Montauk Hiking- Part 2

For those of you looking for a less intense and more serene hike, you’ll definitely enjoy the Montauk Lake Trail. Half pavement, half gravel, this is a great trail for the whole family to enjoy.

As you start to make your way around the trail, let the sights and sounds of nature melt the stresses of your life away. Only then will be become one with nature and truly appreciate the natural beauty of the world.

While it may not be as long or as vigorous a hike as the Pine Ridge Trail, it holds just as much excitement. Not only does this trail offer spectacular views of Montauk Lake but during this hike you’ll be able to see many different animals. This trail is home to an active beaver damn, countless birds and if you’re lucky, you may even see the magnificent Blue Heron.

One of my favorite parts of the trail is the pier. Here you can see countless turtles spread out along a log out in the water and, if you’re lucky, see a family of muskrats swim around the lake. But like the Pine Ridge Trail, make sure to watch out for snakes!

Some of my favorite childhood memories that I remember include all of the times my grandfather would visit from St. Louis and he would take my older brother and me to Montauk. Before we left, we would always make time to walk the Montauk Lake Trail. In fact, to this very day, every time I visit Montauk State Park, I always make sure to take a walk around the Montauk Lake Trail for old times’ sake.

Montauk Hiking- Part One

Along with numerous spring break festivities, I made sure to visit Montauk State Park during my week-long break. The sun was shining, temperatures were in the 70’s and the fish were biting, you could not have dreamt a more perfect day. With my hiking boots tied and my camera in hand, my mother and I made are way to Montauk’s Pine Ridge Trail where we were joined by a fellow hiking enthusiast and her two furry companions, Fido and Fritz.

I can’t think of a better way to get connected with nature and get a great workout at the same time. I must warn you however, if you’re planning on attempting this 1.5-mile trail, you better be prepared to face some pretty rough terrain. Not only are there many steep hills and gorges, but you never know exactly what you’ll run into.



Right at the very beginning of our hike, we stumbled upon two decent sized snakes that were also enjoying the day, bathing in the sun. Let’s just say Fritz and Fido weren’t as excited as we were about those slithering creatures. We also had to negotiate with many uprooted and fallen trees left over from Salem’s massive ice storm of 2008. This massive storm caused the road leading to the park to be completely barricaded with fallen trees for about two weeks and also caused several power outages throughout the area.

While I love hiking, I admit that I haven’t been able to hit the trails in a long time. Let’s just say, about half-way through, I realized just how out-of-shape I am. For anyone planning on hiking any time soon just remember these few helpful tips:

·         wear good hiking boots,

·         pack a bottle of water,

·         follow the trail markers, and most importantly,

·          look out for snakes!

"Shade America!"

Dedicated to preserving and educating the public about the natural environment, the Missouri Department of Conservation and Montauk State Park provide many nature programs throughout the year. To celebrate

Arbor Day held a very special event in which hundreds of trees were offered to the public for free.

The very first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10, 1872, in which an estimated one million trees were planted that day. Now, on the last Friday of every April, people celebrate Arbor Day by planting and caring for trees and educating others about the importance of trees.

Free tree seedlings were handed out to park visitors at the Dorman L. Steelman Lodge last Saturday, March 12, as part of Montauk’s “Shade America!” campaign in which visitors are encourages to plant a tree at home to grow a tree for future generations. All trees were provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s George White Nursery. Any trees that were not taken by the public are going to be planted in the park by the Missouri Department of Conservation, with help from local school children as a chance to educate them about the importance of trees.

Montauk has been doing their annual Arbor Day tree give-away for years and according to Stephen Bost, of the Missouri Department of Conservation, this year was the fastest he had run out of trees to give away. Visitors were able to take as many trees as they wished from their choice of 16 different types of trees. Some of the different types of trees that were offered include:

·         Persimmon

·         Flowering Dogwood

·         White Oak

·         White Walnut

·         American Hazelnut

·         Red Mulberry

As an extra incentive to get involved, Montauk also held a drawing in which the winner receives an extremely rare Ozarks tree. This tree is known as the Ozark Chinquapin. Apparently, this tree only produces one seed per bur and resembles the American Chestnut tree and is nearly extinct.

Montauk offers several other nature programs throughout the year including:

·         “Spring Wildflower Event”- April 9 and April 16

·         “Fly Fishing Clinic”- June 11

·         “Stream Water Quality Monitoring Demonstration”- June 18

·         “Live Hummingbird Banding Demonstration”- August 20

For more information on upcoming events please call the Montauk State Park Office at (573)548-2201.

A Chilly Opening Day

A thin layer of fog hovering above the water, below-freezing temperatures and thousands of anglers marked the opening of trout season at Montauk State Park last Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Ned Wicks, 77, a retired high school principal from Brentwood, fired the gun at 6:30 a.m. to signal the official beginning of trout season.

Just a couple hundred short of their expected 2,000 anglers, Montauk sold a total of 1,813 fishing tags on opening day. In fact, 151 of those were kid’s tags. The state park saw a small decline from the previous year when a total of 2,041 tags were sold on opening day. The chilly, 28-degree temperature may have had something to do with this year’s outcome. While short a couple hundred anglers, Montauk witnessed a total of 39 lunkers being caught out of the 50-60 lunkers that were stocked (lunkers being fish over three pounds).

