Take Back The MDC
A Blog For True Sportsmen
Looking Ahead to a Better MDC
Sunday January 11th, 2009
Wow, its been a busy past couple of months and busy new year. We have been getting literally hundreds of emails asking about things going on at the MDC and the few of us who are helping to keep this site online have just not had the time to respond to all of them.
We have very good news that many people are working on our behalf to do what they can to pressure the commission to make changes at the MDC and its working as we could tell concerning the recent changes with price increases and landowner permits.
In the press release, Dir. Hoskins noted that these changes were a direct result of listening to the public's concerns. That is B.S. and he knows it. These changes were a direct result of the commission listening to the public's concerns, and something that Hoskins and his staff proposed in the first place without consulting the public or any hunting or landowner group previously that we know about. If the public had not voiced its opinion to the commission along with staff members of the incoming governor, Hoskins would have gotten his way and there would have been less hunting permits purchased and filled in 2009.
Hoskins afterall would prefer less hunters taking to the field as that means a decrease in hunting related activities in the budget and more for granola crunching, anti-hunting Audubon Society endorsed programs. Of course this is something they have been doing anyway. But if Hoskins and Lorna Domke, can point to a substantial
decline in hunting permits sold, it makes it easier to convince unknowing commissioners to approve cutting certain programs in order to make way for more non-consumptive, non-hunting programs.
Not only were landowners and hunters around the state calling and writing the MDC with complaints, They were also bending the ear of our new and incoming governor. A number of pro-hunting personalities attended a meeting with some of Gov. Nixon's staff and made it absolutely clear that Director Hoskins and Outreach and Education Div. Leader Lorna Domke needed to go and that it was becoming a top priority for hunting and 2nd Amendment groups around the state.
As of today, we feel that the commission is aware of the growing discontent among hunters, anglers and trappers concerning Director Hoskins and Lorna Domke.
Going forward, we ask that you continue to write and call your MDC commissioners listed below about a new direction with new internal leadership. We ask that when you meet with your state legislators, tell them that you are unhappy about how out of control the MDC has gotten from its original purpose of overseeing hunting, fishing, trapping and forestry management.
Thank you and we hope to see you in the timber. Commissioner contact info is listed below.
Chip McGeehan
1420 Mill Dam Road
Marshfield, MO 65706
Lowell Mohler
4054 Hwy 179
Jefferson City, MO 65109
Becky Plattner
Route 2, Box 10-27
Grand Pass, MO 65339
Don R. Johnson
110 Jackson Terrace
Festus, MO 63028
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Write Your Letter
Thursday October 23rd, 2008
Here are the home addresses of the four MDC commissioners. Please write them and explain how you feel about the new MDC changes before the next commissioner meeting on the 30th of October.
Chip McGeehan
1420 Mill Dam Road
Marshfield, MO 65706
Lowell Mohler
4054 Hwy 179
Jefferson City, MO 65109
Becky Plattner
Route 2, Box 10-27
Grand Pass, MO 65339
Don R. Johnson
110 Jackson Terrace
Festus, MO 63028
A letter we received from a Missouri resident is posted below.
October 21, 2008
Dear MDC Commissioner,
The new MDC permit price hikes, approved at your last meeting, are
offensive, and the excuses to sell them to the public are shameful.
But the most outrageous insult you've dealt on the sportsmen of
Missouri is the cover-up of the biggest abuse of power ever attempted
by the MDC.
As of today, one month has passed since you, and the other
commissioners placed their stamp of approval on these changes. No
major news organization has informed the public that the MDC will be
raising the price of nearly 100,000 deer and turkey permits by 100%.
Tags that were given to landowners with 5 acres or more and people
who lease and live on their land.
These major landowner and lessee changes have not been reported
because the MDC intentionally left that part out of the news releases
sent to the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Kansas City Star. Why
don't you ask Mr. Hoskins and Mr. Erickson how that happened?
In the first place, you have no business raising the price of any
permit. The money from the 1/8 cent sales tax, gives you an
automatic windfall profit whenever the economy is booming or the cost
of consumer goods goes up.
