MISSOURI VOLUME 81, ISSUE 5, MAY 2020 SERVING NATURE & YOU CONSERVATIONIST DD SS RR BB II aarree are MM EE OO WW EE SS AA Do you know that … Birds need our help Birds control the insect population. North American bird populations are declining. They consume over 400 million tons of insects per year. Here’s what you can do to help: Birds support your health. Plant native plants, shrubs, and trees. Getting outside and listening to birds helps Native plants attract native insects, which provide the improve a person’s mood and attention. best food for birds and their young. Birds are good for the economy. Make windows safer. Break up reflections and cut Birdwatchers boost local spending on binoculars and down on window strikes by installing stickers, film, or other sporting goods, lodging, gas, screens to the outside of windows. food, and other local businesses. Be a citizen scientist. Learn your birds by sight and sound, record sightings on eBird, or join monitoring efforts. Not sure where to see and hear birds? Check out the Great Missouri Birding Trail. Visit greatmissouribirdingtrail.com to find locations near you. MISSOURI CONSERVATIONIST Contents MAY 2020 VOLUME 81, ISSUE 5 10 ON THE COVER Three Eusarca confusaria moths pollinate a pale purple coneflower : DAN ZARLENGA 100mm lens, f/5.6 1 sec, ISO 800 GOVERNOR Michael L. Parson THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION CHAIR Don C. Bedell VICE CHAIR/SECRETARY 16 Wm. L. (Barry) Orscheln MEMBER Steven D. Harrison MEMBER Mark L. McHenry DIRECTOR Sara Parker Pauley DEPUTY DIRECTORS Mike Hubbard, Aaron Jeffries, Jennifer Battson Warren MAGAZINE STAFF MAGAZINE MANAGER Stephanie Thurber EDITOR Angie Daly Morfeld FEATURES ASSOCIATE EDITOR Larry Archer 10 STAFF WRITERS Bonnie Chasteen, Kristie Hilgedick, Spreading Life in Joe Jerek the Darkness 22 ART DIRECTOR Cliff White Creatures seldom seen pollinate DESIGNERS plants under the cloak of night. Shawn Carey, Les Fortenberry, Marci Porter by Dan Zarlenga PHOTOGRAPHERS Noppadol Paothong, David Stonner 16 CIRCULATION MANAGER Laura Scheuler Lasting Footprints DEPARTMENTS mdc.mo.gov/conmag Discover Nature Schools 2 Inbox sets a path for future conservationists to follow. 3 Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley by Stephanie Snyder McKinney 4 Nature Lab 22 5 In Brief Pond Management 28 Get Outside With proper care, you can avoid 30 Places To Go Download this the pitfalls of pond ownership. 32 Wild Guide issue to your phone or tablet at bany dS cAontdt rWewill Biarmanss on 33 Outdoor Calendar mdc.mo.gov/mocon. Jack-in-the-pulpit ADownndloardo foird Inbox BLOODROOT: BE AWARE In March’s What Letters to the Editor CRAYFISH KUDOS Is It? [Page 9], Submissions reflect Thoroughly enjoyed your article on burrowing shouldn’t there readers’ opinions and crayfish. Growing up in Arnold, there was a small have been a may be edited for length stream not far from the Meramec River. The stream warning about the and clarity. Email emptied into a creek that flowed in the river. Along bloodroot’s sap? [email protected] the stream, we would see gray clay chimneys. David Stokely Republic or write to us: June Kirk O’Fallon MISSOURI Bloodroot contains a reddish- CONSERVATIONIST NEONICS orange sap that can irritate the skin. Care should be PO BOX 180 JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65102 I have a question about Neonicotinoids and taken to avoid direct skin contact with the plant’s sap. Wetlands [Nature Lab, Page 4]. What I’ve read is that —the editors neonics are largely responsible for deaths in bees. I would think that farmers would want to preserve FAMILY FUN the pollinators. I realize that insects can also be Our family enjoys the Conservationist and Xplor disastrous to crops. Isn’t there a solution that works magazines. They are so informative and well for a better choice? And do these poisoned insects, designed. My 4.5-year-old son says, “Thank you for or the contaminated waters, have an effect on bird this magazine. It’s so great.” Keep up the good work. populations? The O’Neal Family Smithville Joyce Steinbuch Lathrop A GOOD READ Pesticides, including neonicotinoids, are one of the Thank you for the high-quality magazine you put many pressures on pollinators and other invertebrates out month after month. I am a special education worldwide. And, since bugs are basically bird food, reading teacher in a middle school. I find your pesticides may indirectly affect bird populations. magazine to be a wealth of material for lesson That said, we know our farming partners care very plans. The photography is incredible, the topics well WHAT LIES BENEATH much about the important role pollinators play in