While I could not personally be there for the opening day festivities, my father braved the cold and woke up early enough to make it before the gun was fired. With fishing being one of his favorite activities, I don’t think he has ever missed the opening of trout season at Montauk in the past 10 years. After attending the opening of trout season at Montauk with my dad and brother last year, I can say with experience that those few minutes before and after the ceremonial firing of the gun are the most intense and energetic moments of the season.

Trout fishing officially begins March 1 and continues through October 31. For those interested in visiting Montauk State Park and casting a line of their own, Montauk offers several special fishing activities throughout the season including:

·         Men’s Trout Fishing Tournament- Saturday, March 19

·         Ladies Trout Fishing Tournament- Saturday, March 26

·         Spring Kid’s Free Fishing Day- Saturday, May 7

·         Senior Citizen’s Trout Fishing Tournament- Thursday, May 12

·         Free Fishing Days- Saturday and Sunday, June 11-12

·         Summer’s End Children’s Free Fishing Day- Saturday, August 6

·         Kid’s Trout Tournament- Saturday, August 13

·         Missouri Trout Fisherman’s Association Tournament- Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11

·         Disabled Anglers Fishing Event- September 24

·         48^th Annual Rose Holland Trout Derby- Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2

Anglers Swarm to Montauk

With the opening of trout season coming up this Tuesday, March 1, Montauk State Park officials and employees are preparing for the massive swarm of expected visitors.

Montauk State Park officials are expecting around 2,000 fishing tags to be sold this Tuesday, weather permitting.

According to Hatchery Manager Tom Whelan, the park will stock between 6,000 and 6,500 fish, 50 of which will be lunkers (fish over three pounds).

“Campgrounds and lodging will fill up this weekend and will be full through opening day,” said Doug Rusk, Montauk State Park Natural Resource Manager.

Luckily Montauk has several options to accommodate every kind of camper.

 

For those who prefer camping outside, Montauk offers reserved lots throughout their massive campground site. The campgrounds also include on-site shower facilities and laundry facilities as well. To ensure a safe and pleasant camping stay, the park employs designated campground hosts to help those staying in the campgrounds.

However, for those who prefer the comforts of the indoors, Montauk also offers a variety of cabins located all around the park as well as special special lodging.

The Dorman L. Steelman lodge offers rooms for those wanting to relax after a long day of fishing in a comfortable motel setting. The Steelman lodge is also where fishing tags are available along with a variety of fishing equipment. For a quick bite to eat, visitors can also go to the lodge’s diner. Visitors can also sit down, relax and enjoy a nice, hearty meal at the lodge’s restaurant as well.

Eagle Eye Over Montauk

One of the more popular activities held at Montauk State Park during the winter season is eagle viewing. February 18 marked the last of the official Montauk eagle viewing sessions for the season. Luckily, I made it to the event just in the nick of time.

Around ten other individuals and I met up at 9:00 a.m. Friday morning at Montauk’s stone shelter excited to see our country’s national symbol. With many years of experience working with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Park Naturalist Steve shared many stories and information about the local eagle population. Thanks to the generosity of the park, we were able to use a spotting scope and binoculars to view two active eagle’s nests. However, none of us could get a good shot of the nest or of the eagles with our average digital cameras.

To the surprise of many people, the state of Missouri is actually one of the leading bald eagle states. According to Park Naturalist Steve, thousands of these majestic birds migrate south from their nesting range in Canada and the Great Lakes states each fall to hunt around open waters such as the rivers and lakes here in Missouri. More than 2,200 bald eagles are reported in Missouri regularly during the winter season, making our state the leader in the lower 48 states.

With its open waters and plentiful food sources, Montauk is a prime residence for these huge birds. In fact, during our eagle viewing, we witnessed the adult eagle leave its nest, soar over the park to the hatchery and catch a couple of trout which it then took back to the nest to feed its babies. With three large hatcheries, fully stocked with trout, it’s no wonder why eagles choose to nest at Montauk.

Costs and Benefits of Trout Fishing

Enthusiastic anglers, took advantage of the warm weather this weekend at Montauk State Park and cast their lines for the last time before the waters are shut down to prepare for the opening of  trout season on March 1. However, little did I know, trout fishing would not have been possible at Montauk without its hatchery.

The Montauk Hatchery is just one of five state hatcheries in Missouri and was opened in 1932. This hatchery is managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation and raises between 300,000 and 400,000 trout each year. While about 200,000 of those trout are stocked throughout the park, the rest are sent to other trout fishing areas.

Because trout were not native to Missouri and are very expensive to produce, the Department of Conservation decided in 1937 that anglers should “pay their own way.” To help balance the cost of raising trout, anglers are required to purchase trout permits and daily fishing tags.

            Many acts of legislation have been passed over the years to help manage fish hatcheries. The Sport Fish Restoration Act places a federal tax on fishing equipment and boat fuel. Voters also approved the Missouri Conservation Sales Tax in 1976 which places a 1/8 percent general sales tax dedicated to funding conservation efforts throughout the state. Essentially, all anglers help support the management of fisheries with their fishing-related purchases.

Not only does trout fishing help sustain hatcheries, but it also helps out local businesses such as motels and tackle shops. Funds created by the Sport Fish Restoration Act and the Missouri Conservation Sales Tax also go towards paying for kids fishing programs and Stream Team volunteer workshops.

The Montauk Hatchery is open to the public between sunrise and sunset with special fish food available to feed them for just 25 cents. Special tours of the hatchery are also available at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Satudays and Sundays beginning Memorial Day weekend and lasting through Labor Day weekend.