Newly-elected state Rep. Bruce Sassmann and his wife, Jan.
by Don Corrigan
The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF) honored Bruce and Jan Sassmann at its annual National Lewis & Clark Conservation Awards banquet on Sept. 18, 2024.
Environmental Echo recognized their work in early 2021. A two-part series can be found in the EE Archives in February.
Lewis & Clark Conservation Awards recognize conservation and outdoor leaders for appreciation and advancement of natural resources in Missouri and beyond.
Other 2024 National Lewis & Clark Conservation Awards honorees are: Chad Pregrack, Jeff Churan, James T. Blair, Sara Parker Pauley and Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.
“This year’s honorees are prime examples of the importance of strong partnerships and how we will continue to advance vital conservation work across the state, as well as the country,” said Will Coates, president of the Conservation Heritage Foundation Board of Directors.
“The 2024 honorees represent leaders in business, philanthropy and conservation,” added Coates. “We are pleased to recognize these champions and their incredible commitment to conservation.”
Bruce and Jan Sassmann are lifelong Missouri conservationists. As active members of numerous conservation groups, including MCHF, Conservation Federation of Missouri, and Missouri Prairie Foundation, the Sassmanns have tirelessly promoted nature, shared their prairie restoration work and ensured lasting benefits for future generations.
Together they pour their passion for conservation into their property, the Prairie Star Restoration Farm. They are leaving their conservation legacy ensuring the future of our natural environments, resources and wildlife are preserved by naming MCHF in their estate and continuing their restoration efforts including reviving native tallgrass prairie habitats, timber stand improvement and overhauling a five-acre lake for fish habitat.
Through Jan’s involvement with the Missouri Prairie Foundation and Bruce’s work as a Missouri State Representative serving as Chair of the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, the Sassmanns are inspirational advocates for Missouri conservation now and in the future.
In the Environmental Echo articles in early 2021, Bruce Sassmann described how the couple gives farm tours. Sassmann and his wife, Jan, have taken a family farm and converted it into what they call the Prairie Star Restoration Farm.
They give tours of the prairie site, where they have built replicas of the outdoor shelters of Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and also a site for John Muir.
Thoreau, Leopold and Muir are praised by Sassmann as the “holy trinity of conservation.” But Sassman has brought his own brand of conservation to the farm, where he gives educational tours of the restored farm’s indigenous flora and fauna.
“We hired a botanist to survey the farm and to create for us an inventory of plants,” explained Sassmann. “Native plants scored highest. Invasive and exotic plant degraded the value of our restoration efforts. We learned of species richness and floristic values.
“And we also learned about the true relationships between living things,” Sassmann added. “We decided to use prescribed fires as a land management tools and we celebrated the new life from the ashes.”
Environmental Echo 