Missouri is nearing peak foliage season

MARYVILLE, MO (KXCV) - The Missouri Department of Conservation says the state is nearing the peak of its fall foliage season.

Fall color almost always peaks around October 15th in Missouri, but due to dry weather conditions, the trees will be turning a little bit earlier.

Conservation Department spokesman Jim Low says the lack of rain could also impact the vivid colors we see this year.

"I would just call it maybe a little bit less than the usual amount of fall color, but it’s still going to be pretty and in any part of the state there will always be some trees that are just spectacular," Low said.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says , however, seasonal conditions, such as freezing temperatures, heavy rains, or strong winds, could still cut short the fall-color season by stripping leaves from trees.

Kirk Wayman, KXCV

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MDC fries up Asian carp at Mississippi River Day

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Missouri Department of Conservation hosted a Mississippi River Day on Saturday that was part of the family weekend festivities at Southeast Missouri State University.

Little kids competed at casting rods, boats cut through the Mississippi River water, and everybody had a chance to sample different kinds of fish.

Dr. Quinton Phelps, systems ecologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the taste test was designed to see which type of fish ... Tilapia, Catfish, or Asian Carp ... was preferred by most people.

"The survey that we did was fairly broad based. It incorporated a range of ages from small children all the way up to grandparents, so we had a very good demographic and it didn’t really seem to matter what age you were, it seemed like Asian Carp were the preferred fish to consume," Phelps said.

The Asian Carp is an invasive species that is endangering the local ecosystem of the Mississippi River.

The carp eat food that native fish depend upon. Local fish population are suffering due to the carp’s incursion.

Phelps says the taste test should help determine if there is a market within the local fish industry for Asian Carp.

The results of the taste test will be posted at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center later this week.

Drew Yount, KRCU

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Volunteers count chimney swifts at St. Vincent's Catholic Church

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Missouri Department of Conservation hosted a program to help count chimney swifts Tuesday night. 

This event was part of a nationwide research project. It was held at St. Vincent’s Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau.

This project helps by collecting counts of swifts across the United States. Counts are used to track birds’ migration patterns and keep a record of the chimney swift population.

Bob Gillespe is a natural history biologist for the MDC. He says the birds are declining across their range because of different habitat change. That is why “Swift Night Out” takes place.

"Each year we conduct a swift night out and we come out and monitor chimney swifts populations in different chimneys that they utilize for their migration and basically we’re just getting an assessment of the number of birds using the chimney here at St. Vincents school," he said.

The Department hopes the event helped get people involved and educated about chimney swifts.

Lauren Campbell, KRCU

Photo courtesy of Audubon Minnesota.

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Mountain lion spotted in Shannon County

A landowner’s trail camera has confirmed a mountain lion sighting in Shannon County. 

The landowner emailed the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Mountain Lion Response Team on August 6 with a camera image of a mountain lion walking through a clearing. The image was taken on July 29 on private land at the west edge of the county near Mountain View.

Conservation agents confirmed the sighting.

Mountain lions are dispersing from states west of Missouri towards the east. Earlier this year, a mountain lion was killed in Connecticut.

Conservation agents say Missouri’s mountain lion population is small and is not considered large enough to be a breeding population.

Photo: A landowner’s trail camera taken on July 29 has confirmed a mountain lion sighting in Shannon County. Image courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

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Teachers brings nature into the classroom

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Educators spent two days at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center last week to learn about incorporating nature into the curriculum.

The program is part of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Discover Nature program.

Education Consultant Bridget Jackson says that one of the project’s goals is to teach students about Missouri’s different habitats.

“Another goal that is equally important is to get the kids outside. These curriculums are designed in such a way that teachers are taking kids outdoors to learn,” Jackson said.

The program is designed for elementary, junior high and high school classes. Ten teachers took part in last week’s workshop, coming from Southeast Missouri and the St. Louis area.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Frog hunting season in full swing

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Frog hunting season is now in full swing, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The season began on June 30. It runs through October 30th.

