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Rascal Takes the Bait--Episode 1

Playing in the dirt makes you smarter?

SmallDirtPile_BlogSizeTraveler readers have always known the benefits of being outside. Apparently some microbiologists think they have evidence that it can make you smarter as well. Why not try it and see? We’d love to hear your results. – Jo.

Can Playing in the Dirt Make You Smarter?
Linda Buzzell

If you need yet another good reason to convince yourself or your kids to go outside and get your hands in the dirt, here it is: new research reveals that a bacterium in the soil not only lowers depression and anxiety but also can make you smarter! Continue reading Playing in the dirt makes you smarter?

Bowhunter education is a good idea, even for the best archers

uhooknbulletEver since I started bowhunting a few years ago, I’ve researched everything I could about techniques, skills and equipment. Not satisfied with reading dozens of books and magazines, I looked around for bowhunter education classes but found them rare compared to all the other outdoors education opportunities available.

Instructor Jan Morris explains how to properly use a climbing stand.

Instructor Jan Morris explains how to properly use a climbing stand.

So when I noticed that the Missouri Department of Conservation was offering a class at Jay Henges Education Center near St. Louis, figured I had to make the time.

It was worth every minute of the 8 hours.

Continue reading Bowhunter education is a good idea, even for the best archers

Wild cave closure extended to Sept 1: DI tours cancelled

hamcaveToday the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources announced that the wild cave closures now in effect will be extended to September 1, and that wild tours of the Devil’s Icebox at Rockbridge Memorial State Park have been cancelled for this fall. Devil’s Icebox is home to federally endangered gray and Indiana bats. At the Icebox, bats are the top of the food chain for a diverse cave ecology, which includes the pink planarian, a flatworm variety found nowhere else in the world. Continue reading Wild cave closure extended to Sept 1: DI tours cancelled

Three slots for Clearwater mobility impaired hunt Nov. 6-7

Schaperdeer2The Army Corps of Engineers is hosting its sixth annual mobility impaired deer hunt Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 for non-ambulatory hunters within the Watchable Wildlife Area on the Clearwater Lake Project.
Applications for the managed hunt are now available from the Clearwater Lake Project Office and must be completed and returned by Sept. 24. Three permits will be issued in October by random drawing for the hunting blinds.

Applicants must be non-ambulatory individuals with a permanent physical condition that severely impairs their mobility from either paralysis or amputation of lower extremities and which requires assistance from a wheelchair, braces, crutches or other similar aids. Continue reading Three slots for Clearwater mobility impaired hunt Nov. 6-7

Complete issue summary of August 2010 Traveler

In the August 2010 issue of
River Hills Traveler
Remember the favorite outdoor places, businesses and people readers voted for last September and October? The winners in Traveler’s second annual Readers Choice Awards are profiled in this issue. Make this section your guide to outdoor enjoyment in Traveler Country.
Other Page 1 stories:
Cool rivers pull crowds on hot weekends — Bill Cooper
His Meramec River fishing trip went awry, so Bill went people-watching and came up with some surprising observations.
Clearwater project may finish in 2013 — Jo Schaper
Jo casts a trained geologist’s eye on the $93 million cutoff wall project at Clearwater Dam. Find out exactly what your money is being spent on and why.
The rest of the paper
Letters to the editor have been flying thick and fast. Al Agnew, Norm Leppo and Ken Elfrink all weigh in on the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance proposals to grow bigger bronzebacks in the state. Other letters address cave closings for WNS, conditions at Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park campground, a trip to Dillard Mill and e-coli levels at north Missouri lakes.
Water fowl prospects remain ducky — Bill Cooper
Wetland conditions are well above the long-term average, boding well for waterfowl hunters. Wappapello Lake duck blind registration is slated for Aug. 21.
MDC eyes elk restoration at Peck Ranch Conservation Area — MDC news release
The Missouri Conservation Commission has asked biologist Lonnie Hansen to address certain considerations for restoring this Missouri native species in one particular area. The Commission also awarded a $1.395 million bridge and structures contract for Duck Creek CA and handled a number of other items of business.
Sudden service on catfish dinner request — Charlie Slovensky
Charlie’s brother John requested a channel catfish for supper from his pond. Find out how long it took Charlie to fill the order.
It’s tough work, but somebody’s gotta do it — Bob Todd
We think Bob is rubbing it in a little here as he tells about a spur of the moment float from Watercress to Big Spring on the Current.
Companions adds new dimension to hike — Melissa Gilliam
The Small Town Girls Guide blogger continues her Ozark Trail hiking adventures. This time, she leads eight companions on Miles 22-33 of the Courtois Section. Learn the pluses and minuses of hiking with friends.
Don’t forfeit your right to carry — a camera, that is — Howard Helgenberg
Howard recalls the greatest photo he never took and offers camera suggestions.
Whee! Zipline mania spreads over Missouri — Barbara Gibbs Ostmann
Barb criss-crossed Missouri riding every zipline she could find and brings you the lowdown on what each has to offer.
Bluff collapse on upper Meramec startles neighbors — Rock Talk, Jo Schaper
Sometime during the night of July 10, about 250 linear feet of rock, 80 to 90 feet tall, sheared off Black Bluff south of Bourbon and crashed into the Meramec River. Jo talks to geology experts and neighbors to find out what caused the landscape-changing event.

