MDC hosts free Wetland Day event Oct. 7 at Schell-Osage
Sep. 23—From Staff reports
The Missouri Department of Conservation will host a free Wetland Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Schell Osage Conservation Area in northeastern Vernon County.
This event will include free outdoor activities such as archery and fishing with a chance to see exhibits and hear presentations about the ongoing major renovation of the wetlands and Schell Lake at the area.
There will also be a free lunch cookout from noon to 1 p.m.
"One of the main goals is to share detailed information about the wetlands and lake renovation, as well as progress on the new pump station," Chris Daniel, MDC district supervisor, said in a statement.
MDC and Ducks Unlimited will have exhibits and activity stations set up near the area headquarters. Visitors can try target archery. Fishing will be available at a recently stocked pond. Anglers can bring their own gear, or MDC will provide tackle, bait, and assistance to newcomers to fishing.
"A group fishing permit will be in place for this event to allow folks to try out fishing at the designated pond without buying a permit," Daniel said. "We'll also have wood duck rocket-netting demonstrations and a few other activities."
MDC experts also will be on hand to talk about financial assistance and expertise to assist private landowners with conservation projects. They will provide information about fish and wildlife habitat management practices for grasslands, woodlands, savannas, forests and streams.
MDC broke ground earlier this year on a $6.4 million pump station at the 8,635-acre Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon and St. Clair counties.
Schell-Osage is known for its wetlands and waterfowl hunting, but also provides upland forest, prairie and restored grasslands.
Some of the goals outlined in the plan include continued management of the area for migrating waterfowl, which will involve filling managed wetland pools for the benefit of wildlife each fall.
More than 1,400 acres are seasonally flooded to provide habitat for waterfowl, shore birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife, according to MDC.
Other goals include restoration of wet bottomland prairie communities, minimizing and reducing the spread of invasive species, and managing grassland through the use of fire, herbicides and other tools.
Waterfowl hunting, deer hunting, bank fishing along the Osage River/Osage Arm of Truman Lake and fishing at Schell and Atkinson lakes remain some of the top public-use priorities,
Some of the area's lowlands are in the upper end of Truman Lake, which means extreme weather and high water at the lake have caused repetitive and expensive flood damage to area levees.
The permanent concrete pump station will draw water from the Osage River arm of Truman Lake, replacing water drawn from Schell and Atkinson lakes as well as portable pumps in Truman Lake, which were less efficient, safe and reliable. The pump station will give managers better control of wetland pools during autumn and spring waterfowl migrations, and it will reduce water level fluctuations in Schell and Atkinson lakes.
Project managers have said they hope to have the pump station phase completed by the winter of 2025.
