MARK TWAIN LAKE, February 18, 2010 – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will sponsor a Hunter Education Course on Friday, March 12(5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) and Saturday, March 13( 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.), 2010 at the Mark Twain Lake Project Office, 14 miles south of Monroe City, MO.  Class registration begins on Monday, March 1, 2010 at 7:00am.

         Included in the training will be gun safety, firearm and ammunition information, the role of the hunter, wildlife management, ethics and hunter preparedness.  Those successfully completing the course will receive a Missouri Conservation Heritage Card from the Missouri Department of Conservation.  This certification is mandatory for anyone born on or after January 1, 1967, wishing to hunt turkey or deer and anyone participating in special hunts on Corps of Engineer project lands.

         The class is offered to anyone eleven years or older.  Participants should bring to class on Friday their social security number, hunting/fishing license, youth tags, and/or heritage card, and on Saturday bring their lunch.  Parents are encouraged to accompany their children during the registration process that occurs on March 12 to insure the registration forms are completed accurately.

         Class size will be restricted to fifteen.  On Saturday, March 13, the hunter education class will end at approximately 3:00 p.m.  A voluntary shooting exercise will be conducted at the shooting range for participants of the Hunter Education class at approximately 3:00 p.m. Students wanting to participate with the shooting exercise must successfully complete the class, and arrange for their own transportation from the Mark Twain Lake Project Office to the Shooting Range.  No transportation will be provided. Missouri Department of Conservation will provide firearms and ammunition.

  Hunter education training is a form of life insurance.  This type of training decreases the chance of being injured in a hunting-related accident as it serves to educate those who will take to the woods.  In fact, seldom is anyone injured who has participated in these classes.

   If you have questions, or wish to register, please contact the Mark Twain Lake Project Office at 20642 Highway J, Monroe City, Missouri 63456 or by telephone at (573)735-4097.