MISSOURI
STATE REPORT
May 14, 2015
Bob Ziehmer, Director
Missouri Department of Conservation
2901 West Truman Blvd.
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Staying Current and Mainstream with Missouri’s citizens
Today’s conservation professionals will likely experience a wide variety of unique challenges
than their former predecessors, particularly from the views and expectations of society. There is
no way around the fact that today’s work environment requires employees to do more with less
and often perform work that was previously accomplished by two or three employees. I remain
fully optimistic that we as agencies will continue to find and employ professionals who are
solution-oriented team players who demonstrate passion and leadership skills coupled with a
strong work ethic and a positive attitude.
It has always been important for wildlife agencies to remain “steadfast and true” in carrying out
our public trust obligation to the resource. We also have to be in constant contact with our
citizenry and explain in plain language the complexity of wildlife conservation. We need to
provide to our staff the best technology and tools available to accomplish the work and it is
imperative we also equip them with the communication skills and confidence in delivering
conservation to a diverse public.
Since the beginning, MDC has believed that all Missouri citizens deserve respect and stresses the
importance of listening and understanding what Missourians say about conservation programs
and services. Some of the key findings from the latest public opinion survey (2013 Conservation
Opinion Survey) included:
• Most Missourians report they are interested in Missouri’s forests, fish, and wildlife
(95 percent). Over three-quarters of Missourians agree that “The Missouri
Department of Conservation is a name I can trust” (76 percent).
• About two-thirds of Missourians rate the job the Department of Conservation is doing
as “Excellent” or “Good.”
• Most Missourians reported being somewhat or very familiar with the Department of
Conservation (86 percent).
• Missourians support conservation activities and agree that the Department should
assist landowners and communities with conservation and management efforts.
• Most Missourians agree that “It is important for outdoor places to be protected even if
you don’t plan to visit the area” (89 percent).
• Nearly 50 percent of Missourians still don’t get their conservation information from
the internet.
Social Media
Engaging in the various media platforms and outlets plays an increasing role in sharing MDC
information with Missourians and the rest of the world. The Department’s Facebook page has
more than 138,400 fans and reaches almost 75,000 people per week who share our information
with more than 5.5 million friends. Our Twitter feed currently has 7,000 followers who then
pass our tweets along to thousands more. The Department’s YouTube channels contain more
than 1,000 videos and average about 100,000 views per month with more than 8.5 million total
views. Department online photos through Flickr offer over 1,100 images with more than 3,200
reader photos, which have had more than 539,000 lifetime views. The Department has almost
1,000 items on Pinterest with nearly 1,200 followers. The Department has also recently delved
into the world of Google+ Hangouts, providing a new way to reach a more diverse audience.
Fish data entry in the field: Is there an app for that?
The development of the Fisheries Information Network System (FINS) application provides
Department staff with a suite of data management and analysis tools to more easily record and
analyze fish population data collected across the state. With the advancement of rugged tablet
PCs (with Wi-Fi capabilities) and other mobile computing devices built to operate in a wide
range of field conditions, the opportunity for biologists and researchers to reliably and efficiently
enter data directly into a database while in the field has never been better. The app allows the
biologist to directly enter data from each sampling run (e.g., electrofishing run, trap net, seine
haul, etc.) in the field and later export and upload the data into FINS in the office using an Excel
template file that’s generated by the app. Reimbursement for this project came from Sport Fish
Restoration Program.
Taking Positive Actions for Tomorrow’s Resources
Wildlife management challenges in Missouri include securing a place for wildlife in increasingly
fragmented and altered landscapes, both in terms of agricultural uses and human development.
Wildlife populations must be managed with the interest and tolerance of all landowners (urban
and rural), hunters, and the general public. Past wildlife reintroductions and other wildlife
population management efforts have resulted in great success stories for some species, some
mediocre results for others, and have created some conflicts between wildlife conservation and
Missouri’s increasingly expanding human population.
Monitoring wildlife diseases and minimizing their adverse effects is a Department priority.
Wildlife resources we enjoy today could be lost if we fail to take preventive actions from disease
threats such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) or the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza. It is
essential for the Department to focus more on wildlife health than ever before. Like all wildlife
species, the white-tailed deer is susceptible to a number of diseases and parasites. The periodic
occurrence of hemorrhagic disease (epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue viruses), and
the recent introduction of chronic wasting disease (CWD) to Missouri have raised public
concerns regarding the short- and long-term impacts of diseases on the health of Missouri’s deer
population.
