skeeter

From the Stone County Gazette: Deja Vu: Forest lands listed for sale in Stone County By Sam Clanton The cat came back the very next day. But for Stone County and many other places across the U.S., it’s not a cat and it wasn’t the next day. It’s the sale of our national forest land, proposed exactly one year ago but eventually dropped. This time around, however, there is not a formal public comment period, a concession hundreds of Stone County residents took advantage of last year. The U.S. Forest Service website, www.fs.fed.us, reveals that 2,236.91 acres of Mark Twain National Forest in Stone County will be sold to raise funds to extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000 in the proposed Fiscal Year 2008 federal budget. Once again, Stone County ranks number one in the entire state in acres for sale. Once again, people are upset and a fight is brewing. Also ranking high on the list of acreage for sale is neighboring Barry and Christian counties. Taney County meanwhile stands to loose only about 150 acres. Another difference this year is that the sale, packaged as the National Forest Land Adjustment for Rural Communities Act, directs that 50 percent of land sale receipts would remain within the state they were collected. What does our local state representative think about this? “I am totally and completely opposed to the sale of forest lands in Stone and Taney counties, and the rest of Missouri,” stated Rep. Dennis Wood, of Kimberling City. “We need to reserve those areas for future generations. If the lands must be sold, the first opportunity should be extended to state, county and city governments, but I think this is dead wrong, and I’m going to do all I can to stop it.” Wood stated it was wrong not to include a public comment period in the land sale. “We need to give the federal government an answer (to this funding problem) instead of just a protest,” Wood also commented. “I will be terribly disappointed if we have to do this. The sale of forest lands would provide one-time money, and what is needed is a continuous funding source.” Hwy-13.com (Sam Clanton) attempted to contact, and presented questions in writing to State Senator Jack Goodman, Missouri Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill and Congressman Roy Blunt. As of press time, Blunt responded with the following statements. “The offshore drilling revenues proposed in HR4761 passed the House but didn’t pass the Senate, so that source of funding doesn’t exist,” said Dan Waddlington, a spokesperson for Blunt. Last year Blunt announced the land sale would not be necessary as offshore drilling revenues would be able to fund the Rural Schools act. “The (forest lands sale) was resurrected by the administration as one of several options to fund the Rural Schools act,” Waddlington stated. He said another option was an across-the-board cut in federal spending. Congress must authorize the Forest Service to go ahead with the land sale, Waddlington pointed out. “The congressman (Blunt) believes it (the Rural Schools act) can be funded without selling the forest lands,” Waddlington said. If the land sale doesn’t go through it won’t be because the Forest Service is not prepared for it. Perusal of their website makes it very clear how many acres are drawn up for sale. The site’s interactive map viewer doesn’t seem to be functioning properly, however, so pinpointing specific parcels is difficult. Missouri isn’t the only state with forest land up for grabs. Neighboring Arkansas is also greatly affected, particularly the Ouachita National Forest in west-central Arkansas, where many thousands of acres are affected. Mar-08-07 | Stone County Gazette If you want to protect watersheds, this has to be stopped cold. Only problem is the article doesn't give the origin of this " Act ". Don't know if it's coming from U. S. Senate or House or direct from National Forest Service or what. If anyone has any further information please chime in but this rates a big red flag for action ( AGAIN ). Sneaky so and so's ! No way we should be funding schools by selling off public forest land. Once it's gone, it's gone for good.

Merry CHRISTmas to all you master anglers on the site. Can't say that I post much as most of you lucky guys are locals and I'm just a part-timer with a place on TR that has eaten up my time in the area the last seven months repairing hail damage. Used to be a trouter but have to admit my first love is top-water bass fishin' ( kind of like you dry fly specialists, you know what I mean ). Thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie you fellows have going on this site and the good-natured give and take. Best wishes to all for a happy and safe holiday season and am looking forward to your continuing posts and outstanding information. Thanks much to all and keep your hooks sharp !

SQUIRRELS FALLING FROM THE SKY !! Very serious storm in the St. Louis area with 170,000 still without power. Many I work with in that boat and it's causing much hardship. However, there is a funny side. My daughter told me she was watching local FOX station news Friday morning and they were broadcasting live from the news chopper over a heavily wooded neighborhood watching tree limbs go down. All of a sudden the airborne reporter zooms the camera in on a squirrel that lost it's grip on an ice covered tree limb and went plunging down about 70 feet to the ground ! One dead tree rat... Then they zoomed in on another one and then another one after that. Three falling squirrels in about five minutes. So, Saturday morning I watched the woods behind my place and in about 20 minutes I saw the same thing. Having had squirrels invade my attic and do much damage I started cheering for the ice. I would have thought the little buggers could get a grip on the ice but apparently they make mistakes too. Anybody else notice this ? ( Boy, you can tell you're getting cabin fever when you're watching squirrels do a nose dive ! ) ha !

