The View from the Country

Monkeys In Seymour?

2009-07-13T09:33:00.002-05:00

This is a photo I took while in Panama of a howler monkey.

If you read the Webster County Citizen and the police report for June 25th you will see an entry that says "Possible monkeys running loose". I contacted city hall and they didn't have a clue, the good folks over at the Citizen didn't have a clue other than what was written in the report. So, is it possible that there are monkeys running around in Seymour? Years ago a monkey got loose from what was then Exotic Animal Paradise and wondered all the way down to east of Seymour; it was found in a tree by one of the Overholt boys when he was going out the milk cows in the morning, this was where the Drive & Dreams place is located on US-60.

According to Seymour Police Chief Mike Ross at 8:40 P.M. a call came over the radio for the police to "be on the lookout for possible monkeys, yes monkeys" According to the report some monkeys escaped from a monkey farm near Cedar Gap and one or more made it to Fordland where a man was actually attacked by a monkey, no word about how, I wonder if he was hit by the monkey with an object or attacked by the teeth of the monkey; and another question about this story, are these monkeys or apes? Remember Travis the Chimp, chimps are actually great apes, larger and much stronger than many grown men. Until we have further answers this is all we have to go on.

Route 60, Seymour, MODot

2009-04-26T13:04:00.002-05:00

So someone commented on here saying that the people of Seymour complained and didn't want an overpass; well that isn't true. I emailed MoDot and got a response. From this response you can see that MoDot just doesn't think our area is important enough to spend money on right now. They are even might put up a 5th stoplight in the area!

Here is MoDot's response, and I repeat it was not people in Seymour complaining that kept us from getting a stoplight.

Mr. Davis,

Thanks for your email asking about possible plans for interchanges along Route 60 at Rogersville and Seymour. I hope to provide information that will be useful to you.

We have developed a concept to make Route 60 a freeway with three interchanges and a series of outer roads between Route 65 in Springfield and Route B/VV at Rogersville. We had a public meeting in the Fall of 2007 in Rogersville to show people what approach we think should be taken. I have attached the informational brochure from that meeting. No money has been identified to design and build the project, with an estimated cost of $75 million to $100 million. Besides, other projects, particularly in Springfield, have been judged by transportation planners we work closely with in the Springfield metro area as having greater need. However, no one disputes the Springfield-to-Rogersville corridor needs improvement.

The situation between Rogersville and Seymour is a bit different. Traffic is lighter, although increasing. The need to make Route 60 a freeway, with limited access at interchanges, is much less. The logical sequence would be to build the Springfield-to-Rogersville freeway and continue looking eastward as population growth and traffic increase in that direction. We know the situation gets more serious with each passing year, but we cannot keep up with the growth and development that is occurring.

When existing Route 60 was planned and built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, MoDOT/Springfield bought property for an interchange in Seymour. However, funds we had available to use over the years had to be spent on other projects where the need was greater. The traffic signal and advance-warning flashers at Route C/K, though not the ideal solutiion, has helped improve safety for much less money than an interchange. We have begun studying whether to add a traffic signal at Clinton Road (where the McDonald's restaurant is located). Again, it's not an ideal fix, but it may be the best we can do.

Interchanges along Route 60 to the east in Wright County were built -- at state highway intersections in Mansfield, Macomb, Norwood and Mountain Grove -- in times in the 1970s when that area was part of the MoDOT/Willow Springs district and money was available to devote to the corridor. Yes, it looks incongruent, but ......

Many people ask why federal economic recovery funds (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) can't be used for projects like the ones you have brought up. That's a natural reaction. The reality is that MoDOT has charge of $525 million of the huge $787 billion "stimulus" package, and that doesn't go very far in meeting the $31.3 billion in needs we have identified across the state. We had to follow constraints contained in the economic recovery legislation and follow the normal project planning and selection process we use in cooperation with transportation planners across the state under rules described by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. The commission oversees MoDOToperations.

To use the federal economic recovery money, the law required the highway and bridge projects to be virtually ready to build. That means the design had to be completed, most or all of the right-of-way in hand, all environmental and other federal and state construction requirements met and plans ready to put out for bid. That also means the projects had to have gone through MoDOT's planning and selection process to have gotten to that point. The term you probably heard was "shovel ready." Needless to say, nothing is shovel ready as far as freeway and interchange construction along Route 60 east of Springfield.

