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Wildfires burning thousands of acres

March 20, 2009 By

It’s the time of year when wildfires start cropping up throughout the Missouri.

Missouri wildfire March and April are dangerous months for wildfires. Bill Altman, forestry supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, says nine homes in Missouri have already been lost to wildfires this year. Another 12 have been damaged and one man has died. The number of barns and outbuildings destroyed and damaged is into the 40s.

Altman says those burning trash or brush need to take precautions:

Watch the weather and avoid burning anything on dry, windy days. He says you can also cover your debris pile with a tarp or a piece of plywood to keep it dry through a rain, and then burn it while everything else is still wet.

He says to never turn your back on a fire, keep tools nearby — such as a shovel, rake and water hose — in case it does get away. Altman says there is another alternative – leave brush piles as a natural habitat for area wildlife or chip it up and use it for mulch.

Otherwise, he says, you can wait until May and June when things green up and the risk of surrounding vegetation catching fire is minimized.

Hot spots are LaClede, Camden and St. Clair counties, but Altman says the amount of down wood from recent year’s ice storms makes conditions hazardous throughout Missouri. 

Conservation has also had to battle fires that have resulted from arson. The department is asking anyone who suspects or sees arson to call Operation Forest Arson:   Dial toll free 1 – 800 – 392 – 1111. Vist the Operation Forest Arson Web site for more information.

For more information on fire safety tips, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Wildfire in Missouri Web site, where a host of information is available on burning, building natural habitat out of brush piles and more.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With: ,

Deer farmers want federal, not state, oversight

March 6, 2009 By

A lot of Missourians hunt deer, eat deer, even watch for deer while driving down the highway. But how many have dropped a cool 150 grand for an unborn fawn?

You’d be surprised. Deer farming is big business in Missouri. The Missouri White Tail Breeders Association says there are 300 breeders in the state and they want oversight from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not the Missouri Department of Conservation.

At issue is health testing for domestic deer — breeders say Conservation officials aren’t qualified and that following federal regulations would make interstate sales and shipping less complicated. Deer have to be certified as healthy, free of tuberculosis, CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) and others before they can be shipped to other states.

Jerry Campbell of Midwest Whitetail Deer Sales says the economic impact of domestic deer farming in the U.S. is estimated at $3.4 billion. The two leading states in raising domestic deer are Texas and Pennsylvania, he says, but Missouri has a growing industry. Campbell, who is a certified appraiser, says his herd is worth an estimated $1.7 million.

Sen. Chuck Pergason (R-Caulfield) told the breeders they should think twice about asking the federal government — not the state — to oversee their business. He voiced concerns about relinquishing control from state officials, where Missouri residents have a voice, to federal officials.

“I just hope that you’re not back five years from now, if this passes, wishing you were back under Conservation and pretty well having to deal with those problems on your own instead of dealing with the federal administration and … the rules that they’re putting down to regulate you,” Pergason said.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill. Sen. Dan Clemens (R-Marshfield) is sponsor of the bill. He says all parties involved are in favor of the legislation.

He says basically his bill takes the responsibility for all health issues for privately owned raised deer in captivity away from the Department of Conservation and gives it to the Department of Agriculture.

Bill Pittenger, president of the Missouri Whitetail Breeders and Hunting Ranches Association, says his group’s 280 members, along with the 300 breeders and 40 hunting ranches in the state, are in favor of the legislation.

“Each state has its own rules on CWD, there are no federal rules written,” he said. ”We’ve been asking the federal government for 10 years for federal rules so all states can be on same page.”

Breeders now rely on Conservation to check for CWD, he said, and have to get an entry permit for TB and brucellosis to bring animals in from another state, he says.

“Right now you could go to Colorado and shoot a deer, in an area that’s had CWD for 25 years or more and bring that animal right back and throw it out on your property once you’re done with it,” Pittenger said, “but if you buy a deer from my pen and take it out somewhere, they act like it’s a major crime.”

Jessica Machetta reports

Filed Under: Agriculture, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Bill gives Conservation Department right to revoke licenses for life

March 2, 2009 By

Hunters who accidentally kill someone could lose their hunting priveleges permanently. A bill in the Senate puts the power of revocation into the hands of the Conservation Department.

