RARE BREEDS: STATE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT TRACKS ENDANGERED SPECIES

Sure, let's save the whales. Let's make harp seals a cause celebre.

But what about the alligator snapping turtle?

The world's largest freshwater turtle is on the state's list of rare species. But it's not awe-inspiring like a whale or cute like a seal. It's just ugly and mean looking.

"There are a lot of stories about how evil they are," says A.J. Hendershott, an educational consultant for the Missouri Department of Conservation at Cape Girardeau County Park.

But the turtle is protected by the state and is a candidate for federal protection.

The graphic accompanying this article shows only a small percentage of the rare and endangered species in surrounding counties. Cape Girardeau County is home to 19 rare and endangered species. There are 19 in Bollinger County, 12 in Perry County, 37 in Scott County, and 72 in Stoddard County.

The state has been tracking rare and endangered species since the early '70s, when a one-eighth of 1 percent sales tax increase allowed the Department of Conservation to focus on resources other than just game and fish. Regional biologists have helped the state compile a database that includes information about species and natural features, both on public and private land. More information has been gleaned from biological collections.

The information is particularly useful when an environmental impact statement is required prior to a construction project. The state will try to minimize the impact of the construction and provide options for proceeding if endangered species are involved.

The state list of "rare and endangered" species is different from the federal list of "threatened and endangered" species. Appearance on the federal list means a species is endangered throughout its range, while a species that is endangered in Missouri may be plentiful elsewhere in the United States.

"But we feel like we have a mandate to protect endangered species within our boundaries," says Tim Smith, a botanist with the Department of Conservation in Jefferson City.

The state has lost four species of birds, including the Carolina parakeet, and grey wolves. Red wolves have virtually disappeared.

In spite of environmental efforts that built in the '60s and '70s, extinction continues. "I think it's happened at an increasing rate," Smith says. "We don't always know when it happens. Some of these things are very common."

Missouri is home to seven plants on the federal list of endangered species. Among them are the Missouri bladderpod and the running buffalo clover.

Besides plants, animals and insects, species of lichen also are on the state list. The message here is that everything's important.

"If lichens are not doing good, something that eats lichens is not doing good and it's rippling down the food chain," Hendershott says.

The Ozarks region has the most diversity in the state, says Smith. "That's because it has been less manipulated over the years even though it has been logged."

Crowley's Ridge is a habitat for many rare species. The ridge line formerly was the path of the Mississippi River.

Human impact on the ecosystem is the primary threat to species.

The barn owl is rare in Missouri because of loss of habitat and in part because farmers are putting up metal barns and don't need lofts because they're using round hay bales.

Swamp rabbits are not doing well in the Bootheel -- 98.9 percent of the swampland that existed in Missouri prior to the 20th century is now gone -- and the state may have to limit further how many acres can be taken.

Some interior least terns recently were sighted nesting on Marquette Island south of Cape Girardeau. But biologists are concerned that management of the river may flood their nests.

River management is another issue in New Madrid, where anti-flooding measures will prevent the Mississippi from flooding a tributary. Fish that traditionally have spawned in the tributary will have a difficult time doing so in the future.

The peregrine falcon remains endangered by DDT, a pesticide banned long ago. But DDT does not degrade. "DDT is still out there," says Hendershott. "There's still a danger from our past mistakes."

As Florida is learning the hard way, suppressing fire is another practice that has had deleterious effects. "Fire is an integral part of the ecosystem to some of us," Hendershott says.

Degradation of water quality has been the primary reason why a species like the Ozark hillbender, a large salamander found only in Missouri and Arkansas, is a candidate for the endangered list.

"But our streams are getting healthier," Hendershott says. "There's hope."

The alligator snapping turtle, which can attain a weight of 120 pounds, lives in rivers and oxbow lakes in the southern part of the state. Its habitat has been eliminated by channelization and draining.

Many people who come upon one kill it, Hendershott says, though as a rare species it cannot be harvested.

Through his talks to students, Hendershott hopes to help change the attitude that some species lack value.

"If you think an alligator snapping turtle is worthless, it always will be," he said.