It Should Be A Holiday, Too

Bill Cooper It should be a holiday, too. Monday, May 30, is Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor those who gave their lives in defense of our country. I consider it one of the most important holidays on our calendar, out-shined only by Christmas and Easter. Combined the three holidays carry great significance for our beloved United States of America. The weekend before Memorial Day is the opening day of the Missouri squirrel season and catch and keep black bass season in most streams south of the Missouri River. Tens of thousands of anglers and hunters anticipate this opening each year. Many consider it the official arrival of summer, though a bit early. Although squirrel hunting is not the popular event it was a few decades ago, many still enjoy pursuing the wily critters. Squirrels are however, heavily engrained in our national history. Many historians contend the British were essentially defeated by a bunch of muzzleloading squirrel hunters. The new Americans were, obviously, expert woodsmen and darn good shots, skills they acquired through endless hours stalking and hunting game in the fields and forests near their villages. More often than not, jittery squirrels were the most plentiful game available and made their way to almost every families stew pot. And every settler family that had access to rivers, streams and lakes pursued fish as a source of high protein and fertilizer for their gardens. Hunting and fishing have always been a part of the American lifestyle. Interest in the sports grew exponentially following WWII, when hundreds of thousands of troops returned from theaters around the world. Filled with adventures and hardships from their experiences in far off lands, man still longed for the rigors and challenges of outdoor living. Hunting and fishing filled the bill. Much good came from the interests and efforts of these thrill seeking outdoorsmen. Modern conservation movements began in force. Outdoorsmen needed large tracts of land, rivers and lakes to pursue their hearts desires. Conservation efforts grew steadily across the country. Outdoorsmen also insisted on taxing themselves when they bought hunting and fishing equipment. Billions of dollars have been generated in the mean time to support sound conservation efforts both at the state and national levels. No place in the world can match the United States for its conservation efforts in establishing national forests, national parks, a national wildlife refuge system, state park systems and conservation areas in individual states. Outdoorsmen have carried their dreams further in the last few decades with the establishment of single species conservation groups like the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever,Tout Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Quality Deer Management Association. Again, millions of dollars have been generated to purchase lands help improve habitat for a variety of species. In the process, man other species of animals bird and fish have benefitted as well. Two dozen cities take credit for having created the first Decoration Day, later changed to Memorial Day. President Lydnon Johnson, in May, 1966, declared Waterloo, New York as the birth place of Memorial Day. General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Civil War, established the esteemed holiday, then called Decoration Day. His General Order No. 14 stated that the 30th of May, 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country in the recent revolution. On the first Decoration Day in 1868, 5,000 participants decorated the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Without a doubt, the vast majority of the soldiers who fought in the Civil War were also squirrel hunters and fishermen before, during and after the great conflict. And those soldiers who returned from WWII developed the beloved sport of squirrel hunting into a past time as popular as baseball and apple pie. By the 1950’s squirrel hunting had become the most popular hunting sport in Missouri. Much of Missouri’s population remained rural. Most school age boys could hurry home after school, grab the .22 rifle and walk out the back door to a woodlot or small patch of woods to squirrel hunt. Many country boys grew into manhood both enjoying their squirrel hunting adventures and providing high quality meat for their families. As deer herds returned to the Ozark hills, through massive conservation efforts, deer hunting gained popularity quickly and interest in squirrel hunting began to wane. Another outdoor interest that developed quickly in Missouri and across the nation was trophy bass fishing. Conservation departments began to manage for various bass species, setting seasons and regulations. Catch and release began to be highly encouraged as well. Once again Missouri stayed in the forefront of conservation efforts and established trophy bass management areas on many of Ozark rivers. Today several of our streams are recognized nationally for being top quality smallmouth bass fishing streams. Memorial Day is indeed a holiday of pride and remembrance as we honor those who made great sacrifices to keep us free. Likewise, the weekend of opening day for squirrel season and black bass season in our streams has great historical significance in or country as well. Largely because of squirrels, we defeated the British. The tasty critters provided not only lots of target practice, but food for the bellies of freedom loving Americans. So, I believe the opening weekend of squirrel season and black bass season should be holidays as well. Then we could celebrate for three days. Most of us will anyway. www.Facebook.com/Outsidealways www.aoutdoorstv.com.

