FINS, FEATHERS AND FUR

A one-day, hunter education class will be presented Saturday at the Cape Girardeau VFW Post 3838.

The day-long course, sponsored by the VFW and Missouri Department of Conservation (DOC), will start at 8 a.m. and will conclude no later than 7 p.m., with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.

This will be the only one-day class offered in the Cape Girardeau are prior to the spring firearms turkey season which starts April 18.

Any person born on or after January 1, 1967, is required to successfully complete a hunter education course before purchasing any type of firearms hunting permit..

There is no pre-registration for the class, but interested may call the DOC at (314)-290-5730 for additional information.

Missouri is among nine states honored by Ducks Unlimited, Inc. for support of waterfowl and wetlands conservation during a special ceremony held during the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources in Anchorage, Alas. recently.

The Missouri Department of Conservation received a "Gold Award" for contributions totaling more than a million dollars since 1980.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries received top honors with $5.3 million contributed to DU over the past 30 years, and California followed closely with a cumulative contribution of $5.1 million since 1975. Each received "Platinum Awards."

Since its inception in 1937, DU has raised more than $760 million to conserve more than 6.2 million acres of wildlife habitat in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The spring wildflower auto tour route at Mingo National Wildlife Refuges, near Puxico, is open to the public each Sunday this month.

The tour routes begins at the refuge visitor center, located aboaut a mile-and-a-half north of Puxico on Highway 51, and ends at the Red Mill Drive exit to Highway 51, more than four miles north of Puxico.

The 25-mile route consists primarily of gravel roads, and usually takes about two hours to complete.

Free brochures on the tour are available at the visitor center, which is pen 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

In addition to wild flowers, visitors traveling the tour often see many wildlife species, including deer, turkey, wood ducks and bald eagles. During this years's tour, volunteers form the Scenic Rivers Audubon Society will man spotting scopes at Fry Bluff and assist visitors in viewing an active bald eagle nest during two Sundays -- April 10 and 17.

Visitors must obtain a refuge entrance fee permit, or seasonal pass, to drive the tour. The daily permit is $3 per vehicle.

The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next meeting April 12 in Jefferson City. The open meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. at Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd.

Commissioners are: Jerry P. Combs, Kennett, chairman; Andy Dalton, Springfield, vice chairman; John Powell, Rolla, secretary; and Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, member.

FREDERICKTOWN -- More than 4,000 spectators turned out to watch the recent Missouri Whitewater Championships held at Millstream Gardens Conservation Area near Fredericktown here recently.

The trials served as an Olympic trials event, with the top three winners in each of the Olympic Festival Slalom Trials earning a chance to compete on July 6 at Six Flags' Thunder River in St. Louis.

The recent competition attracted 4,000 spectators for Saturday action and 2,500 for Sunday activities.