by Joe Zoellner, Missouri Department of Conservation, Wildlife Biologist

Summer is ending, and as fall begins with it comes some of the best times of the year for area users of all interests to get out and enjoy the area! We currently have both river pumps operational and have started putting water on the landscape creating flooded habitat in many of the wetland units.

Many of our migrant waterbirds and songbirds are beginning to show up, and many hunting seasons will begin to come open, those worth noting are dove season opening September 1^st, and Teal season opening September 7^th , along with youth waterfowl opening Oct. 26-27^th, and Middle Zone Duck Season Opening November 2 and running through January 5.

Most of our summer management has come to end and management objectives over the next few months will transition to prepping the wetland units or the fall migration and Missouri Middle Zone waterfowl hunting season. You may notice us out and about mowing in the wetland units to provide openings for waterbirds to more readily utilize flooded habitat. This mowing also lays moist soil seed on the ground and creates horizontal structure to produce a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates that waterfowl and shorebirds alike will feed on, while leaving some vertical cover for wildlife to utilize. We typically mow or disk in a fashion that leaves 50% open water, and 50% standing vegetation. Disking creates mud clots amongst vegetation that waterbirds will feed and loaf on. Water levels in the wetland units will continue to increase as the fall migration progresses!

We are still aways out yet, but I wanted to remind area users of several closures that annually take place each fall on Eagle Bluffs:

• Oct. 15 thru March 1, Waterfowl refuges go into effect, and the second one way loop back to pools 14 & 15 will close. This means all use is prohibited from these areas until March 2^nd.
• November 2^nd thru January 5^th during Middle Zone Duck Season we will be closing the main road south of the junction box, around the first one-way loop near pools 1, 2, 3, and 4, and around the Buck and Katy pools. However, the main road south of the junction box will be open from 1pm-3pm daily for wildlife viewing from the road only.

I hope everyone enjoys the area this fall! Feel free to reach out to myself or staff with any questions or concerns.