We are aware of the highway needs in the Rogersville, Fordland, Diggins and Seymour areas, but other areas we are responsible for in this fast-growing region have greater needs and we can't meet all of those. And unless something changes, our funding projections beyond 2011 put us in a position where we will be able to undertake very few major improvements to the system statewide.

I have used a broad brush stroke to try to explain what's happening where Route 60 is concerned. If you wish to discuss it, feel free to call me at 417-895-7600 and I can go over this in greater detail. Also, please voice your concerns to the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, the transportation planning agency for your area (417-836-6900), or Webster County Clerk Stan Whitehurst, who is the county's representative on that council. Those folks need to know what their constituents want in the way of road improvements.

Sincerely,

Andy Mueller
Assistant District Engineer
MoDOT, Springfield

Chickens, Mushrooms and Cedar Gap

2009-04-22T21:52:00.004-05:00

We got a new chicken house even though it wasn't the one mom wanted to be built. We got 100 baby chicks that will grow up there and then make their transition to the freezer and then to a bbq grill. Yum chicken liver.

The morel mushroom season may be coming to an early end, today the temperature was very high and the next two days it is suppose to be in the 80s and this can spell the end for this year's crop; I was really hoping to get more than I did. I got a total of 12 with about 4 hunts. Most hunts were shorter than I would have liked, it seems like I just haven't had the time to look for them. I need to spend less time sleeping in the mornings. We went to Cedar Gap CA and found only 3 morels in about an hour; I hear of people finding buckets full and I just don't know where to go I guess. It seems like the folks who find that many have been hunting for years and KNOW where to go. I think without help it could take a person years to find the right spots. Not all morels come up in the same area when others are. I've read that the bottoms and south facing slopes come up first; you could be in an area and say that they don't grow there and come back in one or two days and find mushrooms.

I also noticed a fallen down old building at Cedar Gap I had never seen before.

Morels

2009-04-10T13:05:00.002-05:00

Spring is here and a couple of cold snaps have killed some of the mushrooms, but later ones are popping up; last nights rain will hopefully cause more of them to grow. Most people find morels under ash trees and elms. Of course you should consult guides or other reliable sources to properly identify any mushrooms you plan on eating.

After going into the woods and finding some morels, which I usually have a hard time finding more than just a couple, you can take them in the house, slice them longways in two and soak them in salt water over night in the refrigerator. I like to roll them in flower, salt them and fry them in oil in the skillet. You can also beat some eggs and a drop of milk and dip the mushrooms in this batter and fry them also; these are some of the best tasting things in the world; nothing else has the wonderful flavor and texture of a fried morel mushroom.

For more information on mushrooms go to www.mdc.mo.gov or http://missourimorels.blogspot.com/

Seymour R2 School Board Race

2009-04-03T22:39:00.002-05:00

Well there is going to be an election come April 7th; I think that the only thing I will be voting on is 2 positions for the Seymour R2 School board and something about the Southern Webster County Fire Protection District. For school board I will be endorsing Kim Wilkins and Kevin Rudolph. I would like to say that Travis Sturdefant and David Coutchie are great candidates, their answers of the questions in this week's Webster County Citizen were wonderful; I just feel that in this time of uncertainty that I will be voting for two experienced incumbents. I have no idea who the fifth person is running for school board is so I won't comment on that candidate.

I know that Travis Sturdefant can throw a dodge ball really hard, I had gym class with him; he's a great guy, if he does win a seat on the school board he will be a good fit.

I had David's mom as my gifted education teacher since I was in 4th grade, I never had a class with David and don't know him personally.

I don't know if anyone from Seymour actually reads this blog, and I wish if you are from Seymour that you would contact me and let me know that someone is actually reading this stuff. I just hope you all get out and actually vote this April 7.

Time for White Bass

2009-03-21T06:20:00.000-05:00

This morning on my Natural Events Calendar from the Missouri Department of Conservation it says "White Bass begin spawning, Flying squirrels bear young through early April." On Thursday my brother, wife and I went down to Bull Shoals Lake and it was the first time I ever caught a fish on the first cast. A green swimmin' minnow (minner for us hillbillies) caught fish after fish like it was magic or something. It was only my wife's third time fishing and was the first time she ever caught a fish. She pulled in a few good white bass, small males, she caught a lineside and brown bass but they were too small so we threw them back. I ended up catching about 15 fish and throwing 5 back leaving me with ten bass to take home, my brother took home his limit of 15 white bass.

