Category Archives: Local Events
ImageMissouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale in St. Louis County on April 12
Native plants beautify landscapes and help support songbirds and other cherished wildlife.
The sale is located at the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park.
A wide variety of native wildflowers, grasses, sedges, vines, shrubs, and trees supplied by four Grow Native! professional members will be available for purchase at a Missouri Prairie Foundation native plant sale organized in partnership with World Bird Sanctuary, 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd., Valley Park, MO 63088 on Saturday, April 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Note: The World Bird Sanctuary has an entry fee of $12 per car that all plant sale customers will have to pay to enter. This fee grants access to the plant sale and the live bird displays.
Vendors at this event are Gaylena’s Garden, River City Natives, Ozark Soul Native Plants, and Papillon Perennials.
Some vendors accept cash, check, or credit cards; some only cash or checks. Shoppers may begin browsing product selections, making purchases, and picking up pre-orders from each vendor at the advertised start time. “Early birds” will be asked to wait until the advertised start time to begin shopping.
“Choosing native plants for home landscaping is one of the best actions homeowners can take to support nature’s web of life—including beloved birds—and add beauty to their yards or property,” said Carol Davit, Missouri Prairie Foundation Executive Director.
Posted in Home, Local Events
Forest ReLeaf of Missouri: April Open Nursery Potting Day, April 12, 2025
April Open Nursery Potting Day, Saturday, April 12 · 9 – 11am, located at CommuniTree Gardens Nursery, 2194 Creve Coeur Mill Road South Maryland Heights, MO 63146. Register HERE.
Each year Forest ReLeaf pots over 20,000 bare root seedlings in preparation for distribution to tree planting projects across the state of Missouri in the spring and fall. This is made possible through volunteer efforts!
Helping hands of all ages are welcomed to the nursery to help make sure these young trees get planted properly. Potting days begin with a tour of the nursery and a quick overview of the process, and ample opportunities for breaks. We’ll provide gloves, training, and snacks.
Please dress for dirt and weather and bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated!
2025 Urban Gardening Symposium
Join Brightside St. Louis, Saturday, May 31st, 2025 for the St. Louis Urban Gardening Symposium located at Brightside St. Louis’ Demonstration Garden at 4646 Shenandoah Avenue.
The symposium will feature Dr. Ed Spevak as the keynote speaker. Dr. Spevak is the Curator of Invertebrates at the Saint Louis Zoo and Director of Saint Louis Zoo’s WildCare Institute Center for Native Pollinator Conservation (CNPC). He will share his expertise in native plants and pollinators.
The event will also showcase local experts with experience and knowledge of installing and caring for native plants and creating garden designs beneficial to pollinators and beautiful for your neighborhood. You’ll enjoy the variety of organizations represented- from MSD Project Clear to St. Louis Master Gardeners!
Following the initial showcase, concurrent workshops led by experts in their respective fields will help gardeners learn how to plan, plant and care for a neighborhood or home garden. There will be opportunities to “Ask the Experts” between sessions and to purchase native plants after the workshops!
For more information, registration and cost details, workshop line-up and event flyer click link below.
Confluence Trash Bash, April 12, 2025
Register now to volunteer for the 2025 Confluence Trash Bash on April 12, 2025.
Be a part of one of the largest volunteer clean-up events in the region & help beautify the Lower Missouri River watershed.
Learn more at: https://volunteer.openspacestl.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=132647
Fun Activities at Lake Area Missouri State Parks
Thursday, March 13, 5:30 p.m. – Thursday Night Hike: Fawns Ridge Trail at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Join the team at Lake of the Ozarks State Park for a series of guided night hikes each Thursday from March 13 to April 3. Participants will explore a different trail each week and are encouraged to bring water and snacks. This hike will begin at the trailhead by Public Beach #1 and is 1.4 miles long. Registration is required and can be submitted by visiting icampmo.com or by calling Brian Fredrick at 573-690-0450. Lake of the Ozarks State Park is located at 403 Highway 134 in Brumley.
Thursday, March 20, 5:30 p.m. – Thursday Night Hike: Lake View Bend Trail at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Join the team at Lake of the Ozarks State Park for the second hike in a series of guided night hikes each Thursday from March 13 to April 3. Participants will explore a different trail each week and are encouraged to bring water and snacks. This week’s hike will begin at the trailhead and is 1.5 miles long. Registration is required and can be submitted by visiting icampmo.com or by calling Brian Fredrick at 573-690-0450. Lake of the Ozarks State Park is located at 403 Highway 134 in Brumley.
Saturday, March 22, 3 p.m. – Backyard Birds at Bennett Spring State Park.
Join the team at the nature center to learn about the basic backyard birds that are found in Missouri year round. Afterward, test your identification skills by watching our feeders for these common birds. Bring binoculars if you wish to watch the birds at the feeders. This free program is open to the public, and no registration is needed. Bennett Spring State Park is located at 26250 Highway 64A outside of Lebanon.
