SPECIAL MANAGEMENT ( MUZZLE LOADER) DEER HUNT
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 Each January the Refuge hosts a special deer hunt for hunters using muzzle-loading rifles. The hunt is coordinated with the Missouri Department of Conservation and requires application with this agency and pre-registration with the Refuge. Swamp Friends volunteers assist hunters with disabilities in retrieving downed game, help man the check station and perform other tasks assigned by Refuge personnel. Records are kept on hunter success and on the age, weight and sex of deer harvested. Above, Refuge officials weigh a feral hog taken by a deer hunter during the 2006 special muzzle-loader hunt. Harvesting of the hogs, considered an exotic nuisance species because of their destruction of Refuge habitat, is legal during the special hunt. |
EAGLE DAYS
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 In late January or early February, on alternating years, the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation sponsors Eagle Days on the Refuge and nearby Duck Creek Conservation Area. More than 2,000 visitors, including school children, attend the two-day event. Swamp Friends members assist Refuge staffers with traffic control, seating facilities, educational assistance at the observation areas, as well as handing out warm drinks and donuts for the visiting public. |
ECOLOGY DAYS & EDUCATORS FOR WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION WORKSHOP
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During the spring months, Friends' members assist with various environmental education events on the Refuge. More than 2000 school children visit the Refuge each year, including the annual Ecology Day Event when one Frineds' member teaches a class on wild turkeys. The Swamp Friends also assist in many ways with the annual Educators for Wildlife and Conservation Workshop for teachers by conducting guided canoe trips, providing lunches, and meeting other needs. |
KIDS FISHING DERBY
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Until 2006, the Friends group also helped sponsor an annual children's fishing derby in the first week of June during National Free Fishing Week. On completion and stocking of the new Binford Recreational Wetland Area, the Friends hope to resume this highly popular event.
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NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY
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This special day in September is set aside for Refuge clean-up projects. In 2005, Friends volunteers helped clear dead brush and tree limbs away from the wheelchair accessible hunting trail and blinds in the hunting area . Volunteers often build duck blinds, remove unwanted trash, and perform much-needed maintenance for the Refuge.
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE WEEK
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 During this annual event in October of 2006, several Friends members donated many volunteer hours, under the guidance of the Regional historian, toward refurbishing Sweet's Cabin on the Refuge. Participants are proud to be continuing partners in restoring the old farm house, a local landmark of the Sweet's family and a rich legacy of pioneering history in the area.
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CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
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 In December, Friends members who are “birders” join up with the National Audubon Society and help with the annual Christmas Bird Count. Numbers and varieties of species are recorded and cross-checked with counts from the previous years. Mingo's unique geographic location provides a large number of both migrating and breeding populations of birds.
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FRIENDS OFFER MANY TALENTS
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The Swamp Friends have a diverse membership that provides unique services to assist the busy Refuge staff. Several friends have served as guides to “VIP” visitors to the Refuge who wish to take a canoe trip up the Mingo River into the Federally-designated 7,730-acre Wilderness Area. One member, a professional grant writer, has been instrumental in securing many thousands of dollars in foundation grants to augment the regular Refuge budget. A member artist/photographer coordinates the photo contest and also painted the diorama (background) for a major wildlife exhibit in the Visitor Center. A professional writer/editor has produced several newsletters and edited this website to help the membership and public keep up with Swamp Friends activities. Farmers in the group operate the machinery to keep the food plot program going. Skilled carpenters have assisted in several Refuge maintenance projects. The list goes on.
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