Missouri Conservationist December 2018

2018·7 MB·English

by  Missouri Department of Conservation

MISSOURI
VOLUME 79, ISSUE 12, DECEMBER 2018
SERVING NATURE & YOU
CONSERVATIONIST
Discover nature with us.
Conservation
ature
C G
N ape irardeau
2289 County Park Drive
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
573-290-5218
mdc.mo.gov/capecnc
enters
r
C unGe
330 Commerce Drive
Jefferson City, MO 65109
573-526-5544
mdc.mo.gov/runge
S
prinGfield
4601 S. Nature Center Way
Springfield, MO 65804
417-888-4237
mdc.mo.gov/springfieldcnc
p V
owder alley
11715 Cragwold Road
Kirkwood, MO 63122
314-301-1500
mdc.mo.gov/powdervalley
B o w
urr ak oodS
1401 NW Park Road
Blue Springs, MO 64015
816-228-3766
mdc.mo.gov/burroakwoods
T p
win ineS
Route 1, Box 1998
Winona, MO 65588
573-325-1381
mdc.mo.gov/twinpines
d C
iSCoVery enTer
4750 Troost Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64110
816-759-7300
mdc.mo.gov/discoverycenter
mdc.mo.gov | Missouri Department of Conservation
MISSOURI
CONSERVATIONIST
Contents
DECEMBER 2018
VOLUME 79, ISSUE 12
ON THE COVER
Eastern bluebird
: NOPPADOL PAOTHONG
500mm lens, f/8
1/20 sec, ISO 800
GOVERNOR
Michael L. Parson
THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
CHAIR Marilynn J. Bradford
10
18 VICE CHAIR David W. Murphy
SECRETARY Nicole E. Wood
MEMBER Don C. Bedell
DIRECTOR
Sara Parker Pauley
DEPUTY DIRECTORS
Mike Hubbard, Aaron Jeffries,
Jennifer Battson Warren
MAGAZINE STAFF
EDITOR
Angie Daly Morfeld
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Bonnie Chasteen
FEATURES
STAFF WRITERS
Larry Archer, Heather Feeler,
10 Kristie Hilgedick, Joe Jerek
Hidden Allies CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Stephanie Thurber
Unseen soil microbes ART DIRECTOR
are conservation's most Cliff White
valuable players. DESIGNERS
22 Les Fortenberry, Marci Porter
by Bonnie Chasteen PHOTOGRAPHERS
Noppadol Paothong, David Stonner
18
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Laura Scheuler
Discovering Nature
mdc.mo.gov/conmag
Through Volunteering
MDC volunteers turn DEPARTMENTS
time, passion into wealth
of nature knowledge. 2 Inbox
by Larry Archer 3 Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley
22 4 Nature Lab
Closing in on 5 In Brief
Feral Hogs 28 Get Outside
Dedicated funding brings 30 Places To Go Download this
statewide feral hog 32 Wild Guide issue to your
elimination within reach. phone or tablet at
by Lauren Hildreth 33 Outdoor Calendar mdc.mo.gov/mocon.
Canada geese ADownndloardo foird
Inbox
Letters to the Editor LOVE FOR OCTOBER CONSERVATIONIST us from early morning fishing or kayaking the
Submissions reflect I have enjoyed every page of this issue. Every article beautiful lake or Salt River. It’s hard to say goodbye
readers’ opinions and was timely and interesting. Keep up the good work. to the great Missouri outdoors after 65-plus years!
may be edited for length Mary Margaret Bayer Columbia Thanks for many years of wonderful Missouri
and clarity. Email
Conservationist issues that educated us about
[email protected]
This is my favorite magazine. I sometimes squeal out fishing, hunting, hiking, nature, land management,
or write to us:
loud when I find it in my mailbox! wildlife, and the importance of conservation of
MISSOURI
Jenny Murphy via Facebook these Missouri treasures.
