Category Archives: Local Events

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Discover Nature Schools Nature Unhooked Teacher Training Workshop Aug. 20

Photo: MDC

Teachers will learn about this free program that provides grant funding for middle school science units.

The Missouri Department of Conservation invites teachers to attend a Discover Nature Schools (DNS) teacher training workshop for Nature Unhooked, the DNS aquatic instructional unit designed for grades 6-8.  This program provides grant funding for middle school life science units to help cover equipment costs and field trips.

The workshop will be held Saturday, Aug. 20 from 8:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood.  The workshop is free of charge for educators.  Registration is required. (see link and more information at end of this post.) The nature center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road, near the intersection of I-270 and I-44.

“The Discover Nature Schools program is an excellent way to connect students of all ages with the benefits of outdoor learning and provides a place-based, experiential, approach to science education focusing on Missouri plants, animals and natural systems,” said MDC Conservation Educator David Bruns.

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Posted on July 31, 2022 in Home, Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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Creatures of Myth and Legend Featured at Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park

Join team members at Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park in welcoming the World Bird Sanctuary for a special Father’s Day program at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 19.

The World Bird Sanctuary will showcase creatures of myth and legend. Guests are invited to bring their own myth and legend – their father – to celebrate the special day. Participants will meet at the Henry Babler Enclosed Shelter at the Guy Park Trailhead. Signs will direct guests from there.

Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park is located at 800 Guy Park Drive in Wildwood, west of St. Louis.

For more information, please call 636-458-3813.

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Posted on June 13, 2022 in Home, Local Events

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Don’t Miss Don Corrigan June 18!

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Posted on June 12, 2022 in Home, Local Events

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American Roadkill Book Benefit For Animal CARE-STL Group At Webster Groves Bookstore Slated For April 30

Webster Groves Bookshop, 27 North Gore Ave., will host a discussion of the one million animals lost to traffic carnage every day in America. The event, slated for 2-3 p.m., Saturday, April 30, will benefit CARE STL.

CARE STL is an open admission, no-kill animal shelter in the City of St. Louis. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of author Don Corrigan’s book, American Roadkill: Animal Victims of Our Busy Highways, is earmarked for CARE STL. Sale of road kill diaries also will benefit CARE STL.

“CARE STL exists to create a supportive community – rooted in collaboration, compassion, and caring, for people and animals,” said Cate Redfern of CARE STL. “We are dedicated to saving the unwanted, abused, neglected, and homeless companion animals in St. Louis.”

Corrigan will give a presentation on American Roadkill with a special emphasis on domestic pets and road safety issues. And astounding 5.4 million domestic and feral cats lose their lives on roads annually. About 1.2 million pet canines are lost yearly.

Webster Groves Book Shop will hold the event in its lower level auditorium. Seating is limited, so reservations are suggested by calling the library at 314-968-1185. A repeat of the program will take place from 3-4 p.m. based on reservation numbers.

Those unable to attend the program, but who wish to buy a benefit book for
CARE STL, may make their purchases on the first floor of the bookstore between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 30.

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Posted on April 24, 2022 in Local Events

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American Roadkill Hits The Airwaves!

Author Don Corrigan was recently interviewed for the podcast, BLUE, regarding his new book, American Roadkill. He was interviewed by Joe Garritano and Steve Taylor for the broadcast.

Listen Here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1192145/10408024

Want to hear about American Roadkill from the author himself? Check out these events!

Author Don Corrigan will speak on American Roadkill at the Webster Groves Book Shop for a 1-3 appearance on April 30.

Author Don Corrigan will speak at the Washington Public Library at 6:30 p.m. in Washington, Missouri, on Tuesday, May 17.

 

 

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Posted on April 18, 2022 in Local Events

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Rock Bridge Memorial State Park hosts spring wildflower walk April 23

Photo by Holly Shanks

Enjoy the beauty of spring wildflowers on a guided walking tour with the park naturalist at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park from 9:30-11 a.m. Saturday, April 23.

Learn how to identify wildflowers, discover what makes each one unique, and find out about their edible, medicinal and poisonous qualities. Space is limited, please register for the walk by calling 573-449-7400.

Participants should meet the naturalist at the Devil’s Icebox parking lot for a 1 mile hike on Spring Brook Trail. The walk covers both flat and hilly terrain. Participants are encouraged to dress for the weather, bring water, and wear sturdy shoes and insect repellent.

Prior to the hike you may participate in an open house at 9 a.m for Jewell Cemetery Historic Site, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and the Midwest Section of the Katy Trail State Park.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is located 7 miles south of Columbia on Highway 163.

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.

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Posted on April 15, 2022 in Home, Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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Gardeners are invited to Powder Valley Nature Center’s Native Plant Workshop and Sale April 9

Mark and Diane Burger make cut flower arrangements from the wildflowers and pollinator plots in the two acres around their Kirksville home. Photo: MDC

This in ideal introduction for homeowners and budding native gardeners, with presentations from Shaw Nature Reserve’s Scott Woodbury.

