The Missouri Conservation Commission has removed two birds and a snake from the state endangered species list, recognizing that the future of all three now seems secure.

At its meeting Sept. 26 in Poplar Bluff the Commission voted to declassify the bald eagle, the barn owl and the western fox snake. The action will become effective after a 30-day comment period following publication in the state register.

Kimberly Smith, professor of biological sciences in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, replies:

Vertebrates commonly form aggregations: fish form schools, mammals form herds, and birds form flocks.  In birds, flock formation is generally associated with cooperative food hunting, information exchange and protection from predators.  While there are disadvantages to being in close association with lots of other animals, the fact the…[more]

The Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy recently closed on a nearly 2,000-acre conservation easement in Chase County, Kansas located in the Flint Hills. The Conservancy acquired the easement from the C.E. and Lonah Birch and the Robert and Linda Mooney families, both of Shawnee, Kansas. Funding was provided in part by the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). The NRCS is…[more]

The Audubon organization has teamed up with Arkansas State University to keep tabs on a rare, declining species of wren in the state known as the Bewick’s Wren (pronounced like “Buick). In that effort, the two groups are requesting Arkansans to become citizen scientists.

Dr. James Bednarz, Professor of Wildlife Ecology at ASU, said that residents of the state “have the opportunity to contribute significantly to a very…[more]

Wind farms are beginning to make an appearance all across the United States and more are being planned, including at several sites in Oklahoma and in at least one location in northwest Arkansas.

While that could be excellent news for renewable energy and maybe even lower utility bills some day, there has been concern that giant blades swirling high in the air could produce a hazard to some…[more]

Visitors to five of Missouri’s state parks can now stay connected to the world while visiting these parks, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today. Wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) connections are now available at no charge in certain areas of Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk, Big Lake and Sam A. Baker state parks.…[more]

Scientists have stumbled across a discovery they did not expect while conducting research on forest plants. Apparently, the plants respond to stress levels by producing a chemical compound that closely resembles aspirin. While plants do not worry about the economy, paying bills or who the next president will be, they do become stressed during drought conditions, insect invasions or temperature extremes. That is when they appear to turn to their…[more]

It is starting already. Roadsides are banked with the royal purple of sumac, poison ivy vines ring tree trunks like leafy lava flows, and the edges of dogwood leaves are tinged with scarlet.

Missouri’s season of splendor is upon us, and foresters around the state say 2008 is likely to be one to remember. Unlike last year, when ice storms destroyed thousands of trees and a freakish bout…[more]

Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF), members of the No Child Left Inside Coalition, applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for its recent passage of the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008. The No Child Left Inside Act of 2008 creates new funding for training teachers in outdoor education, expands environmental education programs and helps states to create programs to ensure that U.S. graduates are environmentally literate.[more]

LITTLE ROCK - Fall is on its way, but insects are likely to keep bugging you for a while longer in spite of the dropping temperatures.

“The basic tenet here is that insect populations increase through the summer, and all insect populations are pretty much at their highest point in the fall,” says Dr. John Hopkins, entomologist with the University of Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

Crickets,…[more]