Local News – Monday, February 27th, 2023
The opening of trout season begins Wednesday morning at Montauk State Park near Salem at 6:30. Remember, anyone fishing will need a trout tag as well as a fishing license. Licenses are required for those Missouri residents who are aged 16 to 64 and for non-residents who are 16-years-old and older. A daily trout tag costs $4 for adults and $3 for youngsters who are 15 years of age and younger. Daily fishing permits are available for $8. The daily limit is four trout. Anglers are encouraged to purchase their fishing permits ahead of time from any of numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits or through Missouri Department of Conservation’s free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing. However, trout tags can only be bought at the state park store. At Montauk, the park store will be open from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night this Tuesday, and from 4:30 Wednesday morning until 8:30 Wednesday night. The parks’ lodging units, campgrounds and restaurants are expected to be busy. Visitors should come prepared with water and snacks, and dress appropriately for the weather. Anglers can share their opening day photos through social media by tagging @MoStateParks or using #MOTrout on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information, call Montauk State Park at 573-548-2201. Trout season in Missouri is a cooperative effort of Missouri State Parks managing the state parks and the Missouri Department of Conservation operating the hatcheries and stocking the streams with trout.
Friday was FFA Day on KSMO Media and fomer FFA Advisor Bob Parsons interviewed seven groups on five Salem FFA students from freshman to seniors about their FFA experiences. Those interviews are available on the KSMO YouTube page under “Live” for anyone who missed any of the interviews.
A Central Missouri Forage and Beef Conference will be held on March 3rd from 1:00 until 6:00 in Vienna, Missouri at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Attendees will have several opportunities to visit with the vendors at the trade show also. Speakers will cover topics including the beef market outlook, toxic weeds and pasture spraying, vaccination programs, how to extend your grazing year and grazing more with less. There will be the popular producer panel with insights from area producers on how they have diversified their operations forage and income strategies. Those interested can register online at extension.missouri.edu/events or call the Maries County Soil & Water District at (573)422-3342. Attendees will need to pay $10 per person at the door for the meal. Please reserve your spot TODAY!
Preparations are underway for Ozark National Scenic Riverways to accomplish several prescribed burns this spring through mid-April. The burns will be carefully planned and monitored by the park’s Fire Management staff. The scheduling of these prescribed burns is dependent on weather and vegetation meeting certain conditions. During prescribed burns, park operations will continue as usual, although temporary closure of trails or roads adjacent to the burn unit may be necessary for visitor safety. The prescribed burns planned in the Ozark Riverways this year will be cooperative efforts between the National Park Service (NPS) and other land management agencies. The scheduled burns include the Thorny Creek prescribed burn unit of 2,206 acres and that is located northeast of Rocky Falls and will be conducted with Missouri Department of Conservation; and the Devils Well prescribed burn will be 909 acres and is located in northern Shannon County off Route KK and will be conducted jointly with Pioneer Forest. Other prescribed burns will be in the Big Spring area on the Lower Current River. These include the Partney burn of 200 acres and the Longbay burn of 1,200 acres along Route Z south of Big Spring. Other burns scheduled are the Big Spring Ridge burn of 797 acres, the Sweezie Hollow burn of 374 acres along Peavine Road, and the Campbell Point/Beaver Pond of 605 acres that is along Brown’s Road. In order to ensure the safety of firefighters and the public, foot and vehicle travel in or near the prescribed fire operations may be temporarily restricted. Firefighters plan to conduct prescribed burns during weather conditions that will allow for smoke to disperse without causing negative impacts. However, smoke may impair visibility in the vicinity of the prescribed burn and could linger low in the atmosphere over a broad geographic area. Individuals with respiratory ailments are encouraged to take extra precautions to avoid exposure to smoke. Anyone who is concerned about the potential impacts of smoke from a prescribed burn can request to be added to the park’s notification list in order to be contacted in advance. For more information about prescribed burns in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways or to be included on the park’s notification list, contact Josh Chilton at (573) 226-3945 or josh_chilton@nps.gov. If you would like to receive additional information about other prescribed burns in the local area, please contact Missouri Department of Conservation at (573) 226-3616 or the U.S. Forest Service at (573) 364-4621. To stay up to date on the when the burns will occur or be cancelled, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/ozar or their Facebook page for further updates.