Using the excuse that some other states charge more for their
permits, is irrelevant. Other states don't skim over $100 million a
year off their consumers to give to their game commissions to spend
at their pleasure. Because of this reliable annual tax, Missouri
should have the lowest permit prices in the United States.
Right now, hunting, trapping and fishing landowners and lessees are
managing the majority of the habitat and wildlife populations at
their own expense. The MDC would be left only to manage the state
lands and enforce the laws, but since you've decided to include
everyone in the state "under one big tent", you've been practicing
excessive spending on everything EXCEPT THE JOB THE MDC WAS CREATED
TO DO.
If you're short on money, stop giving it away to unrelated
organizations and spending it on things that have nothing to do with
conservation and law enforcement, like million dollar nature center
buildings and staff. How do those manage our natural resources?
We all have to tighten our belts in this economy, and you're belt
tightening is the priority, not ours. To shake down the only real,
on-the-ground, volunteer conservationists and managers, for more
money is simply insulting.
These new changes and price increases will result in fewer hunters,
trappers and fishermen, less harvest, more habitat destruction, and
far less citizen participation in conservation practices. No matter
what direction you think you're going with this, that is exactly what
will happen.
Is that what you want?
Mr. Hoskins, along with your help, has managed to completely demolish
the MDC, and now he wants to eliminate all hunting, trapping and
fishing in the state by getting rid of the sportsmen, so more money
can be spent on prairies and birdwatchers. His legacy. His new
direction.
The few people that have learned about these landowner and lessee
changes are blazing mad and are letting you know. But that's nothing
compared to the complaints you're about to get when the rest of the
state finds out about it.
A Resident Hunter, Fisherman & Trapper
State of Missouri
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Changes Are Hidden Agenda
Friday October 17th, 2008
I'm not part of the group that normally writes articles on this website. But I got so mad the other day that I had to make a few phone calls and send some emails to see if I could be allowed to speak my mind here. I was aware of the group calling for the take back of the MDC but until just a few days ago, I didn't know how serious of a problem we had on our hands here.
The other day I heard about the new regulations concerning land owners and deer permits by reading a post on Missouri Outdoor Experience. Starting next year, no land owners who own less than 80 acres will be able to apply for landowner deer permits. This in itself is insane. I'm not sure of the exact number but I know its somewhere in the ballpark of under 100,000 permits issued every year to land owners with less than 80 acres.
What really pissed me off was the waste-of-space moderator calling himself "huntforfunnfood" rushing to the defense of the MDC and calling the decision a good one. Are you blind man??? I had seen a number of people on that website bad mouthing the MDC and this guy and a few others had always jumped up to defend the MDC anytime someone had something critical to say about it.
At the time I rarely paid attention to it but now its effecting me and my 68 acres and I couldn't be more pissed off than I am right now.
"huntforfunnfood" has been so blinded and willing to stick up for our once great conservation department that he can't see that its rotting on the vine. Others like him are the same way. The dummies running the website over at Missouri Whitetails are the same way.
Let's do some math gentlemen and I'll tell you what this is really all about!
You have just under 100,000 permits issued every year to land owners with 80 acres or less every year. Now take a look at the rise in cost of normal retail deer tags that the department has now raised the prices of.
What this will mean is a lower amount of "issued" deer tags for 2009. Higher prices means less permits sold. That is just simple economics and especially in this economy. No doubt, the bureaucrats running the MDC will point to the lower numbers and declare that hunting is becoming less and less popular and use that as an excuse to direct money away from hunting and into more non-consumptive parts of the department like bird watching and nature classes concerning endangered frogs.
Is "Huntforfood" and others so willing to be the lemming to run off the cliff that he will defend this stupid decision to support the rise in tag prices and repeal of permits for land owners. Today in Europe the hunting sports are reserved for the very rich and well off as the cost of meeting the regulations is only achievable to the highest of income levels. Is that what these folks want?