Angela Pierce, a naturalist at the Missouri Department of Conservation, says that there are wide variety of methods for harvesting frogs. These include with a fishing rod, an atalatl, a .22-caliber or smaller rimfire rifle or pistol, or by hand.

Pierce prefers frog gigging.

“You shine a light in their eyes and it dazes them and they stay still and then you can spear them as they are blinded by the light,” Pierce said.

Each hunter is allowed a quota of eight green frogs or bull frogs.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Bear trapping program expands to Southeast Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Missouri Department of Conservation has expanded its black bear trapping program into Southeast Missouri. 

The Department began trapping bears in Southwest and South Central Missouri last fall. Department agents are now attempting to do the same in most Southeast Missouri counties.

Despite their efforts, no bears have been trapped in Southeast Missouri … though two bears were captured last week in Oregon County.

Black bears were thought to have been extirpated from Missouri in the 1950s.

But Conservation Outreach and Education Supervisor A-J Hendershott says that bear sighting began to return in the 1980s.

“Since that time, our reports have grown. We see more trail camera pictures. We see more tracks. We see more scat that is brought to is for identification. And so it’s very plain we’re seeing bears in Missouri and so the Department of Conservation need to be aware of what the population really looks like, how they are using the habitat, so we can more effectively manage that population,” Hendershott said.

Hendershott says that most of the Missouri bears migrated from Arkansas. Bears were reintroduced into Arkansas in the 1960s.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU
Photo: A juvenile male, weighing 150 pounds, wakes up in the woods after being trapped and measured by the Missouri Department of Conservation in Oregon County on Tuesday. (MDC photo by Candice Davis)

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Missouri elk released from holding pen

The 34 elk and five new calves in the Peck Ranch Conservation Area were released on June 1 from their three-acre holding pen.

Their release followed health tests performed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Peck Ranch will remain closed to the public for the time being to allow the elk to acclimate to their new environment. It will be reopened within a few months. The area is administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Conservation staff say that they expect additional cows remain pregnant.

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MDC to start bear trapping program in Southeast Missouri

The Missouri Department of Conservation will begin a bear trapping program in Southeast Missouri.

Black bears once thrived in the region, but were largely driven out of the state by the 1950s.

Arkansas reintroduced black bears in the 1960s. It is thought that many of the black bears currently found in Missouri are descendents of these Arkansas bears.

The MDC conducted a trapping program last year in Southwest Missouri with the University of Missouri and Mississippi State University. The Southeast Missouri program will partner with the same universities.

This study will provide information such as movement patterns, population densities, habitat preferences, male to female ratios, and overall numbers of Missouri bears, according to an MDC press release.

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MDC makes final preparations for elk

WINONA, MO (KRCU) - The Missouri Department of Conservation has made final preparations for the transfer of 34 elk to the Peck Ranch Conservation Area. 

The elk will be moved from Kentucky on April 30 to the expansive elk zone in Carter, Shannon, and Reynolds Counties.

Department of Conservation agents have been managing the 36 square mile Peck Ranch Conservation Area to improve habitat for elk and other animals.

Wildlife biologist Ryan Houf says that the department has established food plots of clover, alfalfa, orchard grass, wheat, and rye. They have cleared undergrowth through prescribed fire, which Houf says clears off undesired vegetation and improves ecosystem health.

“"It’s our major component of natural community management," Houf said. "We’'ve been doing that for like 30 years. It’s just not elk management, we’re doing natural community management. And elk are just part of that natural community, that native species.”"

Conservation agents led media members through a five-hour tour of the backroads, forests, and glades of the remote Peck Ranch Conservation Area on Tuesday.

One of the highlights was a three-acre holding pen that will hold the animals for several weeks before they are released into the wild. The holding pen contains multiple compartments and eight foot fences to protect the elk. The pen allows the elk to adjust to their new environment.

