WildlifeMISSOURI

MARCH 2010VOL. 71, NO. 2

There’s a reasonthey call it the great outdoors.™

The tolls of an indoorchildhood include:

• Declining creativity, concentrationand social skills.

• Doubling of the childhood obesityrate with an incremental $100 billion annual cost to ourpublic health system.

• Alarming increase in prescr ibedantidepressants for Americanchildren over the past 10 years.

Outdoor play offersphysical, emotional andhealth benefits:

• The American Academy ofPediatrics recommends 60 minutes of daily unstructuredfree play to improve children'sphysical and mental health.

• National Association for theEducation of Young Childrencites that play is an active formof learning that unites the mind,body, and spirit.

• Children who play outside aremore physically active, more creative, less aggressive andshow better concentration.

www.BeOutThere.org

The Nature of American Childhood Has Changed

While their parents grew up skipping stones, climbing trees, camping and fishing,today’s children spend twice as much time indoors as their parents did, missingout on the simple pleasures and lasting mental and ph ysical health benefits ofdaily outdoor time.

Join The Be Out ThereTM Movement

National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Be Out There returns to children what theydon't even know they’ve lost: connection to the natural world. Studies show dailytime outdoors provides not only the simple joys found in nature, but alsoimproves children’s physical, mental and emotional health, boosts classroom performance and encourages stewardship over the environment.

By addressing American childhood's fundamental shift indoors, Be Out Thereengages families and communities, educators and healthcare practitioners, corporate leaders and policymakers in raising happier, healthier kids with a life-long appreciation of nature.

Cultivating America’s Most Precious Resource

With a wealth of resources to offer, NWF inspires kids to view the outdoors astheir favorite play space, where it's okay to move freely, imagine, discover anddaydream. Children, parents and teachers can explore ideas and resources foroutdoor fun at www.BeOutThere.org. Family by family, community by community,Be Out There will help the nation's children experience the wonder of the outdoors and reap rewards that last for generations.

Be Out ThereTM Partner “Get the message out that quality, healthy Outdoors is essential for life.”#1 priority from A Summit for the Future of Missour i Outdoors,May 2009

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 1

Wildlife March 2010

Vol. 71, No. 2

MISSOURI

Missouri Wildlife is the official publica-tion of the Conservation Federation ofMissouri, Af filiate of the N ationalWildlife Federation. ISSN 1082-8591

728 W. MainJefferson City, MO 65101-1559

Phone • 573-634-2322 Fax • 573-634-8205

Email • dmurphy@confedmo.orgOnline • http://www.confedmo.org

MISSOURI WILDLIFE (USPS 012868) is pub-lished bimonthly in January , March, May ,July, September and November for sub-scribers and members of the ConservationFederation of Missouri, 728 W . Main, Jef-ferson City, MO 65101-1559. Of each mem-ber’s dues ($25 minimum) $10.00 shall befor a year’s subscription to Missouri Wildlife.Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City ,MO. and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

MISSOURI WILDLIFE, 728 W. Main,Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559

Glenn ChambersMike Schallon

Duane AddlemanDan Zerr

Randy Washburn

Dave Murphy

Matt Gaunt

Amy Buechler

Micaela Haymaker

Laurie Coleman

Lynne J. Lampe

President

1st Vice President

2nd Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Executive Director/Editor

Director ofDevelopment

Teaming WithWildlife Coordinator

Office Manager

MembershipAssociate/ Managing EditorDesign & Production

OFFICERS

STAFF

COVER: “DEFENDING THE TURF—Greater Prairie-Chicken.” ©2010Glenn D. Chambers.

Inside This Issue:FEATURED ARTICLES

An Open Letter From Judd Kirkham ....................................................4

Planting Seeds:Youth In Conservation ..............................................14

Consequences Of Hermann’s Defeat Of Invaders ........................20

Forest Management Workshop For Deer, Turkey ..........................25

Sportsmen’s Caucuses Hold National Assembly ..........................27

Rabbit Hunting: An Aquatic And Family Experience......................28

Apply For Managed Turkey Hunt By March 11 ............................30

NEWS, UPDATES AND COLUMNS

View From The Stone House ..............................................................................2

President’s Message ............................................................................................3

Development News

The Importance of Growing CFM ....................................................................5Thank You, New Business Alliance Members ................................................17

Teaming With Wildlife

CFM Hosts Statewide Conservation Opportunity Area Team Training ..........62010 Missouri TWW Mini-Grants: Apply Now!..............................................7

Calendar ..................................................................................................................8

Agency News

Old Traditions, New Beginnings And Challenging The Youth ......................10Partnerships: Key To Success Of MDC Deputy Director ................................12Deer Harvest Totals Nearly 300,000 ..............................................................24

Mailbag ..................................................................................................................13

News & Issues ......................................................................................................18

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Purchasing Recycled Products In Missouri ....................................................23

Member Information

Business Alliance Members ............................................................................11New Members ................................................................................................13Conservationists For Life ................................................................................19List Of Affiliates ..............................................................................................30Honorariums And Memorials ........................................................................31

My new friendswere in a tightspot. A coupleof weeks earlier

they had taken my every wordto heart. They had immedi-ately bought into and madetheir own the idea of hosting afund raising banquet to bene-fit wildlife in their hometown. Their clarity of focusand understanding, their zealfor new hope, their self-confi-dence had all vaporized intheir very first round of con-tacts with the folks backhome. The brother-in-laws,the hunting buddies, the pas-tors, and the wives of the com-munity had clearly all cometogether to set these foolsaright and to squelch anythoughts of such folly.

They did me the greatcourtesy of coming to yetanother meeting and deliver-ing personally their everyobjection, concern and criti-cism. Such is the cauldronfrom which tempered steel isforged. Two-way, open com-munication—good, and espe-cially bad. Only so may wellintentioned folks remainhitched and make realprogress together.

Their biggest concern was atenet of conventional wisdom.That if one charged more, inthis case enough to includethe price of membership;fewer people would come totheir banquet. Each had apersonal, first hand…or sec-ond or third hand…experi-ence to draw upon and enter

into the lively discussion. Theobjection was most succinctlyexpressed in the question,“sooooooo, do you wantmembers or more folks toattend?” The postulate beingthat if we dropped the ridicu-lous idea of making peoplepay for membership in ournew organization up front,more people would come, takea look, consider, fall in lovewith and make the obviouschoice to buy a membershipafter the fact. In my newfriends’ desire to do good andbe inclusive, they had sold atable full of tickets to 4 of thewealthiest folks in our town,Billionaires all, as meal ticketswith no included member-ship. Because these guyswould “gladly support us buthave no interest at all in mem-bership.”

In this particular instance,the alignment of circum-stance and perhaps, DivineGuidance intervened. Mywife, in her eagerness to sup-port my feeble efforts, had

already purchased two tablesworth of membership ticketsfor her entire staff and theirspouses.

My question was simple:“so you are telling me that ifmy wife or any of her employ-ees wish to bid on anything onlive auction at our banquet,they must bid against thewealthiest folks in our townwho were admitted for theprice of the meal?” “To whomdo we owe our favor?” “Howcan we expect to build anenduring organization withno members…no matter howmuch money we might raisein the short term?”

Finding the answers tothese and a variety of otherquestions together eventuallybrought us to success. Suchare the essential first steps ofany worthwhile endeavor. Tobe our best, we must take asmany as possible with uswherever and whenever we go.

These memories cameback to mind just the otherday. A member of our Gener-al Assembly triggered them,as we privately debated fund-ing for Conservation, StateParks, Water, Air and Wastefees. He asked if in thesetough economic times withvery limited revenues weshouldn’t instead fund pro-grams for needy children andhigher education. In reality,of course, we must find a wayto do both. Certainly the spe-cial needs of children must beaddressed. Certainly theavailability of quality higher

education to all youth is keyto long-term progress andimprovement of our society.But we should never be ableto afford to completely avoidinvestments in infrastructureand stewardship for our natu-ral resources. Theseresources are the foundationof Missouri’s economy.These resources are theessence of our quality of life.These resources, in the wordsof Theodore Roosevelt, areour legacy to those who willfollow us: “The nationbehaves well if it treats thenatural resources as assetswhich it must turn over to thenext generation increased,and not impaired, in value.”

Keep the faith. Insist onconsidering both the needs ofour society and our naturalresources as we seek balanceand stability. Our NorthAmerican model of conserva-tion has proven the best effortto conserve and manageresources that this world hasever seen. Our friends in theMissouri General Assembly, inthese tough times, are hearingall sorts of desperate pleas forattention and funding from allinterests. We get to be theones to speak up for forests,fish, wildlife, clean water, stateparks, soil conservation, get-ting families outdoors…allthose things we appreciate andvalue so very much. Speak upin confidence.

Dave MurphyExecutive Director, CFM

VIEW FROM THE STONE HOUSE

2 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

Tough Decisions And Advice From Theodore Roosevelt

This is my final mes-sage to you as yourPresident. This isnot about ME, it is

about YOU!!!It has been such a pleasure

serving YOU and workingwith each of YOU. YOURdedication to the cause ofCONSERVATION and CFMis awesome!!! YOU havebeen MY inspiration to carryon the strong image thatCFM has projected since1935!!! Not once during thepast 30 months have I awak-ened and dreaded the dayahead. Sure, there have beenchallenges and there willcontinue to be some majorones. But each of YOU haverisen to the occasion, givenme full support for the taskahead, and WE “gotter’done”!!!!

Some say that the best partabout being PRESIDENT isbeing the PAST PRESIDENT!Well, I don’t entirely agreewith that!! I plan to contin-ue an active role with CFM.There are a lot of good CON-SERVATION-RELATEDactivities out there that needour attention and I plan tostay involved.

We have some outstandingPARTNERS. During my serv-ice as your President, CFM hasaggressively worked to broad-en and strengthen all our part-nerships. We now have wellover 85,000 affiliate membersamong about 80 affiliatedorganizations. Over 250organizations and businesses

partner with us as we lead theTeaming With Wildlife Coali-tion in Missouri. Every stateand federal natural resourceagency is our active partner,often in many ways.

We have worked especiallyhard and productively to sup-port the Missouri LegislativeSportsmen’s Caucus. TheMLSC is bigger and strongerthan ever and this year hostsHunter Education and Con-cealed Carry classes in ourCapitol.

We have an excellent working relationship withGovernor Jay Nixon and hisstaff. THANK you GovernorNixon for leadership supportof Share the Harvest, the Out-door Summit and for hostingan annual youth season turkeyhunt.

So as my term in officedraws to a close, I salute YOU,the members and the Boardof CFM!!! Thanks so muchfor your Support and willingness to help the causeof CONSERVATION. And asI have said before, WE are allin this together, and neverforget that we need to contin-

ue to focus on our YOUTH.And finally, I wish to rec-

ognize the dedication andcommitment of Dave Mur-phy our Executive Directorand our CFM staff toward themission and goals of CFM.Their support has been paramount to our success

and accomplishments.CHEERS, and I am

always as close as the nearesttelephone.

THANKS FOR ALL THEHELP!!

Glenn D. ChambersPresident, CFM

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 3

Tribute To The CFM Board, Our CFM Members AndAffiliate Members!!!

Hello CFM Members,

I am Mike Schallon and Ihave been a proud memberof CFM for almost threedecades. I am excited tobe your next president.

For thirty years I taughthigh school biology beforeretiring from the ParkwaySchool District in 2003.My wife Mossie and I livein Wentzville along withour Border Collie Albert and Ollie, our Bichon Poodlemix. Our daughter Katie has left the nest but we are for-tunate to have her living close to us in West St. LouisCounty.

My life has taken me down many roads and throughoutthe journey I have been an avid outdoorsman and con-servationist. Whether you’re a hunter, angler, hiker,birder, photographer, cyclist, etc., your CFM Board ofDirectors stands ready to protect and promote your outdoor experiences.

Glenn Chambers, our outgoing president and Dave Murphy CFM’s Executive Director have worked extremelyhard to pave the way for an exciting and productive 2010,and I look forward to the challenges ahead.

Yours in Conservation!Mike Schallon

4 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 5

Nothing is moreimportant to thefuture of CFMthan growing our

membership. Every time anew member joins, or anoutdoor group affiliates withCFM, it’s an indication thatwe’ve reached someone withour message. Should we failto engage new folks, wewould surely face the begin-ning of a decline in rele-vance. As Director of Devel-opment, I’m mindful of therevenue stream associatedwith new members, but as aMissourian with concern forour wild places, abundanthunting and fishing oppor-tunities, and the health ofour natural resources, I’mmore interested in what canbe accomplished when weunite and take an informedstand to support our out-door heritage.

Over the years CFM hasbeen extremely successful atharvesting the best ideasfrom Missouri’s citizen con-servationists and growingthem into significant pro-grams. CFM staff didn’tcome up with Stream Teamsor Share The Harvest, butlook at what we were able toaccomplish once those ideaswere brought to our atten-tion. Each of these programsstarted with a good idea,implemented locally by dedi-cated, creative citizens. Withthe help of CFM, they grewto statewide programs thatharnessed the willing energyof waiting volunteers whocould quickly see the value

once the idea was presented.Each of these programs cameto CFM’s attention throughour members.

The Conservation Federa-tion of Missouri represents alot of folks! Approximately80 outdoor organizationshave chosen to affiliate withCFM, and their 80,000 or somembers add significantly toour numbers. These organi-zations understand that affil-iation makes us bothstronger. By purposefullyseeking input from affiliatedorganizations and represent-ing their interests at theCapitol and with federal andstate agencies, we empowertheir members and they,through their affiliation,empower CFM. However, alarge percentage of our affili-ated members do not paydues directly to CFM, and asa result, we do not have thebenefit of that revenue. Wealso miss out on the chanceto communicate with themthrough our magazine orhave the benefit of their par-ticipation at our annual con-vention. In 2010 we need toreach more of these citizen

conservationists and gaintheir active participation.This is important to thefinancial wellbeing of CFM,but even more important toMissouri outdoors.