I hunt to fill my freezer every year. I shoot my own, skin my own, and butcher my own.
Ok "HuntforFood". You keep on defending these idiots. One day you will wake up to find yourself unable to hunt anymore because of whatever restrictions and limitations and you will have nobody to blame but yourself. You and some others decided to sit on your hands and defend the indefensible. Shame on you sir!
I think its high time hunters who are pissed off at the department put together some signs and show up outside the office door of John Hoskins. Maybe show up at the house or place of business of some of these commissioners. Maybe show up outside the office door of the governor and hold up our signs and make it known that we aren't going to take this crap anymore.
I know I'm not alone. I personally will be going out to everyone in my county I know and telling my fellow land owners about what is going on. Someone needs to take a stand and show up and let these fricken morons know that we are pissed off.
Thanks again Take Back for letting me vent on your website. Now I have some work to go do.
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TBTMDC NOTE: This was recently discussed on the Missouri Outback radio show and you can listen to it at the link below. Please send the link to your friends.
October 16 2008 - Show #669 (SEGMENT 2 & 3)
http://www.missourioutback.com/mobhome.html
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Emails from you!
Tuesday September 30th, 2008
Its been a while since we have posted another article but we have not let this go yet. You still have a Director who loves nothing more than to be seen in public with his Sugar Daddy, Howard Wood that has just written a check for $100,000 to Kenny Holsolf in order to maintain his control of the MDC after the election. You still have an anti-hunter (Lorna Domke - Director of Outreach and Education) who oversees all aspects of Hunter Education and who continues to try to turn the MDC offices into an earth first movement. Its also been confirmed that she has donated at least $2300 (PROOF HERE) to the Obama campaign who has a vivid history of being anti-gun in his home state of Illinios and the city of Chicago.
More and more, people are waking up to the fact that the MDC and its leadership are just power hungry bureaucrats rather than sportsmen or hunters who are looking out for their own interest instead of ours. More and more, people are figuring out that the Conservation Federation of Missouri, at one time a self proclaimed watch-dog group over the MDC, has been bought and paid for to give a rubber stamp over anything the MDC decides to do.
This movement is not going away. Here are some of the emails we have gotten lately. Last names have been ommited.
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Dear TBTMDC,
Local newspapers indicated recently that when campaign finance limitations were abolished, fat cats dumped big bucks into the coffers of the candidates in the run for Missouri governor. One donation highlighted was that from ex-conservation commissioner Howard Wood who wrote a check for $100,000. to the Hulsoph-for-Governor campaign. One hundred K will buy a lot of influence when the new batch of commissioners need appointed.
-anonymous
Dear TBTMDC,
I became aware of your web site about 1 year ago and definitely agree with your take on the leadership and agenda at the MDC. I attended 3 of the state wide meetings on deer hunting last fall. I was not surprised that it seemed more a way for them to tell us what was going to happen with seasons and limits than to listen to hunter input. No one would answer my question about why Franklin county does not have an antlerless season and when I presented them with their own statistics they denighed them ,said I made them up.If you check deer harvests over the last 10 years you will see that Franklin county is in the top 10 harvests in the state as well as produceing some exceptional trophy bucks . Then to top it all off they have moved next years antlerless season to run during the week of Thanksgiving , includeing Thanksgiving day . While many Ideas where presented at the 3 meetings I attended not one person at any meeting I attended agreed with this idea . Most Missourians travel to hunt in Missouri and by the MDC's own statistics say Thursday is the least hunted day of the week, so I do not understand why this is being done . My E-mails to them get a response that " people want to hunt on the holiday" . I guess they really do not listen to the public they just seem to make a showing of listening and do what they want . Thank you for the website and I hope in the future we can get back the conservation department .
- John, U.S.N. Ret.
