National Hunting and Fishing Day Highlights Conservation Success

National Hunting and Fishing Day was September 22. The day designates the importance of the support from anglers and hunters to conserve fish, wildlife, and habitat and the personal benefits of being involved in the activities of fishing and hunting. Individuals and families can create a lifetime of memories by going fishing and hunting.

The Web pages have a wide variety of information about events held in most states, information about the history of the day, and facts about the participation and economic impacts of fishing and hunting.

Even if you don't fish or hunt, or if you missed the events on September 22 this year, the fall weather is a great time to be outdoors. Go outside!

You can learn more about a wide variety of outdoor activities and how you can be involved in conservation efforts on the Web pages of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Impress Your Family and Friends by Identifying Birds, Wildlife, and Plants in Missouri

There goes an "lbb," what?. When I enrolled in a class on ornithology (the study of birds) as an undergraduate, I had three obstacles to overcome. First, my brain was not quite functional at 5:30 a.m. when the lab began. Second, at that time, binoculars that would work well with my glasses were fairly expensive and I could not afford them (the ones with fold-down eye cups to get the binocular closer to my glasses). Third, somehow I seemed to always be in the middle of the group, or towards the back, and the comments and the birds were gone by the time I heard them or got close enough to see. I was left with "there went a little brown bird" or "lbb" identification which was not useful on the tests.

An encouraging example. The teaching assistant was Dave Murphy, now Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. Dave was full of energy and his enthusiasm helped me to stay interested and I actually did learn to identify many more birds than I thought possible.

It's easy to learn about birds and other wildlife in Missouri. It actually is really easy to identify birds, the different kinds of wildlife, and the plants of Missouri. You simply learn about one at a time.

Impress your family and friends. You may find that learning more about the natural world has a social benefit in that you can impress your family and friends with your knowledge of cool birds, animals, and plants. Besides that, it's fun. Learning about natural resources helps us understand how the natural world is the foundation of our economy and how we fit into the world.

Learn more. You can learn more about the birds, all wildlife that lives in Missouri, and the many kinds of native plants in the state on the Web pages of the Missouri Department of Conservation or read the many articles in the Department's monthly magazine, the Missouri Conservationist, also available online.

Find an encouraging person to help. Dave Murphy still encourages me through his efforts to support conservation in Missouri. You can learn more about the efforts of Dave and the Conservation Federation of Missouri on their Web pages. If you need someone to help identify birds, wildlife, or plants, then look up some of the programs on outdoor skills at the Conservation Nature Centers located throughout the state or check out the many educational opportunities for Missourians of all ages.

You can join one of the over 3,400 Stream Teams that have knowledgeable individuals. Or you could join one of the many fishing, hunting, or conservation groups in the state. Look at this list on the Federation pages or look for a group in the online conservation directory of the National Wildlife Federation.

You can also contact your local office of the Missouri Department of Conservation or use the online comment form to ask a question of the Department's Ombudsman.

Preliminary Results for Missouri Released for Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Viewing from the National Survey

Preliminary report available. A preliminary report has been released with the state numbers from the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

New participation numbers for Missouri. For Missouri, on page 9 of the report, it appears that compared with the 2001 survey:

• fishing participants declined slightly to 1,075,000;
• hunting participants increased to 613,000;
• and wildlife watching participants increased for both around the home, 1,976,000, and away from home, at 825,000.

We'll have to wait until November when the individual state reports begin to be released to see if any of these levels are statistically different from the 2001 and 1996 levels.

Expenditures look way up from 2001. This is great news, since the economic impacts in Missouri from fish and wildlife recreation, that is, business impacts, jobs supported, sales tax generated, and income tax revenue generated, will all be increased compared to 2001.

Conservation continues to pay its way in Missouri. This is certainly the result of the continued outdoor interests of Missourians, the efforts of conservation-minded individuals and organizations, and the work of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Midwest in general continues to have higher levels of participation in fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing than the rest of the nation.

Missouri is in the top 10 list of states for numbers of participants for fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing.

More reports from the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation are available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

National Overview Report Released for 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation

The preliminary findings from the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation have been released and the overview report is available here.

A previously released report that examines retention and recruitment trends from previous years and includes data from the recent survey is also available.