I want to be clear aboutthe financial aspect of mem-bership growth. We do needmembership revenue to meetour budget. In fact, ourbudget calls for 1,000 newmembers in 2010. Even withthat growth in membership,CFM will need to raiseapproximately $70,000 tobalance our budget. That is$70,000 beyond what we

have budgeted in revenue forCFM Business Alliance, LifeMemberships, gun drawings,clay shoots, calendar sales,note cards, etc. Over thelong run we must continueto grow the Business Allianceand we must continue togrow our membership base.It is the answer to our fiscalhealth, but even moreimportantly, it is the sourceof our relevance to Missourioutdoors.

So now you’ve read farenough that I’ll ask you for

The Importance Of Growing CFMDEVELOPMENT NEWS

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP:• Recruit new sustaining members, life members and Business Alliance members;• Purchase memberships forfriends, family or business associates;• Work a booth at a local event;or• Speak to an affiliated organization, chamber of commerceor community group.

CFM AMBASSADOR POINT SYSTEMACTIVITY POINTS

Sustaining membership 1Life membership 25Business Alliance Basic 10Business Alliance Silver 25Business Alliance Gold 50Business Alliance Platinum 100Speaking – Community/Affiliates 5Staffing CFM booth for event 5

AMBASSADOR INCENTIVES POINTS

Cap 25Shirt 50Jacket or Vest 100

See Growing CFM on page 6

6 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

Thirty-five leadersfrom across the stateparticipated in arecent training

sponsored by the Conserva-tion Federation of Missouriwith the Missouri Depart-ment of Conservation. Led byAmy Buechler (CFM), DennisFigg and Syd Hime (bothMDC), the purpose of thetraining was to help Conser-vation Opportunity Area(COA) team membersincrease habitat conservationin priority places by learningand sharing tools and tech-niques for success.

By all accounts, the day’straining was a success. Partic-ipants represented 13 agen-cies/organizations (includingseveral private landowners)and 26 COAs.

The training walked participants through COAteam development by dis-cussing these key questions:Why are we here? What needs

to happen? Where’s themoney? How do we keepthings moving?

A panel discussion in the afternoon highlightedspecific COA team activities.Josh Stevens (MDC) discussed private landownerinvolvement and fundingsuccesses in the MissouriRiver Hills COA. Korey Wolfe(Audubon Missouri) show-cased getting the communityof Cole Camp involved in theCole Camp/Hi LonesomeCOA. Kyle Kosovich (Long-boat Outfitters) shared howgetting a Teaming WithWildlife Mini-grant fromCFM is helping him host astakeholder meeting in theBryant Creek and North ForkCOAs. Jill Erickson (Bridgingthe Gap) shared her experi-

ences developing a 5-yearaction plan with the UpperBlue River COA. AdamBoman (MDC) explainedhow Master Naturalists arehelping to accomplish habitatgoals in the Middle MeramecCOA.

The Statewide COA Team

Training offered another wayfor CFM to demonstrate lead-ership in supporting imple-mentation of Missouri’s Com-prehensive Wildlife Strategy.

Amy BuechlerTeaming With Wildlife

Coordinator, CFM

TEAMING WITH WILDLIFE

CFM Hosts Statewide Conservation Opportunity Area Team Training

Thirty-five attendees from 13 organizations/agencies participated in theCFM-sponsored Statewide COA Team Training.

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something. Help us grow.Help us meet and exceed ourgoal. Our budget calls for1,000 new members, but I’masking you to help us growwell beyond that goal to4,000 new members. Do youbelong to one of our affiliat-ed organizations? If so, askfor 10 minutes at the nextmeeting to give an update onCFM. We’ll provide talkingpoints if that’s helpful. Ask

the members of your club tofill out a CFM membershipform so they can beginreceiving Missouri Wildlife.Ask them to support thework we do. Make sure theyunderstand what we bring tothe table. Our history, fromthe beginning through thefirst months of 2010, is a tes-tament to what can beaccomplished by citizenswhen effectively organized

and united by purpose.Don’t let that fact be lost onthe membership of anyorganization you belong to.

In 2010 CFM is initiatinga new program to recognizevolunteers that actively pro-mote membership in CFM.We’re calling it the CFMAmbassadors. Your workrecruiting members will berecognized through a pointsystem that allows you to

earn a cap, shirt or jacket. Italso gives us a chance tothank you for your work! Aswe reflect on 75 years of themost productive conserva-tion activity our country hasseen, help us prepare for thenext 75 years by keepingCFM strong and growing.

Matt GauntDirector of Development,

CFM

Growing CFM from page 5

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 7

The Chert Glade Mas-ter Naturalists havetwo canoes that theydidn’t have a year

ago. Used for water qualitymonitoring and streamcleanups in the Shoal CreekConservation OpportunityArea (COA), Marta Church-well with the Chert GladeMaster Naturalists says “Thecanoes have been invaluablefor allowing us to access areasalong high bluffs of ShoalCreek that could not bereached otherwise.” Canoeshave also been used for water

quality education and acanoeing basics program thatwas part of WaterFest 2009,hosted by Wildcat GladesConservation and AudubonCenter in Joplin. The canoesfit in well with the Shoal CreekCOAs focus on keeping theShoal Creek aquatic habitathealthy.

The Open Space Councildeveloped materials andhosted landowner gatheringsto inform the communityabout land protectionoptions in the LaBarqueCreek Watershed COA. In

this case, the COA teamdetermined that protectingland is the best way to protectthis healthy watershed nearurban St. Louis. Visit theFriends of LaBarque CreekWatershed website atwww.labarquewatershed.orgfor more details about theLaBarque Creek Land LegacyProgram.

Kyle Kosovich grew upfishing and exploring BryantCreek in the Ozarks. Now, asowner of Longboat Outfitters(a river and fishing guide serv-ice), he has teamed up withthe Ozark Regional LandTrust to host the first COAteam meeting in the BryantCreek and North Fork COAssince the development of Mis-souri’s ComprehensiveWildlife Strategy.

These are just a few of theprojects awarded in last year’sMissouri Teaming With

Wildlife Mini-grant Program.The Conservation Federationof Missouri is happy toannounce the second year ofthis program, in conjunctionwith awarding $75,000 inMini-grants to celebrateCFM’s 75th anniversary.

This year, $25,000 is avail-able for the Teaming WithWildlife Mini-grant program– focused on getting TeamingWith Wildlife Coalition mem-bers involved in implementingMissouri’s ComprehensiveWildlife Strategy. Awards areavailable up to $2,500. Fundsmay be used for a variety ofprojects that promote the con-servation of healthy habitatswithin a Conservation Oppor-tunity Area.

For more information, visitwww.confedmo.org/teamingor contact Amy Buechler (1-800-575-2322,abuechler@confedmo.org).

2010 Missouri TWW Mini-Grants: Apply Now!Deadline: March 31, 2010

Members of the Chert Glade Master Naturalists use canoes purchasedwith Teaming With Wildlife Mini-Grant funds to conduct stream clean-ups.

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Go to

www.riverhillstraveler.comClick on FREE TRIAL. Or call 800-874-8423

and ask for a free sample subscription.

TravelerRiver Hills

Three months. No Strings.We’ll send the outdoor

magazine of the Ozarks to your home FREE FOR THREE MONTHS. Then we’ll send a bill ($19).

If you want to keep getting Traveler, pay the bill. If you don’t,

you won’t. It’s that simple.

Journal of the Wildest, Wettest,Most Scenic & Historic Part of Missouri

TEAMING WITH WILDLIFE

8 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

AFFILIATE EVENTSCAPITAL CITY FLY FISHERSMAR 4: Teach a Vet to Tie, Veter-ans Hospital – ConferenceRoom C202, Columbia(3:00pm)MAR 4: Fly Tying, CenturyLinkOffice, Jefferson City (6:00pm)MAR 9: Regular Club Meeting,First Baptist Church, JeffersonCity (7:00pm – 9:00pm)MAR 11: Fly Tying, CenturyLinkOffice, Jefferson City (6:00pm)MAR 13-15: 15th Annual Ban-quet, Donita’s Catering, Jeffer-son City (6:00pm)MAR 18: Teach a Vet to Tie, Vet-erans Hospital – ConferenceRoom C202, Columbia(3:00pm)MAR 22: Hooked on Fly FishingNot Drugs, South Callaway RIISchool, Mokane (3:00pm)

GREENWAY NETWORKMAR 1: Kayakswarm Documentsthe Bourbeusse River One Seg-ment at a Time (9:00am –4:00pm)MAR 1: Kaskaskia WatershedAssociation Annual Summit,Carlyle Lake (6:30pm –9:00pm); Norma Hall (618)594-2484MAR 1: Monthly Board Meeting,Saint Charles Community Col-lege, College Center Building –Room 202, Saint Charles(7:00pm – 9:00pm)MAR 1: Deer Creek Park, Maple-wood (4:30pm – 6:30pm)MAR 3: Grand Glaize WatershedMonitoring (8:00am –12:00pm); Darlene Haun (636)225-3946 or Bob Jung (314)494-8432MAR 6: Arnold Winter LitterPickup (8:00am – 1:00pm);Brian Waldrop (636) 464-1293MAR 9: Final Planning StrategyMeeting for Forest Park EarthDay Participants, The TapRoom, Saint Louis (4:30pm –6:30pm)MAR 9: Mona Terrace, Universi-ty City (4:30pm – 6:30pm)

MAR 17: Deer Creek Park,Maplewood (4:30pm – 6:30pm)MAR 27: Confluence TrashBash, Old Chain of RocksBridge, Saint Louis (8:30am –12:30pm)MAR 27: Creve Couer ParkClean-up (9:00am – 1:00pm);Mitch Leachman (314) 599-7390MAR 27: Mission: Clean Stream2010 (8:30am – 1:00pm)APR 5: Monthly Board Meeting,Saint Charles Community Col-lege, College Center Building –Room 202, Saint Charles(7:00pm – 9:00pm)APR 7: Missouri Stream Team:Introductory Monitoring Class,Babler State Park, Chesterfield(8:30am – 5:00pm); PriscillaStotts (573) 526-3406APR 10: Fox Creek Quality Moni-toring (8:30am – 12:30pm);Leslie Lihou (314) 726-2140APR 10: 4th Annual DanielTalonn Free the Forest Event,Ruth Park Woods (9:00am –1:00pm)APR 13: Mona Terrace, Universi-ty City (4:30pm – 6:30pm)APR 17: River Clean-up andRiver Festival, Washington(9:00am – 3:00pm)APR 17: Creve Couer Park TreePlanting (9:00am – 1:00pm);Mitch Leachman (314) 599-7390APR 25: Booth at Saint LouisEarth Day (10:00am – 6:00pm)

MISSOURI ASSOCIATION OF MEATPROCESSORSMAR 5-7: Convention and TradeShow, Lodge of Four Seasons,Lake OzarkMAR 26-28: Quad State Conven-tion, Ramada Inn, Topeka, KSMAR 29-31: HACCP Workshop,University of Missouri, Colum-bia; Andrew Clarke (573) 882-2610

MISSOURI BASS FEDERATIONAPR 10: Board of DirectorsMeeting, Shrine Club, Her-mitage

APR 11: Spring Fling

MISSOURI DUCKS UNLIMITEDMAR 4: Redhawks WaterfowlHunter’s Party, Elks Lodge,Cape Girardeau (6:00pm);Schuyler Semar (573) 366-9528MAR 5: Membership Dinner,Shrine Club, Lebanon(6:00pm); Ross Robinson (417)533-9005MAR 6: Christian County Mem-bership Dinner, Knights ofColumbus, Springfield(5:30pm); Jason Pritchard(417) 234-4096MAR 6: Annual Banquet andAuction, Knights of Columbus,Washington (6:00pm); DerekGildehause (636) 433-5393MAR 12: Callaway County Annu-al Banquet and Auction, SaintPeters Catholic Church, Fulton(5:30pm); Alan Finke (573)220-2011MAR 13: Annual Banquet, PlatteCity Fairgrounds, Platte City(6:00pm); (816) 582-2241MAR 13: Membership Dinner,Albany (6:00pm); Carl Messner(660) 582-1019MAR 26-28: Missouri State Con-vention, Lodge of Four Seasons,Lake Ozark; Ginny Zinck (660)826-1643APR 17: Annual Banquet, Lin-coln County Fairgrounds, Troy(6:00pm); Todd Keithly (636)262-6681APR 17: Annual Banquet andAuction, Heartland BanquetCenter, Moberly (4:30pm);Sherree DeClue (660) 295-4628APR 17: Lakes County Member-ship Banquet, Buckingham’s atthe Clarion Hotel (5:30pm);Ryan Zeller (417) 294-4164

MISSOURI HUNTING HERITAGEFEDERATIONMAR 7: Hunter EducationInstructor Training Seminar,Jefferson CityMAR 14: Board Meeting, BassPro Shops, Independence(1:00pm – 4:00pm)MAR 20: Booth and Hunter’sBall, John Knox Pavilion, LeesSummit (12:00pm – 6:30pm)APR 9-11: Clinic/Turkey Hunt,Lake Lotawana/Pleasant Hill,Cass County

APR 9-11: Clinic/Turkey Hunt,Lake Lotawana/Carrollton, Car-roll CountyAPR 9-11: Clinic/Turkey Hunt,Pioneer Gun Club/Missouri City,Clay County

