most of the talking when we sit down for Research breaks together. I’d just have to suggests retrieve my own doves today. Dove hunting on Columbia that the loss Bottom is traditionally excellent. of doves Hunters must apply for a reser- vation in advance, and hunting from lead begins at 1 p.m. Access to the area is by foot or bicycle only. poisoning We began our walk and saw may equal or other hunters heading out to partially mown sunflower fields, exceed the where a combination of seed and legal dove bare ground attracts doves. It was a 3-mile walk from the west harvest. side of the area to the Mississippi River on the east side, where most of the managed dove fields were located. But there were plenty of doves flying by the first sunflower field that we came to, so we stopped there and hid ourselves in the tall, unmown sunflowers. I loaded my gun with two steel shot shells. Nontoxic shot has always been required for dove hunting on Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. the nontoxic advantage During a typical dove hunting season on Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, hunters will shoot about 32,000 shells, each containing an average of one ounce www.MissouriConservation.org   e t hI w f f ClI Most shot shells sold for hunting are used for doves, but leftover shot may also poison other birds species. of shot. That works out to 2,000 pounds (or a ton) of Doves and waterfowl are not the only birds affected shot deposited on the ground each year. by lead shot. Recent studies revealed that 31 species Studies have shown that up to 6 percent of the of birds, including game birds like ring-necked pheas- doves feeding at Columbia Bottom could die from lead ants and northern bobwhite quail, can fall victim to poisoning each year if nontoxic shot were not required lead poisoning. Avian scavengers, including eagles and for hunting. hawks, that consume dead or dying lead-poisoned birds The nontoxic shot regulation also helps waterfowl. also risk death or sickness from lead ingestion. In coming years, many of the dove fields at Columbia shelling doves Bottom will be restored to wetlands similar to those that were common along the Missouri and Mississippi The first dove whizzed by in front of me. I raised my gun rivers before the construction of levees and conversion and shot twice, missing both times. It takes me a while to agricultural fields. Because of the nontoxic shot to get into the groove on the opening of dove season. regulation, there won’t be any lead shot to threaten Like many hunters, I tend to shoot behind a flying waterfowl that visit the restored wetlands. bird, especially if I am not alert and prepared. I think Nationally, most shot shells sold for hunting are steel shot gives me a little extra edge because of its speed. expended on doves. That means a lot of lead rains down Four more birds flew by before I got my first one. It on dove fields each dove season. was a good thing I’d brought two boxes of steel shot Because doves migrate during the hunting season, shells, but even that was not going to be enough for a the birds have an opportunity to ingest lead shot each limit if I didn’t shoot a little better. time they stop to feed during their journey. Research There were about 100 hunters out on the area the day suggests that the loss of doves from lead poisoning may we hunted. Dove hunting is popular in Missouri with equal or exceed the legal dove harvest. about 35,000 to 40,000 hunters harvesting 700,000 to   Missouri Conservationist January 2007 no substitute for labs Hunters and Nontoxic Shot My shooting picked up, and I was approaching a limit. I The mandatory nontoxic shot regulation was established for hunting  decided to only shoot at birds that approached me from ducks and geese in Missouri in 1990 and nationally during the 1991–92  behind and flew out in front, this forced me to be more waterfowl hunting season.  alert and challenged my shooting skills. Fifteen years have passed since nontoxic shot was required for duck  My hunting companion had a limit of doves and was and goose hunting. In that time, not only have hunters adjusted to  sitting on a bucket next to me. It was a good thing he the different ballistics of steel shot, but more alternatives to lead shot  was done, because I had used up all of my shells and have become available. Many are composed of different metallic alloys,  was working on his. He also would run out into the field including some that provide performance similar to lead.  to retrieve my birds for me with nearly the same enthu- Studies of waterfowl hunters have not documented a sustained  siasm as my Lab. increase in crippling loss due to the use of nontoxic shot.  By late afternoon, I finally got my last dove and we In addition, guns are now equipped with barrels that will not suffer  began our walk back to the parking lot. We chatted from long-term use of the harder steel shot.  with other hunters who had also finished up and were The price of nontoxic shells also has come down, especially for  making their way back. Almost every hunter had taken 12- and 20-gauge shells. Hunters can even load their own nontoxic  a limit of doves that day. shot shells to save money or to improve performance.  I drank the last of my water just as the truck came into sight. The flying doves were thicker than when we started hunting several hours earlier. My friend and I 750,000 doves annually. Conservation areas are impor- had a memorable and unique hunt, but I have to say tant to dove hunters because they are convenient places that I still missed my dog. s to hunt, and they have good dove habitat. The Department of Conservation promotes dove hunting by managing fields especially for doves on approximately 90 areas around the state. It even posts maps of field locations on its Web site. Rules changing The Department of Conservation recently expanded the requirement for nontoxic shot on 21 conservation areas to include all hunting with shot and shotguns. The regu- lations go into effect March 1, 2007. These conservation areas have extensive wetland habitats and concentra- tions of waterfowl and shorebirds in the fall and spring. All hunters using a shotgun for turkey, dove, rabbit, squirrel or other upland game hunting on these areas must use nontoxic shot and may not possess lead shot. Twenty-nine additional conservation areas are being reviewed for possible designation for nontoxic shot only, bringing the statewide total to nearly 50 of the 1,100 areas that we manage. Most of these conservation areas are located along the Missouri River, where peri- odic flooding makes spent lead shot available to migra- tory waterfowl, or the areas are near urban centers that have high hunting pressure for many types of upland game. Also in 2008, if approved by the Conservation Commission, all dove hunters on Missouri’s conserva- tion areas must use nontoxic shot. The proposed nontoxic shot rule changes will t R e h apply only to lands administered by the Conservation At R Department. M JI www.MissouriConservation.org     Missouri Conservationist January 2007