Dave Studyvin grew up fishing Lake Jacomo in Jackson County and has come to love the lake and wants to leave it a better place for his fellow citizens to enjoy. Dave made a generous donation of $5000 to get the ball rolling and local MDC staff looked for ways to make his money go further.
Dave Studyvin grew up fishing Lake Jacomo in Jackson County and has come to love the lake. Mr. Studyvin also wants to leave it a better place for his fellow citizens to enjoy. This mindset caused Mr. Studyvin to approach the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) with his vision of providing an ideal place for all anglers to enjoy. MDC had installed a paved fishing trail many years ago on Liggett Cove point and it has been used heavily since its installation. It has become a very popular spot for groups of anglers with disabilities. The only real problem at the site is the steep banks make summer fishing difficult when the lake stratifies. Mr. Studyvin wanted to establish a fund with the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation where he and others could donate funds to install a floating fishing dock that would allow more anglers access to the lake at the head of the trail.
Dave made a generous donation of $5000 to get the ball rolling and local MDC staff looked for ways to make his money go further. MDC had installed a floating dock on Odessa’s Lake Venita five years earlier that was left resting on the lake bed after dam problems left the lake nearly dry. It was decided to use Mr. Studyvin’s donation to move the dock at Lake Venita to Lake Jacomo. MDC crews braved 100 degree heat to dismantle, move, reassemble and install the dock at Lake Jacomo, all under the gleeful, watchful eye of Mr. Studyvin. It was gratifying for Mr. Studyvin to see his dream become reality in just a few short months.
After the project was completed, fisheries biologists and Mr. Studyvin sank stake beds around the dock to attract fish for anglers. Anglers fishing the dock at the time knew of Mr. Studyvin’s donation and were very grateful for the man’s dedication to the resource. Mr. Studyvin’s dream is a reality and a testament to how citizens can leave a conservation legacy for generations to come.
