Conservation Department director sets meetings to gauge public needs, wants

John Hoskins and other top Conservation officials plan a series of meetings statewide to keep the agency responsive to public demands.

JEFFERSON CITY-"Listening to citizens is an important part of our job."

That is the message Missouri Department of Conservation Director John Hoskins says he wants to send Missourians about a series of eight public forums this fall.

Hoskins and other conservation staffers will hold the next in a continuing series of public forums starting Sept. 22 in northeastern Missouri and winding up Nov. 8 in the southwestern part of the state. Each of the eight events will begin with a 10-minute presentation by agency officials. The rest of the time is for questions and suggestions from the audience.

"I really liked the interaction this format allowed in the meetings we held last year, and I look forward to doing it again," said Hoskins. "We learned a lot. I hope those who came last year will come back again and bring their friends along this time." Dates, places and contact information for each meeting are:

•Northeast Missouri, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Scotland County R-1 Schools Elementary School Gymnasium, Rt. 1, Box 19 A, Lover's Lane, Memphis, 660/785-2424;

•St. Louis Region, 7 p.m.(registration at 6:30 p.m.) Sept. 27 at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area (CA), 801 Strodtman in north St. Louis County, 636/441-4554;

•Ozark Region, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the Community Building at the Texas County Fairgrounds, Highway 63 North, Houston, 417/256-7161;

•Central Missouri, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Mid-County Fire Department Station,148 N. Highway 5, Camdenton, 573/884-6861;

•Kansas City Region, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Media Forum Room at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, 816/655-6250;

•Northwest Missouri, 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at Goodrich Auditorium, 423 N. Chestnut, Cameron, 816/271-3100;

•Southeast Missouri, 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Black River Coliseum, 301 S. Fifth St., Poplar Bluff, 573/290-5730;

•Southwest Missouri, 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, 4600 S. Chrisman, Springfield, 417/895-6880.

Hoskins said the agency also welcomes written suggestions sent to MDC, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.

"Citizens created conservation in Missouri," said Hoskins, "and they still have some of the best ideas about how to do it. These meetings are just one way we seek out those ideas."

-Jim Low-

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