August is get-ready time for fall hunting — Seasons, Bob Todd
A hunter’s blood begin to stir this month. It’s not to early to prepare.
Southeast Missouri’s swampy beauty showcased in pictures
Winners for the 5th annual Mingo Swamp Fauna & Flora Photography Contest have been chosen, though their names are secret. The first exhibit is coming up.
For eclectic eaters: French toast sticks, waffle iron brownies, more — Iron Kettle, Pat Todd
pat ran onto a bunch of old recipes stuck back in the files. Learn how to cook spinach swirls, Mexican rice, savory nuts and more.
Mad dogs in the Ozarks were no joke in summer of 1951
In our Through the Years in Traveler column, we review a Jim Featherston story about a rabies epidemic when he was sheriff ofi Ripley County.
Year-round outdoor education came naturally for Indian children — Our Indian Heritage, Kathleen Brotherton
native Americans learned outdoor survival skills from an early age
Hen turkeys in straw are like women in mall — Jim and Donna Featherston
Jim draws a dangerous human parallel after observing female turkeys churning straw mulch in a feeding frenzy. Donna has her own insights.
Life is short, so bees must stay busy — Nature’s Corner, Aaron Horrell
Aaron photographs a honeycomb up close and shares fascinating bee lore.
Maps in this issue: Clearwater Lake • Lower Current & Eleven Point Rivers • Lower Meramec River • Niangua River & Bennett Spring • Parkland/Arcadia Valley/Black River • Upper Current & Jacks Fork Rivers • Upper Meramec River, Huzzah & Courtois Creeks • Wappapello Lake
Click here for a FREE TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION

In the August 2010 issue of

River Hills Traveler

0810coverRemember the favorite outdoor places, businesses and people readers voted for last September and October? The winners in Traveler’s second annual Readers Choice Awards are profiled in this issue. Make this section your guide to outdoor enjoyment in Traveler Country.

Other Page 1 stories:

Cool rivers pull crowds on hot weekends — Bill Cooper
His Meramec River fishing trip went awry, so Bill went people-watching and came up with some surprising observations.

Clearwater project may finish in 2013 — Jo Schaper Continue reading Complete issue summary of August 2010 Traveler

Big Missouri fish keep jumping into record books

MDC photo

MDC photo

Teak Phillips has already brought you the news about the world record Missouri river blue cat. Now word comes from the Missouri Department of Conservation that it has certified two more fishing records this month: a 58-lb striped bass caught at Bull Shoals Lake and a 99-pound flathead catfish caught in the Missouri near Mokane. Continue reading Big Missouri fish keep jumping into record books

Looking for Fall Festival Info

images-1Have a local fall festival (September or October dates) in your area? Want to tell the world about it? Traveler is listening! Continue reading Looking for Fall Festival Info

E. coli and the outdoors

travtalk

Jo Schaper

Sometimes being high on a Google search isn’t a good thing.

If you Google E. coli (Escherichia coli—a bacterium common in the guts of warm blooded mammals, but also present in fish and reptiles) as I did on 7/27/10, the fourth link on the list is the Missouri state park system.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has been monitoring and publishing state park beach reports this year in response to elevated levels of that bacteria last year in Lake of the Ozarks. These reports are put out weekly to various media outlets including Traveler.

E. coli 101

In an attempt to see if all the attention this critter is getting is warranted, a little background is in order. Continue reading E. coli and the outdoors

Ax Men’s Joe Collins will be at Potosi boat-builder’s booth at Washington County Fair

“Injun” Joe Collins, known to fans of the History Channel’s Axmen series, will be on hand to meet visitors at Miracle Marine’s booth during the Washington County Fair, Aug. 5-7. The Potosi, MO-based boat manufacturer has struck a deal with the Collins River Logging Co. to provide a custom-built Precision Ranger Precision P-2272 Ranger Landing Craft for the fifth series about the Florida-based firm.
Axmen shows the exploits of Collins and crew (collinsriverlogging.com) as they find preserved logs lost in mill waterways during the 1880s logging boom. Collins oversees a team of Southern-style aqua loggers, including boat captain Steve “Uncle Buck” Livingston, young diver Patrick “Pond Bear” Swilley, deckhand Geoff “G-Dog” Dunnam and U.S. Air Force veteran diver Jess Horstman. The company’s search for treasure in the fast-flowing, pitch black waters of the Suwannee River is made even more dangerous by the venomous water snakes and huge alligators that inhabit the area.
Delivery of the boat is planned for Dec. 3 at the International Work Boat Show in New Orleans,according to Miracle Marine owner Curtis Dzuba. The boat isadapted from the Precision P-2272 Ranger line manufactured for Precision Water & Power Sports, a marine dealer in Jefferson City, MO.

history channel logo“Injun” Joe Collins, known to fans of the History Channel’s Ax Men Season 3, will be on hand to meet and greet visitors at Miracle Marine’s booth during the Washington County Fair, Aug. 5-7. The Potosi, MO-based boat manufacturer has struck a deal with the Collins River Logging Co. to provide a custom-built Precision Ranger Precision P-2272 Ranger Landing Craft for the series.  Continue reading Ax Men’s Joe Collins will be at Potosi boat-builder’s booth at Washington County Fair

Missouri River 340 postponed due to high water

The Missouri River 340 bills itself as the world's longest non-stop river race.

The Missouri River 340 bills itself as the world's longest non-stop river race.

The fifth annual Missouri River 340 paddler race, billed as the “world’s longest non-stop river race”, has been postponed to August 24 – 27, 2010, because of high water and dangerous currents along many reaches of the race course.

The race was originally scheduled to start at Kaw Point Park in Kansas City, Kan., on July 27, finishing at midnight on July 30 in St. Charles. The race course is 340 miles on the Missouri River, with paddlers stopping at eight checkpoints across the state. The race continues 24 hours a day. Continue reading Missouri River 340 postponed due to high water