FINS, FUR AND FEATHERS

The 1994 "Conservation Directory," a comprehensive listing of organizations, agencies and officials concerned with national resources, is now available.

This year's 504-page directory, published by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), contains the names of more than 16,000 individuals and 2,000 international, national and regional organizations, universities, agencies, and citizen groups that offer conservation and environmental education programs.

The cost of the book is $20 plus $4.85 shipping and handling, and is available by writing Conservation Directory, national Wildlife Federation, 1400 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036.

COLUMBIA The Missouri Conservation Commission will meet Thursday in Columbia.

The open meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Executive Center.

Commission meetings are open to the public.

WARE, Ill. Where did all the geese go?

Illinois Department of Conservation officials who made the weekly goose count Tuesday found the big Canada honkers scarce.

"We counted only 129,900 in the Southern Illinois area," said one DOC spokesman. "But, there were a lot of geese in the air which were not counted."

The previous week, DOC officials count more than 221,000 geese.

"We probably still have that many in the area, but they were difficult to count earlier in the week due to snow-covered," said the officials.

Meanwhile, the harvest total through Dec. 31` was 16,689 in the "Quota Zone" -- Alexander, Union, Williamson and Jackson counties, for an average of 477 a day.

The goose season closes in the quota zone Jan. 16.

JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is looking for young men and women at risk of dropping out of high school. It also is looking for private-industry councils to organize the youths in conservation-related work.

The MDC jobs program operates under the Missouri Youth Service and Conservation Corps Act of 1990. The program gives at-risk youths work experience, income and exposure to conservation at the grass- roots level, according to Dan Dickneite, chief of MDC's Planning Division.

Projects include building and maintaining hiking trails, building fish habitat, removing litter and thinning timber stands. In all, MDC has identified 54 projects and more than 26,000 hours of work that could be done by Youth Service and Conservation Corps workers. The agency has budgeted $100,000 to pay for such jobs.

Additional information is available by contacting Dickneite, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Phone: (314) 751-4115, extension 355.