MISSOURI NATIONAL WILDTURKEY FEDERATION

FUNDRAISING BANQUETSMAR 5: Lees Summit Long-beards, Bass Pro Shops, Inde-pendence; Mark Graber (816)318-9613MAR 5: Osage Prairie Thunderin’Toms, Eagles Lodge, Nevada;Bruce Rogers (417) 876-2521MAR 5: Rocky Top Limbhangers,Armory, West Plains; BradMcKee (417) 252-0966MAR 5: Upper MeramecLongspurs, Recklein Auditori-um, Cuba; Shane Staples (573)259-7405MAR 6: Capitol City Strutters,Lions Club, Wardsville; JohnSlicker (573) 680-5903MAR 6: Great Rivers Longspurs,The Boeing Machinist Building,Hazelwood; Brian Duckett(314) 574-9213MAR 6: Heartland Gobblers,Elks Lodge, Poplar Bluff; ChuckStewart (573) 222-7182MAR 6: Platte Purchase, Ameri-can Legion Hall, Saint Joseph;Rick Dozier (660) 351-3344MAR 11: Current River Long-beards, South Missouri BaptistAssembly, Van Buren; Dale Kipp(573) 429-6589MAR 12: Carroll County Long-beards, Rupe Center, Carrollton;Joe McCumber (660) 542-4095MAR 12: Lake of the OzarksChapter, Community Center,Stover; Kurt Heisler (573) 378-6032MAR 12: Nolan R. HutchesonMemorial, Golden Hills TrailRides, Raymondville; BudBryant (417) 217-1468MAR 12: Stealth Gobblers,Johnson County Fairgrounds,Warrensburg; Byron McMurphy(660) 429-2961MAR 13: Hickory County Jakesand Jennies, Hickory CountySenior Center, Wheatland; RonStover (417) 298-2432MAR 13: North Central Local,Elks Lodge, Chillicothe; MattHolder (660) 707-1828

M I S S O U R I F E S T I V A L S A N D A F F I L I AT E E V E N T S

CALENDAR

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 9

MAR 13: Randolph County Long-beards, Saint Plus X Gymnasi-um, Moberly; Larry Terry (660)651-8636MAR 13: Sho-Me, Knights ofColumbus, Springfield;Matthew Kramer (417) 887-4455MAR 13: Yellow Creek Gobblers,Walsworth Community Building,Marceline; Ken Polley (660)258-5340MAR 19: Boonslick Trail Gob-blers, Community Building,Jonesburg; Dan Robb (800)811-0991MAR 19: Fabius River Fantails,Knights of Columbus, Edina;Adam Doerhoff (660) 216-4277MAR 19: Parkville Gobblers,Athletic Complex, Parkville;John Shene (816) 365-2853MAR 19: Reynolds County Strut-tin Gobblers, Reynolds CountyFairgrounds, Redford (573)637-9344MAR 20: Jacomo Strutters,Sportsmen’s Club, LakeLotawana; Norbert Kurok (816)560-0799MAR 20: Mark Twain ForestLongspurs, Lions Club, Potosi;Bill Glore (573) 701-8650MAR 20: NEMO, AmericanLegion Hall, Hannibal; DanMinor (573) 822-4779MAR 20: River Hills Thunderin’Longbeards, Knights of Colum-bus, Bloomsdale; Jake Palmer(573) 883-2315MAR 26: Lafayette County Long-beards, Community Center,Odessa; Troy McNeel (816)365-8312MAR 26: Muddy Creek Gobblers,Thiebaud Auditorium, Lamar;David Darrow (417) 884-2320MAR 26: Pike County Twin River,Elks Lodge, Louisiana; TimothyBrooks (573) 754-6692MAR 27: Big River Gobblers,Knights of Columbus, HouseSprings; Brad Crum (314) 713-2398MAR 27: Hocomo Big Beards,

Saint Joseph’s Hall, Fayette;Gene Smith (660) 537-4667MAR 27: Lead Belt Longbeards,Saint Paul Lutheran Church,Farmington; Michael Mahurin(573) 431-2808APR 1: Polk County HillbillyLongbeards, Smith’s Restau-rant, Bolivar; Mark Smith (417)326-7069APR 2: Marshfield Full Strut-ters, Marshfield Buildings,Marshfield; Dale Broesder(417) 759-6129APR 2: Platte City Longspurs,Platte County Fairgrounds,Tracy; Paul Lowry (816) 506-7048APR 3: Kirksville Ridge Run-ners, NEMO Fairgrounds,Kirksville; Josh Meyer (660)654-4300APR 3: Moniteau Monarchs,Community Building,Jamestown; Brian Hill (573)796-3885APR 3: Saline County Strutters,Saline County Fairgrounds,Marshall; Joe Pycke (660) 631-3407APR 9: Lake Show-me Long-beards, VFW Post 4958, Mem-phis; Dorsey Swearingen (660)892-4596APR 9: Triple B Chapter – Buffa-lo Big Beards, Shrine Club,Buffalo; Alan Daniels (417)345-6730APR 9: Twain’s Roaring Gob-blers, Masonic Lodge, Cassville;Russell Pendergraff (417) 847-8309APR 16: Locust Creek Long-beards, Community Center,Milan; Donald Troester (660)265-3350APR 16: Osage Gobblers,Knights of Columbus, West-phalia; Steve Brune (573) 897-2211APR 17: Lake Area Longbeards,Knights of Columbus, Camden-ton; Charles McElyea (573)216-2769APR 17: State Fair Strutters,FFA Building, Sedalia; Barry

Barnes (660) 826-9365APR 23: Green Hills, NationalGuard Armory, Trenton; ScottRoy (660) 359-3399APR 24: Gentry County Gobblers,Community Center, Stanberry;Tim Runde (660) 937-2580APR 30: Mid America Chapter,The Cashew, Kansas City;Steven Moore (816) 309-1150

JAKES FIELD DAYSMAR 20: Rhine Valley, Rod andGun Club, Hermann; LyndenRuediger (573) 294-7189MAR 20: Meramec Valley Strut-ters, Fire House, Sullivan; TimTallent (573) 478-3335APR 10: Twin Lake Longspurs,High School Gymnasium, Boli-var; Mark Smith (417) 818-2150

WHEELIN SPORTSMANS BENEFITSAPR 2: Sand Hills ThunderingToms, Seymour; Jeff Ford (417)880-7173

WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORSMAR 27: Platte Purchase, CampGieger, Saint Joseph; SherryHill (816) 992-3650APR 16-17: Squaw CreekNational Ladies Day, SquawCreek National Wildlife Refuge,Forrest City; Lori Stickler (660)446-2336APR 23-25: Ladies Turkey Hunt,Northwest Missouri Outfitters,Denver; Karla Ledom (816)582-2241

MISSOURI PARKS & RECREATIONASSOCIATIONMAR 2-5: Conference and Expo,Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage BeachMAR 5: Board of Directors Meet-ing, Tan-Tar-A Resort, OsageBeach (8:30am – 12:00pm)MAR 16-20: NRPA LegislativeForum/Mid-Year Conference,Grand Hyatt, Washington, D.C.APR 14-15: Aquatic FacilityOperator Course, The Lodge,Des PeresAPR 27-29: National PlaygroundSafety Institute

MISSOURI SMALLMOUTHALLIANCEMAR 13: Bronzeback Bash,Viking Conference Center, Kirk-wood (6:30pm – 10:00pm);Steve Harrison (636) 220-6258MAR 17: Monthly Meeting, Pow-der Valley Nature Center, Kirk-

wood (7:00pm – 9:00pm)APR 21: Monthly Meeting, Pow-der Valley Nature Center, Kirk-wood (7:00pm – 9:00pm)

MISSOURI TRAPPERS ASSOCIATIONMAR 20: Spring Meeting, Coop-er County FairgroundsMAR 31: Evening With Wildlife,Knox County High School,Edina

MISSOURI TROUT FISHERMEN’SASSOCIATIONMAR 1: Opening Day For TroutSeason, Missouri State ParksMAR 4: Regular Monthly Meet-ing, Conservation Nature Cen-ter, Springfield (7:00pm)MAR 13: Pre-Derby Meeting,Bennett Spring State ParkMAR 18-20: Sowbug Roundup,Mountain Home, ARAPR 1: Regular Monthly Meet-ing, Conservation Nature Cen-ter, Springfield (7:00pm)

MISSOURI WHITETAILS UNLIMITEDAPR 8: Sni-A-Bar Creek Chapter,Elks Lodge, Blue SpringsAPR 17: Boonville DisabledFreedom Hunt Chapter, Knightsof Columbus, Boonville

OZARK FLY FISHERSMAR 2: Membership Class, Pow-der Valley Nature Center, SaintLouis (6:30pm)MAR 4: Fly Fishing Techniques,Queeny Park Complex (7:30pm)MAR 9: Fishing Nymphs/WetFlies, Queeny Park Complex(7:30pm)MAR 13: Introductory WaterQuality Monitoring Class, Jack-son; Priscilla Stotts (573) 526-3406 or (800) 781-1989MAR 18-20: NAFF Sow Bug,Mountain Home, ARMAR 25: General MembershipMeeting, Queeny Park Complex(7:00pm)MAR 26: Introductory WaterQuality Monitoring Class,Lebanon; Priscilla Stotts (573)526-3406 or (800) 781-1989APR 3: OFF Water Quality Moni-toring, Current River; Scott Dar-rough (314) 560-1335APR 5: Introduction to Fly Tying,Queeny Park Complex (7:30pm)APR 12: Introduction to FlyTying, Queeny Park Complex(7:30pm)

M I S S O U R I F E S T I V A L S A N D A F F I L I AT E E V E N T S

CALENDAR

See Calendar on page 11

For a trout fisherman,spring begins onMarch 1. The daterepresents a tradition

of becoming one with naturewhile standing in one of Mis-souri’s cold-water streamsawaiting thesound of the6:30 a.m.horn. Thepiercingwhistle is anangler’ssound of joy as they begincasting their lines at the begin-ning of trout fishing season.

Missouri is blessed to havethree majestic state parksavailable to share these tradi-tions with friends and familiesof all ages. The spring-fed,pristine waters flowingthrough these three troutparks provide the essentialquality required for trout tothrive for fisherman to enjoy.Rainbow trout fishing seasonsbegins March 1 and runsthrough Oct. 31 at RoaringRiver State Park nearCassville, Bennett Spring StatePark near Lebanon, and Mon-tauk State Park near Salem.

To make the state parkexperience even more enjoy-able, the Missouri Depart-ment of Natural Resourceshas made several improve-ments at each of its threetrout parks. At Roaring RiverState Park, visitors can cele-brate the 100th anniversary ofthe Roaring River hatcheryand visit the new store. Builtby the park’s concessionaires

in partnership with thedepartment, the store replacesthe one formerly located inthe Roaring River Lodge.Fisherman will now purchasetheir trout tags and fishinglicenses at the store, alongwith a variety of merchandiseincluding fishing tackle andequipment. The store will beeasy to access from the camp-ground and various areas ofthe park. Bennett SpringState Park provides a centrallocation in Missouri for fish-erman to try their hand atcatching a rainbow trout. Forthose wanting to spend thenight or a weekend at thepark, the park has remodeledits motel and repaired severalcabins.

Visitors to Montauk StatePark can take advantage of anew fish cleaning station inthe park. The station, con-structed by the MissouriDepartment of Conservationin partnership with the park,offers a stainless steel clean-ing table and rinsing sprayersto accommodate anglers asthey prepare their freshlycaught trout. Otherimprovements at Montaukinclude the replacement ofwater mains and well housesand a new drinking waterstorage facility. Root wadshave been installed in thestream at Hudson’s Corneron the Current River toenhance trout habitat anddiversify stream structureand hydrology.

Trout season in Missouri

State Parks is a cooperativeeffort of the Department ofNatural Resources, whichmanages state parks, and theDepartment of Conservation,which operates the hatcheriesand stocks the streams withtrout.

I would like to challengethe youth in Missouri who arenot avid fisherman to taketime this trout season to enjoyone of Missouri’s three trout

parks. Once you have experi-enced the rainbow troutpulling on your line followedby the calm patience itrequires reeling in that prize-winning catch, I think you’llbe hooked.

Gov. Jay Nixon has chal-lenged Missouri youth to“Think Outside,” throughfishing, hiking or simply

AGENCY NEWS

Old Traditions, New Beginnings And ChallengingThe Youth To Improve, Enjoy Missouri’s Outdoors

Anglers enjoy trout season opening day at Bennett Spring State Park nearLebanon.

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See Youth on next page

1 0 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

enjoying the great outdoors.The Governor recentlyannounced the Missouri StateParks Youth Corps program.The program is an opportuni-ty for those, between 17 and21, to experience Missouri’snatural resources and learnvaluable work-skill trainingwhile providing many neededservices to state parks and his-toric sites.

Missouri youth hired intothe State Parks Youth Corpswill earn $7.25 an hour andmay work up to 240 hoursduring May 1 through Sept. 30in one of Missouri’s 85 stateparks and historic sites or atthe state park central and dis-trict offices. The corps’ partic-ipants will complete projects

that bolster Missouri’s statepark system and strengthenthe values of enjoying thegreat outdoors. Positionsinclude trail workers, officeassistants, concession aides,interpretive aides, park/siteaides, maintenance/landscap-ing aides and Web site andcommunication aides.

The department’s Divisionof State Parks has been put-ting together a list of potentialprojects the Youth Corps maycomplete this summer. Someexamples of the proposedprojects include blazing andsigning all trails in the statepark system; building amountain biking trail at Fin-ger Lakes State Park, tearingdown the rest of the Alta Shel-

ter at Dr. Edmund A. BablerMemorial State Park and sal-vaging any remaining historicresources after the firedestroyed most of the struc-ture; providing seasonal inter-pretation; assisting with socialmedia marketing efforts;assisting on the Katy TrailRide; and documenting andmarketing the accomplish-ments of the State Parks YouthCorps.

Those interested in apply-ing to the State Parks YouthCorps may fill out an onlineapplication available at think-outside.mo.gov. Counselorsfrom Missouri’s WorkforceInvestment Board’s 14 regionswill recruit and select appli-cants for the positions. The

program will provide thisrewarding and educationalexperience to more than 1,000Missouri youth. For moreinformation about the StatePark Youth Corps, call 800-592-6020.