Native gardeners can arm themselves with the knowledge and plants they’ll need to establish their own native gardens at a special event hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Nature Center.

Get a head start on spring planting with Powder Valley’s Native Plant Workshop and Sale, happening Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  Admission to the event is free and includes both opportunities to learn about native plants and to purchase them for planting at home.  The workshop is geared for beginning gardeners or native plant-curious homeowners.

Headlining the event will be a live presentation from native plant expert Scott Woodbury, horticulturalist at Shaw Nature Reserve.  Woodbury will talk about the many benefits of planting natives and how to get started doing it.  He will offer his program twice, both virtually and in-person, from 11 a.m. – noon and from 1-2 p.m.

Visitors will have the chance for self-guided exploration at a number of educational tables set up at the event.  The tables will cover topics that include how to create a rain garden, identifying and dealing with non-native invasive plants, planting to attract wildlife and pollinators, and the value of caterpillars and mason bees.  Participants can also learn about nature journaling in their own home gardens, and how to use the iNaturalist Seek mobile app to help ID plants and animals.

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Posted on April 13, 2022 in Home, Local Events

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Washington Park hosts CCC Co. 1743 celebration March 19

Washington State Park team members are hosting an open house celebration of Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1743 in honor of Black History Month. The open house will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, at the Thunderbird Lodge. The African American Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1743 craftsmanship can be seen throughout the park.

Washington State Park interpretive team members will be on hand to discuss the cultural and historical significance of Company 1743 and their unique contribution to the park. Photographs and artifacts from CCC Company 1743 will be on display.

Black History Month 2022’s theme is “Black Health and Wellness,” and interpretive team members will lead a guided hike on 1,000 Steps Trail at 1 p.m. to support this initiative. This trail was built by Company 1743 and displays their stonework and highlights the park’s natural resources. The hike is 1.25 miles long over a natural surface.

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Posted on March 13, 2022 in Local Events

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Ozark Forests Find Advocates At Webster University

Protester on upturned vehicle. Photo by Orin Langelle, photojournalist, environmentalist and a graduate of Webster University 1978.

By Don Corrigan

Trees have never been so important as now. Stands of trees can help counteract harmful climate change. That’s, in part, why a national and local fight continues to halt destruction of old growth forests.

Residents interested in the fight for trees may want to attend the film, “Shawnee Showdown: Keep the Forest Standing.” The documentary will show at 7 p.m., Feb. 18, at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University.

It documents a past battle in the 1980s and 1990s, when a dedicated group of activists fought on the ground and in the courts to stop clear-cutting, oil and gas drilling, and ATV use in the Shawnee National Forest located in Southern Illinois.

Jan Wilder, Rene Cook and unidentified child. Photo by Orin Langelle.

The activists were successful for a time, but the battle begins anew because the prohibition on many such activities in the Shawnee National Forest was lifted several years ago. That gives the film particular relevance.

Karla Armbruster, an English and Sustainability Studies professor at Webster University, was instrumental in bringing the documentary to campus. She cited some photos in the film that were taken by world-renowned photographer, Orin Langelle, who honed his talents in Webster’s media studies program.

“I associated this kind of protest with the Pacific Northwest and was thrilled to learn that it happened here in the Midwest,” said Armbruster. “It sounds like more activism of this kind is needed now to keep our forests healthy.

“This film offers not only a history lesson but also encouragement that ordinary people, who care, can really come together and make a difference,” she added.

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Posted on February 3, 2022 in Environment, Home, Local Events

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Maple Sugaring Programs Available In February At MDC’s Rockwoods Reservation

Photo: MDC

What makes winter so special for maple lovers?  For about six weeks, from mid-January to the end of February, nature cooks up its own sweet delights within sugar maple trees as the sap begins to flow, ready to be tapped for making sugar and syrup.  Anyone can learn skills to collect, boil down and, create their own maple syrup or sugar from trees they may have in their own backyards.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is presenting a series of free educational Maple Sugaring programs in February, the peak season for maple sugaring in Missouri.  The programs are free, open to all ages, and will be held at Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood.  Some of the programs will be tailored to families, and others to homeschoolers.

Participants will learn the fascinating history of maple sugaring, visit the sugar bush to see where sap is collected, and learn how to turn the sap into syrup. The entire program is outdoors, so participants should dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear for a short hike. A portion of the trail is not stroller/wheelchair accessible.

In Missouri, this time of year is prime maple sugaring season because it produces the right weather conditions.  It has the perfect combination of below freezing temperatures at night and above freezing temperatures during the day that causes the sap to ‘flow’.”  The greater the night-to-day temperature difference, the more the sap flows.  But come March, leaves and seeds open on the trees and the sap changes, calling an end the sugar production season.  Sap from the sugar maple tree has the highest sugar content – about 3-percent – and produces the most sugar per gallon of sap collected.

The maple sugaring programs are free but advanced online registration is required at the following links.  Participants should choose the timeslots of their preference:

Read more below for dates and times of the Maple Sugaring events.

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Posted on January 29, 2022 in Home, Local Events