ShareBy Jo Schaper
Unless you are one of the people who truly enjoy walking raft to raft across a river without getting your feet, three-day holidays are always problematic when it comes to float trips.
Jo, her husband Eugene, and two brothers, Bill and Dan Schaper, are amongst those people who would prefer a little peace and [...]

ShareRain lets up, sun shines for school field day devoted to water and water quality
By Jo Schaper
After one of the wettest weeks on record in the Shannon and Reynolds County Ozarks, with some students missing two days of school due to flooded roads, Mother Nature put on her finest spring attire for the National Park [...]

SharePark naturalist conference features Arkansas State Park mascot, Resource Raccoon.
by Jo Schaper
“I know you helped with the NAI Region VI conference [National Association for Interpretation- aka park naturalists group] last year, but it’s pretty far away this year. It’s in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and I’ve already got a roommate,” said my husband, Eugene, in [...]

Shareby Jo Schaper
Mountain lions seem to be on the move this January.
For the third time this month, the Missouri Department of Conservation issued a news release today involving mountain lions (aka cougars, puma, panthers) in Missouri.

Shareby Jo Schaper
A lot of ink has been spilled and bits generated in the last few years promoting Richard Louv’s book, “Last Child in the Woods,” in which he diagnoses “nature deficit disorder” as rampant in American children with their overscheduled, overly “enriched” and generally electronically frentic young lives, leaving little time [...]

ShareBy Jo Schaper
Traveler is having fun with this new poll widget we have. A couple days ago Emery asked how many people were going muzzle-loading for deer on Dec. 18. Twenty four readers responded, and we’ve just put up the results.

Shareby Jo Schaper
I’m glad it’s over, and apparently good sense prevailed.
I’m not a big-time gambler. When riverboat gambling showed up in Missouri,
I went a time or two, expecting some sort of historical recreation of the showboat packet days, a Midwest version of the nickel poker establishments in Deadwood, South Dakota. It was really obvious [...]

ShareJo here –her opinion only– NOT that of Traveler.
I’m of three minds about this whole seizure story.
In full disclosure, I’ve been to Zoe…Spring 2006 MVOR (weekend caver gathering) I was there. The MVOR is a big campout, (200-500 cavers) bonfire, weekend of caving and fellowship, and yes, there is some alcohol, live music [...]

Shareby Jo Schaper
In Missouri, the National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are primarily places for migratory waterfowl to rest, and for hunters to pursue them. Nationally, NWRs provide habitat for endangered species. Put an endangered species (radio amateurs) in the field spreading the word about NWRs from field stations located in the refuges, and you’ve got something [...]

Shareby Jo Schaper
Sometimes my work life and my real life dovetail. Such was the case last Saturday, Oct. 9, in my hometown of Pacific, where I had a wonderful time following up on events which I learned of due to working for Traveler.
If you saw the September paper, (the festival issue) you may have [...]