Agri-Business Roaring River

[Danoinark]

Your right on target crappiefisherman. Its up to all of us to protect the environment becuase it certainly can't protect itself. 30 years ago I would not have had second thoughts of taking a cool drink from one of our spring creeks. I hate sticking my hands in the water now.

Dano

[SilverMallard]

The biggest piece of the conservation puzzle is education. Think about this: what is the damage to the James River (thus TRL) if one person 20 miles upstream dumps his waste motor oil in the storm drain at the end of his driveway? NONE. The James can handle that. Ecosystems are self-cleaning. But there are almost 1/2 million people living upstream from Galena. If 1% of them dump their waste motor oil from an oil change in the storm drain (all of which go directly into our surface water without treatment), that is 5,000 people X 6 quarts of oil = 30,000 quarts of oil, or over 7,000 gallons. 7,000 gallons is roughly 1,700 barrels of oil. Multiply that time 4 times/year (every 3,000 miles) and you have 28,000 gallons or 6,800 barrels of waste oil flowing down the James River every year.

And that's from 1 out of 100 people not disposing of their waste motor oil properly. What do you suppose that number REALLY is? And that is only ONE of the things we can all do to make a difference.

I recently learned that studies are showing that the vast majority of Americans are not even aware that the storm drains run into surface water without treatment. They've never considered it.

So the James River Basin Partnership is working with the communities along the James to put a sign on every single storm drain that says "This drain empties into the James River, Finley River, Wilson's Creek, etc."

Once upon a time, the Ozarks was able to regulate the human impacts to our waters. But there are a few million more people living in White River watershed today than there were just 30 years ago.

We are also learning that agri-pollution is not nearly as big of a piece of the problem as is urban/suburban non-point source pollution like over-fertilized lawns/parks/golf courses, chemicals being dumped down storm drains, and poor storm water drainage (meets EPA standards, but those are inadequate). And since ag practices are usually done out of economic necessity and they produce stuff we all need to survive, I'm just saying perhaps we should focus a bit more attention on the totally unnecessary stuff most of do: over-fertilizing our lawns, playing golf, improperly disposing of household and automotive chemicals, and running highly polluting and inefficient 2-stroke outboards on our recreational watercraft.

It's really easy to point the finger at farmers, other towns upstream, or any other form of "the other guy." But a recent study from MU and Mo DNR found that 80% of Mo septic tanks are in a failing state of operation. And I still see an overwhelming majority of 2-stroke outboards on the water.

[Danoinark]

The biggest piece of the conservation puzzle is education. Think about this: what is the damage to the James River (thus TRL) if one person 20 miles upstream dumps his waste motor oil in the storm drain at the end of his driveway?

It's really easy to point the finger at farmers, other towns upstream, or any other form of "the other guy." But a recent study from MU and Mo DNR found that 80% of Mo septic tanks are in a failing state of operation. And I still see an overwhelming majority of 2-stroke outboards on the water.

No way could I argue with any of that! Its spot on.

Dano

[SilverMallard]

And I'm not arguing in favor of the chicken farm near Roaring River, either. I'm just taking the opportunity to say, "Yeah, but..." and point out some things we ALL have a LOT MORE control over.

[CMAC]

SilverMallard,

Well put it is all about the education.

Don't think for a second the poultry industry is not looking into ways to properly address manure management.

I can tell you right now that Univeristy of Arkansas is looking for ways to efficiently burn litter to heat poulrty houses.

The key is education and research. Actively pursuing options, litter control is very important alternative use; besides spreading it on to open pastures is apart of this task.

Also, currently in progress is the use of corn as an alternative for a heat source. Using corn allows a cleaner and more efficient burn. And also in many cases allows the poultry litter to be exchanged for corn, taking litter out of these water sheds and transfering it to productive farm ground where it is utilized and not turned into run-off.

[SilverMallard]

Yep! And there are electric co's and various research projects with universities and the state running demo projects and such on other alternative uses for poultry litter.

The other KEY to reducing pollution is to develop ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE (if not rewarding, which is the real goal) pollution reduction technologies and then educating the waste treatment, real estate development, and ag industries aware of them and facilitating their wisespread use.

This is another area the JRBP is pioneering in the Ozarks.

[SKMO]

I talked with a RR DNR guy today about the status of the chicken houses near Roaring River and he indicated that as far as he knew they were going to be permitted. Basically there was no ruling to deny the permit upon. Let me say up front I know this guy well and he is top notch, but on the Parks side of DNR, not the environmental regulation side.