Thursday, March 27, 5:30 p.m. – Thursday Night Hike: Rocky Top Trail at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. The third hike in a series of guided night hikes each Thursday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m. Participants will explore a different trail each week and are encouraged to bring water and snacks. This week’s hike will begin at the trailhead and is 2 miles long. Registration is required and can be submitted by visiting icampmo.com or by calling Brian Fredrick at 573-690-0450. Lake of the Ozarks State Park is located at 403 Highway 134 in Brumley.
Saturday, March 29, 3 p.m. – Early Spring Blooms at Bennett Spring State Park. Visit the nature center to learn about the early spring wildflowers that bloom at Bennett Spring State Park. This free event will be held at 26250 Highway 64A outside of Lebanon.
For detailed information on any of these activities, please visit mostateparks.com/events. 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.
Spring Is In The Air: Wildflower Hike
Photo by Holly Shanks
Hiking: Wonderful Wildflowers
Date/Time: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 9:00AM-10:30AM
Registration: Register Here!
Location: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Join a Powder Valley naturalist for a guided hike and learn about these temporary treasures! This hike will take place along the long loop of our Hickory Ridge Trail, which covers 1.2 miles of hilly oak-hickory forest.
Hiking: Wonderful Wildflowers
Date/Time: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 11:00 AM-12:30PM
Registration: Register Here!
Location: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Join a Powder Valley naturalist for a guided hike and learn about these temporary treasures! This hike will take place along the long loop of our Hickory Ridge Trail, which covers 1.2 miles of hilly oak-hickory forest.
Nature at Night: How Lights Affect Ecosystems
Everything in nature spends half of its existence under night. And while humans may be sleeping, much of the natural world is wide awake and active. Both plants and animals on Earth have evolved with the darkness of night. The increase of artificial light in the last few decades is changing that and impacting these species.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites the public to learn more about this emerging field of study at Nature at Night: How Lights Affect Ecosystems, a free program at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center Friday, Feb. 28 from 6 – 8 p.m. The event is open to ages nine years and up and includes a night hike. Participants under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.
Did you know that at least 30% of vertebrates and 60% of invertebrates are active at night? For millions of years, the natural world has thrived on the predictable rhythms of daylight and darkness. However, recent studies reveal that the growth of artificial light at night is increasing sky brightness by 10% each year.
Don Ficken, Founder of DarkSky Missouri and Lights Out Heartland, will discuss the fascinating world of nature at night and how adopting responsible lighting practices can safeguard Missouri’s ecosystems.
The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with a naturalist-guided night hike on the Tanglevine trail starting at 6:15 p.m., and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m.
Nature at Night: How Lights Affect Ecosystems is a free event, but advanced online registration is required – CLICK HERE.
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road in Kirkwood, near the intersection of I-270 and I-44.
Deep Roots, Strong Community: Kirkwood Tells The World What A Post Oak Is On March 1
PHOTO CREDIT: Starhill Forest Arboretum.
by Don Corrigan
The term “Post Oak” means different things to different people:
• To Virginians, Post Oak is an unincorporated community in Spotsylvania.
• To folks in western Missouri, Post Oak is a community in Johnson County.
• To Texans in the city of Houston, Post Oak is a mixed-use skyscraper.
• To folks in East Texas, Post Oak is a shopping mall in College Station.
For citizens in Missouri’s Greentree City of Kirkwood, a post oak is a tree, but no ordinary tree. On March 1, the post oak will be officially and most definitively declared “Kirkwood Tree of the Year 2025.”
The post oak tree program is from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center at 210 E. Monroe Ave. Visitors can consult with tree specialists and forestry experts at information tables.
“My goal for the March 1 event is to build enthusiasm among Kirkwood residents to plant more trees,” said Kirkwood Mayor Liz Gibbons. “As everyone can see, we have been losing some tree canopy in the city.
“Holding an event to highlight the ‘Kirkwood Tree of the Year,’ and to inform citizens on the advantages of a fuller canopy, should get us to the goal of replacing lost tree canopy.”
Eagle Days returns to Audubon Center at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary Feb. 8
Photo: MDC
Few words can describe the thrill of seeing America’s national symbol soaring through the air in the wild, or close enough to touch. And winter is the ideal time to view bald eagles in Missouri, especially along one of North America’s greatest rivers.
The metro area’s premier celebration of bald eagles returns for 2025 to the Audubon Center at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton. The event will take place Saturday, Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. This popular annual festival offers the chance for all ages to discover a close connection with the bald eagle.
The Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is an outstanding convergence point for bald eagles and many other exciting waterfowl species during the winter. Owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Rivers Project, the 3,700-acre sanctuary sits on the banks of the Mississippi near its confluence with the Missouri River . . . an ideal location to view eagles.
Participants can see eagles through spotting scopes staffed by trained volunteers at viewing stations along the river. Live “All about Eagles” programs will be presented by experts from the World Bird Sanctuary at 9:15 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:45 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Visitors can see a live bald eagle as they learn the fascinating story behind these amazing raptors. Additionally, there will be two Eagle Meet and Greet events at 10:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. where participants can see a bald eagle up close and get a photo taken with World Bird Sanctuary naturalists and their bald eagle companions.
Environmental Echo 