By Candice Davis, MDC
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently wrapped up a major special investigation involving 46 individuals that began in 2008. Operation “Pulling Wool” came to a close on April 25 with a final conviction in Federal Court. The last defendant [...]

And what does that have to with Traveler Country?
John Luther “Casey” Jones was born somewhere in the rural Bootheel. Where exactly seems to have been lost in the mists of the early 20th century. Most accounts just say “southeastern Missouri,” and the details seem to indicate somewhere in Mississippi or New Madrid counties. It [...]

By Jo Schaper
The Traveler team is just about finished celebrating Earth Day for this year. We appreciate all our new friends, but it’s been an intense three days: Saturday, when most normal folks are headed for a hike, or to mow the grass, or to have a beer, Emery and Jo spent the greater part [...]

Commentary by Jo Schaper
Recently, the Conservation Federation of Missouri and others have become concerned about House Bill 345 and Senate Bill 241, both of which are called the Uniform Wireless Communications Infrastructure Deployment Act.
These bills, (the House version is buried within many other provisions) are virtually identical, and deal with provisions intended to regulate [...]

Ozark Region
WEST PLAINS — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) continues to fight against invasive feral hogs. MDC’s Protection Regional Supervisor for the Ozark Region, Gary Cravens, reports his region is making progress against feral hogs, but the animals’ propensity to cross substantial distances and terrain make them difficult to track and effectively trap.
Cravens said [...]

Special to River Hills Traveler
By Amanda Keefe of The Perryville Republic-Monitor
http://www.perryvillenews.com
At the first of two meetings, held Tuesday to discuss the grotto sculpin community plan to the public, there was little turnout, but those who attended learned about the ins and outs of the plan, as well as the importance of it.
From noon to [...]

By Jo Schaper (and the US Army Corps of Engineers)
“WAPPAPELLO, MISSOURI – MARCH 12, 2013: The SEMO Regional Water Safety Council will resume meeting on a monthly basis beginning Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center located at Wappapello Lake. These monthly meetings are held every third Tuesday, [...]

By Jo Schaper
With the 8th Congressional District’s seat officially vacant, Missouri’s two senators, Roy Blunt (R) and Claire McCaskill (D) have been meeting in February with federal officials as they seek to make a final determination on the 58-year-old New Madrid Floodway/St. John’s Bayou project along the east side of Mississippi County
They continue to [...]

Assistant Editor note: Lonny Thiele, the author of That Son-of-a-Gun Made Sense, one of River Hills Traveler’sbest selling Bookshop selections, asked if we were interested in an occasional column with more mule stories (ones that didn’t make the cut for the book, because if they had the book would have been huge). We said [...]

By Jo Schaper
Since late last October, the grotto sculpin, a three to four inch long fish partially adapted to live underground, and found only under parts of Perry County have caused controversy amongst local residents, cavers who frequent the associated caves, local businessmen and economic development officials.
Briefly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service visited Perryville, [...]