Looks like 4 houses, 65K birds, and licensed as a "no-runoff" facility. Not sure exactly what no-runoff specifically permits but we all know there is no such thing. Hopefully well treated runoff.

This is also a facility that will raise chickens (pullets) for the egg production industry. Not sure of all the technical ins and outs and all the terminology, but they will only raise two broods per year of chickens then send them out for egg laying. Grow 'em slow and healthy as opposed to the crank-em out hard and fast (on chicken steroids) type we all eat.

Well I do not like to see this more than anyone else but it looks to me like the deal is done. A classic example of sociological head-butting between the agricultualrists, and the sportsmen and adjacent landownders who are impacted by animal confinement operations. Neither party is right or wrong, we are just at odds as to how to use the landscape.

There actually is a solution to problems such as this in the future but I doubt it will be addressed in my lifetime in SW Missouri.

It's called: ZONING. County Zoning in this case. But not today in rural SW Missouri. Such zoning exists on both the Left and Right Coasts and on some progressive middle ground but we in MO will be the last to see it. Because we are Landowners and it is our right to do with our land as we wish, and a civil war would errupt should "The Govt" tell anyone what they could or could not do with their Ozark property.

Well it is a tough nut to crack and I do not have any answers but I sure do have a lot of questions. I really do see both sides of the coin, so think about this:

Private Landowners in MO (who own about 97% of the state) provide a lot of benefits we all as citizens reap, such as open space, wildlife habitat (even if we can not hunt on it), scenic values and aesthetics, watershed and groundwater protection, carbon sequestration (might have to look that up), and other benefits we all derive as citizens from their ownership of the wild lands.

Once their cost of ownership (investment and land taxes for example) outweighs their benefits they must do something different, as they can no longer aford to own the property if they are constrained in managing it.

All this said, I have no answers only more questions. I do know that in other parts of the country restrictive zoning exists, and THERE IS ALSO various forms of compensation to landowners who agree to keep their lands in an undeveloped state.

For that luxury we must pay taxwise, and is MO ready to tackle it?

Regards - SKMO

[Danoinark]

SKMO, a very well authored, logical and at the crux of reality post. I have to agree with all you said. We have the same issues in No Ark, no county zoning...and with that the hand me down mentality of "what I do with my property is my own business" . It's also hard to argue that position too. I personally don't like to be told what to do with my own, and I sure don't want more government intervention. We just need to police ourselves and be good stewards of our land and keepers of our rivers. But for those that violate others properties and the public domain ie; the parks, forests, rivers, then they should be dealt with.

Dano

[SKMO]

We just need to police ourselves and be good stewards of our land and keepers of our rivers. But for those that violate others properties and the public domain ie; the parks, forests, rivers, then they should be dealt with.

Dano

Well Danoinark - I think as trouters or Bassers (notice the Capitalization where it was intended) we do police ourselves fairly well. I think we all take pretty good care of the lands and waters we visit. I know we all have a big job to do as far as educating those we bring up in The Sport of fishing, and I think it is going well.

Public lands and properties it is pretty well set forth as to the Rules and Regs.

Private Lands: This is where real conservation efforts will take hold and have an effect, and it's hard to envision landowners taking up the financial slack for broad benefits we all cash in on.

Other states have recognized this and are proactive and way ahead of us on this.

I still have confidence we will not get bit in the shorts too bad. We have some lessons tol learn in the next few years.

[Danoinark]

Private Lands: This is where real conservation efforts will take hold and have an effect, and it's hard to envision landowners taking up the financial slack for broad benefits we all cash in on.

Other states have recognized this and are proactive and way ahead of us on this.

I still have confidence we will not get bit in the shorts too bad. We have some lessons tol learn in the next few years.

SKMO

I do feel its everyone's responsiblity and sportsmen seem to be more educated to conservation issues.

It must begin with the young people, its probably more important to teach them how to protect the resources than how to cast a rod, or land a big bass. I guess I am just not as optimistic as you as to whether we are getting "bit in the shorts." As I look at the demise of the Ozarks Trout rivers, ie Norfork Tailwaters because of rapid development (Outlook Estates) and how this developer had no regard for the stream, and the non action of our own state and federal government agencies, empowered to watch over the fishery, I am skeptical.

Dano