Missouri has received $1.5million to initiate this pro-gram through funding fromthe American Recovery andReinvestment Act. The pro-gram is a joint partnershipbetween the Department ofNatural Resources’ Division ofState Parks and the Depart-ment of Economic Develop-ment’s Division of WorkforceDevelopment.

Mark N. TempletonDirector, DNR

Youth from previous page

APR 15: Fly Fishing, WindRushFarmAPR 16: Introductory Water Qual-ity Monitoring Class, Chester-field; Priscilla Stotts (573) 526-3406 or (800) 781-1989APR 17: Introductory WaterQuality Monitoring Class, DeSo-to; Priscilla Stotts (573) 526-3406 or (800) 781-1989APR 17: OFF Water Quality Mon-itoring, Mill Creek; MalcolmRoyse (636) 329-1504APR 19: Introduction to FlyFishing, Queeny Park Complex(7:30pm)APR 22: General MembershipMeeting, Queeny Park Complex APR 26: Introduction to FlyFishing, Queeny Park Complex(7:30pm)

POMME DE TERRE CHAPTERMUSKIES, INC.MAR 10: Dinner Before Chapter

ChallungeMAR 20: Chapter Challunge,Kinkaid LakeAPR 17: Members W/O BoatsDinner MeetingAPR 23-24: Cabin Fever Tournament

SOUTH SIDE DIVISION CONSERVATION FEDERATIONMAR 11: General MembershipMeeting, American LegionPost 162, Saint Louis(8:00pm)MAR 15: Board Meeting, American Legion Post 162,Saint Louis (7:30pm)APR 19: Board Meeting, American Legion Post 162,Saint Louis (7:30pm)

CFM EVENTSSEP 17-19: Annual Fall Conference, Camp Clover Point,Osage Beach

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 9

CALENDAR

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 1 1

PlatinumBass Pro ShopsShelter Insurance

SilverAnalytical Bio-Chemistry

Laboratories, Inc.Drury HotelsGray Manufacturing

CompanyHornbuckle Heating,

Cooling and PlumbingJames T. Blair IVPyramid Home Health

Services

BasicAaron’s Boats & MotorsArdPark CabinsBee Rock Land, LLCBolin Auto and Truck PartsC. J. Thomas Company

Cap AmericaCequel IIICitizens Telephone

CompanyCommerce Bank

Columbia MarketCulligan Water of ColumbiaEvans EquipmentLes Bourgeois VineyardsMcRoberts Farm, Inc.Michaelanne, Inc.Mid-America MortgageParadigm Financial

AdvisorsQuality Forest

ManagementSierra BulletsSuddenlink CommunicationsTabor Plastic CompanyThe Bank of Missouri

THANK YOU! BUSINESS ALLIANCE MEMBERS

AGENCY NEWS

1 2 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

Partnerships: Key To Success Of MDC Deputy DirectorTom Draper Has Broad Experience, Strong Commitment To Public Trust

The newest member ofthe Missouri Conser-vation’s leadershipteam has practiced

conservation in places as dis-tant as Africa but formed theambition to work in Missouriwhile still in college.

At the Conservation Com-mission meeting Jan. 28, Con-servation Department DirectorBob Ziehmer announced hischoice of Ozark RegionalForestry Supervisor TomDraper as the agency’s deputydirector – resource manage-ment. Draper will oversee theFisheries, Forestry, PrivateLand Services, Protection,Resource Science and Wildlifedivisions. He began his newjob Feb. 1.

Draper, 56, is a native ofOttawa, Ill. He says he spentmuch of his youth hunting,canoeing and fishing aroundthe confluence of the Fox andIllinois rivers “in every seasonof the year.”

He decided early on that hewanted to work outside. Whenfieldwork as a forestry major atSouthern Illinois Universitytook him to Missouri’s Ozarks,he fell in love with the verdanthills and clear streams.

“After graduating fromSoutheast Missouri State Uni-versity, my wife taught her firsttwo years of school in St. Eliza-beth,” says Draper,“and wealways knew we wanted to live,work and raise our family inMissouri.”

However, his first job waswith the Liberian Forest Devel-

opment Authority as a PeaceCorps volunteer. He spenta year helping the WestAfrican nation developsustainable forestryprograms for itsextensive andlargely untouched rainforests.

Upon his return to theUnited States, Draper workedbriefly in Illinois before accept-ing a position with the SouthDakota Division of Forestry.There he helped the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers and severalIndian tribes manage landssurrounding Lake Oahe, a 231-mile-long reservoir on the Mis-souri River.

During his 11 years inSouth Dakota, Draper metLouie Smith, a conservationofficer with a passion for con-servation that extended farbeyond law enforcement.

“He had a real drive to

establish wildlife habitat,”recalls Draper. “He saw the

loss of bottomland habi-tat when they dammed

up the river. Heunderstood the eco-

nomic as well asrecreational value of wildlife,and he knew how to get alongwith local folks and Indiantribes to get things done. Ilearned a lot from him.”

Work ranging from treeplanting to coordinating theefforts of crews from ninestates fighting western firestaught Draper the importanceof teamwork. He says he hasnever lost sight of the lessonshe learned in South Dakota.

“No matter what you areworking on, it’s all about rela-tionships,” he says. “You haveto build strong relationshipswith other agencies andlandowners to get things done.”

As an example, he cites hisexperience trying to persuadefarmers in his 14-county areaof South Dakota to improvewildlife habitat on their land.He believed that having pheas-ants to hunt could providemuch-needed income forfarmers in the tough economyof the early 1980s. He learnedthat the most effective way ofselling this proposition was toconvince a core group oflandowners of the benefits ofconservation.

“Once they were sold, theywould sell their neighbors,telling them,‘You need to dothis.’ It was one of the mostgratifying things I’ve everdone.”

Draper returned to Mis-souri in 1989, initially workingas a forest products marketingspecialist for the ConservationDepartment in Texas County.During the following years, heworked as an assistant districtforester and district forester inPiedmont and as an Ozark reg-

His experience buildingpartnerships has helped himwork with Missouri forestlandowners and forest prod-ucts enterprises to manageland for a sustainable combi-nation of wood products,wildlife habitat and recreation.

“It’s all about partnerships,”says Draper,“and partnershipsare not easy at times. We allhave our own biases and ourown perception of where we

See Draper on next page

Tom Draper assumed duties Feb. 1 as deputy director for the MissouriDepartment of Conservation, supervising the Fisheries, Forestry, PrivateLand Services, Protection, Resource Science, and Wildlife divisions.

MD

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ional forester in West Plains.

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 1 3

should go. That can lead tosome very vocal discussionsabout what’s best. But youhave to be willing to have thosediscussions to get the best solu-tions.”

Draper said working tomaintain the health and pro-ductivity of Missouri’s wildlands is a rewarding careerbecause his efforts have effectsfar beyond the Show-MeState’s borders.

“Missouri is worldrenowned for its biodiversity,”said Draper,“and we havesome resources that haveworldwide ecological signifi-cance. For example, our Ozark

forests are critically importantto birds that spend differentparts of the year as far away asthe Arctic and South America.Without our forests, thosebirds could not survive. That’sthe kind of thing that keeps megoing.”

Draper said Missourianshave a right to be proud oftheir state’s conservationachievements, and that legacyinstills pride and a sense ofduty in the state’s professionalconservationists.

“People who work for theConservation Departmentmight not always get it right,but we love the land and value

the public’s trust and wouldnever want to violate it.”

In his free time, Draperfloats and wade-fishes Ozarkstreams for smallmouth bassand goggle-eye. He also huntsupland birds and deer, thoughhe says his enjoyment increas-ingly comes from “being outthere,” rather than how muchgame he brings home.

“I hunt public land, and Ifind myself wondering how anarea where I worked yearsbefore is doing. I spend anhour or so sitting in a standand then I go check on howthat land is responding tomanagement activities. I

spend a lot of time walkingaround, checking on things,and if I see a deer, that’s fine.”

Draper and his wife of 32years, Diane, plan to relocate toJefferson City. They have threeadult children.

The Conservation Depart-ment’s other deputy director,Tim Ripperger, supervises theagency’s Administrative Ser-vices, Design and Develop-ment, Human Resources andOutreach and Education divi-sions.

Jim LowNews Services Coordinator,

MDC

Draper from previous page

Dear Dave,I would like to take this

opportunity to thank you and

the Conservation Federation of

Missouri for your support of

the Share the Harvest program

this year.

The donated deer meat

helped to supplement the feed-

ing of those people in our com-

munity in desperate need of

protein. This year’s program

provided about 8,000 lbs.of

venison. We worked closely this

year with Gary VanMatre with

the Missouri Department of

Conservation. Without his

help, we would have not

achieved this degree of success.

I look forward to working

closely with you and your

organization in the future.

Sincerely,Craig Goldford

Operation Food SearchDirector of Food Resources

Dear CFM,I and the Christian

Community Food Depot would

like to thank your organization

for its invaluable help in our

attempt to provide high quality

food for out needy clients.

The Share the Harvest pro-

gram this year has, as in past

years, helped us to be able to

obtain meat at a bargain price

and to be able to focus even

more of our efforts and

resources on obtaining the other

items that we need.

Also, the efforts of Marsha

Jones of the Department of Nat-

ural Resources were especially

needed this year, and she came

through for us wonderfully!

We look forward with

pleasure to working with you

again next deer season.

Sincerely,Bob Sanders

President, Christian Community Food Depot

M E M B E R S ’ L E T T E R S

MAILBAG

Anthony Aimonette,Wentzville

Dylan Allen, ColumbiaAMS Automotive, FentonJerry & Pam Barnabee, PlatoBrent Bayer, Jefferson CityJordon Beshears, Wellsville

Dave Boucher, Jefferson CityMichel & Virginia Brizendine,

Delaware, OHJason Brown, Platte CityCommerce Bank, ColumbiaJacob Cowherd, SpringfieldTimothy Dann,

Faribault, MNKen Drenon, Jefferson CityAndy Fischer, FentonJohn Fleming, Jefferson CityHornbuckle Heating, Cooling

& Plumbing, Inc., Fulton

William & Elizabeth Josephson,Oldfield

Kory Kaufman, RocheportBradley Ketcher, Saint LouisKen Kloeckener, Saint LouisGary Krause, ColumbiaBart Mages,

Shawnee Mission, KSDawn Martin,

Tucson, AZRichard Martin,

Cape GirardeauJudy Meixner, Pacific

Doren Miller, ClarksvilleDavid & Nancy Minnick,

Saint LouisJohn Neporadny,

Lake OzarkPhillip Newell, Saint PetersDick & Hallie Pals,

Lees SummitDylan Raithel, ColumbiaThomas Sager, RollaKathleen Slane, ColumbiaMatthew Sweeney,

Columbus, IN

C F M N E W M E M B E R S

WELCOME

1 4 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

As I was preparingthis writing aboutthe importance ofgetting our youth in

the outdoors this hunt cameto mind and I asked MikeGarb, Mason’s dad, if hewould describe how he feltwhen Mason took his firstbird. Exciting wasn’t it? As Ifinish I will tell you about the

experience I was able to sharewith my son and his first“Thunder Chicken.” But firstlet me share with you someopinions. I have long thoughtfor all of us to enjoy our greatoutdoors and preserve it forour children and generationsto come we must get theminvolved and involved as earlyin their lives as possible.

When young people learnthings at an earlier age—things such as yes ma’am, nosir, hunting, fishing, learningto care about people andnature—well, it just seems tosink in and they tend not toforget them.

I think most conservation-ists share similar opinions. Wetalk and hear about it often

and we continue to supportorganizations with programsfocused on our youth. Inspeaking with Lorna Domke,Outreach & Education Divi-sion Chief with the MissouriDepartment of Conservation,I have learned of many pro-grams such as DiscoverNature – Schools program,Discover Nature – Families,

Planting SeedsYouth In Conservation Equals A Future For Conservation

“One of the greatest hunting experiencesof my life took place during the 2009 Mis-souri Youth Turkey season with my 12-year-old son Mason on his first turkeyhunt. My wife, a high school scienceteacher, attended the Conservation Federa-tion of Missouri annual convention lastyear and successfully bid on a youth turkeyhunt on property owned by CFM memberTim Thompson.

We made arrangements to meet Tim theday before the hunt so he could show usaround the property and give Mason andme some time to go fishing on one of thefarm lakes. It was a perfect spring dayspent fishing, throwing around a football,and the two of us just having fun togetherenjoying the outdoors.

Excitement was building as we headed outto the woods the next morning. The blindTim had set up was perfect for the three of usbut unfortunately the gobblers were quietthroughout the morning and the few that didrespond to calls were far off. After spendingthe next few hours trying different spots wedecided to call it quits and head back in. Iremember as we were walking back to thetruck Mason said,“It’s ok we didn’t get aturkey, Dad. It was still a lot of fun”. I wasproud to see he was developing the rightattitude and could tell he truly meant it.

The wind picked up later in the day soTim decided we should find some low

ground to set up for an afternoon hunt.We parked the truck high on a hill over-looking a field below and were making ourway down along a tree line to the far side ofthe field when Tim spotted a couple of hensat the back corner about 150 yards away.They were heading away from us so westepped into the woods and Tim called outwith a kee-kee-run to try and call themback with the hope there might be gobblers

behind. Sure enough, after a couple of callsthe hens turned and started making theirway back down the tree line in our direc-tion when two gobblers appeared out of thewoods and began to follow them. Theadrenaline was flowing and hearts werepounding as Mason and I set up against atree about 10 yards off of the edge of thefield. Sitting shoulder to shoulder, I had theperfect view looking over his shoulder towatch this amazing scene play out. In afew minutes we had five hens right in frontof us with the two gobblers moving in about30 yards behind. Time seemed to stop asthe hens slowly moved past us and the gob-blers, side by side in full strut, came withinabout 20 yards, then moved in behind ahay bale at the edge of the field. I whis-pered to Mason to shoot as soon as theycame back into view. A couple secondslater the gobblers stepped out and Masonpulled the trigger and took his first turkey.

