Springtime is just around the corner! It’s not too early to start planning the garden!
Here are a few exciting events coming up from Gateway Greening!
Category Archives: Local Events
ImageGet Ready For Spring Gardening With Gateway Greening!
Kick Off 2018 With The Annual “First Day Hikes” In 36 Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites
On Jan.1, the annual First Day Hikes event will take place at 36 state parks and historic sites across Missouri. Participants can choose from more than 40 free, guided hikes that range in difficulty from easy to moderate, cover distances up to 4 miles and use a variety of trails in every region of the state.
In its seventh year, the annual event is part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes effort, which gives people the opportunity to start the year off right with an outdoor hike at a state park. A list of state parks with guided First Day Hikes and other related activities is available at mostateparks.com.
Read more from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources below.
Maple Sugar Festival Returns To Rockwoods Reservation Feb. 3
Photos by Holly Shanks
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has announced that the Maple Sugar Festival at Rockwoods Reservation will be back in 2018. The festival took a year off in 2017 due to a construction project in the area.
The family-friendly event will take place Saturday, Feb. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to the public at no cost.
For more information from the MDC about the event – see below.
Don’t Miss Eagle Days This January!
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has posted information about the upcoming Eagle Days! Save the date this January for the popular Eagle Days at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge festival in 2018.
Eagle Days at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge will take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13 and 14, 2018. This free, family event is an excellent opportunity to see bald eagles in the wild and up close during live bald eagle programs presented by the World Bird Sanctuary. During both days, the World Bird Sanctuary program will be repeated every 20 minutes from 10 a.m.-2:40 p.m. Lewis and Clark re-enactors will also present a living history camp on the Missouri side, and demonstrations on the Illinois side.
Powder Valley Nature Center welcomes Renowned Missouri Nature Photographer Matt Miles Dec. 1
Nature and wildlife photographer Matt Miles will give a presentation at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Following the presentation, Miles will be on hand to autograph his new book Missouri Wild and Wonderful. (Photo: MDC)
The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Nature Center will welcome accomplished Missouri nature and wildlife photographer Matt Miles for a special presentation on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Miles, who recently published the book MissouriWild and Wonderful, will share some of his spectacular photographs on the video wall in Powder Valley’s auditorium as he discusses his experiences during 20 years of photographing outdoor Missouri.
Find more information from the MDC, including how to register for the event below.
Powder Valley Nature Center To Close Nov 4-6 For Managed Deer Hunt
Photo by Diana Linsley, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center and its grounds will be closed this Saturday, Nov. 4 through Monday, Nov. 6 to accommodate a managed archery deer hunt in the area.
The managed hunt is being used as a tool to help keep deer numbers at a healthy level.
During the closure, the nature center building and grounds, including the surrounding trails, will not be accessible to the general public. Powder Valley will resume normal operational hours again starting Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The goal of the three-day managed hunt is to help balance deer populations which have grown beyond what Powder Valley’s 112-acre habitat can provide for, according to MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Erin Shank. Using data from fall spotlight survey counts, Shank estimates the deer population is approximately five times what can comfortably exist there, given the area’s size and proximity to residences and roadways.
More from the MDC release below.
Workshop: Soil Health for Native Plant Landscaping, Habitat Restoration, Sustainable Agriculture, Vegetable Gardening, and Water Quality
Hosted by the horticulture program at St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus, the workshop will be held Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A panel discussion with all speakers will follow the individual presentations.
Geared to vegetable gardeners and native plant enthusiasts, farmers, and land and water conservation professionals, this soil health workshop produced by the Grow Native! program will present a wealth of information from four experts all traveling to St. Louis for this special learning opportunity.
See speakers, cost, and location details below.
Is There Hope For Radoactive Contamination Clean-up At West Lake Landfill?
Kay Drey addresses the EPA officials at a public listening session concerning the West Lake Landfill, Oct. 19, 2017.
There have been decades of public information meetings, public feedback sessions, and government finger-pointing. There have also been years of generational illness – the kind that leaves both adults and children with rare auto-immune disorders and cancers. The result? Devastation to entire communities and families, an endless stack of funeral notices and a future that continued to promise more of the same.
Calling All Teachers & School Administrators! Is Your School Green?
The 2017 Missouri Green Schools and Environmental Education Conference.
WHEN: November 3-4
WHERE: Kansas City Zoo – Kansas City, MO
Authentic experiences with Nature are pathways to learning math, reading, writing, science, citizenship and justice as well as about how the natural world works. The conference will focus on three specific pathways, green schools, standards, and sustainability.
KEYNOTE: – Robyn Ratcliff, Executive Director, Wildwood Outdoor Education Center – “Kids Grow Better Outside”
(But It Takes Some Work to Get Them There) Many organizations want to engage underserved communities in environmental education. What do families in underserved communities want from us? Robyn Ratcliff, Executive Director of Wildwood Outdoor Education Center, will share some lessons she’s learned (the hard way) about connecting with underserved communities.
For more information, or to register for the conference CLICK HERE.
Environmental Echo 