Category Archives: Local Events

Pictured: musical artist John Nilsen. Photo: MDC

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will once again welcome popular northwest musical artist John Nilsen to a live performance, The Magic of Music with John Nilsen, at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center Friday, May 5 at 7 p.m.  The concert is free and open to the public.  Nilsen’s stop at Powder Valley is part of a statewide tour, including performances at multiple MDC nature centers.

For this multi-media engagement, Nilsen will compliment his nature-inspired music with the spectacular nature and wildlife images of award-winning MDC Photographer Noppadol Paothong.  Paothong’s photography can be seen regularly in MDC’s Missouri Conservationist magazine, as well as many other MDC publications.

Paothong’s stunning photography will be displayed on Powder Valley’s giant video screen, accompanied by Nilsen’s live performance in the nature center’s auditorium.

Nilsen is a noted pianist and acoustic musician who comes from Portland, Oregon.  As a sought-after entertainer throughout the U.S., Nilsen has performed in all 50 states and on four continents.  A Yamaha signature artist, Nilsen travels internationally playing over 225 performances a year.

Reservations required – see more below.

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In the 1920s, wide sloping plains by the River des Peres absorbed flood
water, resulting in minimal damage. What changed to make the floods
of July 26 & 29, 2022 so destructive?

The event is NO COST but you need an EVENTBRITE ticket. Get tickets by clicking HERE.

Photo: MDC, David Stonner.

The Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), in partnership with Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and the Missouri Department of Conservation, will host a Callery pear “buyback” program in locations around the state on April 18.

Registration is open March 15 – April 13 for participants to choose their location, register with EventBrite, select a native tree, and upload a photo of the cut-down Callery pear tree. One free, non-invasive, native tree is provided to registered participants at the selected location on the day of the event, April 18, from 3–6 p.m. (Note: Kansas City has different dates and times.)

Invasive Tree Causes Ecological Concern: Native to China, Callery pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) include 26 cultivars that present significant ecological concerns in Missouri. Some of the most common cultivars offered commercially include Aristocrat, Autumn Blaze, Bradford, Capital, Cleveland, Chanticleer, Red-spire, and Whitehouse.

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The new Howard Wood Urban Outreach office will be available for walk-in service and connect urban residents directly with conservation resources.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has opened a public outreach office in the City of St. Louis.  The MDC Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office at 4640 Shenandoah Ave, St. Louis MO 63110, just east of the Vandeventer Ave./South Kingshighway Blvd. intersection, is now open to the public. The office can be reached by phone at: 314-301-1504. The new facility is in the Brightside-St. Louis Building.

“The Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office is a collaboration space that will serve as a central hub for MDC staff with expertise in urban wildlife, fish, forestry, and conservation education. We want to provide opportunities for urban residents to enjoy and conserve nature close to where they live, including access to new communities who may not have a lot of conservation exposure or a connection to nature,” said MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley.

The new MDC Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office will provide a staffed facility and walk-in service for the public, along with conservation-related information and free publications.  The office will also offer hunting and fishing permits for sale, as well as MDC Natural Events Calendars.  It will not carry other MDC Nature Shop items.

The new facility will be open to the public ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday 4 p.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday.

“We are very excited to be returning to the City of St. Louis after eight years.  The new office will make it easier to bring urban community conservation best practices, resources, and information to City and inner-ring St. Louis County residents, schools, and partner organizations,” said Julianne Stone, MDC St. Louis Regional Administrator.

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Peanut the Turtle swims in a pond at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

Peanut the Turtle is turning 38, and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is throwing her a birthday celebration.  The birthday partying takes place at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center Saturday, Nov. 19 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.  It’s a free event and open to all ages.

Peanut the Turtle has attracted attention all over Missouri, along with national and worldwide fame, as an anti-littering mascot.  At a young age, the red-eared slider wandered into a discarded plastic six-pack ring, and it stuck around her shell.  As her shell grew, it was constricted by the plastic ring and developed an unusual, figure-eight shape.  In 1993, when she was about nine years old, she was found in the St. Louis area and brought to the Saint Louis Zoo, where the ring was removed.

They named her Peanut because of her shell’s shape and gave her to staff at MDC. Peanut has been under the care of MDC since, where she has served as a popular ambassador for litter awareness.  Peanut’s permanent home is now at the nature center.

In the spirit of Peanut’s message, participants can help with litter pickups in and around Powder Valley during her birthday celebration event.  “We’ll provide MoDOT NoMOre trash bags for participants, and for each bag of trash they collect, they can enter a raffle to win prizes,” said MDC Naturalist Shelly Colatskie.  She added that participants can also qualify for the raffle by sending photos of themselves picking up litter at other places in the area.

The nature center will also serve birthday cake in honor of Peanut’s big day.  Educational programs will help make visitors aware of the environmental challenges that plastics pose and inform them about ways they can help prevent Peanut’s fate from happening to other wildlife.  Activities will also include information on Missouri Stream Teams, crafts, a chance to see live animals, and meet and greet Peanut herself.

Peanut’s 38th Birthday Celebration is free, but MDC asks visitors to preregister online at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4pm.

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Earlier this fall, a “Dine & Discuss Luncheon” at Cyranos Restaurant in St. Louis took up the subject of nature and outdoors champions covered in author Don Corrigan’s book, Amazing Webster Groves.

The book covers such Webster notables as Jack Lorenz of the Izaak Walton League and celebrated outdoor photographer Joseph Sohm.

At the luncheon, St. Louis Zoo Director Emeritus Charlie Hoessle talked about the contributions to world zoos by George Schaller and William Conway, both WGHS graduates. Rich Thoma talked about the legacy of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society.

For a full rundown on the discussion, check out the coverage of the luncheon in the Webster University Journal. Click on the link below:

‘Dine & Discuss’ at Cyrano’s Cafe shines light on Webster Groves