Dear TBTMDC,
I am a 27 year old firefighter from Missouri,
You guys should start a patition gathering names of the hunters who are fed up with the Missouri department of conservation and there rediculous current and future plans. I too am fed up with what is going on, and how political everything is becomming. I know many people who dont abide by the rules. I do abide by all rules and regulations, but its getting harder and harder when one feels that the MDC is just becomming money hungry scavangers looking to get money for whatever they can. It is a joke anymore. One of my biggest complaints is that my dad, who is a very ethical law abideing hunter, has not killed a buck or even a deer for that matter in several years. He saw a buck last year, mulitiple times, but was unable to verify that it had 4 points on one side. His eye sight isnt the best. He is hunting on his own ground, that he paid money for that he earned through hard work. He cant even kill a deer because he is afraid of breaking the 4 point rule regulation that is in our county.
On the same token, I had made a suggestion that the MDC should look at allowing property owners to be able to harvest whatever they want on their own property, at least the last weekend of gun season, or something. Giving someone the ability to harvest an animal with out fear of breaking the law. MDC has lost alot of respect. They say they want your opinions, but they dont consider them. Their minds are allready made up and its a waste of time. Money money money. Thats what its all about. They complain that hunters are declineing in number, yet they continue to put all there rules and regulations into effect. I myself dont mind the 4 point restriction, but on the same token, i know there are honest hardworking property owners that would like to enjoy deer season without the eyes of MDC breathing down their neck with all the different rules and regs. Its complete BS, unfair.
Well, I support take back the mdc. And I know alot who would. I was just introduced to this website this morning. Unfortunatly it doesnt seem like there is anything that can be done.
Respectfully,
Jordan
Dear TBTMDC,
I am a member of a small group of concerned citizens based in Shannon county. We are currently trying to get enough memberships to finance a real fight to take back our rights as citizens of Missouri.
As most of you already know there are large holdings by the MDC in Shannon and surounding counties,also the Park Service and The National Forest Service.I personally have seen a real change in attitudes in Conservation practices and the general attitude of some of the management in our south central region.It hasn't been for the better.
I also was a license vendor and check station for several years so I had a lot of contact with not only the wardens but also with a lot of the forestry personel who frequented my business also.What has truly worried me is the arrogance and total disregard by many of the new MDC employees when I have tryed to ask questions about some of the new forestry practices and also hunting regulations.
Other citizens and organizations in this area have tried to talk to the MDC about stocking programs for walleye and other species but have had little true success.I have been a part of some of these efforts and have seen the general disreguard shown by the MDC,mostly by the upper management.
I need to get back to the original issue. If there is any way our groups can help each other I hope thawe can work together to "Take Back The MDC" and return it to it's rightful place as one of the best conservation departments in the country instead of letting it turn into the Missouri Environmentalist Commission.
Just a little note,I learned about this sight from a former MDC employee who was a good customer of mine and who is also truly concerned about the path the current management is heading down.
Thank you
C.C.
Dear TBTMDC,
I was told today by a MDC employee that the MDC voted to end all free landowner permits for deer and turkey at their last meeting Sept. 25 and 26. Nothing on their website yet. Can you verify and alert the public?
OHB
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Leaving a Legacy
Sunday June 22nd, 2008
"It's impossible to truly be concerned about conservation and at the same time be a republican."
-John Hoskins
Overheard by a former MDC employee.
John Hoskins was appointed as the 7th Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation since the first was appointed in 1937. Needless to say that we have been critical of his leadership especially over the last number of years when a number of warning signs have presented themselves. Many people outside of the department continue to ask why some seem so critical of a man and his leadership team who are in charge of arguably the finest Conservation Department in the nation.
So it's important that we take a look at why so many people are becoming more and more unhappy with the leadership team at the MDC. Today’s blog will explore what we believe will be the Legacy of the 7th Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The Legacy of Conservation Director John Hoskins:
- Passing a lead ban on 21 Conservation Areas for all small game with the intent to pass similar measures for all conservation areas statewide.
- An alarming number of Conservation employees no longer taking part in hunting or fishing activities. Currently at or below 40%.
- Canceling the filming ro production of any new TV shows for Missouri Outdoors program.
- Continued hiring of employees who do not take part in hunting and fishing activities.