The elk are currently being held in quarantine in Kentucky, where they are under medical observation. Conservation agents say that they hope in bring in about 150 elk over the next few years …and they believe that the elk zone has enough space and suitable habitat for 450 of the animals.

Photo: One of the elk holding pen's compartments.
KRCU, Jacob McCleland

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Prescribed fires bring ecological advantages

DAISY, MO (KRCU) - Birds chirping, dogs barking, sun shining, breeze blowing; spring had finally arrived at Ed Graves' farm just outside of Daisy, Missouri.

Listen to the story.


Graves is originally from the St. Louis area where he worked in law enforcement for 30 years before moving to Southeast Missouri five years ago when his wife retired. After searching all over the state, they finally decided on Southeast Missouri to enjoy retirement and a past time they've shared for years.

"For 30 years we've been running bird dogs, Brittanies,” Graves says. “And I field trial them and train them, so we were looking for an area where we could help out the quail population and in turn help the dogs."

Graves and local private lands conservationists had been watching weather patterns and forecasts for weeks, trying to find a day with ideal temperature, humidity, and wind to safely conduct a prescribed burn. Finally that day presented itself in the form of a beautifully balmy, typical Southeast Missouri April day.

Before the burn was to be conducted, Graves and the conservationists put together a burn plan, which is basically a short, how-to document on how to conduct a burn, according to private lands conservation David Hasenbeck with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“It's based upon the management goals we want to achieve and it basically lists safe weather parameters and safe conditions that we want to burn under to accomplish the goals of the fire,” Hasenbeck says.

The burn plan for the Graves' farm was fairly simple: Remove all unwanted vegetation, allowing new, more desirable vegetation to take its place which would foster an ideal habitat for quail.

Prescribed fires destroy undesirable species of grass such as fescue and debris such as leaf liter while helping native grasses to flourish.

Wildlife benefit from prescribed burns, according to Hasenbeck. Quail, deer, and turkeys are just a few species that thrive in areas that practice prescribed burns periodically. That’s why Graves decided to conduct a burn on his land.

“It’s a necessary thing to do,” Graves says. “It was done long before we ever got here.”

Fire gets rid of leaf liter and dead plants that can be found on the forest floor. Removing dead ground cover exposes seeds and nuts, allowing wildlife better access to these food sources. Fire also helps eliminate hardwood saplings, allowing more light to penetrate to the forest floor which encourages native grasses to grow.

Hasenbeck, is a firm believer in the effectiveness of a prescribed burn but he believes that a healthy level of respect fire's power is essential.

“Prescribed fire is probably the lowest cost and biggest bang for your effort management tool that you can do in the Southern Ozarks,” he says. “It's applicable to a lot of different situations but once again it just comes with some risk and you need to be aware of those risks prior to conducting the burn.”

While prescribed fires are excellent management tools, they can also become dangerous very quickly. Burning on days when the weather conditions are not ideal or burning without enough resources or people can cause a prescribed fire to become a wildfire.

Joe Garvey is the Forestry Supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation and he knows all too well about the possible dangers of a prescribed burn.

“A prescribed fire is just a wildfire kind of contained,” Garvey cautions. “Sooner or later one could get away from you and that’s a humbling experience. Once you light that thing extreme caution and respect is paramount.”

Fortunately, all the proper precautions were taken and the burn at the Graves' farm was successful. No one was injured and fresh new grasses and wildlife should be enjoying the newly cleared land in just a few weeks time.

Katie Long, KRCU

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Elk to arrive in Missouri on April 30

The first group of elk that are part of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s elk restoration project are scheduled to arrive in the state on April 30.

The 34 elk will complete their 90-day quarantine and final health testing in Kentucky before being transported by a semi-driven livestock trailer to Missouri.

The elk will be released from Kentucky pending approval by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The elk also have been fitted with ear tags, microchips and GPS collars.

After their arrival in Missouri, the elk will be held in a pen at Peck Ranch Conservation Area for up to two weeks, before being released into the wild.