So the next day Friday we got in the truck and headed out earlier and showed up around 10:30 am, I fished and fished and only caught two linesides that were two small, one was about 9 inches, about 12:30 my dad's cousin showed up, I ran up and started yelling "hey this is our fishing spot, we claimed it, get the hell out of here." He started yelling, "what the hell are you doing in my spot!" We were joking around of course but I don't know if the guys in the boat out in the lake knew that or not, they probably thought they were going to see a fight; I guess some people do get a little crazy about white bass fishing and there have been more than one fight on the banks of a lake when the fish are running, I've never seen one but it sounds like it could be a good show.

We fished for a while, everyone caught more fish than me and my wife, we only caught one a piece, my brother caught two big females. One of my dad's cousin's kids caught a big crappie, he threatened to whack me with his fishing pole when I pretended I was going to steal it. While fishing near a bluff I felt a wet thing hit me in the head, I knew it wasn't raining and no one was close enough to fling water on me, I felt on my cap and there was crap on it, I looked up and saw a turkey vulture flying over head. At the end of the day my brother asked how I did, "I caught one fish and got shit on." I said. I guess I was too busy fishing to take any pictures.

Recession? Depression? Possum Stew!

2009-02-10T19:43:00.003-06:00

You've heard it, I've heard it, we are in some kind of recession, Obama wants to use 900 Billion dollars to try and get out of it; I don't know if that sort of thing will work. Building roads and bridges is a good thing, but we need a way to bring back manufacturing to the United States. American corporations sent their manufacturing to places like Mexico and China during the 1990s because the taxes here were raised so high they couldn't hardly operate, then we got this free trade thing going that further increased the incentives to send more jobs to China, Communist China that is. Remember when the Lee plant moved from good ol' Seymour, Missouri USA to America's basement Mexico? So red Communist China can pay their billion people a few cents a day to make American shoes, tvs, tires, toys, lead paint toys, poison toothpaste and every other thing we buy today, make if from our raw materials then send it back and it is suppose to be cheaper for us? Well if we don't have a job how are we suppose to pay for all these cheaply made Chinese goods? If we all just cut each others hair or wait on each others tables, or put frozen burgers under heat lamps at McDonald's how are we going to make money? These are some of the reasons we are in this recession.

If a CEO of an American company would have suggested moving its manufacturing during the 1940s to a foreign country they would have been arrested for treason, back then Americans were tougher, the country was more patriotic and more people gave up their personal needs for the war effort. Americans grew gardens to support themselves during the war, there were meat free days so that the troops would get some of the meat. Today can anyone say they have gone a day without eating meat, getting new tires or having to give up car parts because they were needed for the war effort? I don't think so, we haven't rationed tires, gas, metal or food for the war effort.

US Post Office built in 1932 during the Great Depression, this is a copy of actual photos taken by the government to document the building of the Post Office, they were thrown in the trash in the 90s by someone who worked there; fortunately a friend I worked with was a mail man there at the time and saved them from the dump; can't believe some people would throw away such historic photos.

During the Great Depression FDR's government programs actually put people to work. We can see some of these things built during that time today. The post office in Mountain Grove, the Busch Building in Springfield, the rock building in Seymour, trails at Grand Canyon National Park and many other lasting works by the WPA, TVA and CCC. Do you think that there will be a NEW DEAL from President Obama? Someone told me they thought that if such work programs were put into place it may just be giving a lot of people who get such construction jobs a chance to goof off on taxpayer money, maybe, maybe not. I certainly think that the work ethic of people today probably isn't that of 1940.

If you really think this recession is getting bad then you need to think of a few things. You are probably still driving a car or truck, watching satellite TV, eating out at restaurants, going to ball games and many other activities that people during the great depression didn't have the luxury of doing. I suggest reading some books about the subject, "Ava's Man" by Rick Bragg. This book is a true story of a man who lived during the depression, the book describes how many people in the southern United States actually died of starvation during the depression. It describes how some parents actually killed their children because they couldn't afford the medicine to cure them or didn't want them to go through the pain of starving to death. I can't imagine doing something like that.