- Closing down the very popular Mobile Fish Aquarium.
- Canceling and refusing to allow a hand fishing season when being shown time and again that science data shows no adverse effects on fish populations as well as being supported by the Missouri public and the Missouri legislature.
- Canceling involvement and financial support in all future Hunter Education Conferences. No future conferences planned.
- No mention at all of Hunter Education or Youth hunting clinics or related activities in the "Next Generation of Conservation" publication that outlines the future of the department.
- Invitation of liberal democrat fundraising leader Martin Hamburger who has raised millions of dollars for anti-gun politicians such as Carl Levin to speak at an MDC employee event.
- A continued decline on the amount of hunting related articles in the Missouri Conservationist magazine compared to years past.
- Lack of promotion of hunting related activities to the Missouri public.
- Failure to promote and market youth hunting clinics to the point that they have to be cancelled. Meanwhile, other youth hunting and shooting clinics provided by private groups continue to sell out.
- A perceived decline in Missourians taking to the field each year to participate in hunting activities.
- Failure to promote hunting related events like the NRA General Meeting in St. Louis 07 while at the same time, senior employees openly donate to candidates like Barack Obama who are freely critical of the NRA and its programs.
- Openly testifying in the Missouri legislature of NRA backed legislation that would encourage more hunters to show up at the polls and vote for pro-hunting and fishing candidates.
- A public that is growing ever tired of the department moving towards political correctness and moving away from hunting and shooting activities.
- Legislation that is starting to appear that would bring more of the decision making into the public eye by appointing additional commissioners. This shows the growing discontentment of the public and the trust it has in the MDC.
- Talk amongst the public about repealing the 1/8% tax as a way to reign in the department from its move towards a more politically correct state agency.
- A growing number of community leaders and former employees publicly speaking out on the wrong direction the department is going.
It's long past time we demanded our legislators fix the problem inside the MDC. The quickest way to do that is NOT to take away the 1/8 tax. It is NOT to appoint an advisory council. And it is NOT to appoint additional commissioners.
The quickest change that will have a positive result is for the current commission to immediately remove John Hoskins and Lorna Domke as well as some of their immediate staff. The commission needs to publicly commit to hunting activities to show the public that they believe hunting, fishing and trapping activities are an important part of Missouri and its conservation heritage.
If the commissioners fail to act, then the legislators must act with whatever legislation they see as necessary to bring hunting, fishing and consumptive conservation back to the forefront of the MDC agenda.
This movement is not going away, but instead will continue to grow louder and demand the attention of those who have the power to bring about change.
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What We've Become
Monday June 2nd, 2008
The following was written by a 30 year employee of the Missouri Department of Conservation who recently retired.
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The year was 1965 and the place was the Missouri Department of Conservation's Trimble Wildlife Area. I was a 16 year old temporary summer employee that was living a dream, a dream to work for the MDC. I had collected Missouri Conservationist magazines like some kids collected baseball cards. I remember the goose roundups and getting to meet a lot of employees that were an important part of MDC history. Some of them, like Ted Shanks who was in charge of waterfowl areas, now have Conservation Areas named after them.
I remember one evening when Ted Shanks, along with Mike Milonski, the Chief of the Wildlife Division, was talking with several other employees. They were drinking adult beverages and eating fried fish and discussing the MDC, conservation and other related topics. Mr. Shanks made the comment that many things were changing, some for the best and some for the worst. One thing he said stuck with me all these years. He said that the typical MDC employee was changing. Many of the employees in 1965 did not have college degrees, many had military experience, and most had direct ties to the land through an agricultural background. Mr. Shanks said that someday the MDC would begin to change as more and more non-hunters and non-fisherman were hired. Mike Milonski and others said that would not happen. Mr. Shanks just smiled and said it was already happening. He said the real changes would come when people like that were there long enough to be elevated into leadership positions where policy and direction decisions were made. Several argued that the Conservation Commission and Director would never allow that to happen. The Conservation Commissioners loved hunting and fishing as much as the rank and file employees did. Mr. Shanks pointed out that this would no longer be the case when Commissioners are appointed that don’t share our passion for hunting and fishing. Several said that will never happen.
