"I heard a Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) agent speak when I was in the sixth grade in Dexter and from that moment on I knew I wanted to be a conservation agent," MDC Protection Regional Supervisor and former Site Administrator Gary Cravens said while talking to the Quill about retiring on Sept. 1 after 41 years with MDC.
Cravens graduated from Dexter High School in Dexter in 1971 and then went to Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro, Ark., graduating in 1975 with a degree in agronomy. While at ASU he married his wife Sandy, also a Dexter High School graduate, in December 1974.
Cravens' first job out of college was as a manager of a farming company in Gideon that owned 6,500 acres in Missouri and 6,500 acres in Tennessee. The company grew cotton, soy beans and milo. After a year, he joined MDC working in the forestry division at Rockwood Reservation in St. Louis and after six months on the job he was sent to Taum Sauk tower in Iron County, the highest point in the State of Missouri.
A year later, Feb. 1, 1978, Cravens went to the Agent Training Academy in Jefferson City for six months and graduated as an MDC agent. His first assignment was as the conservation agent in Oregon County and he and Sandy relocated to Alton from Iron County.
After being stationed in Oregon County for 10 years, Cravens and his wife moved to West Plains. In 1994, Cravens was promoted to Regional Supervisor of the Ozark Region.
During his career, the soon-to-be retiree saw the formation of the Irish Wilderness on the Ripley and Oregon County lines, the trapping of turkey and grouse in the late '70s to build up flocks, and he was in charge of the protection of elk on Peck Ranch. He was an original member of the mountain lion response team.
Cravens has also assisted in collaring black bears to determine where they roam, the longevity of their lives, how many are in Missouri and when they give birth. Cravens said for sometime MDC thought the bear migrated to southern Missouri from Arkansas. However, with DNA testing it was found that many of the bear were native to the area.
Cravens said there are 22 conservation agents in the 12-county area of the Ozark Region and they are kept busy enforcing the wildlife laws.
Cravens pointed out that deer season is a busy time of the year with an estimated 500,000 hunters statewide. During the season and off season, there are a number of violations including people hunting from roads.
The protection regional supervisor said no conservation agent has been killed in the line of duty. However, several have been assaulted.
Large operation in Shannon County
During his career, Cravens said one of the largest operations involving the illegal taking of wildlife occurred in Shannon County in 2010. The investigation was started and designed to gather information on the potential for illegal commercialization of wildlife and wildlife parts through taxidermy businesses. Its focus was in an area of Missouri known for flagrant abuses of wildlife resources, specifically the illegal harvest of white-tailed deer.
During phase one, a field investigator was covertly embedded in the town of Birch Tree in Shannon County. The investigator posed as a professional taxidermist and opened up a small shop at his residence. He bought and sold deer antlers and began attending antler sales in other areas of the state.
Under these circumstances, the investigator was able to document the level of compliance and violations of regulations and found that 62 percent of the wildlife brought in for mounting was illegal in some manner. A total of 299 serious violations was documented in nine counties across southern Missouri. The violations included those related to deer, turkey, fur bearers, both game and non-game fish and migratory birds.
Phase two of the investigation began July 17, 2010, when uniformed officers began contacting individuals they believed were involved in violations. Teamed conservation agents met with 68 persons and documented another 126 violations, bringing the total violations to 425. Of these, 289 were related to deer and 23 to turkey.
Conservation agents seized 240 items including 90 deer mounts or sets of antlers, about 20 different small game, fish, or furbearer mounts, 70 frog legs and one rattlesnake. Agents also seized 16 firearms because they were illegally in the possession of convicted felons. Additionally, three people were arrested.
The Missouri Department of Conservation's mission is "To protect and manage the fish, forest and wildlife resources of the state; to serve the public and facilitate their participation in resource management activities; and to provide opportunity for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about fish, forest and wildlife resources." Cravens said this ongoing investigation is part of MDC's continual effort in achieving compliance to ensure equal and fair opportunity for all citizens and the wildlife resources of our state.
More memories
Cravens said working for the MDC has been great and he has made many memories during his 41-year career.
One of his best memories is being selected to be part of the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), a program for children who lost a parent who was a law enforcement office killed in the line of duty. Cravens was selected for two years to attend and be a part of the program in Colorado where the survivors are sent to camp out for a week.