From the overview report:

"Results are based on data collected by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The Census Bureau began by interviewing 85,000 households in April 2006. Samples of 31,500 potential anglers and hunters and 24,300 potential wildlife watchers were selected from those households to be interviewed in detail about their participation and expenditures. The Census Bureau conducted detailed interviews in three different waves, which began in April and September of 2006 and January of 2007. Interviews were completed in April 2007. The survey methodology used in 2006 was similar to that used for the 2001,1996, and 1991 Surveys, so the estimates are comparable."

and

"In 2006 over 87 million Americans 16 years old and older, 38% of the U.S. population, enjoyed some recreational activity relating to fish and wildlife. Expenditures by this group pursuant to wildlife-related recreation were $120.1 billion. This spending equates to about 1% of gross domestic product, which means that one out of every one hundred dollars of all goods and services produced in the U.S. is associated with wildlife recreation. Almost 34 million people fished and hunted in 2006. They spent $75.4 billion on their activities, including $40.3 billion on equipment, nearly $25 billion on trip expenses, and $10.6 billion on licenses and fees, magazines, membership dues and contributions, and land leasing and ownership. On average, each sportsperson spent $2,225 in 2006."

For wildlife viewing:

"Wildlife watching is a popular outdoor recreation activity. More than 71 million people 16 years old and older (31% of all Americans) fed, photographed, and observed wildlife in 2006 and spent nearly $45 billion on their activities. The Survey uses a strict definition of wildlife watching. Participants must either take a “special interest” in wildlife around their homes or take a trip for the “primary purpose” of wildlife watching. Secondary wildlife-watching activities such as incidentally observing wildlife while pleasure driving are not included."

Information about the survey and a variety of other reports are available here. A press release from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is also available about the recently released results.

Reports for state results will be released as an overall preliminary report later in the summer and state-specific reports with detailed tables will be released beginning in November, 2007.

Participation in Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation in Missouri

Every five years. The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has been conducted about every five years since 1955. The survey is conducted for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Single best source. The survey is the single best source of information about participation and spending patterns related to fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching. There is no other nationwide survey conducted in a similar statistically valid way. There is no better source of information. Results in recent surveys have been reported for each state. More information about the survey and how it is conducted is available here.


No statistical change between 1991 and 2001 for Missouri. The report for Missouri from the National Survey, available here, indicates there was not a statistically significant change in fishing, hunting, or wildlife-viewing participation away from home between 1991 and 2001 in Missouri. You can see in the chart here that there was a slight numerical decline in the estimates of participation for all but viewing around the home, which did have a statistically significant decline.

New data available soon from 2006. Preliminary results from the 2006 survey are being released now and the final reports will be available soon. I am very interested in seeing the results, especially to compare with previous years.

Why the survey is better than license sales to understand participation. In Missouri, a variety of fishing and hunting participation does not require a permit. For example, individuals under the age of 16 and those 65 and older do not need a permit for most fishing and hunting opportunities. Landowners of parcels five acres and larger do not need a permit for many fishing and hunting activities on their own property, except for needing transportation tags for deer and turkey and for appropriate waterfowl permits. More information about fishing and hunting licenses in Missouri is available here and a library of information about who needs a permit and who is exempted is available here. License sales are certainly useful to monitor trends, but don't show the entire range of participation.

The National Survey uses a statistically valid random sample of Missourians to estimate the levels of participation and expenditures for fishing, hunting, and wildlife-related recreation. The survey provides the best overall estimate of fishing and hunting available in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation does conduct its own surveys and studies of permit numbers to gain additional information that is not collected in the National Survey.

In general, for the activities of fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching that do have results reported in the National Survey, the survey numbers provide the best picture of participation.

How I See the Vision of The Next Generation of Conservation in Missouri

Martin Luther King said "I have a dream..." and had a vision of change.

Lance Armstrong could see himself as a winner of a bicycle race. And not just one time; he could see winning again and again.

Steve Fossett wanted to go around the world in a balloon. And he did after several attempts.

A young man I know wants to go to Mars and is planning to study as a Doctor to get there. I won't be surprised when he arrives.