researched, and the articles well written. Thanks In 66 years, I had agricultural systems. Many of them work hard to again for making this an excellent educational tool! no idea there are practice integrated pest management, which includes Rosa Hamilton via email burrowing crawdads monitoring pest populations and establishing [Burrowing Crayfish, thresholds for control, as well as strategically applying CORRECTION March, Page 10]. pesticides like neonicotinoids. Additionally, many In Places to Go [April, I have seen these invest time and money to establish pollinator habitat Page 31], we incorrectly mud towers and in the form of flowering plants on their properties. stated Little Dixie Lake thought they were Another aspect of our neonicotinoid research, Conservation Area (CA) built by wasps. I not covered in this article, found that increased has camping available. The leevaerrny siossmuee.thing flcimoonrpacoel rndtatirvnaettr irsoointlyes boounf f nfneaartetividvee t bhbeeee ees faafebsc uptn oodlfla innneacoeto.n rGisc,io vttehinniso tihde atnoroe t4a a ailsl.om cwl.o,e ssdeo.d Fc aofrmro mmpio n1rge0 iipsn .fmor.m ation on Little Dixie OOT: JIM RATHERT Rich Murray ODR St. Louis County results in a win-win situation. —the editors Lake CA, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zmo. BLO Conservation Headquarters Have a Connect With Us! 573-751-4115 | PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 Question for a Commissioner? /moconservation Regional Offices Send a note using @moconservation Southeast/Cape Girardeau: 573-290-5730 Southwest/Springfield: 417-895-6880 our online Central/Columbia: 573-815-7900 Northwest/St. Joseph: 816-271-3100 contact form at @MDC_online Kansas City: 816-622-0900 St. Louis: 636-441-4554 mdc.mo.gov/ Northeast/Kirksville: 660-785-2420 Ozark/West Plains: 417-256-7161 commissioners. 2 Missouri Conservationist | May 2020 Up Want to see your photos in the Missouri Conservationist? Front Share your photos on Flickr at flickr.com/groups/mdcreaderphotos-2020, email [email protected], or include the hashtag #mdcdiscovernature on your Instagram photos. with Sara Parker Pauley _ Recently, I participated in a woodland prescribed burn with my MDC colleagues. All was well orchestrated — burn lines prepared, conditions just right, checklist implemented, equipment ready. It was time. I watched the flames as they crept across the forest floor, sometimes catching downed logs that blazed hot and uttered sounds like roaring wind. I couldn’t help but think of the irony of this burn happening on Good Friday. The scorched earth, the scars left behind on bases of larger trees. All seemed lost for a time. Much like it 1 may seem today amid this epic pandemic that we’ve not faced before — with fear and uncertainty casting dark shadows. 2 Anne Frank said, “The best remedy for those who are afraid, 1 | Gray fox by lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can Lisa McFadden, via email be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God.” Missourians have taken to this remedy. Over the last 2 | Crappie by weeks, as much of the world has shut down, so many more have midwesternwoman, via Instagram sought solace and healing in nature. Our conservation areas, boat ramps, community lakes, parks, and other outdoor places 3 | Missouri evening primrose by Kathy have borne witness to our innate need for nature. Bildner, via Flickr The forest floor will return — healthier for the burn — without the added burden of invasive shrubs and vines. And we, too, as Missouri families and communities will come 3 through this dark time. There will be scars, yes. But may they remind us to care less about the unimportant things and more about those that matter — faith, family, community, nature. Restoration is near. SARA PARKER PAULEY, DIRECTOR [email protected] The Missouri Conservationist (ISSN 0026-6515) is the official monthly publication of the Missouri Department of Conservation, 2901 West Truman Boulevard, Jefferson City, MO (Mailing address: PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102.) SUBSCRIPTIONS: Visit mdc.mo.gov/conmag, or call 573-522- MISSOURI CONSERVATION COMMISSIONERS 4115, ext. 3856 or 3249. Free to adult Missouri residents (one per household); out of state $7 per year; out of country $10 per year. Notification of address change must include both old and new address (send mailing label with the subscriber number on it) with 60-day notice. Preferred periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, Missouri, and at additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send correspondence to Circulation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Phone: 