August 2009 Newsletter From The Shepherd Of The Hills Fish Hatchery Conservation Center

[Phil Lilley]

August 2009 Newsletter from the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery Conservation Center

CONTENTS

[1] Scouting for Badges, August 14th

[2] Walk & Talk: Henning Conservation Area, August 15th

[3] Fly Tying with Jeremy Hunt, August [No Class August 8th]

[4] Hunter Education Class, September 21, 22, & 24 @ Dewey Short VC

[5] Dewey Short Visitor Center is closed for Renovations for remainder of August.

[6] Ask a Naturalist “What kind of spiders are making the huge webs in the trees along the highway?”

Special Note about programs at the Fish Hatchery: Unless specified for scouts, all programs are intended for families. Scouts may come as a family, but they must make their own individual reservations. We do not take multiple family reservations. Each family must make their own reservation by phone. Multiple families may make a single reservation for scout programs. Reservations are taken by phone and not by email.

1. SCOUTING FOR BADGES

Friday, August 14th 10am - Noon SCOUTS

The Hatchery will have a 2-hour scout event where cub scouts and girl scouts can complete several requirements for their badges. Stations and a hike will be available for scouts such as bear cubs, webelos, brownies, and junior girl scouts to earn at least one badge and in some cases requirements for other badges. Come to the front desk of the Visitor Center to find out how your scouts can take part in this fun event. Reservations are required. Call (417) 334-4865 ext 0 for reservations and more details.

2. HENNING WALK & TALK

Saturday, August 15th 10-11:30am - FAMILIES

The Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery is kicking off a new program series called “Walk & Talk”. On the 3rd Saturday of each month, staff and volunteers will take you on a different hike in the greater Branson area. Our first hike will be the Dewey Bald Trail at the Ruth & Paul Henning Conservation Area. The Henning Area is located on Hwy 76 just west of the Butterfly Palace. The 0.6 mile hike will be on a paved trail with slight inclines. In addition to learning about the plants and animals of the area, we have a very good chance of meeting up with a Baldknobber to learn the ‘real’ history of the area.

This program does require reservations and space is limited. Call (417) 334-4865 ext 0 for reservations and directions where to meet.

3. FLY TYING AT THE HATCHERY

Saturday, August 22nd 2-4pm – ALL AGES

Join Jeremy Hunt, local fishing guide to learn more about the art and fun of tying flies. This session will focus on streamers that can be used on Taneycomo. This class is designed for both the beginner as well as the experienced fly tier. If you have a fly tying vice bring it, if not, you can share one at the class. There will NOT be a class on August 8th due to scheduling conflicts.

4. Hunter Education Class will be held at the Dewey Short Visitor Center

September 21, 22, & 23 (must attend all three nights to get certification)

6:00 pm to 9:30pm (Monday & Tuesday) and 6:00 to 8:00pm (Thursday)

Ages 11 and up

Here is your chance to take the 10-hour MDC certified Hunter Education Class for free. This class is required for anyone born after January 1, 1967 who would like to buy a hunting permit. This class covers a variety of topics including: hunter ethics, how to handle firearms safely, types of firearms and archery gear used for hunting, knowing your game, knowing the outdoor conditions, hunting preparedness, and much more. A short exam must be passed to be certified. Reservations are required by calling (417) 334-4865 ext 0.

5. Dewey Short Visitor Center closed for renovations.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has closed the Dewey Short Visitor Center for the remainder of August for renovations. The grounds and trails around the visitor center will remain open. The difficulty with this closure is that renewing COE permits will be difficult until their alternate office is open. Currently you can get more information about renewing permits and shoreline management online at: '>http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/tabler...e.htm

If you need to reserve a campsite at one of the COE areas go to Recreation.gov at '>http://www.recreation.gov/

We will keep you informed if the Dewey Short Visitor Center reopens before the end of August.

6. Ask a Naturalist: What kind of spiders are making the huge webs in the trees along the highway?

Mandy in Hollister asks, "I have noticed as we drive that there are more and more large webs in the trees. What kind of spiders are making the huge webs in the trees along the highway?:

I found a huge wasp flying around my yard. It was over 2 inches long and was black with yellow stripes. Is this some kind of monster wasp and do I have anything to worry about?"

Mandy, believe it or not, those webs are not being made by spiders. They are actually being made by caterpillars. The webs we see in the Spring and Summer are being made by Tent Caterpillars and the webs we see in the Fall are being made by Fall Webworms. These caterpillars will eventually turn into rather ordinary moths. What these caterpillars are doing is actually an effective way to feed on the tree leaves without being eaten by predators like birds. There may be several dozen caterpillars who work together to spin a dense web around the leaves they want to eat. As they eat all the leaves in their ‘tent’ they spin more webbing around more leaves and feed with little disruption. These webbed ‘tents’ can look unsightly at time and several can be in one tree. A healthy tree will survive this caterpillar attack, but trees already weak from disease or ice storms may die. One saving grace is that there is one local bird that finds these caterpillars quite tasty. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo (yes we have cuckoos in Missouri) has a strong curved beak which it uses to tear open the webbing. This exposes the caterpillars to being eaten quite easily. You too can pull these ‘tents’ open and pull out the caterpillars. If you pull them out and toss them to the ground, you will find that other birds will show up to have a free meal. You can also put a few of these fuzzy caterpillars on a hook and catch all kinds of sunfish.

If you have a question that you would like to have a Naturalist answer, send your question to John.Miller@mdc.mo.gov . We will then answer your question in a future newsletter.

Hope everyone is enjoying the last half of summer.

Cheers!

John Miller

Naturalist Program Supervisor

Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center

483 Hatchery Road

Branson MO 65616

(417) 334 4865 ext 0

John.Miller@mdc.mo.gov