May 26, 2013

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State parks gearing up after near-record year (AUDIO)

March 21, 2013 By

Missouri’s state parks are being prepared for a new tourist season after having one of their greatest years ever.  Last summer’s oppressive heat and week after week of drought might not seem like ideal weather for a camping trip or a visit to a state historic site. But the parks division says the number of people visiting those parks and sites was the second-largest on record. 

Parks Director Bill Bryan says the heat did take a toll, though. He says visitors were breaking attendance records until things dried up.

He says the total reached 18-million, only about 200-thousand less than the record set more than a decade ago.  The parks division says an economic study shows the state parks and historic sites division supported more than 14-thousand-500 jobs and  had a billion-dollar economic impact on the state.

AUDIO: Bryan interview 9:24

Filed Under: Featured, News, Recreation & Entertainment

Commemoration of the first parachute jump held this week (AUDIO)

February 26, 2013 By

U.S. Army Airborne units will pay tribute to a dramatic and historic “skyfall” later this week in Jefferson Barracks.

To commemorate the 101st anniversary of the first parachute jump from an airplane on March 1, 1912, five U.S. Army Airborne units will pay tribute later this week to what established a military capability that played an important role in helping secure freedom in the world.

Public Information Officer and member of the 101st airborne unit, Barry Hana says he hopes that those who watch the anniversary leap will see the importance in Friday’s event. 

“We feel like anyone who visits Jefferson Barracks, and that number of folks is increasing each summer especially when the weather is good, they will see the history of this event,” he said. “And they’re going to understand it’s importance to the formation of the five airborne army units that since World War II have become very famous and have contributed greatly to our country’s military history and to the freedom we enjoy.”

Hana says the concept of having a commemorative began a year ago. “The Jefferson Barracks foundation office and the foundation there that raises money to record the history of Jefferson Barracks which goes back to the Civil War,” he said. “Those two groups looked into the history books and found out that the first airborne jump- the first parachute jump in the country was done at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. ” He says that’s highly unusual because there are other other places today that airborne units stationed there.

To commemorate the anniversary, 83-year old military veteran, Lewis Sanborn who is a Master Parachutist and veteran of the 82nd Airborne unit will take the plunge, parachuting on to the grounds later this week. Hana says he’s unsure if the commemorative event will happen every year following this year’s.

 

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:00)

Filed Under: Featured, Human Interest, News, Recreation & Entertainment

Deer kills see an increase up from last year (AUDIO)

November 20, 2012 By

The Department of Conservation says during the November portion of the firearms deer season in Missouri 194,000 deer have been killed and those numbers are up from the previous year.

Resource Scientist Jason Sumners says compared to last November’s 190,000 deer harvested, the numbers have increased and largely due to the poor acorn crops this year.

“To this point, we’ve killed just over 194,000 deer which is up from last year,” he says. “In 2011, during the November portion of the firearms deer season, we harvested 190,000 deer.”

Sumners says the increase in harvest this year is somewhat expected. “Primarily because of the poor acorn crop and deer are using more open areas in search of food,” he says. The lack of acorn crops made it more vulnerable for deer to be harvested.

He says the November portion of the firearms deer season accounts for about 60 percent of the total deer harvest.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (:55)

Filed Under: Agriculture, Environment & Conservation, Featured, Human Interest, News, Recreation & Entertainment

First weekend of firearms deer hunting season shows decline in results

November 12, 2012 By

Abruptly-changing weather during the first weekend of the firearms deer hunting season appears the reason for a 20 percent-plus drop in the deer kill. The Department of Conservation says about 450,000 hunters looking for deer killed about 69,000 of them. A normal first weekend sees about 89,000 deer killed.

Jedd Oidtman, 16, of Central Missouri’s Osage County, bagged this 12-point buck during the first weekend of firearms season.

Deer biologist Jason Sumners says the 46,000 deer killed on Saturday was about normal. But a mid-day Sunday cold snap and rain cut the second-day take to about half of the Saturday kill.

The department estimates the deer herd in Missouri to be about 1.4 million.

Sumners says department agents were working with meat processors and at other deer check-in stations in six counties — Linn, Chariton, Macon, Randolph, Adair, and Sullivan — to take samples looking for evidence that Chronic Wasting Disease is spreading. He describes the area as a “containment zone” where five cases of CWD have been reported among the free-ranging deer herd in the last two years.

The season continues through next weekend.

Filed Under: Featured, News, Recreation & Entertainment

Acorns forecast good deer hunting (AUDIO)

November 2, 2012 By

Some people study tea leaves to forecast the future.  But the Department of Conservation studies acorns to forecast the success of deer hunters this year.

It’s been a bad year for acorns, generally, because of the drought.  But what’s bad news for deer can be good news for deer hunters. Deer eat acorns and when there are a lot of acorns they don’t move around looking for other food. 

Conservation department deer biologist Jason Sumners says the movement is noticeable.  “You can visibly notice it just by the sheer number of deer that are being observed out in the open areas, ” he says.

It has not been a good year for crops.  Sumners says he’s concerned that many of those farm fields where deer might go for food were harvested early and already have been plowed under, covering up the waste grain that had fallen on the ground.

Missouri has an estimated 1.4-million deer. Last year hunters killed almost 289,000 deer in all of the seasons. Sumner says the kill total is running ahead of last year’s numbers in the first archery season, which ends a week from today, the day before the firearms season begins.

AUDIO: Sumners interview 4:23

 

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Featured, News, Recreation & Entertainment
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