573-522-4115, ext. 3856 or 3249. Copyright © 2020 by the Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Missouri Department of Conserva- tion is available to all individuals without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability. Questions should be directed to the Department of Don Steven Mark Barry Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, 573-751-4115 (voice) or 800-735-2966 (TTY), or to Chief, Public Civil Rights, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Bedell Harrison McHenry Orscheln Washington, D.C. 20240. Printed with soy ink mdc.mo.gov 3 Nature L A B by Bonnie Chasteen Each month, we highlight research MDC uses to improve fish, forest, and wildlife management. RESOURCE SCIENCE Opinion Surveys A trained volunteer conducts an exit survey with an unstaffed shooting range user. MDC seeks and uses public opinions to improve natural _ “Natural resource management is just as much resource management and balance the needs of people and nature. about managing for people as it is for turkeys, trout, or trees,” said Social Science Program Supervisor Ron Reitz. “The department considers how its manage- of what a group of people, whether landowners, ment decisions affect you, the resource user, and your anglers, hikers, hunters, homeowners, farmers, or recreational opportunities.” even all Missourians think about an issue,” Reitz Reitz’s team of social scientists uses mail surveys, said. Social public meetings, focus groups, and web surveys to ask In fact, for simple survey questions, a sample science team Missourians about their views. Last year, his team size of about 1,000 can accurately represent the tracks public contacted nearly 200,000 Missourians to get their answers of Missouri’s 6 million people. “The results input on everything from deer and turkey regulations opinions are almost the same as if everyone had been asked to elk viewing and unstaffed shooting range use. about and responded,” Reitz said. You might say, “Nobody asked my opinion.” It’s Missouri’s One survey that helped MDC learn more and do true MDC can’t contact everyone. But, through sam- fish, forest, more for a group of Missouri recreationists occurred pling, staff can learn what you likely think about a and wildlife between 2013 and 2015. “This three-stage effort given topic. focused on unstaffed shooting range users,” Reitz This is because surveys assume that an opinion said. “The information we gained will help us better held by one person is also held by others. “If you ask manage unstaffed ranges, meet public needs, and enough of the right people, you get a pretty good idea comply with federal guidelines.” User Survey of Unstaffed Ranges Info Needed at a Glance • Who uses MDC’s 70 unstaffed shooting ranges? Results Using the Info • What are their needs, desires, and • Over 89% of Missourians live within 30 minutes • Evaluate potential compliance with rules of a shooting range (of any ownership) for staffing and regulations? • About 51% live within 30 minutes and prioritize of an MDC shooting range maintenance Methods • Area managers reported three common rule violations: and renovation/ construction littering, improper firearm use, and vandalism 1. Create a map of all projects shooting ranges, • An estimated 299,810 visitors used the • Modify rules, regardless of ownership study’s 39 unstaffed firearms ranges encourage 2. Survey key area • Missourians made up 95% of the visitors compliance, and managers • MDC’s unstaffed ranges provided users over improve customer MAN 3. Conduct user surveys $1.8 million in recreation value service and safety M TREI afitr e3a9r munss rtaanffgeeds • TMhies seostuimri’ast eedc oencoonmoym iics i$m7p.3a cmt iollnio n EXIT SURVEY: TO 4 Missouri Conservationist | May 2020 Browse public comment opportunities at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZJx In Brief News and updates from MDC FIRST ELK HUNTING MDC will require a $10 application fee for those applying for the general permits. Qualifying landowners applying for a landowner SEASON THIS FALL permit will not be required to pay the $10 application fee. Those selected for each of the five permits must pay a $50 permit fee. THE MISSOURI CONSERVATION MDC will limit the random draw to one application per-person, COMMISSION HAS APPROVED per-year with a 10-year “sit-out” period for those drawn for a general FIVE PERMITS FOR HUNTING permit before they may apply again. If selected for a landowner BULL ELK DURING MISSOURI’S elk permit, qualifying landowners will not be required to wait 10 FIRST ELK HUNTING SEASON IN MODERN HISTORY years before again applying for a landowner elk permit. Qualifying landowners may