On a lighter note about such depression activities; many of you may have heard about possum being common table fare during that time. Its no joke, people ate possum, lots of possum. Raccoons, possums and all kinds of other critters modern day Americans wouldn't want to think about eating were eaten with relish during the Great Depression. Armadillos were referred to as Hover Hogs after the president who was in office when the stock market crashed; these were eaten to, not to many people got leprosy from them. So I say we may be on our way to worse times, I don't know if we should spend 900$ dollars, if we do and it doesn't fix things, at least Obama will be blamed. So until people start having to eat possums I say we are still in pretty good shape, in the event we do I'll start posting recipes!

Zombies Attack

2009-02-06T09:22:00.004-06:00

The dead have risen and are eating the flesh of the living! It has finally happened, I just haven't gotten around to getting my zombie preparedness plan prepared. Zombie outbreaks have been reported in Texas, Illinois, Indiana and Virgina.

According to an Associated Press story on Yahoo.com several electronic road signs have been hacked to warn of zombies and raptors in several states.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090205/ap_on_re_us/highway_signs_zombies_6

Check Out My Halloween Blog

2009-02-02T22:51:00.001-06:00

http://chasedavishalloween.blogspot.com/

Bald Eagles

2009-01-13T17:31:00.002-06:00

The bald eagle migration to Missouri is at its peak; northern lakes and some rivers have frozen over and the birds have come to Missouri. The bald eagle was taken off the endangered species list in 2007 and de-listed from State Endangered list last year.

On the way home from going to the news paper office and the feed store we saw three bald eagles on Tom Lenoard's property just off Matney Hollow road before you get to the place the old timers refer to as "s%&t creek". I was able to drive back home and get the camera, when we got back they were still there and I got this photo of one of them. I think one was still a juvenile with white patches under the wings; the other two were adults. I think they were feeding on something dead in Tom's field. I just never expected to see bald eagles so close to home. Missouri Department of Conservation's eagle days are coming up soon. Go to www.mdc.mo.gov for further details.

Halloween

2008-10-20T15:02:00.002-05:00

Halloween is almost upon us again this year. Its my favorite holiday, Christmas is so popular, and anyone who knows me knows that I don't like something as much if everyone and their brother makes a huge fuss over it. I think that my birthday being in October has something to do with liking Halloween too. Last year I spent almost 300$ on Halloween stuff; last year I wanted to look like Russell Crowe in the Gladiator, there were hardly any good Gladiator costumes last year, this year the stores are full of them at good prices, but this year I decided that my Halloween Party would be classical monsters, you know, like Monster of Frankenstein, the wolf man, the mummy, Dracula, the creature from the black lagoon; which we watched last month. However I haven't found any classic monster stuff in the stores this year, the internet has also been scant of classic monster products.

Last year we made a graveyard scene in the front yard including a real live coffin, I was hoping to paint it black this year but haven't had time. The house is a mess and the yard needs mowed before we can start decorating, with 11 days to go I don't know what I'm going to do. We have a lot of Halloween type food to make too. I'll give an update on this year's Halloween fun later.

Wal * Mart is being very upsetting, they have dropped several products that i like and I find the biggest problem with Great Wall of China Mart is one store doesn't carry the same thing as another. We were scouting for Halloween supplies this year in Springfield and when we decided to do our actual shopping at the Wall Mart SuperloserCenter in Marshfield they didn't have the majority of the things we wanted to get.

Grand Canyon National Park

2008-10-11T00:44:00.002-05:00

Grand Canyon National Park
Northern Arizona
National Park Service
$27.00/private car or $80 Inter-agency Pass good for one year

This was the first time I've been to the Grand Canyon. The day before we got there a man fell off the Canyon and died. We saw a lot of people getting very close to the edge in places where there were no rails. It was pretty cold there, I expected bare desert but around the rim there are a lot of trees, a pine forest supports a lot of wildlife, including elk, mule deer, raccoons, mountain lions and a re-introduced population of California Condors lives in the Canyon. We got to the see them on our last full day there. At a long distance through binoculars it was a good thing the birds have a 9 foot wingspan or they would have been impossible to see.

Park Rangers chased off this elk in Grand Canyon National Park, they are rutting this time of year and people were getting too close. I was keeping a distance but several people were walking right up to the elk. Two ladies were making noises and turned and asked me how to make a "moose" call. I explained to them that this is not a moose but an elk and that making animal calls in a National Park was illegal, and that getting to close to the animal was also against the law and dangerous.

