Latest news with #MissouriDepartmentofConservation
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
It's Your Call for June 13
What's next? The Missouri Department of Conservation decision to close Pigeon Hill Shooting Range stops public access to a free public use area with safety as a convenient excuse. What's next? You can't fish in the Missouri River because it's too deep. You might drown. You can't duck hunt. If it's too cold, you might get frostbite. The truth is, the Missouri Department of Conservation doesn't remember we all pay the tax that funds them, and I, for one, think that money could be spent more productively. For the criminals I remember when I was growing up, the Democrats were for people who respected the law. Now the Democrats are for the criminals. Completely unfair I like the way the city of St. Joseph says they're going to raise our server rates starting July 1, and I get my serve bill for June that is due July 1 and they already raised my server rate from $92 to $100 and something just simply because I guess it's due July 1. That is cheating me and that's totally, totally unfair.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New pavilion at Springfield city park is cooperative effort of MDC and other partners
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Thanks to a cooperative effort of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), and other partners, Springfield's Lost Hill Park can now serve as a focal point for outdoor education. A May 21 ceremony at the scenic park on the north side of Springfield officially opened the Lost Hill Park Environmental Educational Pavilion. Half of the funding for this $98,157 project was provided by MDC. Funding for this project was also provided by Bass Pro Shops and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The pavilion will be the site of a variety of events coordinated through the park board's Outdoor Initiatives and Conservation program. This program provides outdoor-oriented programs and education efforts. 'The love of conservation starts with the love of nature; that's why the Department partnered with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board on this project,' said MDC Southwest Region Recreational Use Specialist Phillip Stearns in a news release. 'We hope that this project helps the next generation gain a love for the outdoors.' In addition to its outdoor educational purposes, Lost Hill Park's pavilion will also be available for general use and rentals. The pavilion was built by Hambey Construction of Springfield. More details about the Springfield-Greene County Park Board's Outdoor Initiative programs can be found at MDC's funding assistance with this project is an example of the community conservation assistance that may be available for conservation-related urban projects. More information about MDC's community conservation efforts can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Safety concerns close local shooting range to public use
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri Department of Conservation announces the indefinite closure of shooting ranges at Pigeon Hill Conservation Area to the public. The rest of Pigeon Hill will remain open to the public, according to a press release on the MDC website. A MDC investigation found 'evidence of range misuse at Pigeon Hill CA that put public safety at risk.' 'Unfortunately, the actions of unsafe, irresponsible shooting range users created a situation that we could not allow to persist,' said Justin McGuire, MDC's Hunter Education and Shooting Range Coordinator, in the press release. The shooting ranges located in St. Joseph are some of the unstaffed ones across Missouri. Conservation area goers are encouraged to report unsafe or unlawful activity to the Operation Game Thief at (800) 392-1111 or contact a local agent. To find agents by county, visit
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Yes, there are eels in Missouri – And they're all female
FESTUS, Mo. – A slippery, rarely seen creature may make a surprise appearance in Missouri waters this summer. Believe it or not, American eels live in the Show Me State. Earlier this week, Steve Hite of Environmental Restoration, LLC, caught and released an American eel while working on the Mississippi River, just south of Plattin Creek near Festus. The Missouri Department of Conservation recently shared about the sighting, reminding the public that – while rare – American eels indeed live here among us. According to MDC, the only eels you will find in Missouri are female. While both males and females are commonly found in coastal estuaries, only females make the long journey inland to rivers and streams like those in Missouri. Freshwater environments provide critical feeding and growth habitat for females before some return to ocean to spawn. Though considered uncommon, eels can occasionally be found in Missouri's large rivers and major streams. The distribution and abundance of eels can still be difficult to track, but they tend to be especially rare in southwest Missouri. That said, American eels play a quiet, yet important role in local ecosystems. Young eels feed on aquatic insects, while adults consume crayfish and fish. The adults also serve as prey for larger predators. Conservations believe Missouri's eel population have declined over time, largely due to dams that restrict their long migratory routes. That's part of what makes encounters like the one on Festus ever so more special. If you happen to come across an eel in Missouri waters, be sure to handle it with care. Use wet hands or a wet cloth to protect its slippery, delicate skin. If it's been hooked, gently remove it and release it back into the water as soon as possible. MDC also encouraged anglers and outdoor enthusiasts to take a quick photo or video of any eel sightings. Each encounter could be valuable information for researchers and conservationists. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Joplin City Council moves forward with allowing bow hunting for deer in city limits
