For decades, ecologists have assumed the worst invasive species—such as brown tree snakes and kudzu—have an “away-field advantage.” They succeed because they do better in their new territories than they do at home. A new study reveals that this fundamental assumption is not nearly as common as people might think.

Written By:  Joe Jerek

Share a pastime that can last a lifetime. Along with fish, you may catch some priceless memories.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Discover the lure of Missouri outdoors with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Free Fishing Days June 8 and 9. During Free Fishing Days, anyone can fish in the Show-Me-State without having to buy a fishing permit, trout stamp or trout park daily tag. Normal regulations, such as limits on size and number of fish an angler can keep, remain in effect. Some private fishing areas may still require permits, and trespass laws remain in effect on private property.

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Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Written By:  Jim Low

Imagine how difficult rainy weather would be for you if you breathed through your feet.

JEFFERSON CITY–If you are tired of wet feet, you have lots of company. Many trees are suffering, too. The Missouri Department of Conservation has advice for helping trees cope with wet weather.

Flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and high water on many other streams has left many trees stressed, because they breathe through their roots.

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We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Written By:  Francis Skalicky

Because of their size and fighting qualities, striped bass are highly valued by anglers, and help make Missouri a great place to fish.

THEODOSIA, Mo. – All sportfish have their devoted followings, but few species evoke higher levels of angler excitement than striped bass.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Written By:  Jim Low

Squirrels and smallmouth bass make Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

JEFFERSON CITY–Whether your taste in outdoor activities runs toward fishing or hunting, May 25 is a day to mark on your calendar.

Missouri’s hunting season for gray and fox squirrels opens May 25 and runs through Feb. 15, 2014. Legal methods include rifles, shotguns, or archery equipment. The aggregate bag limit is 10 squirrels and the possession limit is 20.

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Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Researchers in Canada have developed guidelines being used by foresters and the timber industry to get a jump on climate change when planting trees.

Written By:  Bill Graham

June 4 workshop will discuss benefits of public trees and encourage care for urban forests.

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will host a community forestry workshop 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave. in Kansas City. Experts will discuss urban tree issues, research findings, and trends regarding trees on public and private lands. The workshop will discuss the benefits of public trees and encourage care for the urban forests.

Also, a webinar on community forestry will be offered 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 6.

Key Messages: 

We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Phylogeneticists examined the reasons why large-scale tree-of-life studies are producing contradictory results and have proposed a suite of novel techniques to resolve the conflicts.

Plants are the champions of solar power. They can operate at nearly 100 percent quantum efficiency, which means that for every photon of sunlight a plant captures, it produces an equal number of electrons. Converting just a fraction of this energy into electricity would improve solar panels, which usually operate at efficiency levels between 12 and 17 percent.

Researchers have found they can control one of fruit growers' more severe pests, aphids, with a remarkably benign tool: flowers. The discovery is a boon for organic as well as conventional tree fruit growers. The researchers found that plantings of sweet alyssum attracted a host of spiders and predator bugs that in turn preyed on woolly apple aphids, a pest that growers often control with chemical sprays.

Written By:  Dan Zarlenga

Discover nature through a free concert Friday, June 7, at 7 p.m.

Kirkwood, MO – There are different paths to discovering nature, and music is one of the most popular. The Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center will welcome popular northwest musical artist John Nilsen to a performance in the nature center’s auditorium Friday, June 7, at 7 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Nilsen, a noted pianist and acoustic musician, comes from Portland, Oregon. He is one of the largest-selling musical artists in the northwestern U.S.

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We help people discover nature.

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Written By:  Joanie Straub

The May 28 workshop is free, but participants must pre-register by May 22.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is hosting an upland game and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) management workshop on May 28 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Marshall High School, 805 South Miami Ave. in Marshall. The workshop is free, but space is limited and participants must pre-register by May 22.

The landowner workshop will cover CRP sign-up information, quail and rabbit ecology and biology, habitat management for upland game and cost-share practices.

Key Messages: 

We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Written By:  Joanie Straub

The May 28 workshop is free, but participants must pre-register by May 22.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is hosting an upland game and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) management workshop on May 28 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Marshall High School, 805 South Miami Ave. in Marshall. The workshop is free, but space is limited and participants must pre-register by May 22.

The landowner workshop will cover CRP sign-up information, quail and rabbit ecology and biology, habitat management for upland game and cost-share practices.

Key Messages: 

We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Environments containing species that are distantly related to one another are more productive than those containing closely related species, according to new research.

Written By:  Joanie Straub

During Free Fishing Days, June 8-9, anyone can fish in the Show-me State without having to buy a fishing permit, trout stamp or trout park daily tag.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), in partnership with Bass Pro Shop, Mexico Bassmasters and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invites families to discover nature at the 8th annual “Reel” Time with Kids free fishing event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at Bass Pro Shop Sportsman’s Center, 3101 Bass Pro Drive in Columbia.

Bait will be provided, as well as fishing poles for those who do not have their own. The event will also have educational displays, food and drawings for prizes.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Written By:  Bill Graham

Field trip part of and funded by MDC Discover Nature Schools program.

Deepwater, Mo. – Bright red Indian paintbrush and purplish prairie violet blooms rose above greening grasses on May 7 as Lucas Hetherington and his Montrose High School classmates walked Chapel View Prairie. Hetherington, 16, pondered grasslands past and present as his school held a prairie field day.

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We help people discover nature.

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Scientists have developed techniques for the genetic improvement of sunflowers using a non-GMO based approach. The new technology platform can harness the plant’s own genes to improve characteristics of sunflower, develop genetic traits, which will improve its role as an important oilseed crop.

Written By:  Bill Graham

Anglers asked to help stop spread.

Nevada, Mo. – Biologists have found zebra mussels in a lake at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area, which is in Vernon and St. Clair counties in west central Missouri. Zebra mussels are an invasive species from Eurasia that can cause ecological and property damage.

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We work with you and for you to sustain healthy forests, fish and wildlife.

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Written By:  Candice Davis

Help MDC stop poaching by reporting poaching activities to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-392-1111.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently wrapped up a major special investigation involving 46 individuals that began in 2008. Operation “Pulling Wool” came to a close on April 25 with a final conviction in Federal Court. The last defendant charged in the operation was found guilty by a United States Magistrate in Cape Girardeau.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Even as concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history last week, a new study in Nature Climate Change warns that thousands of the world's common species will suffer grave habitat loss under climate change.