Sara Turner, manager of the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, said the safest place for young wildlife is where you find them. Most likely, she said, they aren’t really alone.
“Spring is a popular time to watch wildlife because, like us, they’re becoming more active after those cold winter months,” Turner said. “This is an important season for many of our wildlife populations as they reproduce and raise their young. We certainly don’t want to interfere with that by making choices that impact the health of young wildlife.”
Turner said disturbing or removing baby animals from where you find them almost certainly means they will not survive. Although you may not think the animal’s mother is present, she is almost always nearby and waiting for a safe time to return to her young.
“These wildlife parents will stay away while you’re in the area in an effort to not attract attention to their young,” Turner said. “The most helpful thing you can do to keep these animals safe and protect them is to leave them where they are so their parents can return and provide for them.”
Turner said even when wild animals are taken to rehabilitation centers, the chances of their future survival in the wild are slight.
“When young wildlife are taken away from their parents, they don’t learn survival skills,” she said. “So even if they are nursed to good health, it will quickly decline if they are released and unable to find food and shelter on their own.”
Turner encourages people to remember that what may seem to be an orphaned animal, very likely is not. The best protection for local wildlife is healthy habitat and space so they can raise their own young, she said.
The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center’s upcoming Nature Center at Night Program will focus on young wildlife and what to do about them when they’re encountered. The program is Thursday, March 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. No registration is required and all ages are welcome to attend.
For more information on this or other nature programs at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, call (573) 290-5218 or go online to mdc.mo.gov/capenaturecenter.
Although you may not think the animal’s mother is present, she is almost always nearby and waiting for a safe time to return to her young. (MDC file photo)
Get the 2015 hunting and trapping booklet online at mdc.mo.gov/node/3657.
Get the 2015 fishing regulations booklet online at mdc.mo.gov/node/6108.
Get the 2015 spring turkey hunting booklet online at mdc.mo.gov/node/4066.
Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt, trap, and fish. For more information on hunting, trapping, fishing, and other outdoor activities in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov.
Jefferson City, Missouri – Snow may be on the ground, but severe weather can be just around the corner. March 2nd – 6th is Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week and the Statewide Tornado Drill will be performed.
The National Weather Service, the State Emergency Management Agency and local emergency managers are promoting Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 2-6, to help Missourians be prepared for dangerous tornadoes, severe storms, lightning and flooding.
Missouri’s 41st annual Statewide Tornado Drill will be held on Tuesday, March 3 at 1:30 p.m. If severe weather is in the forecast for March 3, the drill will be moved to Thursday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m.
“As we’ve seen many times, severe storms can strike anywhere in Missouri at any time with devastating results,” State Emergency Management Agency Director Ron Walker said. “Everyone needs to understand that some simple advance planning and preparation can mean the difference between life and death. Planning should start with closely following weather updates anytime severe weather is in the forecast.”
On March 3, outdoor warning sirens and weather alert radios across the state will sound, signaling the beginning of the statewide tornado drill and indicating that Missourians should practice taking shelter.
The safest shelter location is the basement or an interior room in the lowest level of a building. Other safe locations for businesses and schools include interior stairways and tornado safe rooms.
The drill can be completed in as little as 15 minutes.
- Tornado watch means watch the sky. A tornado may form during a thunderstorm.
- Tornado warning means seek shelter immediately.
- The safest shelter location is an interior room without windows on the lowest floor.
- Do not seek shelter in a cafeteria, gymnasium or other large open room because the roof might collapse.
- Immediately leave a mobile home to seek shelter in a nearby building.
- Overpasses are not safe. Their under-the-girder-type construction can cause a dangerous wind tunnel effect.
- If you are driving, stop and take shelter in a nearby building.
- If you are driving in a rural area, drive away from the tornado to the closest building. If you cannot get away, seek shelter in a roadside ditch. Protect yourself from flying debris by covering your head with your arms, a coat or a blanket. Be prepared to move quickly in case the ditch fills with water.
- Never drive into standing water. It can take less than six inches of fast moving water to make a slow moving car float. Once floating, a vehicle can overturn and sink.
More information can be found on Missouri’s Stormaware.mo.gov website, which includes detailed videos and other useful resources about tornado sirens, flash flooding and weather alert radios. The site also includes links to free severe weather texting services that can alert people across Missouri to upcoming severe weather.
The National Weather Service provides safety tips and educational information about each day of Severe Weather Awareness Week on the St. Louis Forecast Office site: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/?n=severeweek.
Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Heart disease can happen at any age, so what can be done to prevent and detect it? Women are invited to learn about the signs of heart disease and the steps for prevention at every stage of life during the eighth annual Heart to Heart Luncheon Wednesday, March 25, at Drury Lodge, 104 South Vantage Drive. The event will feature exhibits and screenings prior to the keynote presentation by Esther S.H. Kim, MD, MPH, women’s heart health expert and physician at the Cleveland Clinic.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, causing one in three deaths each year, according to the American Heart Association®.
Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. The Heart to Heart Luncheon, hosted by Saint Francis Medical Center and supported by committee members from the community, is an annual event committed to raising awareness of women’s unique risk factors for heart disease and is a great forum for learning how to better care for your heart. The luncheon is just one of Saint Francis’ efforts to increase awareness of heart disease prevention and treatment in Southeast Missouri.
Dr. Kim is a researcher and physician on staff at Cleveland Clinic, specializing in general cardiology, preventive cardiology, women’s heart health, and vascular medicine. A graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Kim also holds a master’s in public health from the University of North Carolina and completed an Internal Medicine residency at Johns Hopkins before coming to Cleveland Clinic where she completed fellowships in Cardiology and Vascular Medicine before joining the staff in 2008.
Tickets for the Heart to Heart Luncheon are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and include the keynote presentation, cardiovascular health information, door prizes and a delicious heart-healthy meal. Sponsored tables are $250 and include reserved seating for eight and recognition in the event program. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sfmc.net/hearttoheart or at the Fitness Plus Service Desk at 150 S. Mount Auburn Road, Entrance 8. Doors open at 10:30 am Wednesday, March 25, at Drury Lodge, with educational exhibits and free health screenings. The luncheon and keynote presentation begin at noon. For more information, please call 573-331-5327.
Saint Francis is a 284-bed facility serving more than 650,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by our Christian philosophy and values, we have become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Our major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Trauma Center with Convenient Care; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus. Saint Francis is proud to be ranked on Modern Healthcare magazine’s prestigious Best Places to Work in Healthcare list for six consecutive years (2008-2013).
Shown in the Photo: Dr. Esther S.H. Kim, women’s heart-health expert and Cleveland Clinic physician, is the keynote speaker for the 2015 Heart to Heart Luncheon held Wednesday, March 25, from 10:30 am to 1 pm at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau.
Share the Harvest is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) and MDC to help feed hungry Missourians. The program orchestrates the efforts of thousands of hunters, numerous local supporting organizations, and more than 100 participating meat processors to get ground venison to people in need through food banks and food pantries around the state.
Hunters donate their extra venison to participating meat processors who then prepare the donated venison by grinding it into one-pound packages that are given to food banks and food pantries for distribution to those in need.
Processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local program sponsors, along with statewide sponsors that include MDC, CFM, Shelter Insurance, Bass Pro Shops, Missouri Chapter Safari Club International, Missouri Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation, Midway USA Inc., Missouri Food Banks Association, United Bowhunters of Missouri, Missouri Trappers Association, and the Missouri Hunter Education Instructors Association.
Since the program started in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 3.3 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed Missourians in need.
For more information on Share the Harvest, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/node/2544.