CONSERVATIONIST
Steve & Sue Kurtz O’Fallon & Paris, Missouri
PO BOX 180
LONGTIME READER
JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65102
I love getting my monthly magazine. I started REBEL’S COVE
getting it when my children were young. It’s a I enjoyed your article on Rebel’s Cove Conservation
wonderful tool to keep people informed of the Area [November, Page 30].
importance of our resources. The What Is It section is In the mid ’70s and ’80s, we made several trips a
fun and often a great discussion piece. year to Rebel’s Cove for pheasants. We had to work
Peg Lewis St. Louis for them, but usually found birds. The best spot was
to turn in at the first sign and drive down to the
We appreciate your loyal readership and enthusiasm bottoms, and then hunt the entire area and only
for the Missouri Conservationist! Each month, we stop long enough for lunch and to rest the dogs.
strive to serve you with stories that help you learn This was all back in my younger days when
more, enjoy more, and do more for our state’s fish, walking was no effort. This area really holds a lot of
forest, and wildlife. We welcome your continued memories for me. In the early part of the season,
feedback, whether by social media, email, or the it was not uncommon for the dogs to run across
United States Postal Service. You can reach us via snakes as some of the grassy areas were wet and
Facebook at Facebook.com/moconservation, by swampy.
FALLING FOR email at [email protected], or by regular mail Jim Blakley Sr. Moberly
OCTOBER at Missouri Conservationist, PO Box 180, Jefferson
Every month is City, MO 65102. We love hearing from you, and it is Though pheasants aren’t as numerous as they once
wonderful, but your correspondence that helps fill this very page! were at Rebel’s Cove Conservation Area, there is
this month was Thanks for taking the time to drop us a line. still a fair population for hunting in north Missouri.
astounding! —the editors —the editors
The stories and
photos in As BARRED OWL CORRECTION
Wild as it Gets The barred owl on the [November issue] back An insect pictured on Page
[Page 17] wowed cover brings to mind all the wonderful times in our 4 of the November issue
and excited me. preferred Missouri stomping grounds. Especially [Nature Lab] was misidentified
Thank you! at our cabin at Mark Twain Lake, where a barred as a mayfly nymph. It should
owl was an occasional evening visitor at the top of have been identified as a
Kim Kraus
via Email our fireplace flue cap. He or she could loudly keep stonefly nymph. We apologize
us awake nights! However, that never prevented for the error. —the editors Stonefly nymph
Connect With Us! Conservation Headquarters Have a
573-751-4115 | PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 Question for a
/moconservation Commissioner?
Regional Offices
@moconservation Send a note using
Southeast/Cape Girardeau: 573-290-5730 Southwest/Springfield: 417-895-6880
our online
@MDC_online Central/Columbia: 573-815-7900 Northwest/St. Joseph: 816-271-3100 contact form at
@Nature_Videos Kansas City: 816-622-0900 St. Louis: 636-441-4554 mdc.mo.gov/
Northeast/Kirksville: 660-785-2420 Ozark/West Plains: 417-256-7161 commissioners.
2 Missouri Conservationist | December 2018
Up
Want to see your photos
in the Missouri Conservationist? Front
Share your photos on Flickr at
flickr.com/groups/mdcreaderphotos-2018,
email [email protected],
or include the hashtag #mdcdiscovernature
on your Instagram photos.
with Sara Parker Pauley
_ ’Tis the season of giving in the spirit of the holidays. Yet
there are those who don’t limit giving to a particular season but
answer the call to make a difference year-round. As Winston
Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a
life by what we give.”
As I look back over the year, I’m reminded of countless sto-
ries of those who give their most precious resource — their
time — to further conservation. One such example is Dan
1 Fuller, who invited me to speak at the annual banquet of Young
Outdoorsmen United this past spring. His posse of passion-
ate volunteers host this fundraising event so that they may
2
provide opportunities for youth and their families to engage
1 | Delaney Lake
Conservation Area in outdoor activities all year long. These dedicated volunteers
by Robert Hearnes, are likely aware of what the research tells us about how giv-
via Flickr
ing your time and talents reduces stress, positively increases
2 | Snowflakes by mental and physical health, and promotes longevity. But they
Abhi Gupta, via email
are also driven by something more — seeing a need and doing
3 | Winter trout something about it.
fishing by On Page 18, you’ll read inspiring stories of conservation
chethicksphotography,
volunteers across Missouri assisting agencies, organizations,
via Instagram
and communities by stepping up and giving more of them-
selves. They truly embody the spirit of the giving season by
making a lasting difference every day of the year. Happy
3
holidays, conservation family! Thank you for all you give
year-round.
