Your letters for Aug. 2, 2024

By NewsPress Now

Your letters for Aug. 2, 2024

A big thank you to all who helped

I am writing this letter to thank numerous individuals and businesses who helped make the 2024 St. Joseph Madam President Camp a success. Madam President Camp was founded in 2012 in Kansas City Missouri by Dr. Lee Smithson and Pam Kelley. This is the second year for the camp in St. Joseph. Madam President Camp is sponsored by the St. Joseph Women’s Quorum Initiative whose purpose it is to grow and empower future leaders. This year’s camp empowered 32 young girls ages 11 to 13 to learn leadership skills and become future leaders. The curriculum included Leadership, Civic Engagement, Activism, Communication and Self-Discovery.

This camp is made possible because of many individuals, clubs and businesses. A thank you to Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy and staff at Missouri Western State University for their continuing support. Thanks to Natalie Hawn, Kristi Bailey, Kristie Arthur and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce along with the Mark-It Specialty Shop. We would also like to thank the Downtown Lion’s Club and the Eastside Lion’s Club as well as the many individuals who generously donated money for scholarships.

The heart of the success of this camp is due to its many women who give numerous hours of unpaid time to make this camp happen. These community leaders include the curriculum development and facilitation team led by Tara Wells and includes Dr. Fiona Sansone, Kristie Arthur, Katie McCullough, LaVell Rucker, and Dr. Katy Schwarz-Drowns. Other extremely important volunteers who keep the camp running include Dr. Melody Smith, Carol Burns, Karen Foley, Carol Robb, Karen Couldry and Jen Martin.

Finally we would like to thank the Kansas City Madam President Camp along with Mary Messner and Dr. Laura Sellers for their continued support and helping us develop the St. Joseph Madam President Camp.

Thank you so much to everyone who supports the idea of growing future leaders.

Karen Woodbury

Madam President Camp Director

St. Joseph Women’s Quorum Initiative



Secretive spadefoot frogs

I was recently surprised in reading “Rain song may belong to Eastern Spadefoot frog,” published in the July 5-7, 2024, Weekender on Page C4, Explore Outdoors. As Alex Holmes, MDC, mentions, there is an amphibian in Missouri that thrives under rain conditions, the Eastern Spadefoot Frog. However, not stated, is that this species is found only in southeast Missouri.

Regardless, there is a species, the Plains Spadefoot, a close relative of the Eastern Spadefoot, requiring about the same living conditions and breeding environment that is found in our area along the Missouri River floodplain from Atchison County southward to Kansas City and east to St. Louis. During occasional spring floods, the writer has observed in some years hundreds of these frogs breeding in temporary pools of water and giving their explosive calls in Holt and Andrew Counties.

Perhaps some of the Weekender readers will appreciate this update for observing secretive spadefoot frogs in northwest Missouri. The Plains Spadefoot should be on one’s bucket-list for aesthetic viewing and admiration in the wild; amphibian populations are “crashing” worldwide, so do it while you can.

For additional information, see Angelo Bufalino and D.A. Easterla, 1996, A Preliminary Ecological Investigation of the Plains Spadefoot in Holt County, Missouri, Trans. Mo. Acad. Sci. 30:89, and Jeff Briggler’s book The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri, 2021, Missouri Department of Conservation, pages 151-156.

Dr. David A. Easterla

Emeritus Distinguished

University Professor of Biology

Maryville, Missouri