The smile on his face when he lifted hisfacemask and looked back at me is some-thing I’ll always remember. I’ve alwaysenjoyed hunting on my own, but to me thatlevel of excitement and feeling of accom-plishment can only come by sharing thehunting experience with my kids and know-ing you’ve made a permanent and positiveimpact on them that will last a lifetime.”

Mike Garb, father of Mason Garb

Mason Garb (left) can’t help but grin after tak-ing his first turkey at a shoot on CFM BoardMember Tim Thompson’s property.

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M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 1 5

Discover Hunting classes forbeginner hunters and manymore, all of which I hope wecan provide more detail andpromote in future editions ofMissouri Wildlife. Let’s notforget our very own NationalArchery in the Schools pro-gram. I have made a decisionto get more involved by spon-soring youth turkey and deerhunts on my farm. I want togo beyond just taking my chil-dren, nieces and nephews andoffer hunts to those who maynot otherwise have thatopportunity. It pales in com-parison to the good things allthe programs out there do,but it is my way of givingback. You see, I have harvest-ed my share of turkey anddeer and I would almostrather go call a gobbler in forsomeone and film them tak-ing it than to hunt myself,especially if this is his or herfirst hunt or animal taken. I

did not realize the feeling ofwatching someone else takingtheir first animal would be asor more exciting than my ownhunts. It is like Mike said:Time seems to slow down, theexcitement builds more thanif it were I doing the hunting,you are watching it all unfoldbefore you and you get to seesomething no one else willever see— someone takingtheir very first animal. It istruly an amazing feeling.

We were set up in a blindon a long ridge above a steepdrop off to Spring Creek onmy father’s farm. My sonCody and I had set the blindup the day before after roost-ing some birds along theridge. As we settled in rightbefore shooting light I did asoft lonesome hen call. Wehad waited for about threeminutes when my son lookedat me and said,“You thinkwe’ll get one, Dad?” Before I

could answer, we heard a gob-ble in the crisp morning airand only a short distanceaway. He just looked at mewith widened eyes and smiledas I put a finger to my mouthas if to say “Shhh...”

Soon we heard the soundof large wings as the turkeysflew down from the trees. Iwaited a couple of minutesand starting using mydiaphragm call to coax thegobbler my way. As he startedto gobble I could tell he wasstrutting back and forth in thesame spot just out of sightwanting the “hen” to come tohim. My son kept looking atme and then out the windowof the blind, I could tell hisbreathing had gotten heavierand more frequent. Gobble,gobble, gobble, he just wenton and on but never movedan inch closer. Then as theyoften do, he just shut up, thatwas it, not a peep, zip, nada. Iused every call I had in myarsenal to bring that tom inbut no luck. I really wanted toget that bird in so my soncould at least see him andhopefully get a shot. I startedthinking, “Did he find somehens and go with them,should I get more aggressivewith the calling, is he justhung up just out of reach ordid he lose interest and justwalk away?” You other turkeyhunters have been there, butthis was different for me. Myson looked at me and said,“Do you think he will comeback?” I told him I wasn’tsure, but we should just keepour eyes peeled in case heshowed up.

We must have sat thereanother hour and all of a sud-den I looked out of the blindand standing there lookingfive feet tall was ol’tom turkey

on the side of the hill. I whis-pered to Cody, “There he is,”and when I did not get a reac-tion I looked at him and real-ized he had fallen asleep. Ishook him gently and as heslowly awoke I whisperedagain, “There he is,” and thenit started. In slow motion hereached for his shotgun as Ireached for the video camera.The turkey walked slowly butdeliberately up the hill andright past our blind. Codycould not get a shot at himout of his blind window andhad to pull the shotgun backinto the blind and move toanother window. The turkeykept walking and Cody had torepeat his move not once buttwice more. We were movingaround in the blind so muchthat if someone was watchingthey would have had a goodlaugh, because I am certain itresembled one of those oldKeystone Cop movies.

Finally the big tomstopped at the edge of thefield and the wood line. Codysaid he felt like he had a goodshot, I told him to take goodaim and to take histime…BOOM went the shot-gun before I got the sentenceout. The tom hit the groundflat out as Cody shuckedanother shell in the gun incase he needed a second shot.Then he jumped up and said“He’s down, I got ’em!”andwe both pulled the blind upand went running to the field.He walked up and we rolledthe turkey over. He took thetail and fanned it out,meas-ured his beard with his handand had the biggest smile onhis face. He finally looked atme and said,“Wow, this wascool!”

Cody Thompson bags a tom.

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I have to say I got a littleemotional because at thatmoment I knew he washooked on the outdoors forlife. Then as we high-fivedand hugged, I thanked Godfor allowing all this to happenand giving me an opportuni-ty to share this experiencewith my son.

So this year I would askyou to consider taking your

kid, or a friend of one of yourkids, a neighbor child or evencontact the local Girls or BoysClub or a similar organiza-tion to see if there is interest.Call the Missouri Depart-ment of Conversation and askabout any programs youcould learn more about andvolunteer for. Or how aboutoffering a hunt to someone’shandicapped child or a child

of a single parent home whowould otherwise never havethe opportunity to experienceGod’s great outdoors? Nowthis is focused on youthturkey season because it isdrawing near and I wanted toremind folks to take a childhunting. But let’s not forgetgetting our youth outdoors inany manner, whether it ismushroom hunting, cleaning

streams and roadways, birdwatching, or hiking, to namea few—it is all a win if forconservation. It is plantingthe seeds for them to becomebetter people as adults, plant-ing the seeds of success forthe future and for the futureof conservation.

Tim ThompsonCFM Board Member

Planting Seeds from page 15

REDUCE • REUSE • RECYCLE

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 1 7

Each issue, we’ll intro-duce new membersof the CFM BusinessAlliance. Thanks to

all of you for your continuedsupport of and involvementin conservation! (A com-plete list is on page 11 of thisissue of Missouri Wildlife.)To join, please call the CFMoffice at 1-800-575-2322 oruse the form on page 23.

SilverHornbuckle Heating,Cooling and Plumbing

Hornbuckle Heating,Cooling and Plumbingincorporated in Fulton, Mis-souri during the mid-1970’s,and by the age of 8 or 9, ZackHornbuckle was at hisfather’s side helping out. In2009, Zack took over opera-tion of the business, carryingon the tradition of personal,professional heating, coolingand plumbing service. Zackremembers catching his firstfish with his mom one daybefore kindergarten – aperch from a local creek –and he’s been hunting andfishing ever since. His momand dad both hunt and fish,and he credits them for culti-vating his interest in the out-doors and for teaching himoutdoor ethics. Zack enjoysa wide variety of huntingand fishing, with turkey andbass among his favorites.He also enjoys hiking andclimbing.

Analytical Bio-ChemistryLaboratories, Inc.

Established in 1968 in

Columbia, Missouri, ABCLaboratories is a contractlaboratory that provides ana-lytical chemistry and cus-tom synthesis services to thePharmaceutical and Chemi-cal industries. Over the past40 years, ABC Laboratorieshas evolved to meet thechanging technical and regu-latory needs of its cus-tomers... supporting thedevelopment of safe, effec-tive products that ultimatelyimprove human lives. Presi-dent and CEO, Byron Hill,grew up hunting and fishingwith his father, who raisedBeagles and German Short-haired Pointers, and taughtByron to hunt with a singleshot .410. In the past yearMr. Hill has hunted ducks,geese, sandhill cranes, quail,pheasants, deer and turkey.

BasicCap America

Cap America, based inFredericktown, Missouri, hasbeen supplying quality head-wear since 1985. They have agreat line of caps thatincludes a nice selection ofAmerican-made caps, manu-factured in Southeast Mis-souri. In fact, they are thesupplier of CFM’s Life Mem-ber caps and our new CFMAmbassador caps! Chairmanand CEO, Phil Page, is an avidturkey hunter and longtimemember of the Perry CountyBeards and Spurs chapter ofNWTF. He enjoys a variety ofoutdoor activities, includingduck hunting and fishing,and tries to get outdoors with

his two sons and stepson asoften as possible.

Commerce Bank Columbia Market

Commerce Bank wasestablished in Kansas City,Missouri in 1865, andentered the Columbia, Mis-souri market in 1970. ForCommerce, environmentalsustainability means workingto reduce the negative envi-ronmental impact of busi-ness operations whileimproving the social andbusiness environments in thecommunities in which theydo business. Teresa Maledyhas been with Commerce forthe last 30 years and is cur-rently President of theColumbia Market. Ms.Maledy has many goodmemories of time spent out-side as a child, riding bikes,playing in creeks and build-ing forts in the woods. A selfdescribed tomboy, she says,“If the sun was up, I was out-side.” Today she enjoyshorseback riding, whitewater rafting in Coloradoand walking or biking trailsin Columbia.

Bee Rock Land, LLCBee Rock Land, LLC exists

for the purpose of restoring7,000 acres of land located inTexas County to its’ originalstate. Through a variety ofland management tech-niques, Bee Rock Land seeksto improve and maintain theland’s natural communitiesand wildlife habitat. NicoleWood is the managing direc-

tor for Bee Rock Land. Ms.Wood is a member of CFM’sOutdoor Action Committeeand serves as Region 5 Direc-tor for the National WildlifeFederation. She is a lifelongoutdoor enthusiast andenjoys anything that gets heroutside with her kids,including kayaking, boating,hiking and hunting. Ms.Wood’s father, Howard,served as President of CFMand as a Commissioner forthe Missouri Department ofConservation. Keepinghunting and fishing optionsabundant for future genera-tions is a priority for Ms.Wood and her family.

ArdPark CabinsLocated near Steelville,

Missouri, ArdPark Cabinsoffers visitors the chance toexperience the MissouriOzarks on land that “feelslike your own.” With theMark Twain Forest as its bor-der on three sides, ArdParkremains private and un-commercialized. They caterto hunters, anglers, trappers,mountain bikers, canoeistsand nature lovers. Tim andCindy Ard are the owner-operators of ArdPark, andboth are serious aboutspending time outdoorscamping, hunting, fishing,boating or just about any-thing that the day allows.Tim’s favorite activitiesinclude hunting and targetshooting. Cindy shares Tim’s“affliction” for target shoot-ing and is passionate aboutArdPark!

Thank You, New Business Alliance Members

Want To Stalk Stags InScotland?

For more than 30 years I havestalked stags in the Scottish High-lands and in the course of the last twodecades have arranged for six to sevenothers to accompany me each year.

Stags are male red deer, the samespecies as our North American elk,but smaller in size because they livefarther north in a harsher environ-ment.

We stalk stags at the peak of the ruton approximately 130,000 acres ofHighlands (no other hunters are onthe area) in October and each of uswill kill four to six stags during ourweek of stalking. Last year seven of uskilled 39 stags during our stalkingweek.

Stalking red deer in the Highlandsof Scotland is a challenging, unique,and unforgettable experience. The2010 stalking dates are October11–15. Individuals who have stalked

with me previously have priority overnew folks, but it appears that I will beable to accommodate two or threenew stalkers in the 2010 party.

If you are interested in joining us(spouses are welcome), contact mefor more information by e-mail (rjrobel@ksu.edu), phone (785-532-6644), or regular mail addressed toProfessor R. J. Robel, Division ofBiology, Kansas State University,Manhattan, KS 66506-4901.

CFM Strategic Planning News

There have been a few changesmade to the Strategic Plan. Probablythe most noticeable change is the new

Murphy, CFM executive director, and Matt Gaunt, CFM development director, proposed using that group as a member recruitment system.The board agreed to this at the October meeting. The goal has accordingly been moved to the action list. As a result some other goals will have to be revisited and changes recommended to the board.

The committee has changed itsorientation from being solely a two-year approach. The operational pathfor the next couple years has beenpresented to the board and approved.Many of the goals that were approvedhave been implemented. Most havebeen assigned to various groups, indi-viduals, or committees. It is now timeto place more focus on a longer timeframe.

The time frame we are now look-ing at is 2011–2020. Many of thegoals that fit this time frame take timeto formulate and will certainly beones that the board will want toexamine closely. Most of the goals inthe Plan have been operational.Longer term goals tend to be moremission oriented.

NEWS & ISSUESA COLLECTION OF STORIES FROM AROUND THE STATE

1 8 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

Dave Murphy (center) presents a Life Member Plaque to Tom Addleman, with Tom’s wife Robin.Tom’s father Duane Addleman was CFM’s first Life Member and Duane’s late wife, Nancy, wasright behind him. We are delighted to celebrate two generations of Addlemans in CFM!

R.J. Robel with a stag in the Highlands ofScotland.