An urban hunting ordinance intended to help control the deer population in the city won first-round approval of the Joplin City Council on Monday night. The ordinance provides for bow hunting within city limits on private land of 1 acre or larger with a recurve bow and permission of the property owner. The ordinance as proposed required hunters to be 21 years or older. However, councilman Josh Bard proposed an amendment to allow those as young as age 16 to hunt when accompanied by an adult. One council member opposed allowing deer hunting in the city limits. 'I think this is a crazy idea,' Gary Shaw said. 'I know there are areas where we have deer challenges. But I sit out on my patio and I don't want ... arrows flying by me, my wife and my son.' Others on the council favored the ordinance for reasons that include culling deer that can become a nuisance by congregating in herds on the city's edges, and because of the need to kill sick deer, such as those that may be suffering from chronic wasting disease, they said. Bard said that, as deer populations increase, overpopulation or other environmental factors can cause food shortages for the animals. Also, the deer cause collisions with vehicles. Councilman Mark Farnham said that residents in the city's Zone 4, which he represents, have told him that the deer carry a lot of ticks onto residential properties, where the ticks attach to people. 'It's not only a human risk,' he said of the ticks that can carry such ailments as Lyme disease, but the risk of having deer infected with chronic wasting disease. The Missouri Department of Conservation said three CWD cases have been detected in the Jasper County deer population — two in the 2024-25 seasons and the first one in the 2023-24 hunting season. That first one, northwest of Joplin along Center Creek near the Kansas line, was the closest to Joplin. No CWD cases have been detected in Newton County. Regarding those who support a city effort for urban hunting, Farnham said, 'The pressure on the city is not from hunters, but from residents seeing the number of deer and disease' in their neighborhoods. Councilman Doug Lawson said he once had a call from a resident of Silver Creek asking the city for help because there was a herd of 24 deer in that resident's yard. Deer congregating within the city damage yards by eating both natural and planted vegetation on the properties, he said. Council member Chuck Copple proposed two amendments to the ordinance. One would require that all those wishing to hunt in city limits go through a hunter safety course offered by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Also, he proposed requiring that arrows be etched with the hunter safety number issued by the department. He also proposed lowering the age for urban hunting to 16 with adult supervision. Mayor Keenan Cortez said urban hunting has been going on for years. Joplin is not trying to reinvent the wheel, he said, by adopting an urban hunting ordinance he believes it is ethical. Anyone who violates the ordinance also would have repercussions to face, he said. The mayor said that last deer season he saw a resident's post on social media asking for someone to come and shoot deer 'that were eating up everything around her house.' He also said chronic wasting disease is a serious concern among deer hunters. The Missouri Department of Conservation this spring confirmed 243 new cases of chronic wasting disease statewide from the 2024-2045 seasons. The total includes deer killed by hunters as well as those identified with CWD during targeted removal efforts. Those new cases bring the total number of CWD positives found in the state to 815 across 46 counties since the first positive CWD was identified in wild deer in 2012. Shaw said he talked to members of law enforcement about the proposal and that he believes most hunters are ethical and abide by the laws, 'but my concern is we're opening the city up to it and how are we going to control it?' Lawson favors it but prefers to make it available to those age 21 or older. Copple asked Assistant Police Chief Brian Lewis if the department has seen near misses of vehicle crashes as deer numbers increase. Lewis said that within city limits, there are eight to 10 city crashes a year and that is not an increase. Assistant City Attorney Andrea Knoblach said Jasper County reports 60 to 70 vehicle crashes a year with deer as well as incidents of damage to vegetation, gardens and transmission of diseases. Copple asked about the penalty section. Knoblach said that is going to be standard of any violation ranging from a fine to incarceration. Lewis said it would be a misdemeanor and trespassing if they don't have property owner permission. Cortez does not expect a lot of hunters, but rather people on edge of town might ask people to harvest deer. Cortez added: 'If this gets off the rails, guess what we can do? We can shut her down.' At the conclusion of the discussion, Copple made a motion to amend the council bill on the age requirement to stipulate minimum hunting age as 16 years old with a deer tag. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a licensed adult. That motion carried with six in favor. Shaw voted against it, and two council members, Doris Carlin and Josh DeTar, were absent. Copple also made a motion to amend the ordinance to require that all who wish to participate in an urban hunt attend a hunter safety course. That motion passed with seven in favor and two absent. Copple also made a motion to amend the ordinance that young hunters without hunter safety numbers because of their age be assigned a permit to attach to the arrows they shoot. That amendment also passed with seven votes. Bard made a motion to allow the right of retrieval if a deer goes onto someone else's property after being shot. The council voted 5-2 in favor, with two absent. The amended ordinance will require second and third readings.