South Florida Adventures for Kids

South Florida Adventures for Kids Bill Cooper 5/12/16 “Whooooooah,” accompanied by wide spread eyes, provided evidence of surprise and awe as our 5-year-old grandson, Ronnie Cooper Austin, first laid eyes on the Gulf of Mexico. Dian and I had planned a surprise trip to the beach for our inquisitive grandson and his initial response kicked our week of adventure off on the right foot. “It’s awesome,” Ronnie repeated continuously in between his questions: “Can I play in the water, can I make a sand castle, can I get sea shells?” The magic of the ocean struck our grandson full force and his resulting excitement proved our hunches to be correct. We knew he would love the experience and planned a week of adventures in and around the salty water of St. Petersburg, Florida. Dian booked a small cottage within a block of Pass-A-Grille Beach, a beautiful location in the St. Pete’s Beach area. We immediately felt at home. The peaceful quietness of this urban beach community surpassed all our expectations. There were no loud parties or disturbances and we settled in quickly. We leisurely strolled down 22nd Street, lined with moderate to expensive retirement homes, all well concealed by palm trees and landscapes of native vegetation. Lizards scurried everywhere. Mesmerized by the quick little scrub lizards, Ronnie chased them incessantly to no avail. The whole affair provided an endless source of entertainment while walking to and from the beach. Ronnie and I waded into the waves, immersing ourselves into a world of wonder and excitement. He held my hand tightly as we walked further out and quickly learned about the power of the ocean as a roller swept him off of his feet. He came up spitting and sputtering, all the while yelling, “awesome, I want to do it again, papa.” Our first full day of exploration began with a trip to the South Florida Museum’s Parker Manatee Aquarium in Bradenton, Florida. Snooty, a male Florida manatee, is the main attraction. Snooty is one of the first recorded captive manatee births. Born in 1948, Snooty is now 67 years old and holds the Guinness's Book of World Record as the oldest manatee in captivity. Snooty is kept company by injured and abandoned manatees, which are much younger. They are rehabilitated and returned to the wild. The Parker Museum housed a myriad of educational displays about the fishes and animals of the ocean. Sharks and colorful fishes held Ronnie spellbound. He particularly liked the hands on exhibits where he could hold and inspect bones, skulls and artifacts. His favorite, however, was a play station where he dug in the sand and water to find live starfish and other small seas critters. Fabulous small restaurants provided a sense of adventure as well, all with ocean views as dramatic back drops. Sea Critters, The Wharf and Crabby Bill’s teased Ronnie’s palette with new culinary adventures as he tasted fresh shrimp, grouper and alligator, which became his favorite. Our day two adventure took us to Dinosaur World in Plant City, Florida. Over 20 acres of lush vegetation contains over 200 life size replicas of a variety of dinosaur species which once roamed the earth. Every little boy loves dinosaurs. Ronnie became spellbound immediately. He happily climbed aboard the first dinosaur we encountered, just outside the compound. We wandered through an intriguing jungle and a surprise greeted us around every corner. The astounding sizes of ancient creatures made us feel miniscule. Argentinosaurus, the largest of the plant eaters at 100 tons, towered 70 feet into the air. Tyrannosaurus Rex, one of the largest meat eaters weighed in at 8 tons. Dian and I were amazed at how much Ronnie already knew about about dinosaurs, including their names. Dinosaur World, however, gave him a whole new perspective and the incredible world of the majestic creatures of the past that called earth home. Our next day of adventure lead us to the pirate ship Royal Conquest at Tampa Bay’s John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk. The two hour family cruise included music, dancing, water gun battles, a treasure hunt, face painting, dolphin watching and incredible pirate stories from a bunch of swashbucklers. Every little boy wants to be a pirate. Ronnie passed all the tests with flying colors and graduated as a certified pirate. His pirate degree now hangs on his wall. Every little boy loves Legos, too. Off to LegoLand we went for our next adventure. LegoLand is located only 45 minutes from Orlando. An interactive family theme park, it is designed specifically for families with children 2 to 12 years old. Covering 50-acres, there is an amazing variety of rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, shopping and breathtaking views of botanical gardens and lakes. Ten theme zones including, Imagination Zone, LEGO City, Daytona, International Speedway, Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Pirate’s Shores and much more. Ronnie’s imagination soared upon entering the DUPLO village where he could fly a plane, drive a car and explore a town, scaled to his size. He traveled back to Medieval Times in LEGO Kingdoms to meet knights, damsels and dragons. He searched for treasure and explored hidden tombs in Land of Adventure. His imagination ran wild s he created, built and tested his own structures in Imagination Zone. A gigantic ice cream cone and a Legos set to take home wound up what Ronnie called, “my best day ever.” To plan your own family vacation to the Tampa, St. Petersburg area of Florida, check the following: www.southfloridamuseum.org, www.dinosaurworld.com, www.boattoursjohnpass.com, www.LEGOLAND.com.