CFM Ambassadors program. Dave

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 1 9

When will you add your name t o the list?CFM Life Membership Application

Name: ________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________________Email: ______________________________________________

Payment Method (circle one): Cash Check

Credit Card __________________________________________________Exp. Date: ____________________

Charles Abele, Saint LouisR. Philip Acuff, Saint JosephDuane Addleman, SpringfieldNancy Addleman†Tom Addleman, Kansas CityJames Agnew, ArnoldRichard Ash, Saint CharlesCarolyn Auckley, Jefferson CityMichael Baker, DeSotoDane Balsman, PerryvilleJim Tom Blair, Saint LouisMarilynn Bradford,

Cape GirardeauStephen Bradford,

Cape GirardeauGlenn Chambers, ColumbiaRon Coleman, Saint AlbansMark Corio, ColumbiaJohn Enderle, KelsoMr. & Mrs. Andrew Fleming,

ColumbiaHoward & Sara Fleming, MoberlyMr. & Mrs. Matt Fleming, MoberlyMatt Gaunt, ColumbiaTimothy Gordon,

Maryland HeightsDave Kolb Grading, Saint CharlesGray Manufacturing Company,

Saint JosephDebbie Gremmelsbacher,

Saint LouisGery Gremmelsbacher,

Saint LouisHerman Hanley, Grain ValleyMickey Heitmeyer, Advance

Randy Herzog, Saint JosephJames Hill, MexicoAllan Hoover, Pleasant HillJohn Hoskins, FremontLarry & Joan Hummel, GlencoePatricia Hurster, Saint LouisDon Johnson, FestusMalcolm “Mac” Johnson, HartsburgRoger & Debbie Johnson,

HumansvilleTom Karl, FarmingtonDuane & Cosette Kelly,

IndependenceMarty King, University CityJudd Kirkham, Climax SpringsSara Knight, Charlotte, NCCarl Kurz, Leawood, KSAnn Kutscher, Jefferson CityLarry Lackamp, Bates CityJay Law†Gerald Lee, Kansas CityJoel LeMaster, FultonNorman Leppo, Saint LouisJohn Lewis, ColumbiaLeroy Logan, ArnoldChip and Teresa McGeehan,

MarshfieldCynthia Metcalfe, Saint LouisDavis Minton, DexterDavid Murphy, ColumbiaDean Murphy, Jefferson CitySara Parker Pauley, HartsburgAbe Phillips, Saint LouisJan Phillips, Saint LouisJerry Presley, Centertown

Nick Prough, HarrisonvilleGerald Ross, Jefferson CityBruce & Jan Sassman, BlandMike Schallon, WentzvilleMossie Schallon, WentzvilleTimothy Schwent, JacksonGeorge Seek, MeadvilleE. “Sy” Seidler, Saint LouisSara Seidler, Saint LouisM.W. Sorenson, ColumbiaCharles & Winnie Stribling, MexicoMary Stuppy, JoplinMark Sullivan†Jim Talbert, Jefferson CityTim Thompson, Saint CharlesJeff (J. T.) Tillman, Lake OzarkGary Van De Velde, Jefferson CityBarbara VanBenschoten,

Kansas CityLee Vogel, Kansas CityAl Vogt, ColumbiaJulius Wall, ClintonRandy Washburn, Jefferson CityRobert Werges, ArnoldMark Williams, LawsonStephen Wilson, HartsburgDaniel Witter, Holts SummitDick Wood, Saint LouisHoward Wood, Bonne TerreDan Zerr, O’FallonRobert Ziehmer, California

† Deceased

CFM Conservationists For Life($1,000 Contribution)

In the forested wildernessof northwest Europe2,000 years ago, a smallcoalition of tribal war-

bands were able to cooperateenough to block the previous-ly invincible Roman Empirefrom engulfing their hometerritories and taking com-plete control over them. Thisunprecedented successfulresistance to the Romans wasled by Hermann Sigimersen,the charismatic young chief ofthe Cheruschi tribe, at homein the Big Bend region of theWeser River valley in what isnow northwestern Germanynear the Dutch and Luxem-burg borders. Hermann andhis allies from three othersmall tribes, though outnum-bered and underequipped,were able to wipe out com-pletely three Roman legions,who along with their supportstaff, must have numberedabout 22,000 people in athree-day battle in the rainthat ended on September 11,AD 9. This Battle of Teuto-burg Forest took place atKalkreise in Westphalia, west-ern Germany, where the lastcentral European foothillmeets the swampy plain ofthe north European Lowland.The similarity to the successof a coalition of AmericanPlains Indian tribes in killingGeneral George A. Custer’sentire cavalry command atthe Battle of Little Big Horncomes immediately to mindas an analogy.

For the native Americans,this success was only tempo-rary, but when the Romans

persisted in a 7-year cam-paign to take over the Ger-manic homelands, the tribes-men were able to stop them inthree more major battles.

When in the last battle inAD 16 a storm helped to sinkthe entire Roman fleet, thetribesmen were able to put apermanent end to Romanmilitary attempts to take overthis part of Europe. Theeffectiveness of the tribalarmy here at the end of theprehistoric Iron Age was duepartly to the fighting prowessof these warriors, as well asthe fortunate (for them) tim-ing of wet weather to whichthe Mediterranean-orientedRoman army was largelyunaccustomed.

These events and theircontexts are coveredin a new booklet,Hermann and the

Battle of Teutoburg Forest:Culture, Life and Legacy, writ-ten by archaeologist Ralph M.Rowlett and published by theDeutschheim Verein of Her-mann, MO. The city of Her-mann gets its name from thisoutstanding early triballeader, whose name was writ-ten down as “Arminius” by theRomans, who were notattuned to hearing and writ-ing down the initial “h”sound, in their accounts thatdescribe the battles. They fur-ther added the “-us” nomina-tive ending to names also.The Roman written sourcesare greatly supplemented byarchaeology, which shows thematerial culture of both the

tribesmen and the Romans.For example, archaeologyshows that while the Romansof that era wore heavy seg-mented armor, the “lightlyarmed” Germani usually worechain mail, a type of defensivearmor that had been inventedin northern Europe either byCeltic or Germanic tribes.

Modern scholars andpoliticians have greatly mis-represented the tribal leaderand political innovator Her-mann/Arminius, emphasizinghis military prowess whileneglecting other dimensions

of his personality, non-mili-tary aspects that are adducedeven by his enemies. TheRoman historical sources doassert that he was both a bril-liant military and politicalstrategist and commander, aswell as being personally a veryeffective warrior. TheRomans forbade any of theirforces from engaging Her-mann in single combat, sincethey were convinced Her-mann could win over anyopponent. But the Romansources also add that Her-mann was a paragon of the

Consequences of Hermann’s Defeat Of Invaders

The bronze statue of Hermann Sigimersen erected in Hermann, MO inSeptember 2009.

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debonair, displaying a veryamiable and charming per-sonality, being an engagingand disarming conversation-alist. The Romans recordedhis arguments for religiouscommitment, whence we getour names for the days of theweek.

Like nearly all Germanicyoung men, Hermann/Arminius had been trained asa warrior, an expert cavalry-man. The Romans tried toutilize this equestrian expert-ise and forced him to serve asa Calvary scout, carrying outa reconnaissance role some-what like that of the Indianscouts with the U.S. cavalry inthe 19th century.

What modernsneglect in Her-mann’s careeris that between

campaigns and after the wars,he made many journeysamong the Germanic tribes,trying to convince them tostop fighting among them-selves and to focus on theirreal enemies, the imperialisticaggressors. This diplomaticrole of Hermann lies behindhis being sculpted as present-ing a welcoming cup of drinkin the new statue of himerected in Hermann, MO, in2009. Though Hermann waseventually assassinated in AD17, his diplomatic effortsstarted a process that led tothe increasing merger of theGermanic tribelets into largermega-tribes, still known tous, like the oceanic SalianFranks, the River Franks,Frisians, Saxons, Angli, Pom-mers, Gar-Danes, and Alle-mani. In fact, modernFrench, Spanish, Portuguese,and Italian all use the oldterm Allemania (= All Folk)

as the name for modern Ger-many. These concepts ofreducing warfare were laterembraced by Rollo the Vikingin Normandy 1,200 years ago,and finally by the 21st centu-ry, they had indeed stoppedfighting among themselves.The Salian Frank from Flan-ders, Belgium, Herman vanRumpoy, has just been electedas the first full-term Presidentof the European Union.

Hermann and his allies, bystopping Roman Imperial-ism, not only ensured the sur-vival of Germanic languageslike English, Scandinavian,Dutch, Luxemburgish andGerman but also the tradi-tional “common law” lawcodes of these linguistic areas.What is more, they alsohelped to preserve the nativeflora and fauna of these lin-guistic areas in northern and

central Europe. Even Classi-cal authors like Tacitus andCassius Dio document Her-mann’s argumentation withhis pro-Roman youngerbrother about the hyper-exploitation inherent in theRoman society of that era.This taxation and uncon-trolled exploitation includedwild animals, especially largemammals, to provide massentertainment by the publicexecution of these animals ingladiatorial combats. Occa-sionally the animals did winsome individual combats buteventually they were defeatedand killed. To provide forthis bloody and cruel enter-tainment, a constant supplyof wild animals had to besiphoned from the naturalhabitats within the empire tothe various gladiatorial are-nas within the cities of the

empire, where at least 10 ani-mals were killed per day incombat performances. Forthe entire empire, thisamounted to thousands ofanimals per day. In the firstcentury in celebrity of theaccession of the EmperorTitus, 5,000 animals werekilled in the Arena just inRome itself.

This constant drainon the wildlife of theempire must liebehind the faunal

impoverishment of theMediterranean, Britain, andNorth Africa. The brown bearbecomes extinct in NorthAfrica, including Egypt, dur-ing the course of the lateRoman Empire thoughalready rare by late in the firstcentury. The withdrawal ofthe Romans from what is nowmodern day Romania in AD272 enabled the brown bear tosurvive in the CarpathianMountains until this day. Theshort-tailed monkey, the Bar-bary macaque survived onlyat Gibraltar and the high Atlasmountains of Morocco, but atthe time of Arminius werefound as far north as Luxem-burg. At this time ofArminius/Hermann therewere still shaggy-maned lionsin Europe, as well as bisonwhich became nearly extinctin the late medieval times.Snow leopards are depictedon maps of central Swedenuntil the 17th century. Rein-deer, which of still survive,were both hunted and kept asdomestic animals on thenorthern edge of their territo-ry in Scandinavia.

The Germani are some-times understood to be

Two ancient Germani with a Barbary macaque monkey of westernEurope, such as on the Titelberg in Luxemburg.

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2 2 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

nomads, but they really werefarmers who shifted their vil-lages locations every 20 yearsor so when fields had becomereduced in fertility. These vil-lagers were primarily farmersand raised their own crops ofvegetables, like cabbage, beets,turnips, beans as well as anumber of different kinds ofcereals, such as wheat, spelt,rye, barely and the high-pro-tein Lyme grass near the sea.They also raised domesticfood animals such as cattle,horses, sheep, goats, pigs,ducks, geese, and for the lastfew centuries BC, chickens.Domestic cats were just beingbrought into the area at thetime, but the dog had longbeen known as a domestic.

These dogs were used inthe hunt, which the Germanipracticed also, both to supple-ment the food supply as wellas for sport and as a kind ofmilitary training. The supplyof wild animals to hunt fromhorseback were a necessityfor military training to whichall young men and perhaps afew women were subject.According to my excavationsin Luxemburg, about 30% ofthe animal protein in theirdiet came from hunted wildanimals. The long lancespear, such as shown with thestatue of Hermann, was themain weapon for both warand the hunt, especially fortraining. The bow and arrowwas available if the food sup-ply needed desperate supple-mentation. The arrowheadlooked like a tiny socketedsteel spearhead (as they stilldo) in contrast to the Romanthree bladed stemmed arrow-head. The boomerang is

known both in artwork and inactual examples found inwater logged deposits. In factthe boomerang is a muchmore suitable weapon forhunting than for warfare.Due to aerodynamic consid-erations, the boomerang inthe late Iron Age northernEurope looks very much theV-shaped boomerangs madeby Australian aborigines andAmerican Indians in theAmerican Southwest.

An indispensable partof Germanic equip-ment was a generalpurpose back-up

knife, used primarily forhunting and daily life, but aback up weapon, with ritual-istic overtones, in war. Thiswas a long knife with oneblunted back opposite alonger, essentially straightsharp edge, and is instantlyrecognizable as the forerun-ner of the Bowie knife andwas used in hunting and war-fare in much the same way.The Germani called this a saxor seax and it the basis of thetribal name Saxon. Most ofthe barbarian peoples ofancient Europe had a distinc-tive backup knife—for theCelts the Big Knife (SkeanMor) had a curved cuttingedge, while the east EuropeanDako-Thraki preferred a sicawith even a concave cuttingedge line.

In contrast to manyancient people of theMediterranean, the Germanicmen did wear trousers, some-what tightly fitted in compar-ison to the looser Celtic andDacian trousers in the north-ern Balkans. Two thousand

years ago the women had longhair like the females of otherbarbarians, but instead of thehair hanging loose as it didamong the Celts and theDacians, it was tied up in abun on top of the head andaffixed with a multitude of 3-4 bronze hairpins. Since theseGermanic women word acouple of long dress pins atthe shoulders, they comeacross as being somewhatspiky, for these early German-ic women had a total of about5-6 costume pins that coulddouble as secondary weapons.Although there are no surviv-ing ancient images showingthe women wearing trousers,it is difficult to image theirhunting from horseback with-

out their wearing trousers.More details about these

ancient peoples and theirgreat devotion to their landand environment can befound in the booklet pub-lished by the DeutschheimVerein on 2nd Street, at P.O.Box 16 in Hermann, MO,65041. The cost is $10 perbooklet. Subsequent articlesin the Deutschheim Verein’spublication Der MaiBaumwill be forthcoming in laterissues as well. Readers mightindicate to the publisher justwhat aspect of this precedentculture should be emphasizedin those articles.

Ralph M. RowlettUniversity of Missouri (ret.)

Hermann from page 21

HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING • BOATING

For a FREE Copy of the Magazine

Call 1-800-706-2444or

Visit our website atwww.outdoorguidemagazine.com

OutdooRGuidemagazine

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 2 3

By now, many of ushave already fallenaway from the tradi-tional New Year’s res-

olutions of exercising more,losing weight, quitting smok-ing and becoming more fiscallyresponsible.

But it’s not too late to takeup a new resolution: beingmore eco-friendly. For 2010,make a resolution to purchaseand use more products madeclose to home from recycledmaterials.

While shopping for every-day items, take a moment lookat how that item is packagedand remember less packagingmeans less waste. Then take asecond look at the materialsused to construct the item. Youmight be surprised to find howmany items now contain atleast a portion of recycledmaterial. Everything frompaper to pencils to toilet papercan contain a bit of post con-sumer recycled paper or othermaterial.

There are less obviousplaces, however, to find somerecycled goodies. Many com-panies are carrying bedding foryou and your pet made fromrecycled fibers. Comforters,sheets, pillows as well as dog

beds can be made from recy-cled cotton, or filled with stuff-ing made from plastic bottles.Clothing, such as t-shirts andfleece scarves, can also be madefrom plastic bottles.