Political Funny

2008-10-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

The Presidential election was too close to call. Neither the
Republican candidate nor the Democratic candidate had enough votes to
win. There was much talk about ballot recounting, court challenges,
etc., but a week-long ice fishing competition seemed the sportsmanlike
way to settle things The candidate that caught the most fish at the
end of the week would win the election.

Therefore, it was decided that there should be an ice fishing
contest between the two candidates to determine the winner.

After much of back and forth discussion, it was decided that
the contest take place on a remote frozen lake in northern Minnesota

There were to be no observers present, and both men were to be
sent out separately on this isolated lake and return at 5 P.M. with
their catch for counting and verification by a team of neutral
parties. At the end of the first day, John Mc. returned to the
starting line and he had ten fish.

Soon, Obama returned and had no fish. Well, everyone assumed he
was just having another 'bad hair' day or something and hopefully, he
would catch up the next day.

At the end of the 2nd day John Mc. came in with 20 fish and
Obama came in again with none.

That evening, Harry Reid got together secretly with Obama and
said, 'Obama, I think John Mc. is a low-life, cheatin' son-of-a-gun. I
want you to go out tomorrow and don't even bother with fishing. Just
spy on him and see just how he is cheating.'

The next night (after John Mc. returns with 50 fish), said to
Obama, 'Well, tell me, how is John Mc. cheating?'

Obama replied, 'Harry, you're not going to believe this, but
he's cutting holes in the ice.'

Experience Counts

Busy

2008-09-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have been sooo busy, I got married, went back to work on Prairie Chickens! I will continue this blog. Just a thought, why did it take 5 million dollars to get two guys in a room to argue with each other? Webster County's roads are going to be crappy for another four years. In the mean time here is a prairie chicken photo I took that you can look at. 6 radio collared prairie chickens remain on Dunn Ranch in northern Missouri, we saw at least 8 chickens today though.

Springfield Conservation Nature Center

2008-08-22T09:12:00.007-05:00

Springfield Conservation Nature Center
Located in: Greene County, Missouri: City of Springfield
Owned/Operated by: The Missouri Department of Conservation
No Hunting, Fishing, Trapping, Pets or Collecting
Hours: 8am to 9pm March 1 through October 31
8am to 6pm from November 1 through February 28 (29
The Building is open until 5 pm
Area Closed: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years
Call: 417-888-4237
Website: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/ search for atlas and then search for "Springfield"
3 miles of trail
Habitiats: Forest, Riparian, Wetland and Glade
Activities: Education, Birdwatching, Wildlife Viewing and Photography

The Springfield Conservation Nature Center located in south eastern Springfield host a wide variety of habitats and animals. There are 3 miles of hiking trails and an abundance of wildlife. Four ecosystem types provide a wide variety of wildlife. The main ecosystem type is an oak/hickory forest that provides habitat for white-tailed deer and the eastern wild turkey; a riparian forest is feathered in with a savannah that host wildflowers and native grasses providing important habitat for insects that feed over a hundred species of birds. Ducks, geese, egrets, frogs, turtles, great blue herons, and muskrats all live in parts of Lake Springfield that makes up part of the area. A photo viewing blind and a boardwalk provide photographers and wildlife watchers with opportunities to get up close to Missouri wildlife.

A brand new exhibit inside the building gives visitors information on invasive wildlife and plants; as well as information on quail habitat. Themed like an "alien invasion" the display takes the shape of an alien space ship and provides information on invasive species such as zebra mussels, European starlings, autumn olive and sericea lespedeza.

Dunn Ranch Prairie

2008-08-17T17:07:00.002-05:00

Located in Harrison County, Missouri
Size: 3,680-acres
Owned by: The Nature Conservancy
Ecosystem Type: Native Tallgrass Prairie
WEBSITE:http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/missouri/preserves/art447.html
Vist by permission only, call (660) 867-3866
Hunting and Fishing are not permitted.
Birdwatching and Photography are major activities.

The Dunn Ranch Prairie in northwest Missouri is the only known location where Greater Prairie Chicken population is increasing in the State of Missouri. Native grasses like big bluestem, switchgrass and indian grass provide a base layer for prairie flowers like purple coneflower, rattlesnake master, sawtooth sunflower, black eyed-Susan and gray coneflower that bloom during the summer. Prairie blazing star towers above the grass with its purple inflorescence during early to mid August.

