Day on the River hosts 3,008

Jackson natives explore the live fish handling station at "Day on the River" a National Hunting and Fishing Day event at Cape Girardeau's Riverfront Park along the Mississippi River. Pictured from left to right are Carson Spies, 10, Jeffrey Williams, 10, and Delaynie spies, 9.

It's not every day that children are able to put their hands on live spotted gar and catfish or dig for mussel shells. On Saturday, 3,008 people discovered nature at "Day on the River", an event hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation at Cape Girardeau's Riverfront Park. Visitors took boat tours of the Mississippi led by MDC's Resource Scientists and Fisheries Management Biologists, and they explored live aquatic animal displays, tasted Asian carp and enjoyed many other interactive activities.

The Day on the River event is held in celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Day, which is always the fourth Saturday of every September as designated by Congress in 1972. The events highlight how conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish and commemorates conservation successes.

Christy Colyer of Cape Girardeau walked with her two girls, Reese (6) and Bailey (10), from station to station enjoying the day's pleasant weather.

"I couldn't get my kids away from the mussel station," Colyer said.

Parents didn't worry about their children's hands getting dirty as they explored the sand pit, swamp mud and live fish display.

"Most people don't realize the size and the unique characteristics of Missouri's mussels," said AJ Hendershott, MDC's outreach and education regional supervisor. Hendershott spent the day next to a tank of live mussels and he helped children find mussel shells in a sand pit.

"This is a great experience for the kids to physically see and touch what you're telling them about," said Letha Debeaux of Jackson as she encouraged her two boys, Will (6) and James (3), to find mussel shells in the sand.

"We even saw Asian carp jumping when we took the boat ride," Debeaux said.

The firsthand experience of seeing the invasive Asian carp went perfectly with the Asian carp tasting station where visitors were reminded by biologists that Asian carp are "bad for the river, but great for the plate."

Through exploration of live fish, mussels, invasive species, fishing games, and boat rides, MDC employees brought together a common theme to show how all of these activities can lead to a better understanding of local conservation issues.

"The Mississippi River and surrounding wetlands are not only a huge part of Cape Girardeau heritage, but are also important habitats to diverse wildlife," said event coordinator Angela Pierce, a naturalist at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. "This makes for excellent hunting and fishing opportunities."

For information on other conservation events in southeast Missouri and at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, go online to http://tinyurl.com/mkzabep or text the word "nature" to 91212.