Many recycled items aremade in Missouri, and can befound with just a little search-ing.

By surfing the Web and sav-ing fuel, you can find suchitems as recycled t-shirts trans-formed into diaper covers,jumpers, caps and wipe rags.For handmade items, Web sitessuch as www.etsy.com containwonderful creations madelocally including handbagsmade of denim skirts, scarvescreated from sweaters, andplacemats out of fabric sam-ples that would have beenthrown away.

Buying recycled can helpthe local economy as well asthe environment by closing theloop on the 3R’s. For moreideas about purchasing prod-ucts that use recycled materi-als, visit the Missouri Environ-mental Improvement andEnergy Resources Authority’sRecycled Products Directory athttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/eiera/mmdp-recycled-products-directory.htm.

Purchasing RecycledProducts In Missouri

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

Join the CFM Business Alliance today!Check the annual member category you prefer:❑ $250—Basic ❑ $1,000—Silver❑ $5,000—Gold ❑ $10,000—Platinum

CFM Business Alliance members will receive aone-year subscription to Missouri Wildlife,

recognition in each issue of Missouri Wildlife anda CFM Business Alliance sticker.

Please mail this form with your gift supporting CFM to:

Conservation Federation of Missouri728 West Main

Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559

The Conservation Federation of Missouri is a501(c)(3) organization. If you have questions,

call us at 1-800-575-2322 or visit us atwww.confedmo.org to sign up online

Business Name: __________________________

Contact Name: __________________________

Address: ________________________________

City:____________________________________

State: __________________________________

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Please make checks payable to the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

We also accept MasterCard, Visa, or Discoverbelow or online at www.confedmo.org

Credit card number: ______________________

Expiration date: __________________________

Signature of cardholder: __________________

2 4 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

AGENCY NEWS

Deer Harvest Totals Nearly 300,000Strong Youth, Muzzleloader, And Archery Portions Boost Total

Torrential rains, snowand sub-zero temper-atures failed to deterMissouri hunters

from posting the fourth-largestdeer harvest ever, according tothe Missouri Department ofConservation.

The 2009-2010 deer seasonclosed Jan. 15 with the end ofarchery hunting. Altogether,hunters checked 299,461 deer.

The firearms deer seasongot off to a good start ashunters bagged nearly twice asmany deer during the four-dayurban portion of firearms deerseason as they had the previousyear. Youths maintained thispace, checking almost 3,000more deer in the two-day earlyyouth portion than in 2008.

Things slowed down dra-matically during openingweekend of the November por-tion. Torrential rains descend-ed on much of the state on thesecond day, reducing deeractivity and keeping manyhunters indoors. With half theweekend washed out, hunterskilled only 86,200 deer.

Opening weekend ordinari-ly accounts for approximately60 percent of the Novemberportion harvest. In 2008,hunters checked more than98,000 deer on opening week-end, and that was down con-siderably from the record ofmore than 133,000 set in 2004.

Hunters made up some ofthe opening-weekend deficit of12,000 deer during the remain-ing nine days of the Novemberhunt, but still closed that por-

tion with a modest harvest of193,155.

Ten years ago, a reducedNovember harvest guaranteeda low end-of-season tally. Butwith the 12-day antlerless por-tion still ahead,plus 11 days ofmuzzleloader hunting and atwo-day late youth portion stillto come, hunters rallied tocatch up.

The antlerless harvesttopped the previous year bymore than 7,000. Muzzle-loader hunters set a new recordduring their portion of the sea-son, a 55-percent increase fromthe previous year. Younghunters shot 1,706 deer duringthe late youth portion, in spiteof brutally cold weather. Thismade the total youth harvest a44-percent increase from 2008.

Firearms hunters handedthe baton to archers with acomfortable lead of 10,000deer on the 2008 deer harvest.

Bowhunters topped the recordarchery harvest set in 2008 by7,538. The deer that archerschecked made Missouri’s 2009-2010 deer harvest the fourth-largest on record.

The 2009-2010 deer seasonincluded 42 days of firearmshunting and 112 days ofarchery hunting. Seasons andharvest totals were:• Urban portion Oct. 9-12 –

1,242.• Early youth portion

Oct. 31-Nov. 1 – 13,328.• November portion

Nov. 14-24 – 193,155

• Antlerless portion Nov. 25-Dec. 6 – 22,151.

• Muzzleloader portion Dec. 19-29 – 15,907

• Late youth portion Jan. 2-3 – 1,706.

• Archery season Sept. 15-Nov. 13 and Nov. 25-Jan 15 – 51,972.

The Conservation Depart-ment recorded 10 firearms-related deer hunting incidents,one of which was fatal.

Jim LowNews Services Coordinator,

MDCMissouri hunters killed 299,461deer during the 2009-2010firearms and archery deer seasons.

MD

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22701 Rocheport Rd,Boonville MO 65233

(660) 882-9130 • (573) 445-2363

www.Riverhillssportingclays.com

• Ammo Pro Shop • Loaner Guns• Corporate Functions • Fund Raisers

• Sporting Clays • Skeet• Trap • 5-Stand

Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 2 5

Do you own forest-land and have aninterest in improv-ing it for deer and

turkey? Did you know thatthis can be done while simul-taneously increasing timbervalue and forest health at littleto no cost to you? Whetheryour goal is to create wildlifehabitat for deer, turkey,grouse, or to generate income,forests require active manage-ment.

The Missouri Departmentof Conservation is sponsoringa Forest Management Work-

shop for landowners interest-ed in improving the habitat ontheir property for deer andturkey. The workshop will beheld on Friday, April 16th atthe Hermann High Schoollocated off of Hwy. 100 inHermann, MO.

Doors will open at 5 pmwith management presenta-tions starting at 6 pm. MDCForesters and Biologists willspend 3 hours presentinginformation on deer andturkey biology, forest manage-ment for timber production,forest wildlife management,

and cost share opportunities.Attendees will also have theopportunity to interact withthe State Deer and TurkeyBiologists throughout theevening. Deer hunters will beable to have their deer antlersscored by certified antlermeasurers. There will be sev-eral MDC displays and otherwildlife vendors available.The Hermann Athletic Boost-ers will offer hamburgers, hot-dogs, drinks, etc.

On Saturday, April 17thMDC and the Ruffed GrouseSociety will be administering a

Forest and Wildlife WorkshopTour at the property of Billand Margie Haag. This tourwill give the land managers theopportunity to see forest man-agement practices that will bepresented at the workshop onFriday evening. Interestedlandowners must register forthe Saturday workshop at BillHaag’s property. Lunch will beprovided at this event.

To get more informationand to register please callMDC Private Land Conserva-tionist Jamie Barton, at 573-564-3715 ext. 3, by April 14th.

Forest Management Workshop For Deer, Turkey

PRIVATE LANDOWNER FOREST & WILDLIFE WORKSHOP

Saturday, April 17, 2010(Rain, Snow or Shine) • Presented By:

Mid Missouri Chapter of the RUFFED GR OUSE SOCIETYand the

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

Why Should You Attend?To learn about timber management practices available to you to improve wildlife and forests onyour land, meet forestry and wildlife professionals, see quail management using native plants,and learn about cost-share opportunities for private landowners. After lunch we will conduct aprescribed fire, if the weather permits. This event takes place on property of f Hwy. 94; call thenumber below for directions.

For More Information And Registration,Call Jamie Barton at 573-564-3715, ext. 3

Please RSVP by April 14

2 6 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

Mark special days or show tribute to someone you care aboutwith a donation to CFM. Y ou could honor loved ones forbirthdays, anniversaries or other special events. This could bea respectful remembrance of friends and r elatives who havepassed away. We will list honorariums and memorials her e oron another page if this space is insufficient.

Your gift would help in so many ways: to benefit our Shar ethe Harvest Program, the Conser vation Leadership Corps,our publications or website, our building fund or help fundour day-to-day operations. We gladly accept cash, check orcredit card—just return the form below to CFM.

❑ $25 ❑ $50 ❑ $100 ❑ $250 ❑ $500 ❑ Other _______

In memory of __________________________________

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Please notify (name, street, city, state, and ZIP) ________________________________________________________________________________________________

DONOR INFO:

❑ I would like more information about including theConservation Federation of Missouri in my will or tr ust.

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______________________________________________City State ZIP

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Mail this form and payment to: Conservation Federation of Missouri

728 West Main Street • Jefferson City , MO 65101

Honorariums and Memorials

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FOR 2010

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210 N. JeffersonSaint James, MO 65559

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M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 2 7

Sportsmen’s Caucuses Hold National Assembly

The 2009 NationalAssembly of Sports-men’s Caucuses washeld in Boise, Idaho.

The Caucus continues to grow;at present it comprises 38 statesjoined for the purpose of dis-cussing legislation that affectsthe American sportsman on anationwide and state-by-statebasis.

As co-chairman of the Mis-souri Caucus, I reported thefollowing highlights: the num-ber of senators and state repre-sentatives (130) who are activemembers of the Missouri Cau-cus; hunting numbers main-tained while other states areseeing a decline; Missouri’sarchery in-school programsdouble and the state held itsfirst State Student Archerycompetition (which, accordingto national organizers, toppedthe rest with 365 participants).

I also reported on GovernorNixon’s Youth Turkey Hunt lastspring, in which 10 of Mis-souri’s youth participated.This was met with great interestby other representatives whowished to encourage similarhunts within their own states.

Summaries of the work-shops I attended during thethree-day meeting follow.

Micro StampingOne report addressed a bill

on micro stamping passed inCalifornia in 2008. The billmandates that any new-stylesemi-automatic handgun soldor manufactured in that statewill have an alpha-numericnumber on the firing pin. Theintent of this legislation is to

mark the ejected firing case(brass) with a code that is regis-tered to the pistol. In theory,this would allow the police tomatch the casing to a shooter ina gun-related crime.

Members of the militaryand law enforcement opposethis legislation because it is notan exact science without usinga scanning electron micro-scope, which is costly and stillwould not work if the ownerfiled off the tip of his firing pin.

CrossbowsStates across the nation are

receiving pressure to allow allhunters to use crossbows dur-ing bow season. The opposi-tion emphasized the unfairadvantage of using crossbow,which could shoot a 1” group at100 feet at a faster velocity thana recurved or compound bow.

Some states have allowedthis change, with mixed results.The jury is still out, but all sidesagree this would increase tro-phy kills during bow seasonand decrease them during gunseason, and more conventionalbow hunters would switch overto crossbows.

Lead ContaminationThe environmental com-

munity is working hard to banlead sinkers used by fishermanand is pushing for a ban onlead ammunition. If this bangoes into effect, it would addtremendously to the cost offishing and hunting. Leadremains a heavy, cheap and softmetal that works well.

An ongoing study on gamebirds, including eagles and Cal-

ifornia condors, focuses on thelead that they might consumefrom gut piles left by hunters.This research is being used tomake a connection betweenlead and any unexplained deathof birds.

Also ongoing is an attemptto show the effect of lead onhumans, with testing for leadlevels being performed onhunters who consume largequantities of wild game.

Puppy MillsSome states have enacted

laws to crack down on large-scale dog breeding facilitiesoperating under substandardbreeding conditions that causechronic health problems, tem-perament issues and hereditarydefects in puppies. The down-fall to this is that through thelegislative process, amend-ments are added to bills thatrestrict those breeders whocomply with the laws and oper-ate under specific guidelines.

Sportsmen and humane dogbreeders fear this type of legis-lation could have a costly andnegative effect on them.

One case in point concern-ing overregulation is Oregon,where hound hunting formountain lions was outlawed,causing a huge increase in thesecarnivorous cats, which in turnis causing an increased numberof livestock kills for farmers.

Land UseThe National Assembly of

Sportsmen’s Caucuses is con-cerned with the loss of huntingland nationwide and has pushedfor “No Net Loss Legislation”in

all 50 state legislatures. Thiswould require any acreage ofgovernment land that isremoved from hunting access bereplaced with new areas open tohunting. This remains a hugeissue in Missouri.

On the national scene, 67percent of our forests are inprivate ownership, with mostof these landowners having 10acres or more (average is 60acres or more).

In Missouri, 83 percent ofour forests, or 14.6 millionacres, is privately owned, withhunting availability by ownerpermission.

These privately ownedlands, both at the state andnational levels, are being con-verted to other uses—shoppingmalls, subdivisions, etc.—at therate of 2 acres a minute or 1.5million acres a year. By 2030,21.7 million acres across thenation will have shifted fromrural to urban.

All states represented wereconcerned with these landsbeing converted from wildlifehabitat to urban sprawl.

Missouri remains at the veryheart. We have 64 sportsmenorganizations that represent us,such as the Wild Turkey Feder-ation, Ducks Unlimited, theMissouri Conservation Federa-tion, and present the diverserange of Missouri’s huntingand fishing opportunities.

It was indeed an honor torepresent Missouri at this year’sNational Caucus event.

J. C. KuessnerCo-Chairman, Missouri

Sportsman Caucus

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It was still dark and verycold outside as I cameout of my motel roomin Sikeston adjacent to

Interstate 55. I had 6 beagles,a basset hound and aLabrador in the back of mySuburban. The day before,we hunted swamp rabbits onthe 5,785 acre DonaldsonPoint Conservation Area,New Madrid County, and Iwas looking forward toanother good day of swamprabbit hunting. Since it was along drive from my home inMoniteau County to south-eastern Missouri, I decided toleave my dog trailer at homeand put the dogs inside theSuburban. I realized my mis-take as soon as I opened theback doors of the vehicle.The inside of my Suburbanlooked like an ice cave andsmelled like wet, musty dogs.The moisture from the dogs’breath had condensed allover the inside of the vehicleand there was a thick layer ofhoarfrost on everything. Iknew my wife was not goingto like this. It would takeweeks to get the smell out.