Mr. Shanks may or may not have realized how true his predictions would become. I was fortunate to get a permanent job with the MDC in 1978, just after the 1/8th of 1% sales tax was passed. This was a tax that Mr. Shanks probably didn’t foresee, but one that probably helped make his prediction come true even sooner. I had the privilege of working for almost 30 years for the MDC.
I got to see a lot of great things happen and some not so good things. I got to see a hunter education program grow and utilize some outstanding volunteers, as well as lead the charge to reduce hunting accidents in Missouri from well over a hundred per year to around 30. I got to see F.E. “Bud” Eyman lead the charge to expand hunter education into a broad based outdoor skills program and also promote the shooting sports and the development of more public shooting ranges. Bud was later elected to the National Rifle Association’s Board of Directors, and the MDC and NRA worked together on several joint projects that benefitted hunters and shooters in Missouri. Missouri was the first recipient of the NRA national award on shooting range development.
Move forward to today and there have been a lot of changes. The NRA national meeting held in St. Louis last year had little MDC involvement or participation. This was the same year that Missouri certified its 1,000,000th hunter education student, as well as celebrated the 50th anniversary of hunter education in Missouri. A great opportunity was missed for a national recognition of the work the Missouri hunter education volunteers had been able to accomplish. I heard that some of the MDC leaders said they didn’t realize the NRA meeting was going to be in Missouri. However, a year earlier, prior to my retirement, I made mention of this in an "expanded staff" meeting at the Jefferson City headquarters. In addition to this, any NRA member would have received notice of the meeting. However, many of the people in MDC leadership do not belong to the NRA. In fact, following Mr. Shanks predictions, how many of them hunt and fish?
About a year prior to my retirement, Bryan Bethel and I attended a committee put together to discuss hunter recruitment. I remember that for the entire first hour of our first meeting we discussed whether we really needed more hunters or even hunters at all in the future. When we got back to my office, Bryan and I discussed how unbelievable it was that the meeting started that way.
I remember another meeting with the Outreach and Education Division leadership and the leadership of Fisheries Division. We met to discuss ways to expand the number of fisherman. Lorna Domke, Outreach and Education Division Chief, said and I quote, "It offends me that the MDC would spend my tax dollars to recruit new hunting and fishing permit buyers." She also said, "Why do we need more hunters? With less hunters we can spend more money on activities like bird watching." One of the Fisheries Division leaders argued with her about this. He said if we let our base erode, that base being hunters, fisherman, and trappers, what will the MDC do if they ever lose the 1/8th of 1% sales tax? Then the main source of income will be from the sale of permits. Lorna just rolled her eyes and said that we are never going to lose the sales tax.
I remember Lorna saying in several staff meetings that our field staff were spending way too much of their time on hunter education, shooting sports, youth hunts, and shooting ranges. She wanted them to spend more time on non-consumptive activities like bird watching, backpacking, canoeing, etc. In other meetings, Lorna stated she didn’t like the word "recruitment" used with hunters and fisherman. Words were some how important to Lorna for some reason. I remember the first meeting that I had with Lorna, along with the other two Assistant Outreach & Education Division Chiefs. I made the comment that because of our reorganization we need to make our field staff aware of our chain-of-command. Lorna immediately said that she hated that word. I said, "What word?" David and Don, the other two Assistant Chiefs looked as puzzled as I did. She said, "Chain-of-command. I hate that word. It is so military." I said, "Well I guess we differ, because I like the military." Then I suggested the term "line-of-supervision" and she said that was fine, so we proceeded.
I began to hear Mr. Shanks talking again in my memory.
I remember just prior to my retirement Lorna put together a committee to plan a Division Conference. She named a young lady to be chair of that committee. At one of their meetings the chairperson suggested a main speaker, and one of the other committee members pointed out that this person had strong anti-hunting ties. The chairperson said, "So what is your point?" A main speaker at that conference ended up being a speaker with an anti-gun and anti-hunting history.