SARA PARKER PAULEY, DIRECTOR
[email protected]
The Missouri Conservationist (ISSN 0026-6515) is the official monthly publication of the Missouri
Department of Conservation, 2901 West Truman Boulevard, Jefferson City, MO (Mailing address: PO
MISSOURI CONSERVATION COMMISSIONERS OTO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102.) SUBSCRIPTIONS: Visit mdc.mo.gov/conmag, or call 573-522-
H 4115, ext. 3856 or 3249. Free to adult Missouri residents (one per household); out of state $7 per year;
M P out of country $10 per year. Notification of address change must include both old and new address
U (send mailing label with the subscriber number on it) with 60-day notice. Preferred periodical postage
R
CT paid at Jefferson City, Missouri, and at additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send correspondence
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N age, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability. Questions should be directed to the Department of
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mdc.mo.gov 3
Nature
L A B
by Bonnie
Chasteen
Each month, we highlight research
MDC uses to improve fish, forest,
and wildlife management.
SPECIES OF CONSERVATION CONCERN
Swamp Rabbit Surveys
_ Unless you live in the Bootheel, you may not
have heard of the swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus).
This cottontail cousin lives in bottomland hardwood
forests, where it can dive into the swamp to escape
predators. It is also a Missouri species of conservation
concern, ranked imperiled in our state.
Former MDC Natural History Biologist Bruce
Henry explained why. “Missouri is at the very north-
Biologists conduct latrine surveys
western edge of the rabbit’s range, so steep declines
in the winter when it’s easier to
in bottomland hardwood forests in our state make it spot downed logs in the Bootheel’s
vulnerable to loss.” bottomland hardwood forests.
Henry and other members of the multipartner
swamp rabbit working group use an unusual survey
method to track the rabbits.
“We check their latrines,” he said. “We surveyed all 65 sites in Mississippi and New
Tracking
Swamp rabbits defecate atop logs and stumps, leav- Madrid counties from 2011 to 2016,” said Dr. John
the rabbit’s
ing easy-to-spot evidence of their presence. The work- Scheibe, professor of biology at Southeast Missouri
ing group keeps a database of nearly 300 latrine sites presence State University. “Our analysis showed that, while
along major floodplains between St. Louis and Oregon helps the population had recovered pretty quickly, the
counties. managers system was not yet as stable as it had been prior to
In addition to surveying Missouri’s known latrine conserve the flooding event.”
sites every 10 years, the group tracks the rabbit’s them and Will the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway pop-
response to extreme disturbances, such as the Birds their habitat ulation reach preflood numbers? Future surveys
Point-New Madrid Levee breach in 2011. will tell.
M
AIN
: B
Swamp Rabbit Surveys Swamp Rabbit’s Ecological Value RU
C
At a Glance Hhaarbdiwtaot oindd fiocaretostr .d Ifis Mapispseoaurrsi’,s s boo dtotoems tlahned r abbit. E HENRY; IN
Survey Frequency SET: D
Every 10 years since Missouri Swamp Rabbit Working Group AVID
1991 and as needed to _ MDC STON
track major disturbances _ Missouri Department of Natural Resources NER; SW
300 _ Natural Resources Conservation Service AM
_ Southeast Missouri State University P R
AB
Missouri Latrine Sites _ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service BIT: JIM
R
ATH
ER
T
4 Missouri Conservationist | December 2018
In Brief
News and updates from MDC
DISCOVER NATURE and guides with spotting scopes. Watch for eagles perched in large
trees along the water’s edge. View them early in the morning to see
WITH EAGLE DAYS
eagles flying and fishing. Be sure to dress for winter weather and
don’t forget cameras and binoculars.
LOCAL EVENTS HOSTED TO
• Mound City: Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Dec. 2 from
CELEBRATE THE RETURN OF
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge near
OUR NATIONAL BIRD
Mound City. Call 816-271-3100 for more information.