I imagined myself standing again on top of the Tooth of Time at Philmont Scout Ranch as I recovered from being treated for prostate cancer.

These people, and myself, put ideas and dreams into a vision, a picture of success, and then took action to get there.

The Next Generation of Conservation is a vision of success for a team. The team of the people of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Take a look at the Results we want to achieve in the document (http://mdc.mo.gov/about/next_gen/) for the picture of success in Missouri for fish, forests, and wildlife.

When I look at the Results we want to achieve items, that's where I see the vision, in the focus on results; the actions are simply some examples of the vision of success and some of the ways the vision will be achieved. The desired results can include many more pictures of success than are listed in the actions. I think it's important to focus on the desired results to see the picture of success.

In the opening letter, on page 1, is this sentence from the Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation:

"The coordinated efforts of all who care about Missouri's natural resources will be vital to ensuring our quality of life and healthy fish, forests, and wildlife for the future."


Anyone who lives in or visits Missouri is part of the conservation team and everyone can help and will benefit from the results.

I've worked with many teams in Missouri and in the United States. The people of Missouri and my colleagues in the Department of Conservation are some of the finest folks anywhere. We make a great team to tackle conservation issues. The people of Missouri have demonstrated their concern for conservation and their willingness to take action for decades.

In a 2003 survey where 6,352 Missourians responded, after being selected at random from all across Missouri, 93 percent indicated they were interested in Missouri's fish, forests, and wildlife; 56 percent said they were "Very interested."

In the same survey, 86 percent indicated they were familiar with the Missouri Department of Conservation. However, only 21 percent indicated they were "Very familiar" and a few, at 13 percent, said they were "Not at all familiar." Only a very few, 1 percent, said they "Don't know" when asked if they were familiar with the Department.

It is clear to me that Missourians are interested in fish, forests, and wildlife in Missouri and yet there are still many opportunities to make all Missourians more aware of conservation efforts and how they do benefit from conservation success.

The Next Generation of Conservation from the Missouri Department of Conservation addresses my observations about the interests and awareness of Missourians in many of the Results we want to achieve, for example:

more Missourians participating in fish-, forest-, and wildlife-related recreation;
hunting, fishing, and trapping valued as important recreational activities and population management tools;
and increased benefits of outdoor recreation to Missouri's economy, in the Preserving Missouri's Outdoor Recreation Heritage goal category;

increased availability and use of conservation-related information;
Missourians understand present and future threats to fish, forest, and wildlife resources and participate in the protection of these resources;
and Missourians appreciate the natural world and the numerous benefits that derive from healthy fish, forest, and wildlife resources, in the Teaching Missourians About Fish, Forest, and Wildlife Resources goal category;

private landowners and farmers actively managing their land for natural resource and financial sustainability, in the Helping Private Landowners Advance Conservation category;

diverse and balanced recreation opportunities on public land that are consistent with resource management goals, in the Serving Nature and You on Conservation Areas category;

and Missouri citizens providing frequent input into Conservation Department decisions and programs;
and fair and ethical business methods that enable Missourians to see how public funds are spent on conservation priorities, in the Accounting for Department Operations category.

There are four other goals listed, with equally compelling desired results, and the immediate actions planned are also listed.

As a team, I'm sure achieving a shared picture of success is possible for conservation in Missouri, just like I made it to the top of the Tooth with a group, and the vision of success was achieved for Martin Luther King, Lance Armstrong, and Steve Fossett. I'm still waiting for the arrival on Mars of the young man I know.

You can read more about the nine goal categories, the Results we want to achieve, and the What we will do actions in The Next Generation of Conservation available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2006/09/ and at: http://mdc.mo.gov/about/next_gen/

In case you are interested, the Tooth of Time is described at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_of_Time and a satellite image is available at: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=cimarron,+nm&ie=UTF8&ll=36.445866,-104.999771&spn=0.071529,0.21698&t=h&om=1/

A topographical view of the Tooth Ridge is available at: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lon=-105.007&lat=36.4483

Economic Activity Generated by Missouri Anglers

Fishing catches more than just a fistful of dollars in the Missouri economy.

Using data from the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, all fishing in Missouri by anglers 16 years and older generates $772,090,940 in retail sales each year.

