(This letter to the editor, printed in the Current Wave and Summersville Beacon, is reproduced here with the permission of the author, Terry Cunningham.)
Dear Editor:

Last month we wrote about damages to Big Creek as a result of actions of the Shannon County road crew. This happened in January at the Birdie Hole and Big Creek and just north of the old Cedar Hill School at Mauser’s Mill. We want to update everyone as to how we are seeking to resolve this matter. (more…)

Summer is almost here, and after the discovery last year of emerald ash borers at the Greenville Recreational Area, almost 1000 Barney purple insect traps will be deployed in the woods.

Barney purple? Seems the brilliant metallic blue green beetles have a thing for the color. Maybe they think it goes with their exoskeletons. Who knows? The traps are triangular in cross-section, and 1 by 2.5 feet in size. They may blend with the redbuds right now, but shortly they will stick out against the green Ozark canopy. (more…)

Mother Nature has her own way of making us recognize her.  The dark long days of winter have given way to the longer springtime daylight.  Trees are budding, waiting until their right moment to pop their leaves to the world, waking up as the seasons change.  The flowers are starting to bloom.  Suddenly, it becomes a symphony of color in these hills; wildflowers, trees, and animals all greeting each after the quiet of winter. (more…)

Robert Vanderbrugen of Madison County, Missouri is this month’s winner of the River Hills Traveler hat. Robert said, “I look forward to reading the Traveler each month. I think the River Hills Traveler is the ‘outdoor authority’ when it comes to covering hunting, fishing, or any other outdoor recreation in Southeast Missouri. Readers enter the cap contest by finding our mascot, Trav, in the classified section of the print edition of Traveler, and sending an entry blank to our office.

At its March meeting, the Missouri Conservation Commission suspended hunting and/or fishing privileges of 34 Missouri residents for Wildlife Code violations and affirmed actions taken by Missouri courts suspending privileges of eight Missouri residents. Those whose privileges were suspended are: (more…)

Celebrate Earth Day with a trivia challenge.
On  Saturday, April 18, at Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State
Park near Wildwood. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources, this event will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is free and
open to the public. (more…)

The Monsanto Fund recently provided a $50,000 grant to be used towards two prominent Ducks Unlimited youth programs, Puddler magazine and Wetlands for Kids Day in St. Charles, MO. The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. (more…)

Curt Dzuba and sons, Jesse and Mathew

stand on the deck of a finished fire/rescue

built at Miracle Marine.

By Emery Styron
In a long, rusty, metal chicken shed northeast of Potosi, a Canadian aeronautics engineer and crew build custom all-welded aluminum-hulled fire and rescue boats that save lives on the Ohio River and fishing boats that provide safe, pleasurable transportation on Ozarks lakes and rivers. (more…)

  The Twin Pines Conservation Education Center will host an anniversary event on April 18 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  One year will have passed since the grand opening celebration in April 2008. The event will feature a fish fry, archery, fishing, music and traditional Ozarks skills demonstrations. (more…)

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced this week that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved more than $26 million in grants to protect and restore more than 200,000 acres of wetland areas and wildlife habitat in the United States and Mexico. (more…)