When the MDC decided to create the "Next Generation" plan, each Division was asked to participate. Rick Flint and Bryan Bethel were directly under my supervision at the time. I asked them each to submit to me ideas to include in parts of the Next Generation Plan. I also wrote several thoughts I had on the future of the MDC and how we could best serve the resource and the people. Naturally, a lot of Rick’s, Bryan’s, and my comments were tied to hunting and hunter education, fishing and aquatic education, trapping, shooting sports and shooting ranges, along with ideas on other outdoor activities. I submitted these to Lorna, who was my supervisor. When the Next Generation plan came out, I noticed none of Rick’s, Bryan’s, or my comments were included. I asked Lorna about this and she said she had forgotten to include our comments. Who would have ever thought that would happen?
Later Lorna said she wanted us to create a new education program called "LOS," Learning Outdoor Schools. The first part of this program was an aquatic education program. She had some of her hand-picked folks write this and then asked me to critique it. I read it and asked her how she could have an aquatic education program that did not include fishing. She sent it back and fishing was added as a voluntary alternate.
Another time, I was required to attend a leadership training course which our current Director was also attending. When we got to the course, only about half of the class that was signed up to attend was there. For whatever reason, the others had decided not to attend. At lunch, the Director asked several of us for suggestions to stop this from happening so often. He was concerned about the instructors’ time as well as costs of materials. I suggested that the supervisors of those employees could provide a written memo to explain why their employee or employees didn’t attend or call to cancel. One of the section leaders at the class looked at me and said that idea was archaic. I began to hear Mr. Shanks speaking again and began to count the days until my retirement.
Near the end of the same leadership training class, the instructor asked us to name a great leader that we had as a role model. The first name that came to my mind was President Ronald Reagan, not because of his political affiliation, but because of his leadership qualities. The Director raised his hand and the rest of us, who were being good subordinates, waited to hear from him. He stated that President Jimmy Carter was his leadership role model and I about fell out of my chair. The President that allowed American hostages to be held by Iranian terrorists for 444 days. The same hostages that were released while President Ronald Regan was taking the oath of office as President. I realized that based on the "archaic" comment and this one, that I was now a dinosaur (so to speak) and retirement couldn’t come too soon.
Mr. Shank’s prophecy had come true. I realized that we now have people in leadership and direction setting positions with a different kind of agenda. They lack the emotional attachment to hunting, fishing, and trapping, as well as any ties to the land. They do not understand why the 2nd amendment is so important to not just our enjoyment and way of life, but ultimately to our freedom.
Some have accused me of being a disgruntled, retired employee and that is fine. If having strong feelings for the history of the MDC and the many great people who have and are working there is being disgruntled, then I am disgruntled. If loving the sights and sounds of the woods coming alive while I seek game, or watching the swirl of large fish moving towards my lure is being disgruntled, then I am disgruntled. If watching a young boy or girl shoot their first quail, or seeing them feel that familiar tug on the end of their line is being disgruntled, then I am disgruntled. If loving the familiar smell of gun powder and Hoppe’s gun oil, or getting goose bumps and a lump in my throat when I hear the Star Spangled Banner, labels me as archaic and disgruntled, then so be it. I’ll bet there are a lot of us that fit that definition and we just want to see future generations have the opportunity for those same memories.
Mr. Shanks, if you can hear me, then God Bless you and your words of wisdom that a 16 year old boy could never forget.
-Bob Staton
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Sen. Dan Clemens Remarks
State Senator Dan Clemens makes remarks on the Missouri Senate Floor expressing his concerns with the current leadership at the MDC. Please read his remarks and forward them on to others who may wish to read them. Click Here
Report to Elected Officials
Please download and pass on the Take Back The MDC report to elected officials concerning the current state of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Please call your state elected representatives and senators and tell them that you are concerned with the Leadership at the MDC. Tell them you want change!
Download HERE
