CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT CLARIFIES POSITION ON REGISTERING  LAND WITH THEM

An assistant director of the Missouri Department of Conservation has explained the department`s position on  requiring landowners to submit a legal description of their property to a “Landowner Registry” to qualify for  no cost hunting permits.  In a phone conservation and follow up letter, assistant director Dave Erickson responded to Ozarks Property Rights President  Russell Wood`s request for specifics of the MDC intentions.

The inquiry was made after MDC had withdrawn other proposed changes in hunting regulations effecting land owners but left  what had been referred to in Jefferson City releases and the MDC website as requiring “–collection of the legal description of their land—” and “–register their property with the Landowner Registry–”

Erickson stated that it had never been the intent of MDC to require the legal description of private property, only to revive a system used prior to 2005 which asked for property  location by  county, township, range and section. When it was pointed out that this conflicted with previous statements, Erickson called the original statement “poorly worded”.

The assistant director said the term “landowner registry” was adopted from the landowner hunting permit system currently used in Iowa. He said “this unfortunate title choice had implications –that went far beyond anything known by us at the time.” He emphasized that MDC has no plans for a land registry under this or any other title.

Wood said,” It appears MDC has dropped the proposals we vigorously opposed  which  were changing ownership minimum acreage requirements from 5 to 80, and the registering of the owner`s legal land description with a MDC landowner registry. They have sent us written confirmation to that effect.”