“Physical deer counts done over the course of several winters indicate the deer population is much greater than what is considered ecologically sound,” noted Yegge. “When deer numbers are high, other plant and wildlife species may struggle to survive or disappear all together.”
Category Archives: Outdoor/Nature
Image ImageMissouri Hunters Help St. Louis Area Families In Need
The Share the Harvest program, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri, enables hunters to help families in need through the voluntary deer meat donation. Since it started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 3.5 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians.
TRIM Grants Awarded To Missouri Communities

Mike Walsh, and a volunteer Jim Horn plant tree at Community Tree Garden in St. Louis area. The group has been helping with tree planting around the state for 20 years.
The Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program awarded 36 Missouri communities a total of $380,754 this year. The monetary awards are granted through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
The TRIM grant program is “cost-sharing funding for government agencies, public schools, and nonprofit groups to manage, improve or conserve trees on public lands.
See a list of the 36 Missouri communities awarded the 2016 TRIM grants. (Many of the cities are in the St. Louis area.)
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Tree City USA 40th Anniversary

Representatives from the City of Webster Groves, a Tree City USA community for 33 years, enjoyed the anniversary celebration.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
For the last four decades, people who live in Tree City USA communities have enjoyed the benefits of having a greener, healthier places to live. In Missouri, that includes 88 communities representing almost 43 percent of the state’s population.
Attention Missouri Hunters: Update Needed For The MDC Mobile App To Telecheck Game
Missouri Hunters: Be sure to update the MDC’s mobile app before the 2016 deer and turkey hunting season starts to Telecheck your harvest.
The update will also provide the most current regulation and data information.
To learn more or to download the MDC hunting App – CLICK HERE.
Posted in Outdoor/Nature
White Nose Syndrome: Updated Information About The Fungus Killing U.S. Bat Populations

Little brown bat; close-up of nose with fungus, New York, Oct. 2008. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Photo courtesy Ryan von Linden/New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Bats in the U.S. are under threat from a fungus that causes a disease known as White Nose Syndrome. The disease has the potential to wipe out entire bat populations and is spreading.
Jo Schaper is the guest on this week’s Environmental Echo podcast. Recently, Schaper attended a conference about White Nose Syndrome, held in Denver, Colorado. She shares updated information about what wildlife and conservation organizations are doing to help stop the spread of the disease and what efforts are being implemented to help save the U.S. bat populations.
Update: A Fix For The Asian Carp Invasion?
Many news outlets are reporting that the Alligator Gar are being reintroduced into rivers and other waterways and may be an answer to the Asain Carp invasion.
The Asian carp, which are taking over waterways in the Midwest and smothering out native species, are a food source for the gar.
Celebrating Our National Parks: It’s All About Trees At These Nine National Parks
The National Park Service celebrates its centennial this year! Here is another look at some interesting facts inside our National Parks.
These nine parks will spark a love for trees, according to the National Parks Conservation Association!
Celebrating Our National Parks: “My Park Story”
The National Park Service celebrates its centennial this year! Here is fun and interactive way to be part of the story by sharing your personal adventures and memories from our National Parks.
Valley Park’s Levee Facing New Height Of Criticism And Finger-Pointing

Bob Criss inside a flood gate at Valley Park. Outside the gate, MSD’s sewage treatment plant was disabled by flood water. photos by Ursula Ruhl, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
Six months after a Meramec River flood left millions of dollars in damage to cities along its banks, the finger-pointing continues – with much of it directed at Valley Park’s levee.
Critics contend the levee is built beyond its authorized height. The extra height resulted in flood waters of unprecedented volume and speed, causing destruction in Fenton, Sunset Hills, Kirkwood, Arnold and more.