A doe white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) standing in front of a pond on Dunn Ranch prairie in July 2008.

To truly get an experience of the prairie one needs to cross it on foot. Rolling hills are steeper than you might expect, grass that is as tall as a person makes foot travel difficult. Numerous water drainages create fractures in the prairie, providing habitat for bullfrogs and crayfish, they also make crossing difficult. The steep sides of the ditches are made of loose soil. Small willow trees line the waterways and provide some shade relief from the hot summer sun. If you plan on visiting Dunn Ranch for a walk, be sure to bring plenty of water, the vast prairie can trick the eye and distances may not seem as far as they really are.

A western chorus frog found on Dunn Ranch

During early spring male prairie chickens do a mating dance called "booming" on a dancing ground called a lek. A viewing blind is operated by TNC and reservations must be made well in advance if you want to see the age old dance of the prairie chicken. Be prepared to get up way before the sunrise to view the chicken's dance. Endangered in the State of Missouri, the greater prairie chicken is thriving at Dunn Ranch. They are vulnerable to predation from coyotes, hawks and other carnivores who use large trees as habitat, this is why management of prairie by fire and cutting of trees is critical for the survival of the prairie chicken.

Besides prairie chickens the prairie is host to State-Endangered Northern Harriers, white tail deer, coyotes, badgers, numerous birds such as upland sandpipers, logger headed shrike, short eared owls, kingbirds, red winged blackbirds. Dunn Ranch is popular with bird watchers for this reason.
Purple Cone Flowers on Dunn Ranch

Dunn Ranch at Sunset

Male Greater Prairie Chicken Booming for Mate At Sunrise. Nebraska. 3.07. IMG_4427

2008-08-13T12:46:00.001-05:00

Male Greater Prairie Chicken Booming for Mate At Sunrise. Nebraska. 3.07. IMG_4427
Originally uploaded by RebeccaBoyd.

A Male Greater Prairie Chicken in Nebraska, I got this photo from flickr on a creative commons license; I wanted to show what a Greater Prairie Chicken looks like.

Taberville Conservation Area.

2008-08-13T12:15:00.008-05:00

Located in: St. Clair County, Missouri
Size: 1,680 acres
Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, Frogging allowed
(Special Regulations Apply)
Open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Daily
Except for other activities allowed during closed hours,
consult the Missouri Wildlife Code
or call 417-876-5226 for more information.
Cost: Free
Owned/Operated by: The Missouri Department of Conservation
Ecosystem type: Native Tallgrass Prairie
Registered as a National Natural Landmark
Special interest: Home to the Greater Prairie Chicken.
Website: http://mdc.mo.gov/

This is the first area of land purchased by the Missouri Department of Conservation for the preservation of the Greater Prairie Chicken. It was purchased in 1959 and was named for the town of Taberville nearby. This 1,680 acre area is home to a small population of the Greater Prairie Chicken, one of the few remnants of the bird species that remains in Missouri. The ecosystem of Taberville CA is native tall grass prairie, similar to the environment that once covered the entire western third of the State of Missouri.

Big Bluestem is the dominate grass; along with 400 other species of prairie plants with interspersed with small shrub communities provide habitat for several native animals including the declining prairie chicken.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is working with the State of Kansas to relocate prairie chickens from Kansas to Wah'Kon-Tah Prarie CA south of Taberville, 100 prairie chickens were brought from Kansas to Missouri in 2008.

Biologist from the MDC Clinton field station are working at Taberville to monitor nesting prairie chickens. In the summer they locate the collared chickens with radio telemetry, that is how I was able to take these photos of a prairie chicken nest and the chicken her self. Warning, disturbing this state-Endangered animal may put you in violation of the State Wildlife Code, which is equivalent to State Law. This photos were taken in a scientific study conducted by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

This is the nest of a prairie chicken on Taberville, CA

A Female Prairie Chicken on Taberville Prairie CA

For More information on the Greater Prairie Chicken in Missouri go to:
http://www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/birds/chickens/

Weekly Missouri Nature Area

2008-08-13T12:13:00.002-05:00

I have decided that I will try to bring you a public nature type area each week. I will try to update weekly. On special occasion I will bring you a National Park or area outside of Missouri, but I will focus mostly on Missouri Conservation Areas, State Parks or other public natural type area.

Emerald Ash Borer Found in Missouri, Ash Trees at Great Risk!

