Vandalism destroys Schell-Osage landmark

The eagle hacking tower at Schell-Osage Wildlife area was severely damaged by vandals May 20. [Click to enlarge]

Schell City, Mo. -- Once again the Schell-Osage Conservation Area has been the victim of vandalism.

The 21-year-old eagle hacking tower located by Bell Pond was burned sometime on May 20, leaving only the poles sticking up out of the ground. Not only did this act destroy an valuable structure, it put an end to an important part of the history of the area, according to Conservation Agent Shawn Pennington.

Pennington said that many people remember when the eagle hacking tower was erected by Bell Pond (directly west of the headquarters) in 1986. It was a 35-foot tower that supported three 6-by-6 foot chambers that could accommodate up to 10 young birds. The Sac Osage Electric Cooperative helped place the posts and construct the tower. The front and sides of the chambers were composed of bars arranged vertically and spaced four inches apart. The back of the tower was solid plywood with holes through which the eagle's food was provided. The front of the chambers faced Bell Pond and dropped vertically when releasing the birds. Branches extended from the front of the chamber to provide perches for them to exercise and orient before their initial flights.

Over the course of four years, around 40 young eagles arrived (via airplane) from Maryland, Wisconsin and Alaska. They were about six weeks old and were kept in the hacking tower for an additional six weeks, or until they were able to fly.

The Schell-Osage staff collaborated with staff from the Dickerson Park Zoo to keep the area closed off and to maintain feed for the young birds. Historically, the Osage River and its impoundments had plenty of nesting sites for the Bald Eagle, but declining populations nationwide led to their eventual extirpation from this area. Eagle hacking projects were designed to re-introduce these birds to their native range. Due to the fact that the area around Schell-Osage had an appropriate remoteness, nesting trees and a suitable prey base with the two large lakes and the River it seemed a perfect location. The hope was that these eagles would imprint on the area and would return to nest and again be productive in this part of Missouri.

Pennington said since that time there have been several documented eagle nests on Schell-Osage; one near the Taberville Access and several on Truman Reservoir. The dream of having nesting eagles in the area had become a reality.

Since 1989, the hacking tower has been vacant, waiting for its next occupants. Many visitors to the area drove to Bell Pond just to see the tower and gain understanding of the Eagle Project. At the bi-annual Eagle Day, the tower was a favorite tour stop for thousands of visitors. It remained a place to investigate and was always of interest, as it was one of few hacking towers in the state.

Vandals have been very vigilant in their determination to degrade this area, located about 3 miles southeast of Schell City. Conservationists report that gates are routinely pulled up, signs torn down and burned and the headquarters has been broken into several times with thousands of tax-payer dollars worth of equipment and tools stolen. All of this, of course has to be repaired or replaced. The time and money that is spent on vandalism repairs and replacements decreases dramatically the maintenance and management money of the conservation area. So the vandalism that occurred recently on Schell-Osage at the hacking tower is not only a loss to the area and to the citizens, but a loss to wildlife as well, Pennington said.

Past and present employees of the Missouri Department of Conservation who have worked at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area are dismayed at the escalating vandalism. Many hours of work went into the building of this tower and the handling of the birds, not to mention the time and goods required to rectify the many other instances of destruction.

In the interest of curtailing this sort of activity, a reward is being offered by the Conservation Heritage Foun-dation for information leading to the arrest of the person involved in this crime. Callers will remain anonymous. If you have any information you think may be helpful in determining or locating the person(s) involved, please do not hesitate to contact one of the following conservation agents: Shawn Pennington at (417) 667-2671; Justin Fogle at (417) 667-2858; Joni Bledsoe at (417) 646-8622 or Dennis Garrison at (660) 890-1198.