I let the dogs out so theycould run around a littlebefore I fed them. I wasparked in a huge parking lotsurrounded by acres of close-ly mowed grass. Surely, therecould be no rabbits around.But I was wrong. There was arabbit sitting on the edge ofthe parking lot which thedogs spotted immediately.The chase was on. The rabbitran directly for Interstate 55and crawled under a chain

link fence. The dogs came tothe fence and somehow gotunderneath. All of my dogsexcept for the Lab were run-ning north on the grass feetfrom the Interstate pave-ment. I was panicked envi-sioning all my dogs beingkilled on the highway. Igrabbed the leashes and ranbut they could easily outdis-tance me. Then the rabbitturned back toward themotel and ducked under thefence again. This time mybeagles couldn’t get under

the fence so they were run-ning in both directions look-ing for a way through andmaking a terrible racket. Ihad to climb the fence, leashthe dogs up and walk back tothe first spot where they gotunder the fence. I learnedseveral good lessons thatmorning; always take the dogtrailer and always put thedogs on leashes in motelparking lots. By the time Igot the dogs rounded up andfed, the sun was up and it wasraining on the inside of my

vehicle as the ice began tomelt.

I was hunting swamp rab-bits by myself that day. Theday before had been frustrat-ing because the swamp rab-bits were eluding the dogs byswimming across ditches andlow areas filled with water.My beagles were not swim-mers and they were stumpedby the disappearance of thescent into the water. On thepositive side, the dogslearned to hop up on logs tolook for swamp rabbit scentbecause swamp rabbits oftenlinger on big down trees.

It was only a few minutesafter I started huntingwhen the beagles struck atrail. The chase was on. I

followed along behind withmy Lab anticipating where therabbit may turn back. Swamprabbits tend to run in biggerloops than cottontail rabbitsand several times the previousday the dogs barked out ofhearing range before trailingthe rabbit back. I came up to alarge drainage ditch that had athin layer of ice on it. Thebeagles were sniffing aroundconfused again. There was theswamp rabbit splashing in thewater after breaking throughthe ice and it was trying tocrawl back up on the ice. MyLab knew instantly what to do.He leaped into the waterbreaking through the thin icewith a mighty splash. Thewave from his lunge brokemore ice and the rabbit swamto other side of the ditch butnot before the beagles saw it.

Rabbit Hunting: An Aquatic And Family Experience

David (left) and Tim Urich hunt rabbits on the Turkey Kearn ConservationArea in Johnson County.

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M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 2 9

That was all it took. The bea-gles leaped into the water fol-lowing the Lab, swam to theother side of the ditch andrenewed the chase.

Of course, I was the onlyone on the wrong side of theditch with no hope of cross-ing it without walking formiles. A few minutes laterthe Lab came back. The dogsbarked out of hearing rangeagain. I waited, hoping thatthe dogs would push the rab-bit back my way. I’ve huntedrabbits with a Labrador andbeagles for years. For themost part the Lab is in theway and has ruined somegood shots by running ahead.But, my Lab is much better atspotting a rabbit beingpushed by the beagles thanme. I tend to day dream a lit-tle while waiting or talk withother hunters, but my Labwas always alert. His earswent up, which meant getready the rabbit was coming.I grabbed his collar. The rab-bit ran up to the ditch,hopped into the water andswam across. When it gotonto the opposite bank, I letgo of the Lab and fired. Therabbit jumped up into the airand fell 10 feet back into thewater. This is another reasonI hunt rabbits with a Lab;sometimes retrieving therabbit can be difficult. Thebeagles made their way backto the ditch following thescent, sniffed a few times atthe water edge and in theywent. They had learned tofollow the trail through thewater. Several more timesduring the day, the dogscrossed the water and I endedup with limit of swamp rab-bits.

My beagles’ new ability totrail rabbits through the

water proved helpful on mynext rabbit hunt in southernCole County the followingweekend with my three sons,who were teenagers at thetime. It was my oldest sonwho got us all into huntingrabbits with beagles. Severalyears earlier when he was 12years old he found a puppyabandoned on the road. Iwas very much opposed tohaving another dog but I wasoverruled by my wife, Jen.That happened to me a lot aswe were raising our sons.This new puppy was a beaglemix and turned out to be afine rabbit dog. The fastpaced nature of rabbit hunt-ing got my sons interested inthe sport and soon we had apack of six beagles.

The first rabbit thebeagles flushed onour Cole Countyhunt headed directly

for the Moreau River andcrossed at a low spot. Wewatched the beagles trail therabbit up to this location andwithout hesitation they

crossed the water. That wouldnever have happened withouttheir swamp rabbit experiencethe previous week. We had afine rabbit hunt with rabbitscrossing the river several moretimes during the day.

I’ve had many beaglessince that first swamp rabbithunting trip and all of mybeagles still swim acrosswater in pursuit of a rabbit.The old ones teach the newones so the tradition con-tinues. My sons are grownand moved away from home,but we still try to maintainour rabbit hunting traditionsas best as we can. We have aThanksgiving Day rabbithunt about every other yearand this year we had dayafter Christmas rabbit hunt. Iknow my sons will never for-get their rabbit hunting expe-riences. For the foreseeablefuture they will probably nothave beagles to carry on thetradition with their kidsbecause they don’t live in arural area where keeping andtraining beagles is morepractical. In the meantime,

they call me when they arefree, I load up the beagles, inthe trailer of course, and wego rabbit hunting.

David UrichCentertown, MO

MDC, ret

From left: David, Tim, Kirk and Aaron Urich, along with the dogs, gather back at the house after a ThanksgivingDay rabbit hunt on the Urich farm in Moniteau County.

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Kirk Urich, 13, holds the shot gunswhile the others round up the beagles near the Schell-OsageConservation Area in St. ClairCounty.

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3 0 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

C O N S E R V A T I O N F E D E R A T I O N O F M I S S O U R I A F F I L I AT E S

Anglers of MissouriBeaver Lake Beagle ClubBig Game Hunters, Inc.Bridlespur Hunt ClubCapitol City Fly FishersCentral Missouri Chapter Safari ClubColdwater Outing & Game PreserveFestus-Crystal City Conservation ClubGasconade County Youth Shooting SportsGreenway Network, Inc.Heaven’s AnglersJefferson County Coonhunters, Inc.Lambert Field Rod & Gun ClubMeramec Area Sportsman AssociationMidwest Diving CouncilMississippi Valley Duck HuntersMississippi Valley Gun ClubMissouri Association of Meat ProcessorsMissouri Atlatl AssociationMissouri Bass FederationMissouri Bird Conservation InitiativeMissouri Bow HuntersMIssouri Chapter of the American FisheriesMissouri Chapter of the Wildlife SocietyMissouri Chapter Soil and Water

Conservation SocietyMissouri Conservation Agents AssociationMissouri Consulting Foresters AssociationMissouri Department of AgricultureMissouri Ducks Unlimited State CouncilMissouri Forest Products AssociationMissouri Hunter Education Instructors AssociationMissouri Hunting Heritage FederationMissouri Hunting Spaniel ClubMissouri National Wild Turkey FederationMissouri Native Seed AssociationMissouri Parks & Recreation AssociationMissouri Parks AssociationMissouri Prairie FoundationMissouri Ruffed Grouse SocietyMissouri Smallmouth AllianceMissouri Society of American ForestersMissouri Sport Shooting AssociationMissouri State Campers AssociationMissouri State Chapter of the Quality Deer

Management AssociationMissouri State Council Quail UnlimitedMissouri Taxidermist AssociationMissouri Trappers AssociationMissouri Trout Fisherman’s Association

Missouri Waterfowl AssociationMissouri Whitetails UnlimitedMonett Sportsman LeagueMU Student Chapter Wildlife SocietyNortheast Missouri Coonhunters AssociationNorthside Conservation FederationOpen Space CouncilOzark Fly FishersOzark Wilderness Waterways ClubPerry County Sportsman ClubPomme de Terre Chapter Muskies, Inc.Quail Forever & Pheasants ForeverRiver Relief, Inc.Saint James Civic ClubSouth Side Division Conservation FederationSouthwest Missouri Fly FishersTipton Farmers & Sportsman ClubUnited Bow Hunters of MissouriWalnut Council & Other Fine HardwoodsWecomo Sportsman ClubWild Elk Institute of MissouriWildlife Society of Missouri State UniversityWindsor Lake Rod & Gun Club

Apply For Managed Turkey Hunt By March 11Online Applications OK For Most Hunts

Turkey hunters haveuntil March 11 toapply for managedhunts during Mis-

souri’s 2010 spring turkey sea-son.

Missouri hosts specialspring turkey hunts at AugustA. Busch, Bois D’Arc, CaneyMountain and Weldon Springconservation areas and at Cur-rent River State Park (SP) andSmithville Lake. These hunt-ing opportunities are allocatedby random drawing.

This is the first year for theCurrent River SP hunt. Alsofor the first time this year, all18 hunts are listed in thespring turkey hunting infor-mation guide. The booklet,

including detailed applicationinstructions, is online athttp://mdc.mo.gov/7498. Theprint version will be availablefrom hunting permit vendorsstatewide in February.

Hunters may apply individ-ually or in groups of up tothree. An individual applyingas a member of a party has thesame chance of being drawn assomeone who applies alone.Successful applicants willreceive notice of their huntdates and other informationby mail. Drawing results willbe posted March 26 athttp://mdc.mo.gov/7498.

In addition to the 12 eventsopen to all hunters, this year’sofferings include managed

hunts for archers; youths age11 through 15 and for personswith disabilities. All take placeduring the youth turkey sea-son April 10 and 11 or the reg-ular turkey season April 19through May 9.

The number of huntersallowed to take part in man-aged hunts ranges from 10 to40. Participants in some youthhunts and the disabled hunt atSmithville Lake must completea pre-hunt orientation. Con-sequently, hunters are urgednot to apply for these hunts ifthey cannot attend the orien-tation.

The bag limit for managedhunts is one male turkey orturkey with visible beard.

Turkeys taken during a man-aged hunt count toward theseason limit of two. Hunterswho shoot a turkey during amanaged hunt before April 26may not take another duringthe first week of the regularturkey season.

All-terrain vehicles are pro-hibited on areas with managedturkey hunts.

The 2010 Spring TurkeyHunting Regulations andInformation booklet also con-tains a table listing conserva-tion areas where turkey hunt-ing is allowed, and informationabout area regulations.

Jim Low, News Services Coordinator, MDC

M I S S O U R I W I L D L I F E 3 1

Please join CFM today to conserve our natural resources for tomorrow!

Check the member category you prefer:❑ $25—Individual ❑ $15—Student ❑ $30—Family ❑ $100—Sustaining

❑ $1000—LifetimeYour dues include a 1-year subscription to Missouri Wildlife, a logo sticker and a membership card.

Please mail this application with your membership dues to:

Conservation Federation of Missouri728 West Main • Jefferson City, MO 65101-1559

If you have questions, call us at 1-800-575-2322 or visit us at www .confedmo.org

Name:____________________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________________

City: ______________________________________________ State:____________________________ ZIP code: ______

Work phone: ____________________________________________ Home phone: ______________________________

Fax number: ____________________________________ E-mail address: ______________________________________

Please make checks payable to the Conservation Federation of Missouri.*If you prefer, you may charge your membership dues to your MasterCard, Visa, or Discover card.

Credit card number: ________________________________________________________ Expiration date: __________

Signature of cardholder: ______________________________________________________________________________

*Note: CFM is an IRS-approved tax-exempt not-for-profit, so your donations are tax deductible.

HONORARIUMS AND MEMORIALSIn memory of Mr. & Mrs. Edwin J. Pawlak

Barbara Bledsoe ~ Saint Louis, MO

In honor of Bob & Alice Geller at Christmas and on the occasion of their 25th Annual Game Dinner

Angie & Steve McMichael ~ Holts Summit, MO

Conserve Life: SLOW DOWN More than 1,100 people die onMissouri highways each year. Don’t become a statistic. Conserve life by slowing

down and by always making sure your seatbelt is buckled. BUCKLE UP

3 2 M A R C H 2 0 1 0

On February 8th several CFM members and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Representatives joined NWF President and CEO Larry Schweiger for a luncheon and presentation at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis to hear a talk on his new book, Last Chance Preserving Life on Earth regarding Climate Change and its global impact.

Peter Raven, president and director of the Missouri Botanical Garden introduced Schweiger with a number of compelling remarks about how global warming is influencing plant life and wildlife today. Schweiger among many things told the audience “that our earth is heating up like a pot of water on a stove. When it boils over the last thing that you want to do is turn up the heat.” “It is up to all of us to find ways to cool our planet down”. The book brings climate change down to an understandable level for all readers.

In attendance at the event representing CFM were NWF Board member Nicole Wood, past CFM president Howard Wood, NWF alternate affiliate representative Ron Coleman and incoming CFM board member Jerry Castillon.

All author proceeds from the book will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation. For information on obtaining the book go to nwf.org.

Ron Coleman, CFM/NWF

A Review:

In his book Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth, Larry Schweiger breaks down the science behind global climate change and takes us from Lake Erie to the icebergs of Greenland, and from Congress to America’s classrooms and farmlands. He shares how a clean energy economy can provide the solutions we need to avert the worse conse-quences of climate change and he uses science and common sense to appeal to the minds and heart of readers. Ultimately, Larry reminds us that have a duty to think and act as the Earth’s caretakers, not just in inhabitants. For more than four decades, Larry Schweiger has seen the transformation – for better and for worse – of America’s wildlife and wild places. He brings an informed and inspired perspective to the issue at hand. His view of our “Last Chance” is also our best chance toward a future we will be proud to leave to future generations.”

- Robert Redford

National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Visits Missouri

If there are any errors in your name andaddress, if you’ve moved from this address, or if you plan to move, please notify us at Missouri Wildlife, 728 W. Main, Jefferson City, MO 65101 or call (800) 575-2322. Visit our website: www.confedmo.org