Blinds for disabled hunters constructed at Mingo

PUXICO, Mo. -- Several members of the Mingo Swamp Friends organization spent Saturday working to improve the outdoor experiences of disabled sportsmen.

Despite blistering heat, about a dozen volunteers spent the better part of the day constructing handicapped-accessible hunting blinds, which will be placed along the Schoolhouse access trail, next to Ditch 1, on the refuge's northeast border.

"I'm really thrilled to see this project come to completion," said Mingo Visitor Services ranger Vergial Harp.

"Several years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Missouri Department of Conservation partnered on this disabled hunters' trail," said Wayne County Conservation Agent Mic Plunkett. "The blinds were temporary and for a long time, the refuge has had a need to renovate those. The Mingo Swamp Friends decided to take that project and run with it."

With wood salvaged from the refuge's old visitor center deck and funding from the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation for additional materials, five enclosed blinds measuring 6 by 8 feet were built.

"The blinds are fully enclosed," Plunkett said, "with window openings around three sides, and will allow hunters to get inside out of the weather and still hunt."

Mingo Swamp Friends President Leroy Romine described the blinds as a "good effort for a good cause."

Harp expects the blinds to make an immediate impact, since Mingo hosted 2,901 hunter visits last year alone, including several handicapped hunters in the area where the new blinds will be placed.

The blinds, Harp said, also will be available for use at other times of the year.

"They would make ideal photography blinds," he said, noting nature photography is one of the refuge's "big six" recreational priorities.

Harp said refuge staff "want to, and are required to, provide an equal experience for all hunters, including the disabled, and we work hard to achieve that," but funding issues can be problematic.

Funding for such projects always is scarce, he said, which makes groups, like the Mingo Swamp Friends, important to the refuge's mission.

"Shortages in funding and staffing make groups like the Swamp Friends critical," Harp said. "They are our support system, and they can pursue and complete projects that otherwise probably would never happen. We've been really fortunate to have such partners."

A primary mission of the Mingo Swamp Friends, Romine said, is to "connect with the public and let them know there's a lot to do at the refuge."

For instance, Romine said, many people don't know the organization has several kayaks and canoes available for loan, and they also provide guided float trips into the swamp for those interested.

The Swamp Friends organization, Harp said, also keeps refuge staff grounded and in tune with the public.

"It keeps us in touch with the community and our constituents," he said.

With some work still to do on the blinds, Plunkett said, he hopes to have them in place in early fall, before Missouri's archery season begins.

For those with an interest in the refuge, the Mingo Swamp Friends will host their annual membership meeting at noon Saturday in the Puxico City South Park. A barbecue meal will be provided, but to ensure enough food is available, visitors are asked to RSVP to Vergial Harp at 573-222-3589 as soon as possible.