Appreciate that SKMO. Wind finally went around to the South and the kid had to get some baits so we went up to Tri-Lakes and Mark told us Bill had been in and was doing well on smoke with black and smoke with red flake grubs in the cove mouths. We got out Tues. and found the shad and the bass on secondary points in main lake coves. Had one good LM swimming the smoke with red flake at about 35' over 50' on the main cove side of the point, the kid threw a watermelon candy finesse worm on a darter head ( ?!) and put it on me with four shorts, all spots. Lot's of bumps while swimming the grub but no real takers. Not terrible for two hours and a half. Saw about five minutes of surface chasing right at sundown, very surprised but they were little guys.

Thanks for that SKMO. Unexpected chance to take my visiting Son-in-Law out so putting away the leaf blower, the sander and scraper and the paint can ( still repairing hail damage ) and fire the boat up. You mentioned bluff bite ? If you don't mind, what were you throwin' at 'em ? I see where the wind is finally going around to the South today and the bluffs are always my last resort. Thanks much..

This is sort of tongue-in-cheek and not, but our rice buyer told me that the rice farmers in Arkansas are experiencing water supply problems as the water table their wells tap into has drastically dropped. Of course, you don't grow rice without adequate water supply. To remedy this problem a pumping station either was built or is planned, I'm not sure which, on the White River exactly in the immediate area where the claimed sighting of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker occurred. Guess what ? The pumping station has been denied operation by the Fed's as the noise could possibly disturb the remaining population of this "thought to be extinct" species. Where I'm going with this is there are laws to protect our irreplaceable and pristine remaining natural resources. The trick seems to be finding a well heeled source who will fund court actions ( not pleasant but apparently necessary) to enforce the existing laws. Unfavorable press coverage is avoided at all costs by today's Corporate America and the press will report in both electronic and print media any lawsuits brought against polluters and public opinion will turn quickly against that entity. Do not waste your time complaining to politicians, most are " for sale " to the highest bidder, go directly to the courts.

Funny article in the Sunday St. Louis Post Dispatch features an interview with former Cardinal and current Detroit 1st base coach Andy Van Slyke who makes his home in Chesterfield, MO. Quote: " I went to shake hands with Kenny Rogers in the dugout after the first inning of game two ( and told him to go clean up ) but I couldn't get my hand loose from his " Har de har har ! That's a winner folks ! a decent group of players who rose to the occasion. And La Russa deserves a lot of credit. Trashing St. Louis as always, the national sports writers are saying how The Cardinals were the worst team to ever win. Gee, if that's so, how come no one else is getting a victory parade today ???

Gosh ! Isn't this a surprise, surprise ( as Gomer would say ) ? MO Supreme Court outlaws photo I.D. for voters. One week later St. Louis County receives 4000 fraudulent voter registration cards from ACORN. U. S. Attorney has now requested cards be turned over for possible prosecution of ACORN workers. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...2%2C%22acorn%22

Since your post says your home waters are connected to the Mighty Mississippi, I was wondering if those "Bighead" or "Silver" carp have made it up your way yet HawgHunter ? The way the darned things leap clear out of the water about 4 to 5 feet in the air is about most dangerous thing I've ever seen, specially if you're tooling along at the speed most 20' Rangers will run... Been told by a couple MO Dept. of Conservation agents that if they get in your waters you better be wearing protective gear or have something substantial in front of you in your boat to deflect them. We have heard of people being knocked out of their boats by this invasive species.

Any information/experience available what these mussels do to docks ? If they are prolific filter feeders don't they attach to floats, cables and any boats left in the water ? From the pictures posted, if they do attach, I would think they could add tons of weight to a structure in the water ??? Thanks..

Ridiculous !!! What additional services is the State of Missouri going to perform for boaters to justify this price gouge ? The State legislature is due to end their session any day now. Anyone know if this unwarranted increase passed ? I mean, what are we paying for...additional Water Patrol to keep order at party cove at Lake Ozark....nonsense.

Closing the bail by hand on open face reels is one of the best methods to avoid line twists and resulting bird nests. If your line is already twisted or has taken a "set" or "curl" from being on the reel all winter long, simply let it spool out behind your boat ( at low speed ) with nothing on the line and drag it a ways, you'll be amazed at the drag the water puts on it, and retrieve back onto the reel. This accomplishes two things: first it painlessly takes all the twists out of the line and, second, the immersion in the water wets the line and allows it to "relax" and lose the set most lines develop over time. Remember ! Practice catch and release.....It'll grow on you...

[quote name='SKMO' date='Mar 28 2006, 07:05 AM' post='809 If anyone is interested I'll post a pic of mine and better instructions. Best $4 investment I have made for the deep crappie in the trees. SKMO, Sounds like a great idea ! Would greatly appreciate a picture of your stand off pole. Think I know what you mean generally but the idea of not spooking fish and staying off the troller has the makings of a handy tool.