The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks recently received new chairs for visitors with mobility challenges. Using the chairs, visitors can now navigate both land and water. Produced by the Action Trackchair company, track chairs are electric all-terrain wheelchairs that offer guests with mobility challenges the opportunity to partake in outdoor activities. …
Cute critters by day, gardeners’ worst enemies by night. Most gardeners know the frustration of having a beautiful garden decimated by wildlife, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. “Our four-legged ‘friends’ can be more formidable garden foes than insects, diseases and weeds,” said Trinklein. “Because of their size and our inability to control…
Last February, we began hearing strange sounds coming outside the bedroom window late at night. These sounds were periodic high-pitched squeals and would be strange sounds for most people, but not for us. This was the beginning of the mating season for red foxes, and we knew exactly what to expect over the…
I will guess the first thing that came to your mind when you read this title were Tigers at MIZZOU. Believe it or not, there are other big cats in the Show-Me-State. Let’s give them a look. This story begins a few years back in southeast Missouri. My very best friends, Roger and Jeannie…
Black bears have made a comeback in Missouri. While black bears primarily inhabit the Ozark region of southern Missouri, there have also been sightings in the northern part of the state. Report all bear sightings to Missouri Department of Conservation staff • Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If you follow these precautions, you probably…
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways visitor information center previously located in the lobby of the park headquarters building in Van Buren has moved to the newly reopened historic entrance station at Big Spring. Last year, renovations were completed on the Big Spring entrance station. The original Missouri State Parks once used this historic building, continuing…
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has reported a significant milestone in population recovery efforts of the endangered Ozark hellbender. A zoo-raised hellbender has successfully reproduced within the Current River. “We are very excited to announce this news,” said Missouri State Herpetologist Jeff Briggler. “This is the first documented event of a zoo-raised animal fathering…
By Shawna Bethell When I moved from open country to the lush Missouri landscape, I quickly became aware of the many species of birds living in the tangle of green behind my home. Pulled into the ebb and flow of their presence and their migrations, I became fascinated by the instinct that drives them, the…