If someone dies as a result of a hunter’s carelessness, the shooter loses his or her hunting priveleges for five years under Missouri statute. Some say that’s not enough.

Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Peters) presented his bill to the Agriculture committee.

Karen Ermeling told the committee she lost her husband in a hunting accident.

As he was calling turkeys for his hunting partner, the partner suddenly turned 180 degrees and shot Russell Ermeling in the face.

Ermeling says the hunter pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was given five years probation and a hundred hours of community service speaking on hunter safety. But, she says, the shooter still claims he did nothing wrong.

Talia Williamson flew to Jefferson City from Pompano Beach, Florida. She said she lost her husband in same way almost a year ago.

Senator Dan Clemens (R-Marshfield), chairman of the Ag Committee, says the testimony was moving to hear.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill.

The Department of Conservation says accidents are more common during turkey season because hunters are not required to wear blaze orange and are often completely camoflaged.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Senate bill would legalize noodling season

February 27, 2009 By

Some Missourians have been known for years to go noodling, or and-fishing. You stick your hand under a log or into a hole underwater and see if you can’t get a catfish to grab on. The sport’s illegal in the state now … but a bill (SB 350) by Sen. Dan Clemons (R-Marshfield) of Southwest Missouri would change that. His bill would allow enthusiasts to bag five fish per person during a two-month season.

Bill Turner with the Department of Conservation says their studies show this diminishes a vital population. Turner says noodlers target the bigger catfish, which are fewer in numbers than smaller fish in Missouri’s rivers. He also says when they’re yanked off their nests, if there are eggs in that nest, the eggs die.

Noodlers Anonymous was there — comprising young and old — to explain their passion. They say it’s a family tradition passed on through several generations, and a viable sport; no different than hunting or fishing that thousands of Missourians are allowed to enjoy.

Some members allege the Department of Conservation skewed test results to prove noodling has an adverse effect on catfish populations and that noodlers are being discriminated against.

Sen. Chuck Purgason (R-Caulfield) told the Department of Conservation that they need to work with the noodlers to put measures in place everyone can live with, that it’s not the legislatures place — most of whom have no knowledge of the sport nor the biological impact — to make a decision on the matter. He said noodlers pay taxes just like everyone else in the state and they’re entitled to enjoy their sport just like everyone else.

Supporters and opponents of the measure stated their cases for the Senate Agriculture Committee … it was a heated debate that continued in the Capitol halls after that hearing concluded.

A Senate Joint Resolution (No. 8), sponsored by Sen. Wes Shoemyer (D-Clarence), from Northeast Missouri, would put the measure to a vote of the people.

The broadcast of the story and audio from opponents, proponents and Senators are listed below.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]
Howard Ramsey, noodler, testifies
Proponents, kids, testify in favor of the bill.
Fisheries & Water Resources Committee with Conservation Federation opposes bill
Gary Webb, Noodlers Anonymous, supports the bill
Conservation Department opposes bill.
Sen. Chuck Purgason calls for both sides to work together.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Taum Sauk Settlement Approved

January 9, 2008 By

  Ameren-UE has agreed to pay the state 180-million dollars in cash and property to settle the lawsuit stemming from the Taum Sauk Reservoir collapse two years ago. Lengthy negotiation mixed with quantities of political sniping between the Governor and the Attorney General have ended with a Reynolds County judge approving the settlement. The suit had been filed by Attorney General Jay Nixon. The natural resources and conservation departments also filed claims. DNR Director Doyle Childers says the 180-million dollar settlement begins with the 50-million dollars-plus that Ameren already has spent fixing up Johnson Shut-ins State Park, which was devastated by water from the reservoir.

The settlement also establishes a scholarship program for Reynolds County students, pays for development of a new state park on the Current River, and for development of segment of the KATY hiking and biking trail that links the western end of the cross-state trail at Windsor with Kansas City. It does not include the tens of millions of dollars Ameren will spend to rebuild the reservoir. A separate lawsuit by the Missouri Parks Association is trying to keep Ameren from doing that.

Download Bob Priddy’s story (:60 mp3)

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With: , , ,
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