apply once each year for a general elk hunting  Missouri’s first elk season comes permit and for a landowner elk permit, but are eligible to receive only after years of restoration efforts of one permit annually. the once-native species by MDC, Local landowners have been supportive of the reintroduction numerous partners including the of elk to the area and many have worked hard to create habitat that Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, benefits elk and many other wildlife species. and supporters including local The landowner elk permit is limited to resident landowners with at communities and area landowners. least 20 contiguous acres within the “Landowner Elk Hunting Zone” of For this season, MDC has Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon counties. Zone boundaries are shown designated a nine-day archery in the application. The landowner permit is nontransferable and may portion running Oct. 17–25 and a only be filled on the landowner’s property. nine-day firearms portion running General permits can be used in Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon Dec. 12–20. The five permits, counties, except the refuge portion of Peck Ranch Conservation Area, awarded through a random draw, and are not transferable. will be for bull elk and will be valid Allowed hunting methods for each season portion will be the for both portions. Four permits will same as for deer hunting. The permits will allow for the harvest of HILDRETH bpee rfmori tt hweil lg been reersael rpvuebdl ifco ar nqdu aolnifey ing oSuncec beussllf eullk h wunitthe rast mleausstt oTenlee cahnetlcekr nthoe sirh hoarrtever sthteadn e6l kin, cshimesil ainr tloen dgetehr.. N O AAR area landowners. First Elk Hunting Season continued on Page 6 » mdc.mo.gov 5 In Brief Ask MDC FIRST ELK HUNTING SEASON (continued) To apply for an elk permit, applicants must be Mis- Got a Question for Ask MDC? souri residents at least 11 years of age by the first day of Send it to [email protected] the hunt. Those selected to receive a permit must have or call 573-522-4115, ext. 3848. their hunter education certification or be exempt by age (born before Jan. 1, 1967) before they may purchase the permit. Apply for the elk permit random draw May 1–31 Q: I saw this moss online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, through MDC’s free that looked like it was MO Hunting app, by visiting a permit vendor, or by call- ”blooming.” I’ve never ing 1-800-392-4115. seen this before. Can you Qualifying landowners must submit their property tell me what this is? information through MDC’s Landowner Permit Applica-  This moss is at the “capsule” tion at mdc.mo.gov/landownerpermits before applying. stage and is about to release Starting July 1, applicants can check to see if they spores. The capsules open have been selected for an elk hunting permit online when small, lidlike structures Moss capsules at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits after logging into Manage decay, allowing the spores to Your Account and selecting View My Special Hunt History. float in the wind and establish Q: I have some large elm For more information on elk hunting in Missouri, visit new life. trees in my yard that are short.mdc.mo.gov/Znd. All mosses are bryophytes, succumbing to Dutch elm Elk are a native species in Missouri but were hunted meaning they reproduce via disease and need to be to extinction in the state through unregulated hunting spores rather than flowers cut down. I’ve noticed during the late 1800s. With the help of numerous part- or seeds. Of the thousands squirrels, robins, wrens, ners and supporters, MDC reintroduced about 100 elk of species of bryophytes bluebirds, and occasionally to a remote area of the Missouri Ozarks in 2011, 2012, identified, none show all the cardinals nest in them. and 2013. Their numbers have grown to more than adaptations needed for a Would fall be the best time 200, and their range has expanded in recent years to completely terrestrial existence. to remove these elms, when cover portions of Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon coun- Unlike other plants, they lack the squirrels and birds ties. Learn more about elk restoration in Missouri at the well-developed vascular are not raising young? short.mdc.mo.gov/ZYJ. structure needed to conduct  From the perspective of water and nutrients. This limits the wildlife using these trees their ability to grow very large as habitat, September through HUNTERS GIVE TO SHARE THE HARVEST and most are less than 4 inches October is the safest time to MDC and the Conservation Federation of Missouri tall. remove them. By September, (CFM) thank the thousands