lovetofish

Just let the rental shops pick up and drop off those that use their service. It is not that hard and it won't take business from the park it would be a good will and make the parks look like they care about the community they are in. I think the person behind this is JD and the rangers. Go after them I think Jim Rodgers is just riding their shirt tales to get the bid again when it comes up.

I would start calling the Park Sup JD Mushany that guy is a creep, he has been in there to long. If yo look at the numbers going to bennett and the other trout parks they have lost the most since he arrived. He thinks that he was sent there because he is the greatest thing since slice bread, but in reality he plays the system and has friends in the state offices. that guy is bad for bennitt and the parks along with the rangers who have so little to do that they go after the stupid things.

Yes certain land is dedicated for that. The federal department is called BLM they have land for multi use, catle grazzing, farming, oil experation, etc. State might have some too depends on where you live. These groups who are picking and dropping people off are not advertising or hanging signs in the park for business and driving on a public highway that is used by multi uses. They are using all public access and not physical buildings that are for a purpose. I can see if they cannot go into the campgrounds or in the buildings to get people but the roads and parking lots? Come on lets be smart and keep drunk people off the road and use a bus driver that is able to get them to the park safely. Again if their is a pay issue then that is why I am for a user fee rather then a general tax that all have to pay.

Again a stupid law or rule when a picnic table is five feet from your vehicle.

Yes in the parking lots is a bad thing and against the rules. Not sure if it is againt the "Law", have to look in RSMo for that one. Laws and rules are two different things and the law is crimanal the other is just being told to leave or change behavior. Drink all you want at the picnic area and campground, not the parking lot.

Not true. You can have alcholic beverages as long as you are not in the parking lots drinking it. The picnic areas, campgrounds and other areas as long as there is no keg. So bring as much glass and cans to leave rather than one big container. Stupid laws brought to you by stupid people that run and enforce the park laws (ie rangers)

Jim Rodgers is a private livery making a lot of money. Should he have to pay for the use as well? All should be able to launch and pickup people at the park it is owned by everyone who pays taxes. NRO pays taxes so they should be able to use it.

I can say that Bennett Spring is a good-ol-boy system made up of JD Mushany, Jim Rodgers and the senior Ranger David Snyder. Call and talk to them and they blame the others but work to keep each others jobs. Those rules have been there for a long time. If the state takes taxes from us then it should be open to anyone to use and anyone can pick up anyone from the park. I am for a user fee and not from a tax to pay for the parks. The boat ramp was paid for by taxes therefore anyone should be able to use it. Should local resorts be able to advertise? No but then again no one should including Jim Rodgers who has been given the consessions for to many years and now is in bed with the park. Time for some letter to the State Parks and our reps.

That was MDC, Park Rangers do not go undercover.

What are you talking about? I said Rogers.

Well that was interesting. From what I got. Weavers has the best website to get info, Charlies is an overall but have to deal with him, Larry's is the friendly and more family area, the park store if you need something quick. Plus now I think the store owners should have a competition among them to see who is the best fly fisherman. So far not to many other websites are that good for what is needed. OK now let the fishing competition began. Do you think the owners will go for it?

Do you use their websites and are they beneficial???

What is your favorite shop in the area and why??? Which one do you not like and why??? Do you like Larry's, Weaver, The Park Store ran by Rogers or others. Tell me what you think about the stores and the way they are ran. I am interested in the details.

Do people still think that lousy cam is worth all the fuss and cost. IT is never streaming and the picture is worse than a kids camera.

Not really. By the time you build a network, most likely a satellite for that area, plus the upkeep your looking at 200 to 300 a month. It is a big area and a poor area for cable or DSL to come in. So unless you charge plus now smart phones are already in play so people have their own access it would be better to build a cleaning station.

I don't think that most towns for a medium size event has that many. 10,000 is not very large. I just attended an event that had a beer tent and 30,000+ that had only five officers for the whole thing? I have never seen that many fights or major scuffles? Plus don't forget Conservation is there and they have just as many that is over 30 officers. To expensive for the state to pay for right now. Doesn't take more than a few guys to break up a fight with OC spray and get things under control. Plus HWY Patrol is nearby and so is county. It is a waste a whole lot of DOG AND PONY SHOW for them to justify who they are.

How many Rangers will the parks have this year during opening day? Do we really need 10-15 Rangers plus conservation, water patrol and all the office staff to be there? It makes no sense for them to spend the hotel, fuel and food cost for them to watch 10,000 people. I know city cops don't have that good of ratio for police to citizens. Are we all criminals that needs to be watched??? When your there go to the Captain or Sgt and thank them for wasting our tax money instead of fixing the streams and park!!!! Who is going to post how many rangers they saw this time around. I say at least 10 during the day???

Yes and the park is spending a lot of money for people to have wi-fi for the campgrounds. Instead of building a cleaning station or other repairs. Way to go DNR!!!

In 2007 and 2009 there was a young park ranger that would walk the spring and check on the fishing and limits. Since he left there is now a old ranger that does nothing. Why can't they keep rangers that do something. i saw this young guy write a few tickets.

Yes they are short handed. That is why we should contract out to the counties. The PR is base $36,000 plus another %40 of benifits, take home car, retirement, training, etc. The bill for the Ranger program must be around 6 Million a year on the low side. When the park is slow the deputy could do other things in the county, plus their would be no favoritism in the park for those that work there. I looked at their roster and to me they have way to many high paid brass for such a small department.

I think we should start emailing the state parks and demand a better solution to the Park Rangers. Seems to me that I am not the only one who has issues with them for theft and nothing was done to contact us. If we all start calling the Parks Director personally we could finally see wasted people in the office go, so we can spend our tax money on improvements in the parks, like new restrooms or a cleaning table or something.

I know most counties don't get paid that much. Plus many get housing for cheap on the park. Plus how busy is the park for most of the year. That in itself seems to me why we should stop paying these guys year round. I think the best option would be to pay a retired cop to come in during the busy time and have the county cover the rest of the year. The parks always say they are out of money but never do anything to cut wasted programs. Why not just have conservation cover the parks as well? that is how most states do it. Or is it to protect those that have the high paying jobs that sit in the office?

I looked at their roster on the MO Park sight. They have more office brass then most large counties have. Plus I bet counties would love to have a contract with the state so they could have another deputy on the road. I think they are a "nice thing" to have but budget is tight. Why do we have so many state law enforcement. We have Conservation, water patrol, state capital, highway, etc. Could not the state parks contract with one of those agencies to patrol. many states use either county or Conservation and Parks use the same LE guys. Seems MO just want to keep the high good old boys in jobs rather than using common sence.

Just wondering? What good are these park rangers? Most of them time I see them sitting in their trucks for hours at end watching what? These guys get paid really well and during the winter what do they do? I think our money could be used to pay the local LE guys to come in and patrol. Many states I travel to do this or they only have seasonal rangers. I think they get paid over 35,000 for really only working three to four months out of the year. How can we change this so our tax money is being used for a better purpose?