FINS, FEATHERS, FUR

WARE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois Canada goose count is nearing the quarter-million mark.

"The latest survey, conducted Tuesday, revealed 464,250 geese," said a spokesman from Union County Wildlife Refuge near here. "All were in Illinois except 11,000 which were counted at the Ballard County Refuge across the Ohio River in West Kentucky."

The Rend Lake area, near Ina, Ill., and Crab Orchard Lake area in Williamson/Jackson counties, accounted for more than two-thirds of the geese, with 165,000 at Rend Lake, and 152,000 at Crab Orchard. About 68,000 were in the Horseshoe Lake area, and 55,000 it the Union County Wildlife area.

A total of 6,091 geese have been harvested during the season in the four-county Alexander, Union, Williamson and Jackson "Quota Zone" area..

The majority of birds were harvested in Williamson and Jackson counties, where an aggregate total of 3,942 birds were killed. The Alexander County harvest total is 1,263 and 886 have been killed in Union County.

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The Conservation Federation of Missouri will holds its annual convention at Lodge of the Four Season in March of 1992.

Reservations should be made no later than Jan. 29 for the Mar. 13-15 meeting.

Reservations, and addition information, are available by writing the Conservation Federation, 728 West Main, Jefferson City, Mo., 65101.

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BRAINERD, Minn. Fishermen who want to know how they're biting anywhere in the continental United States, Alaska or Hawaii will have a 900 hotline number to call beginning in March.

The Keystone Fishing Hotline is the brainchild of Dave Faust and will be headquartered in Brainerd, Minn.

"Fishermen will use a touch tone phone to call the hotline," Faust said. "They will be instructed to punch in different numbers to concentrate on the state that interests them, then focus on a region within the state."

Faust said the 1.5-minute regional reports will identify the best fishing action on the five most popular game fish in that region.

"For instance, a fisherman might tune in the Dallas region and hear that bass fishing is tops at Lake Ray Roberts on red plastic worms, crappie fishing is best at Richland Chambers on live minnows, striper action is good on jigs at Texoma, catfish fishing is excellent on earth worms at Ray Hubbard and bluegills are biting on crickets at Lake Fork," Faust said.

Faust said he expects the fishing hotline to include timely input from 500 reporting stations.

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A statewide conference on Missouri's public forests will be held at Cape Girardeau March 27-28.

The meeting, designed to promote public awareness of issues, options and management of public forests in Missouri, will be co-sponsored by the trail of Tears Group-Sierra Club, Southeast Missouri State University College of Science and Technology, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, Mark Twain National Forests, and Four Seasons Audubon Society.

Additional information is available by contacting Alan Journet, Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, telephone (314)-651-2366.

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JEFFERSON CITY Each year, Missouri conservation agents confront thousands of lawbreakers, many of them armed, often in the dead of night and in isolated areas far from help. Yet last year, only two conservation agents out of 158 became the objects of assaults.

"Pretty lucky," you say? Probably not, according to Glen McCloud, assistant chief of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Protection Division. McCloud, who oversees MDC's training programs, says it's more a question of quality training and strong citizen support.

Conservation agents are certified Missouri peace officers and have authority to enforce state laws on all lands owned, operated, managed or leased by MDC. The law requires all state peace officers to complete a minimum of 240 hours of law enforcement training; conservation agents receive a minimum of 600 hours of training prior to certification. This training includes qualification with firearms and self-defense.

"The quality training and the professionalism of conservation agents have earned the respect and support of ethical hunters and anglers," says McCloud. "The great majority of Missourians know that conservation agents are protecting their wild resources. By and large, Missouri outdoors people are a pleasure to deal with."

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JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its monthly meeting at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 20 at Commission Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City.

Commission meetings are open to the public.

Commissioners are Andy Dalton, Springfield, chairman; Jay Henges, St. Louis, vice-chairman; Jerry P. Combs, Kennett, Secretary; and John Powell, Rolla.