Category Archives: Local Events

The Missouri Prairie Foundation® invites all to recognize and celebrate prairies in Missouri and throughout the nation on National Prairie Day. Learn about and enjoy Missouri Prairie Foundation prairies at several free events planned for this special day.

Prairie is a defining landscape of the United States. From the prairies of the Great Plains and Midwest to the glades, coastal grasslands, and other related communities throughout the country, grasslands have benefited Americans in countless ways.

Today, our native grassland legacy has been dramatically reduced to scattered remnants of its once vast 160-million-acre domain across North America. These remnants, from pocket prairies with their beauty and diversity of plants, insects, birds, and other grassland wildlife, to the larger tracts that support cattle ranching, antelope, bison, and other large animals, remain vitally important to people for their contributions to water quality, soil health, carbon storage, forage protection in drought, and wildlife and pollinator habitat.

In 2016, the Missouri Prairie Foundation established National Prairie Day, registered on the National Day Calendar as the first Saturday in June. The goals of this special day are to enhance public awareness of what prairie is, educate about its value, and motivate and inspire all to support prairie conservation, restoration, and enjoyment. This year, National Prairie Day is Saturday, June 5, 2021.

“All are invited to join us in recognizing National Prairie Day,” said Carol Davit, executive director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation, a 55-year-old non-profit prairie conservation organization and nationally accredited land trust.

“National Prairie Day provides a day of focus across the United States to inspire learning, appreciation, and exploration of our national prairie legacy. We have educational events planned at several Missouri Prairie Foundation prairies to help Missourians enjoy these rare and beautiful resources.”

Spend National Prairie Day in a Missouri Prairie Foundation Prairie with one or more of our field trips on June 5:

• Herpetology and native plant hike at Golden Prairie with MPF board member Brian Edmond, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas survey at Drovers’ Prairie and Lordi Marker Prairie with MPF board member Doug Helmers, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Birding and iNaturalist walk at Runge Prairie with Missouri River Bird Observatory’s Zeb Yoko, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.
• Bird walk at Drovers’ Prairie with Missouri River Bird Observatory’s Paige Witek, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.

Learn more about National Prairie Day and how you can be a part of this special day across the nation at nationalprairieday.org.

The Missouri Prairie Foundation is a 55-year-old conservation organization and nationally accredited land trust that protects and restores prairie and other native grasslands through acquisition, management, education, and support of prairie research. The organization owns 25 properties totaling 3,700 acres of prairie across the state and works with partners to inspire conservation of thousands more. The Missouri Prairie Foundation is also home to the 21-year-old Grow Native! native plant education and marketing program and administers the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force.

Enjoy browsing for beautiful and functional native trees, shrubs, and plants at this sale organized by the Missouri Prairie Foundation® and hosted by the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, MO on Saturday, May 15 at 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd. 63088 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

“This event is a wonderful opportunity to purchase native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, and more from three vendors from Missouri, to beautify your surroundings and support nature’s web of life in your yard or on your property,” said Carol Davit, MPF Executive Director. Vendors of this sale are Gaylena’s Garden, River City Natives, and Ozark Soul Native Plants. Some vendors accept cash, check, or credit cards; some only cash or checks. Please consider bringing your own boxes or crates to carry out your plants.

Enjoy the grounds and magnificent live birds while at the World Bird Sanctuary. There is no entrance fee, but there is a suggested $8 donation per vehicle. The World Bird Sanctuary has a mask mandate and requires that all visitors over the age of 5 wear a mask at all times.

While this is a walk-through sale, shoppers can also pre-order plants from the vendors and have orders ready to pick up at the sale. Please contact the vendors below to order and pre-pay for your plants. Note that each vendor is a separate business and may have different arrangements and requirements for ordering. Volunteers will be available to load plants into your car if you need assistance.

Gaylena’s Garden
View the plant list here and email your order to gaylenasgarden@gmail.com by Thursday, May 13. Current plant list is available on the Gaylena’s Garden Facebook page.

River City Natives
Order at rivercitynatives.com by May 13, 2021.

Ozark Soul
Order via email or phone by noon on Friday, May 14: natives@ozarksoul.com; 816-809-4062
Visit https://www.ozarksoul.com/availability.php for a current availability list. In your email or voicemail, include your phone number and note the date and location of sale.

The Missouri Prairie Foundation is a 55-year-old conservation organization and nationally accredited land trust. Its mission is to protect and restore prairie and other native grasslands through acquisition, management, education, and research. The Missouri Prairie Foundation also runs the 21-year-old Grow Native! program (www.grownative.org) and administers the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force (www.moinvasives.org).

Pictured: Brown-belted bumble bee by Ed Spevak.

Spring is here! Join us as we search for migrating and nesting birds throughout Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.

Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021 – 7:30am to 11:00am (Register by May 5)

Location: Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

Much about bats seems mysterious and hidden.  They’re active mainly in the dark of night, and they roost and hibernate in caves and other secretive places.  Bats are the only mammals in Missouri that can truly fly and much of their complex vocalizing occurs beyond the range of human hearing.  Yet we can appreciate bats for their help in controlling mosquitoes and crop pests.

Learn more about these elusive creatures at a virtual presentation hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).  Bats of Missouri will take place Tuesday, May 4 from 6:30-8 p.m. and is a free online program open to all ages.  Presenters include MDC Naturalist and bat researcher Shelly Colatskie, and MDC State Bat Ecologists Jordan Meyer and Jeanette Bailey.  Joining the MDC experts will be U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish and Wildlife Biologist Vona Kuczynska.

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The Missouri Prairie Foundation’s (MPF) Grow Native! program is hosting a free special Zoom webinar for Earth Day on Thursday, April 22 at 4:00 p.m. with Grow Native! professional member Stream Teams United. Titled “Keeping our Water Healthy” the panel webinar will feature seasoned professionals discussing the importance of native plants for a healthy watershed. Registration is required for this free webinar at moprairie.org or CLICK HERE to register. Registrants will receive a link to a recording of the webinar.

The webinar will be moderated by Stream Teams United Executive Director Mary Culler, with panelists Ronda Burnett with the Missouri Department of Conservation;, Dale Blevins, a U.S. Geological Survey emeritus hydrologist and MPF past president; and Dr. Lisa Shulte Moore of Iowa State University. The webinar will begin with Stream Teams United’s new educational video “Keeping our water healthy – it starts with you,” and the panelists will break down how native plants play an important role in providing clean water for people. There will be a question and answer session for registrants.

Learn about actions to keep watersheds healthy by watching Stream Teams United’s video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg8FjyXbyCI&t=1s and find more resources on Grow Native!’s website at https://grownative.org/learn/manage-stormwater/.

The nonprofit Missouri Prairie Foundation is a 55-year-old prairie conservation organization and nationally accredited land trust. Grow Native! is MPF’s 21-year-old native plant marketing and education program serving the lower Midwest. For more information about webinars and master classes, the Grow Native! program, or the Missouri Prairie Foundation, call 888-843-6739 or send a message to info@moprairie.org.

The Missouri Humanities Council and Heritage Programs recently volunteered to plant native trees to help replenish tree populations along the Katy Trail.  It’s all to kick-off a virtual program, “Forest & Farms: Explore the Historical Transformation of the Missouri River Valley,” to air April 22.

Panelists, Dan Burkhardt (Co-founder, Magnificent Missouri), Meridith McAvoy Perkins (Executive Director, Forest ReLeaf of Missouri), and Ken McCarty (Natural Resource Management Program Director, Missouri State Parks), will present on the historical transformation of the Missouri River Valley from lush bottom land forest to fertile farmland. They will explore how Missourians have shaped and been shaped by this landscape.

The program will showcase the “Trees of Treloar” conservation project of Magnificent Missouri, a mini-native tree arboretum at the Treloar Trailhead on the Katy Trail. Forest ReLeaf members and others will discuss finding a balance between reforesting the land and preserving the region’s cultural and agricultural heritage.

“Forest & Farms” will take place on Earth Day, April 22, 2021 at 6:30 P.M. (CST), and invites participants to discover the history of forests and farms along the Katy Trail. Today’s trail bikers and hikers can better appreciate what the landscape was — and what it can be! Participant Q&A to follow the panel discussion.

This virtual free event will be presented on Zoom and FB Live. To register CLICK HERE.

The program is a part of “Missouri’s Natural Environment: 200 Years and Beyond” series. This is a year-long series that coincides with the state’s bicentennial to explore Missouri’s natural landscapes. To learn more CLICK HERE.

 Missouri State Museum and Daniel Boone Regional Library invite the public to a virtual program titled, “Missouri Trailblazer: Thomas Hart Benton,” at 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 20.

Viewing the mural, A Social History of the State of Missouri, is one of the most exciting parts of a visit to the Missouri Capitol. Painted by Thomas Hart Benton in 1936, the mural tells the story of the state from its pioneer beginnings to the industrial 20th century. Join Dr. Sarah Jones, art historian and museum interpreter, to discuss Benton’s life and career including the story of his Missouri mural and his role in the rise of American Regionalism. 

Adults and teens are welcome. Those interested in attending must register online to receive a Zoom link to the program at events.dbrl.org/event/4946747. The event will be recorded for later viewing.

This program is a monthly series in honor of Missouri’s bicentennial, highlighting Missouri’s most significant trailblazers who have had an impact on our culture through major events, leadership, innovation and more.

For more information about the event, call the Missouri State Museum at 573-751-2854.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.