Peck Ranch is part of a 346-square-mile elk restoration zone in Shannon, Carter, and Reynolds counties.

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Mountain lion sighting verified in Oregon County

Another mountain lion sighting has been verified in Missouri. This time, the animal was seen a little closer to Southeast Missouri.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) says that DNA tests show that a tuft of hair found on a fence post in Oregon County belonged to a mountain lion, according to a press release.

Conservation agent Jerry Elliot retrieved the mountain lion hair after a witness saw an adult mountain lion cross the road and jump over the fence.

The MDC said that this is the sixth mountain lion sighting in Missouri since November of last year, but only the sixteenth in modern times.

The last mountain lion was killed in Missouri in the Bootheel in 1927.

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Turkey hunting limited at Peck Ranch this spring

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is closing portions of Peck Ranch Conservation Area to turkey hunting this season due to its elk reintroduction project. 

The MDC says that turkey hunters would disturb the elk, which will have recently arrived from Kentucky. They want to minimize human to elk contact during this time.

Area manager Ryan Houf says that other hunting seasons will not be affected by the elk.

“By the time any of our other hunting season come about, the elk will already be released out into the wild. This is just specifically dealing with spring turkey season,” Houf says.

The elk will be released slowly into the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Shannon and Carter Counties. The release is scheduled for late April. Spring turkey season runs between April 18 and May 8.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Peck Ranch Closure Map courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation

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MDC holds prescribed burn workshop

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - A well controlled fire can be an important land management tool.

That was one of the messages at a Missouri Department of Conservation workshop Thursday evening in the Nature Center in Cape Girardeau.

The workshop covered several different important aspects of preparing for and conducting a prescribed burn. Topics for the workshop included ideal weather conditions for burning, the importance of a burn plan, and ensuring that there is adequate equipment and people to help reduce the probability of a prescribed burn becoming a wildfire.

Dave Hasenbeck, a private lands biologist, was a facilitator at the meeting and emphasized the main points of the workshop.

"Prescribed fire is probably the lowest cost and biggest bang for your effort management tool that you can do in the Southern Ozarks. But, once again, it comes with some risk and you just need to be aware of those risks prior to the burn," Hasenbeck said.

The Missouri Department of Conservation will host another prescribed burn workshop and demo burn on April 5th.

Katie Long, KRCU

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MDC offers e-permits

Your trip to your favorite fishing hole or deer stand can now start at your computer.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will begin issuing E-Permits on March 1. Instead of visiting a hunting or fishing permit vendor, anglers and hunters may now buy and print permits at home.

The MDC’s Jim Low says that the new E-Permit system was adopted in response to demand, as well as a desire to cut costs. Still, traditional options will remain in place for those who wish to avoid online purchases.

“Permit vendors will have the option to continue being vendors if they want to do that. They’ll just need to have some sort of laptop or PC or whatever in their business to print out permits,” Low said.

Vendors will continue to print permits on the old material until July 2012. The old permits will be phased out between July 2012 and July 2013.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Conservation agents struggle with over-zealous fishing at Rotary Lake

JACKSON, MO (KRCU) - Conservation agents are dealing with anglers who take far more than their fair share of trout from Rotary Lake in Jackson.

The Missouri Department of Conservation and the city of Jackson jointly stock the lake with 1800 trout in November. Trout season began on February 1st.

Agent supervisor Russell Duckworth says that on February 8, an angler was caught with what he calls “a massive over-limit” of trout.

"This is something that goes on fairly frequently at the lake by a few individuals. We’re not exactly sure who that is. But we do get complaints from other anglers that are trying to do the right thing and stay within their limit," Duckworth said. "But they will see people catch and keep more than they are supposed to."

Licensed anglers may keep four trout per day. Even at that rate, the population is greatly diminished within four to six weeks of the beginning of trout season.

Those who pull out more than four fish per day receive a one-hundred dollar fine for the first over-limit fish, plus 15 dollars more for each additional fish, as well as court costs.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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