of Missouri deer hunters Since they do depend on the most of the bird nesting activity who donated 348,535 pounds of venison to the state’s existence of water to reproduce, will be concluded. And by Share the Harvest program this past deer season, includ- they grow primarily in damp getting the work done before ing 6,795 whole deer. We also thank the more than 100 and shady environments — such Halloween, you would allow participating meat processors throughout the state who as the floor of a Missouri forest the squirrels to create nests ganridn dth teh em daonnya stepdo ndseoerrs m wehaot ifinntoan reciaadllyy- tsou-pupseo rpta tchkea gperos-, or wBeocoadulasen dm.osses can survive ewleseawthheer rsee btse ifno.re very cold OURTNEY BOLIN gaatisarnr cocadtoum lonfoo.rd cdoT ahitdlnh e faepo td aoesontddant tbbraeiyate.e n sMTd kot sDo dg oCeher etae frnSlo pmhdo a dfeCer aeFpetM ad tghn .ho etSreu iiHesnn sacgt.roe rvS ytelh hosMaectr a ievpsle srtfonhoogieuosr rdoHain amabn,r a csvwno eakanslsst-l wtcoMhafia etnbhnynoo yogu uatrlt,od hsbweuiekr cswiehn,r h gr ahoe sracr oeskoo sneot, nettahhjdnoee dyir n e sps udstlrooa tfninhal,tece ses .s edpenxoecccsAeosasilyubl eircnlaneoggt n b estsero eepcureaevrsuaco etspwiesolh e note hitfsn oetf soy ap, o nswrdedeer s avw eenrhv daee sr e MARTIN; RED MILKSNAKE: C started in 1992, it has provided more than 4.3 million soft respite offered by a moss- shelter for a variety of animal HOLLY pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry covered trail. species. MOSS: Missourians, including this past season’s donations. For more information on Share the Harvest, visit CFM online at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zeu. 6 Missouri Conservationist | May 2020 Zachary Swindle SHANNON COUNTY CONSERVATION AGENT offers this month’s AGENT Red milksnake ADVICE However, some trees simply cannot be saved or are not worth late October, but they’re secretive saving. If a tree has already been and seldom seen out in the open. weakened by disease, the trunk is They usually shelter under rocks and Black bass season opens split, or more than 50 percent of the logs or in rodent burrows. During crown is gone, the tree should be hot weather, they move even further May 23 for streams south removed. underground. In Missouri, they of the Missouri River. prefer rocky, south-facing hillsides — Opportunities abound across Q: I noticed this red milksnake especially on glades. the state for anglers to catch eating a skink. Can you tell Red milksnakes feed on small me more about this snake? snakes, mice, and lizards — smallmouth, largemouth, and  Brightly colored and medium particularly skinks. They kill their spotted bass. Regardless of in size, red milksnakes occur prey by constriction. In this photo, your preferred method, you throughout Missouri. They are the snake you encountered is likely will need a fishing permit. If generally active from April through eating a five-lined skink. you are fishing with others, keep your catch separate and identifiable. Be alert on the water and always have ample safety equipment. Check the Wildlife Code of Missouri or A Summary of What Missouri Fishing Regulations for length and daily limits, IS it? which vary depending on your fishing location. Can you guess this Both are available where month’s permits are sold or online natural at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZUk. wonder? Get your family together and The answer is on head to your nearest fishing Page 9. hole. What a great way to kick-off the summer! mdc.mo.gov 7 In Brief CONSERVATION Spotlight on WWWEEE AAARRREEE people and partners by Madi Nolte Terry Feil  Feil, a retired mail carrier, took conservation efforts into his own hands after reading an article about declining bee populations. With help from his wife, Robyn, and Private Land Conservationist Ryan Lueckenhoff, Feil converted 32 acres of his Audrain County farmland into pollinator- and quail-friendly habitat. In just three years, he has planted nearly 3,000 shrubs and more than 30 types of wildflowers. Above and beyond “There are basic requirements to these programs,” Lueckenhoff said, referring to required numbers of shrubs and downed tree structures. “He went above and beyond and quadrupled the amount of stuff he had to do.” In his own words “You can make a whole lot more money farming this land than doing what I’m doing,” Feil said. “But there comes a time when you gotta ask yourself, ‘How much is enough?’” “Everything we’ve done seems like it’s working,” Feil said. “I have quail every day, all day long in my yard.” : by Cliff White What’s your conservation superpower? 8 Missouri Conservationist | May 2020