 With our big rivers, many lakes, • Kansas City: Jan. 5 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Jan. 6 from
and abundant wetlands, Missouri is 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Smithville Lake Paradise Pointe Golf
one of the leading lower 48 states for Course Clubhouse, north of Kansas City. Call 816-532-0174 for
eagle viewing. Get out this December more information.
through February and enjoy these • St. Louis: Jan. 19 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Old Chain
magnificent birds on your own or of Rocks Bridge, south of I-270 off Riverview Drive. Call 314-301-
at one of MDC’s Eagle Days events, 1500 for more information.
located around the state. • Springfield: Jan. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Jan. 20 from 12:30
Each fall, thousands of eagles to 4:30 p.m. at Springfield Conservation Nature Center. Call
migrate south from their nesting range 417-888-4237 for more information
in Canada and the Great Lakes states • Clarksville: Jan. 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Jan. 27 from
to hunt in the Show-Me State. Eagles 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lock and Dam 24 and Apple Shed Theater.
take up residence wherever they find Call 660-785-2424 for more information.
open water and plentiful food. More • Jefferson City: Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Runge
than 2,000 bald eagles are typically Conservation Nature Center. Call 573-526-5544 for more
G
N
HO reported in Missouri during winter. information.
OT
PA MDC Eagle Days events are listed • Puxico: Feb. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mingo National Wildlife
OL
D below. Events include live captive-eagle Refuge. Call 573-222-3589 for more information.
NOPPA programs, exhibits, activities, videos, Eagle Days continued on Page 6 »
mdc.mo.gov 5
In Brief
Ask MDC
Got a Question for Ask MDC?
Send it to [email protected]
or call 573-522-4115, ext. 3848.
Q: Hawks can be a Cooper’s hawk’s tail is slightly
challenging to identify. rounded and a sharp-shinned
How can I tell the difference hawk’s is squared off at the tip
between Cooper’s hawks and sometimes notched.
and sharp-shinned hawks? • Cooper’s hawks have big,
EAGLE DAYS (continued)  With their steely blue-gray blocky heads, compared with
coloring above and reddish bars sharp-shinned hawks’ petite,
Can’t make an Eagle Days event? Here are some hot below, adult Cooper’s hawks rounded pates. Also, Cooper’s
spots for winter eagle viewing on your own: (Accipiter cooperii) and sharp- have black caps of feathers, but
• Lake of the Ozarks at Bagnell Dam Access, shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus) their nape (back of the neck)
east of Bagnell not only resemble one another, feathers are lighter. Sharpies’
• Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on Route K, they also have similar habits. heads and napes are slate blue-
southwest of Columbia Even expert birders don’t always gray. Additionally, when in flight,
• Lock & Dam 20, Canton have a definite answer. But a sharp-shinned hawk’s small
• Lock & Dam 24 at Clarksville with a careful eye, it’s possible head does not always project
• Lock & Dam 25, east of Winfield to notice some differences. beyond the “wrists” of the wings.
• Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, northwest Here are a few clues: • Sharp-shinned hawks are
of Puxico • Cooper’s hawks are daring, acrobatic aerial divers
• Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, south of I-270, slightly larger than sharp- capable of surprising prey
off of Riverview Drive, St. Louis shinned hawks, both in length with a rush of speed. Cooper’s
• Riverlands Environmental Demonstration and wingspan. Cooper’s hawks hawks are similarly powerful,
Area, east of West Alton are about the size of a crow, quick and agile, but their flight
• Schell-Osage Conservation Area, north of while sharpies are the size of a tends to be more direct. Both
El Dorado Springs blue jay. follow a flap-flap-glide pattern.
• Smithville Lake, north of Kansas City • Both birds have long tails • Both birds occupy the
• Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, they use as rudders to navigate same kind of habitat: dense
south of Mound City through dense woodlands. But forests, forest edges, and even
• Stella at Moses Eagle Park leafy subdivisions.
• Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Cooper’s hawk Sharp-shinned hawk Because they prey
south of Sumner on songbirds, it’s
• Table Rock Lake and Shepherd of the Hills not uncommon
Fish Hatchery, southwest of Branson to see them near
• Truman Reservoir, west of Warsaw backyard feeders.
For more information on bald eagles, visit the MDC However, Cooper’s
online Field Guide at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZpY For more hawks are found in
information on Eagle Days, visit mdc.mo.gov/EagleDays. Missouri year-round.
Sharpies are most
Wild Webcast often seen here
Mark your calendar for Wild Webcast: Bald Eagles during migration
and Eagle Days Dec. 4 from noon to 1 p.m. Join MDC and in winter.
Resource Scientist Janet Haslerig and Media Specialist
Dan Zarlenga as they discuss bald eagles and the peren-
nially popular MDC Eagle Days events. To register, visit
short.mdc.mo.gov/ZT7.