The Department recently completed the third year of an organized effort to limit the spread and
prevalence of CWD in Missouri. The CWD Surveillance and Management Plan developed in
2012, resulted in several regulation changes and disease management practices in response to the
detection of CWD in free-ranging deer in close proximity to a CWD-positive big game hunting
preserve. These management efforts included a prohibition on the placement of feed, salt, and
other consumable attractants for deer; rescinding the antler-point restriction; discouraging
transport of carcasses; winter targeted culling in 2013, 2014, and 2015; Department authorization
of CWD Management Seals to landowners within the Linn/Macon County Core Area (30 square
mile area); and intensive sampling around new CWD-positive deer in Adair County in 2015.
Proposed Chronic Wasting Disease Management
Zones (shaded) in north and central Missouri
Since 2001, the Department has tested over 43,000 deer in the state. The first CWD-positive
free-ranging deer were detected in early 2012 in Macon County. Since that time, twenty-six (26)
CWD-positive deer have been detected in three counties. Nineteen (19) of the CWD-positive
deer were collected in Macon County. During the 2014-2015 CWD surveillance season, CWDpositive free-ranging deer were detected outside of Macon County for the first time, with six (6)
CWD-positive deer in Macon County and one (1) CWD-positive deer in Cole County. In
response to the detection of CWD outside of Macon County, the Department is planning on
significantly increasing sampling effort for the 2015-2016 hunting season. In order to make the
most effective and efficient management decisions possible, it is imperative to better understand
the prevalence and distribution of the disease on the landscape. CWD has been confirmed in 26
Missouri free-ranging deer with 6 in Adair County, 19 in Macon County and 1 in Cole County.
Deer Management Plan
Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important
part of many Missourians’ lives and family traditions. Infectious diseases such as CWD could
reduce hunting and wildlife-watching opportunities for Missouri’s nearly 520,000 deer hunters
and almost two million wildlife watchers. The White-tailed Deer Management Plan has been
finalized and is receiving public comment. The plan establishes a set of long-term strategic
goals, objectives, and strategies for managing Missouri’s deer herd into the future. Several
divisions of the Department coordinated a public participation plan to engage stakeholders and
gain their input regarding Missouri deer management including hunting season structure (i.e.,
time, methods, limits), deer population levels and trends, and feedback on the strategic plan.
Fourteen open house meetings were conducted in the summer of 2014. Those meetings
combined with online information generated approximately 4,000 comments. Social and
biological data is being compiled and used to develop potential regulations recommendations for
the 2016-2017 deer hunting season, representing an initial step toward implementing the goals
and objectives of the management plan. The Department held 8 additional informational open
houses in 2015 to gather public input on regulations changes currently under consideration.
State Wildlife Action Plan Revision
The Department is wrapping up the revision of the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) using a
planning process being called the Comprehensive Conservation Strategy (CCS). This
approach fully integrates the Forest Action Resource Assessment (FRAS) Plan, the Missouri
SWAP known as the Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy and Fisheries Watershed Priorities into a
common framework for conservation action; a practical application of the Strategic Habitat
Conservation used by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
By selecting priority geographies through this deliberate CCS process, Missouri is achieving
success in restoring grassland habitat for the Greater Prairie Chicken, increasing the opportunity
for the restoration of Elk and Alligator Gar, identifying the best places for the reintroduction of
the American Burying Beetle, and considering the effects of climate on forest, fish and wildlife,
including adaptation needs.
Trees Work Campaign
The Department received funds from the U.S. Forest Service to create and launch a public
awareness campaign about the benefits of trees. The goal of MDC's Trees Work campaign is to
increase awareness of the benefits trees provide to all Missourians. As part of the campaign,
MDC has produced a series of posters, each having a different slogan that begins with "Without
trees . . ." and ends with "Trees Work!" The slogan for the last poster (We’d be up the creek
without a paddle) was selected through a statewide art contest. Promotional materials informed
the public on how trees work for your family, your health, your wallet, your community, the
environment and the economy. For instance, did you know that a 10% increase in trees in a
neighborhood reduced crime by 12%? Or, that shade from just two trees can save up to 30% on
your air conditioner costs? An audio file was produced (for use on radio and internet) which
continues to run featuring the voice talents of John Goodman, the actor and a Missouri native.