2008-07-29T17:39:00.002-05:00

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week
Originally uploaded by psforsberg.

I just learned today from the MDC website's blog that the emerald ash borer has been found in Missouri. I knew this day would come every since I was sitting there in class over two years ago learning about this small green beetle in Dr. Rolling's entomology class at Missouri State University.

This small insect that has invaded the United States from China was first found in the northern Great Lakes region. It kills native Ash trees of the genus Fraxinus, here in Missouri we have the Green Ash and the White Ash. These wonderful trees are known to many to be the harbor of Morel Mushrooms every spring.

http://mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/news/news_search.cgi?item=1217360081,51717,

This little bug is a beetle that strips the living layer of tissue under the bark, known as the cambium layer; it completely kills the tree in a short matter of time.

What can you do to help stop the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer?

First, learn to Identify Ash trees correctly

Second, learn to Identify the damage done by this insect,

Third, learn to Identify this insect, which can be commonly confused with green tiger beetles by those who do not have much ID skills.

4th and probably most important, do not transport fire wood from infected states, if you do transport firewood, do not transport ash, maple or other species that the USDA recommends you do not transport. In some northern states it is against the law to transport these types of wood.

If you see the damage caused by the insect call your nearest USDA office or the Missouri Department of Conservation immediately, take note of your location, if you have GPS that would be great. Be able to show a Government official where you found the insect or damage.

A Change

2008-07-25T16:08:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone, as many of you may know I have been extra busy lately. I actually have a job in my field, Wildlife Conservation. I am working on a temporary position with the Missouri Department of Conservation in northern Missouri on the prairie chicken restoration project. MDC employees are not allowed to participate actively in politics; this blog will become less political.

I plan on still talking about local issues or events, but without the political views stated before. I also hope to make expand this blogs content, I want to talk about more natural resources issues and nature type subjects.

I know many people read this blog, but many people don't comment. I would appriciate it if everyone would comment that reads the blog, I know that isn't possible, but I would love it if more people would drop me a line, if this thing is worth reading it is worth saying something to the person who is taking the time to write it. I hope this blog becomes more positive and that maybe someone will get something out of it.

On Fire

2008-07-15T19:50:00.002-05:00

I was driving through Marshfield on Sunday and saw this building on fire. Someone had already told 911.

Seymour Fireworks

2008-07-11T20:41:00.002-05:00

Seymour's fireworks show was rained out this year, they postponed it until July 5th, which turned out better for me, I was really tired the night they had it schedule for; however I was in town on the 5th and managed to get a few photos of the fireworks.

Invisible Taco Bell and KFC in Seymour

2008-06-10T19:31:00.002-05:00

This sign is at Seymour just a little ways before you get to the C and 60 Stoplight facing the west bound lane of Highway 60. The sign says there is a KFC and Taco Bell 1 mile ahead. The problem is the nearest KFC or Taco Bell is in Marshfield, some 20 miles away; and that is after turning on A highway and going north. So my question is: is this sign a mistake? Is there suppose to be a KFC/Taco Bell being built in Seymour? What is the deal? Someone please let me know!!!

Northern Missouri

2008-05-29T17:43:00.004-05:00

This coyote is hunting for rodents in the summer of 2007 in Grand Teton National Park.

I am up here in Norther Missouri; it is a lot different than the Ozarks. I am near Harrison County where the oldest and last American born WW1 Veteran was born; I liked this quote from a news story when it told about how Frank Buckels lied about his age to get into the Army, "He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy but eventually convinced an Army captain he was 18, convincing him Missouri didn't keep public records of birth."

The countryside here is that of rolling hills, prairies are interspersed in the trees; which at one time did not live here in such numbers. The trees are not helping the endangered Prairie Chickens that live in places like Dunn Ranch; a place owned by the Nature Conservancy for the restoration of the Greater Prairie Chicken in the State of Missouri. Raptors and other predators live in the woody cover; personally I think that animal rights groups like PETA do not know that by killing the fur market they have hurt other animals such as the Prairie Chicken; now there is very little trapping or hunting pressure for fur bearers that prey on chickens. Historically Indians hunted these animals for their skins, the coyote wasn't as numerous historically as it is today; humans have changed the face of North America, we must now manage to save species. It is my personal opinion that the fur market should be revived and people should start trapping again to balance the predator population.