6 Missouri Conservationist | December 2018 COOPER’S HAWK: © HOWIEWU | DREAMSTIME.COM; SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: JIM RATHERT; SQUIRREL PRUNING: GALE MARCH
AGENT
ADVICE
from
Tyler Mason
HOWARD COUNTY
CONSERVATION AGENT
If you’re looking for a
way to stay afield as deer
season winds down,
try trapping. Furbearer
numbers are high in
Missouri, and trapping is
one way to help manage
Squirrel prunings
those populations.
Trappers need a permit,
Q: I’ve noticed many severed juniper berries, and even twigs are available through local
branches under some taken as emergency foods. vendors, online at
of the cedar trees on my A closer look at the buds may mdc.mo.gov/permits, or
property. Can you tell me reveal the centers have been
through MDC’s free MO
what animal is causing this? eaten out. Rather than just eating
Hunting app. Trappers
 It’s likely a squirrel. Late the buds, these rodents prefer to
are required to affix
winter is the most critical time for first prune the branch tip from the
squirrels because much of the tree, eat the bud, then discard the their name, address, or
nut crop has been depleted and branch. As the squirrel continues conservation ID number
new spring growth has made little to dine, the branch tips pile up on permanently to each
progress. Bark, immature buds, the ground below.
trap set. Traps should
be checked within a
24- to 48-hour window,
depending on species. If
you harvest an otter or
bobcat, it must be tagged
by an agent no later
than April 10. For more
What
information, consult
A Summary of Missouri
IS it?
Hunting and
Trapping
Can you
Regulations
guess this
month’s booklet or
natural visit short.
wonder? mdc.
The answer is on mo.gov/
Page 9.
ZpG.
mdc.mo.gov 7
In Brief
CHRISTMAS COOKIES Date and
Nut Bars
The holidays usher in a season of family, friends, and lots of food.
Baked goods — particularly cookies — make it to the top of the list. MAKES 2 TO 3 DOZEN BARS
Here we feature two different kinds of cookies that incorporate Missouri’s
INGREDIENTS:
wholesome, hearty nuts. These are sure to be crowd pleasers!
½ cup coarsely chopped
black walnuts
½ c up coarsely
chopped pecans
½ c up dates, pitted
and chopped
¾ cup sifted flour,
plus 1 tablespoon
3 eggs
1½ cups brown sugar,
firmly packed
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¹⁄3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
A bit of butter for greasing pan
PREHEAT oven to 350
degrees F. Butter a 9- by 12-
inch pan, line it with parchment
paper, and butter the paper.
COMBINE nuts and dates in a
small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon
flour and mix with fingers
until dates are coated and
mixed with nuts. Set aside.
In another bowl, BEAT eggs,
add sugar gradually, and
continue beating until fluffy.
Sift together remaining flour,
baking powder, and salt.
Add to egg mixture and stir
Zimmerschied until well mixed. Stir dates
(German Brown Sugar Cookies)
and nuts into the batter.
MAKES ABOUT 10 DOZEN COOKIES
SPREAD over parchment
INGREDIENTS: PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. *A NOTE ABOUT paper and bake for 30
1 cup butter CREAM butter, vanilla, and sugar thoroughly. SIZE AND minutes or until cake
1 teaspoon vanilla In another bowl, mix flour, soda, and salt. NUMBER … rebounds to the touch when
Four rolls yield
1 cup dark brown sugar, pressed gently in the center.
COMBINE dry and wet ingredients, smaller cookies —
packed about an inch across. Cool slightly, turn gently out
adding walnuts last.
2½ cups flour You could make of pan, and cut the longer
1 teaspoon baking soda SHAPE* into rolls, seal tightly, fewer rolls and, dimension into 1-inch-wide
Pinch of salt and refrigerate overnight. consequently, larger strips. Then cut each strip
cookies; however,
1 cup Missouri black SLICE about ¹⁄3-inch thick and bake on they are very rich into thirds or fourths. Gently
walnuts, chopped ungreased baking sheets 15 to 20 minutes and the one-bite dab bars in powdered sugar
or until bottoms are nicely browned. size seems perfect. while they are still warm.
: recipe and photo by Bernadette Dryden of Cooking Wild in Missouri
8 Missouri Conservationist | December 2018