Track-Chairs Get People Outdoors
The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF) worked with donors to acquire 10
motorized track-chairs to enhance opportunities for mobility impaired participants in Department
programs and special hunting and fishing events. MCHF purchased nine track-chairs and
transferred ownership of them to the Department. This effort has delivered four chairs to the
Andy Dalton Shooting Range near Springfield, four to the Jay Henges Shooting Range near St.
Louis, and one is housed in Jefferson City. The Department purchased three enclosed trailers
used to store and transport the chairs for hunting and fishing events sponsored by the Department
and other organizations throughout the state. Since delivery of the chairs last summer, they have
been used during several events in the Springfield and St. Louis areas.
Connecting new people to the Outdoors—Discover Nature Schools
Fishing Clinics for Kids
Discover Nature Programs
Girl’s Camp
The Department’s Discover Nature School program is a curriculum-based and provides hands-on
experiences in nature to help Missouri's K-12 students become life-long conservationists. This
program provides teacher training, instructional units, and funding for equipment and field trips.
Each of the exciting, full-color Discover Nature Schools instructional unit meets Missouri gradelevel expectations and includes a teacher guide. Some of the programming is used by
Department staff to increase angler and hunter participation by providing clinics and events
throughout the year to people of all ages.
Discover Nature — Kid’s Fishing Day
Every year the Department holds this popular event at its headquarters. This type of event gives
youngsters and families the opportunity for free catch and release fishing on three of the ponds at
the Conservation Headquarters. Curriculum for many of our fishing clinics statewide offer
several structured lessons including: 1) Equipment, Casting, and Proper Fish Handling; 2) How
to Tie a Knot and Bait a Hook; 3) Five Common Missouri Fish — Their Anatomy, Habitat and
Life Cycle.
Discover Nature—Girl’s Camps
The goal of the Discover Nature Girls Camp is to introduce girls between the ages of 11–15 to
hunter education and other outdoor activities through hands on experiences in a non-competitive
environment of their peers. It is a free three-day, two-night camp where campers spend their days
participating in “hands-on” Hunter Education classes; using firearm and archery equipment,
walking through safety trails, climbing tree stands and taking the Hunter Education test. Each
camp offers many activities including Dutch oven cooking, wild game cooking, instructions on
trapping, water safety, float trips, frog gigging, shotguns to .22 rifles, survival-map and compass,
canoeing, geocaching, building a camp fire and setting up a tent, wildlife plant identification and
snake identification. Campers learn all aspects of fishing from fish identification, casting, tying
on a hook, filleting fish and then using their new skills to actually go fishing. This all occurs in a
group setting of their peers, being taught by knowledgeable instructors who make the
participants comfortable and willing to try new things. To date, 500 girls have become hunter
education certified through the Discover Nature Girls Camps.
Conservation Economics
Missouri’s forest, fish, and wildlife resources enhance our quality of life and connect us to our
outdoor heritage. These resources support approximately 90,000 Missouri jobs and provide a
$12.4 billion annual boost to the state’s economy. Conservation activities such as hunting,
fishing, wildlife watching and forest industries support about 95,000 Missouri jobs and generate
more than $11.4 billion annually to state and local economies. More than 500,000 Missouri deer
hunters are vital partners in keeping the state’s deer herd healthy, along with supporting the state
and local economies. Deer hunters spend more than $690 million directly related to deer hunting
each year. This adds up to over $1 billion in overall business activity and supports more than
11,000 jobs. Missouri offers an abundance of diverse sport-fishing opportunities that more than
a million anglers participate in each year, including approximately 200,000 from out-of-state.
Anglers spend more than $1 billion each year in Missouri for fishing trips, equipment and other
related equipment. Through wise-use forest management, Missouri is a national leader in many
wood products such as charcoal, oak barrels, walnut products and red-cedar gift items.
Missouri’s forest-products industry supports more than 1,200 jobs, contributes $7.3 billion to
Missouri's economy and generates $77 million in state sales tax. Conservation continues to be a
wise investment.
The actions we make today for conservation will only be truly judged by the next generation, yet
we must be aware of the ever changing conservation ethic from our citizens and constituents.
We must continue to find new ways to achieve our missions, learn more about the opinions of
those we serve and be willing to share innovative and effective ways to attract and keep anglers,
hunters and wildlife watchers.