Outdoors digest

Boone Cave bats get their own gated community

ROCHEPORT, Mo. -- Missouri's newest gated community is also its most exclusive. Its subterranean home sites are reserved for bats.

Boone Cave, on the Overton Bottoms Conservation Area near Rocheport, has traditionally provided critical habitat for endangered gray and Indiana bats, said Rick Clawson, wildlife research biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. In recent years, however, human activities in the cave have made it inhospitable to bats. To protect them from human disturbance, the Conservation Department, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the American Cave Conservation Association, has erected an iron gate to keep people out while allowing safe passage in and out for bats.

"We're trying to restore the cave for gray bats to raise their babies here," Clawson said. "In terms of numbers, the gray bat maternity colony here numbered in the tens of thousands, and several hundred Indiana bats winter here. Grays still use it, but not to the extent they once did, and one of the reasons is that we haven't been able to reduce human disturbance."

This isn't the first time the cave has been gated. Ruins of an earlier gate stand farther back in the cave. It was built in 1996, but was destroyed by a flash flood a few weeks later.

The new gate is sturdier. Its main piers are 10 feet apart and are anchored directly into bedrock. Including materials and labor, the total cost of the gate is about $60,000. Because it is being funded through the Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Project, Conservation Department money is not being used.

Watch for gypsy moths after travel, MDC warns

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A check of your belongings for gypsy moth eggs can prevent your dream vacation from turning into a nightmare for Missouri forests.

Inadvertent importation of gypsy moth eggs could enable the insects to become established here 20 to 30 years sooner than they might on their own, said Missouri Department of Conservation Forestry Entomologist Robert Lawrence.

"When foresters began tracking the westward expansion of gypsy moths, they estimated that Missouri would become part of their range in about the year 2015," says Lawrence. "A population control effort in infested areas has been successful in reducing the speed at which gypsy moths are expanding their range. It might delay the arrival of gypsy moths in Missouri until 2030."

The Missouri Department of Conservation asks travelers to Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and the Northeast to inspect all items that have been outdoors before returning home. Look for velvety, sandy-colored brown masses .75 to 1.5 inches in diameter.

If you discover egg masses after returning to Missouri, contact the nearest Conservation Department office, or call the Missouri Department of Agriculture Plant Industries Division at (573) 751-5505.

New archery permit fee in place in Illinois

A non-resident archery deer permit fee of $226, plus a processing fee, will be in in effect in Illinois starting in the fall. The permit includes anterless-only and either-sex permits. Non-resident firearms permits are $200.

Non-resident deer hunters also must purchase a non-resident hunting license in addition to their permit and habitat stamp. Non-resident hunters can purchase either the annual license ($50.75) or the five-day license ($28.75).

Permits are available over the phone at (888) 673-7648. There are 12,843 available.

Southwest Missourians hear more about water quality issues

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Each time lawns are over-fertilize or septic tanks go without maintainence, the risk of polluting waterways goes up. All it takes is a small rain shower to wash improperly applied chemical and discarded waste into streams and lakes.

Getting southwest Missourians to replace activities that can harm water resources with actions that protect streams and lakes is the goal of the James River Basin Partnership (JRBP). JRBP is a not-for-profit coalition of individuals, businesses, schools and local, state and federal government agencies working to protect and improve water quality in the James River Basin watershed. The watershed includes springs, streams, rivers and lakes in Barry, Christian, Greene, Lawrence, Stone, Taney and Webster counties

"I feel education can positively impact water quality in the region," says JRBP Executive Director Diana Sheridan. "I haven't met anyone who doesn't want clean water. Once they figure out how water quality can be improved, they always want to help."

The James River Rescue clean up is one of many activities JRBP conducts to raise awareness about water quality issues. JRBP members spend five days floating the river to remove trash and hold a festival to celebrate water quality.

JRBP also offers grants and technical assistance to fight non-point pollution by educating septic tank owners about how to maintain their sewage treatment systems. Residents can apply for help to install and maintain septic tanks. Through the Show-Me Yards and Neighborhoods program landowners also can learn how to maintain lawns in an environmentally-friendly way.

The partnership also provides educational programs for children. One such program, Clean Water Kids, conducts hands-on training to teach fourth-grade students what a watershed is and the importance of watersheds.

-- From staff reports