NATURE CENTER PLANS OPENING DURING SCENIC DRIVE; DISPLAYS AT FACILITY SHOW OFF FORESTRY, FISHERIES, WILDLIFE

READY FOR WEEKEND OPENING: The Missouri Department of Conservation nature center and regional headquarters will be open Saturday and Sunday as part of the Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive. The facility in North County Park is not normally open on weekends.

Mussel shells in Missouri?

Yes, but not nearly enough to meet the soaring demand, says the Missouri Department of Conservation. Although mussel shells naturally bring thought of an ocean setting to mind, Missouri is a prime resource for the musseling industry.

Mussel shells of different varieties can be observed this weekend at the Missouri Department of Conservation nature center and regional headquarters, situated in North County Park in Cape Girardeau.

The cost of musseling has gone up recently, said Dennis Steward, regional supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Anyone who collects mussel shells must have a commercial musseling permit. The commercial permit costs $150 per year for residents.

The cost of the resident musseling permit is still modest when you consider that mussel shells can bring up to $5 a pound, noted Steward.

"Missouri's fresh-water mussel resource is limited compared to the rocketing demand for it," added Steward. "A lot of people have little interest in the shells, but they can be used to help in the growth of pearls, and pearls can occasionally be found in the mussel shells."

Mussel shells will be just one of many exhibits on display at the conservation this weekend.

The facility, although not normally open on weekends, will be open Saturday and Sunday, in conjunction with the Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive.

"We wanted to give people an opportunity to see the new facility," said Steward. "Our wildlife exhibits were only recently completed and are now ready for the public to see.

"This special open house weekend will give folks who work during the week a chance to come in and view the exhibits," he added. "We'll have department employees on hand to discuss them."

The exhibits in the center reflect the theme that forestry, fisheries and wildlife management are essential to the quality of people's lives. Channel catfish, bass, crappie and bluegill are examples of some of the common fish that can be seen in the center's aquarium.

"A live barn owl on display twice each day, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.," said Seward. "The barn owl will be displayed by John Watkins, a wildlife rehabilitator, who will explain the owl's characteristics."

People who visit the new facility also can observe bluejays at work and play from an observation area. Other exhibits include many stuffed wildlife specimens, Seward added.

"We have stuffed bald eagle, golden-eyed duck, turkey, toads, bobcats, river otters, and the shell of an alligator snapping turtle," said Steward. "The alligator snappers get large, as much as 100 pounds."

The exhibits area is designed to show that Cape Girardeau is at the doorstep of four major outdoors divisions, noted Seward.

"We have the Mississippi River, Mississippi Delta lowlands, we're in the Ozark border area, and a part of the region is in the Ozarks," he said. "Also in the Southeast region, we have the lowest land area, and the highest point in the state."

The lowest spot is located in Dunklin County near Hornersville, a lowland area measuring only 230 feet above sea level. The highest point is Taum-Sauk Mountain, at 1,722 feet.

In addition to the new exhibit area at the center, which was opened in August of 1991, a nature trail is located in the wooded part of the park will be available for hiking. The trail, about a mile in length, provides a good view of natural areas.

The center and hiking trail were constructed by the Missouri Department of Conservation under a cooperative agreement with Cape Girardeau County. Under the agreement, the county is providing the conservation department with a 99-year lease on the site, with an option to extend that lease another 99 years.

The Cape Girardeau regional office is one of 13 regional service centers around the state and serves 13 counties in Southeast Missouri. The counties are Cape Girardeau, Scott, Perry, Bollinger, Madison, Iron, Butler, Wayne, Stoddard, Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid and Mississippi.

The $1.3 million facility is situated on five acres of land. The building has about 11,000 square feet with an attached 4,000-square-foot storage and maintenance building.

The office houses four divisions of the Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries, protection, wildlife and forestry.

The fisheries division is responsible for all streams and impoundments in the region and also assists private landowners with farm ponds. The building also includes a fisheries lab, which is used for testing and sampling water quality and monitoring progress of Missouri's fishing resources.

The protection division includes the law enforcement arm of the conservation department and has the conservation agents to seek compliance with state hunting and fishing regulations. It also is involved with the hunter education program, and is required to investigate all hunting accidents.

The wildlife division is responsible for all state-owned properties, and offers assistance to private landowners who want management plans to improve wildlife habitat.

Working closely with the wildlife division is the forestry division, which is responsible for state forests in the area. This division also assists private landowners with information on planting and harvesting trees.

The Cape office will have about 22 full time employees, including secretaries and a person in charge of maintenance. Other employees will work out of this office occasionally.

The center has an auditorium/meeting room where the department can conduct many of its public programs, including the department's hunter education program.

The center also has literature available from the conservation department and offers some items for sale, such as hard cover books, nature calendars and tapes.