The expenditures have an economic impact of $1,561,999,764 (that’s over $1.5 billion) support 13,870 jobs with $340,274,506 in earnings, and generate $38,755,026 in state sales taxes.

Black bass fishing has the largest economic influence at over $560 million ($560,823,740) in overall economic impact, followed by crappie fishing with $242,102,174, then trout fishing with $240,096,201, and fishing for catfish with $156,831,989.

Nonresident anglers contribute $130,435,326 to the overall fishing expenditures, and their expenditures generate $254,296,023 in overall economic impact. The expenditures of nonresident anglers support 2,438 jobs and $7,318,285 in state sales taxes.

On the average, each angler in Missouri spends $635.49 each year. Resident anglers spend more each year per person, at $680.82, than do nonresidents, who spend $478.71 per person.

Missouri resident trout anglers spend the most per person each year, on the average, at $662.92, followed by black bass anglers with $537.89. Panfish anglers spend the least amount per person each year, at $144.51.

When I was a boy, $144.51 would have purchased quite a pile of cane poles, bobbers, and worms. Instead, I often used my grandfather’s cane pole, or sometimes just a long stick, with a cotton twine line and a steel hook. The bobber might have been relatively new. I pulled a bunch of bluegill from a farm pond with that type of rig.

When my own boys were young, we managed to spend more for the same kind of fun, using child-sized Zebco rods and reels, plastic PowerBait, and cool-colored bobbers. With two boys, they kept me pretty busy keeping hooks baited, lines untangled, and rods pointed towards the water. Our trips to the store certainly helped the Missouri economy, one bobber at a time.

Obviously, current generations of Missouri anglers are also making trips to the store for poles, line, bobbers, and bait, with a positive effect on the Missouri economy.

More information about the economic impacts of fishing, hunting, and wildlife-related recreation, in addition to participation and demographics information, is in a report entitled "The 2001 Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Watching in Missouri" available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

Missouri: Hunting and Fishing

In Missouri, there are about 489,000 hunters each year, that are of age 16 years and older. There are an additional 92,000 hunters that are of age 6 to 15 years.

Of the total hunters 16 years and older, 405,000 are state residents and 84,000 are nonresidents. Deer hunting is the most popular in terms of hunter numbers and days spent hunting. There are over twice as many deer hunters as turkey hunters and deer hunters spend over twice as many total days hunting as turkey hunters.

Each year, hunters spend an average of about 15 days hunting. Migratory bird hunters spend the most days on average, at about 13 days. Rabbit hunters spend the fewest days hunting, at about 9 days.

Overall, hunters spend over 6.6 million days hunting each year.

In Missouri, there are about 1.2 million anglers each year, of age 16 years or older. There are an additional 321,000 that participate that are of age 6 to 15 years old. Of the total freshwater anglers in Missouri, age 16 years and older, 942,000 are state residents and 272,000 are nonresidents. Most fishing activity, in numbers of anglers and days spent fishing, is for black bass.

Each year, anglers spend an average of about 11 days fishing. Catfish anglers spend the most days, at about 11 days, and trout anglers the fewest, at about 6 days.

Overall, anglers fish a total of over 13.2 million days each year.

Hunters and anglers in Missouri spend over $1.2 billion each year in retail sales, support 21,877 jobs, and generate $57 million in state sales tax. The total sales and income taxes generated is $77 million. The total economic impact each year from the retail sales is over $2.4 billion. That is $2.4 billion of economic impact.

Put into other terms, more Missourians hunt or fish than the number who attend St. Louis Rams or Kansas City Chiefs games.

One of every four Missouri residents hunts or fishes.

Annual spending by hunters and anglers is more than the cash receipts for cattle production in Missouri.

The amount of sales tax generated from fish and wildlife recreation and the forest products industry is well over the amount of sales tax received by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the Conservation Sales Tax; in other words, conservation pays its way in Missouri.

More information is available from the 2001 National Survey report for Missouri which is available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/01fhw/fhw01-mo.pdf and the economics report for Missouri is available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

A fact sheet on Missouri hunting and fishing is on page 13 of the 2005-2006 Annual Report of the Missouri Department of Conservation available at: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/13141.pdf