Category Archives: Outdoor/Nature

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Twilight Trek and Taste Planned At Washington State Park

To celebrate the spring season, Washington State Park will host its annual Twilight Trek and Taste 6:30 to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 27.

The event will begin with a lantern-led guided hike by park interpretive staff on the base of the beautiful, natural surface 1000 Steps Trail.

Guests will end the 0.5-mile hike at Shelter #2 in the Big River Day-Use Area with an evening of complimentary wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres. Wine tastings will be provided by local area wineries, including Edg-Clif Vineyards and Bardenheier Wine Cellars. Additional purchases from the local wineries and food purchases are optional.

Read more about the event and reservations below.

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Posted on April 20, 2019 in Outdoor/Nature

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Beware The Pear! Avoid Planting The Invasive Callery Pear Tree

Photo: MDC

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) released information about the invasive Callery pear tree. Plant native trees and plants instead! Read more from the MDC below about this important topic.

The MDC encourages homeowners and landscapers to avoid planting Callery pear trees this spring. Though these trees bear beautiful white flowers in the springtime, looks can be deceiving.

The Callery pear tree is often found for sale as Bradford pear, Cleveland Select, Autumn Blaze, or Aristocrat. It is a highly invasive species that multiplies quickly, flourishes in a variety poor growing conditions, and reduces biodiversity by crowding out native Missouri plants.

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Posted on April 19, 2019 in Outdoor/Nature

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Corrigan Goes To Washington!

Pictured: Don Corrigan

Don Corrigan, professor of journalism and mass communications at Webster University, will be in Washington, D.C., April 18, for the debut of his new book, “Nuts About Squirrels: The Rodents Who Captured Popular Culture.” The squirrel offering will be hosted by McFarland Publishing at the annual convention of the Popular Culture Association.

Corrigan’s nutty squirrel squib covers how the furry critters are portrayed in books, newspapers, TV news, movies, comics, video games and more. Corrigan uses squirrels in his media courses to illustrate the ideas of Marshall McLuhan, the late media guru who once taught at St. Louis University. Corrigan will start his St. Louis book tour at Webster and Kirkwood public libraries at 7 p.m. on  April 30 & May 7, followed by more signings in the St. Charles County and Jefferson County library systems.

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Posted on April 17, 2019 in Home, Outdoor/Nature

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Don Corrigan Discusses His New Book On KMOX

Pictured: Don Corrigan

Don Corrigan was recently on KMOX’s “Whole Nother Story” with Kevin Killeen. The short radio interview gives a glimpse into the story behind Corrigan’s new book, “Nuts About Squirrels: The Rodents That Conquered Popular Culture.”

 

Hear the radio interview from KMOX below. (The audio is 2 minutes long.)

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Posted on April 16, 2019 in Nuts About Squirrels, Outdoor/Nature, Podcasts

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Local TV Stations Fox 2 and KPLR-11 Win MDC Award

MDC Outreach and Education Chief Shawn Gruber (right) presents Fox 2/KPLR-11 Midday News Producer Peggy Dierssen with the 2018 MDC Statewide Outreach and Education External Partnership Award. The two TV stations have been providing exemplary communications and outreach support to MDC for 10 years. Photo: MDC

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) awarded two local TV stations with the 2018 Outreach and Education External Partnership Award.

Communication, public outreach, and education have always been a top priority for the MDC. Conserving fish, forest and wildlife resources requires public appreciation and support. Each year, MDC’s Outreach and Education Division recognizes one external partner in Missouri for their significant contributions to conservation outreach that benefit the community, MDC, and Missouri citizens.

The Fox 2 KTVI and KPLR-11 television stations in St. Louis were selected to receive the statewide 2018 Outreach and Education External Partnership Award by MDC for their outstanding public service efforts and exemplary support of conservation for the last 10 years.

Read more from the MDC information release below.

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Posted on April 15, 2019 in Home, Outdoor/Nature

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Missouri Morel Season Is Upon Us! Happy Hunting!

It’s almost Morel season!

Want a few pointers on hunting the golden morel’s?

CLICK HERE to check out the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website for pictures, videos, important information, like the description of the lookalike poisonous false morels.

We also have our own story about local Missouri Morel hunting. Read our past post HERE.

Get outside and have fun looking for the yummy Missouri Morel!

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Posted on April 6, 2019 in Outdoor/Nature

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Katherine Golden Shares First-Hand “Nature Explorer” Experiences With Local Teachers

Katherine Golden with a giant tortoise.

By Don Corrigan  (Webster-Kirkwood Times)

IMAX Theatre presentations at the Saint Louis Science Center used to inspire Katherine Golden when she was younger to imagine herself as an explorer. Thanks to a National Geographic program for teachers, she no longer has to imagine.

Golden has returned from a trip to the Galápagos Islands, where she explored the islands’ marvels, courtesy of Linblad Expedition ships, including the National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Endeavour II and the National Geographic Sea Lion.

She saw the incredible tortoises and the vast diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else in the world. She saw the creatures Charles Darwin discovered in 1835, which played a role in his formulations for the scientific theory of evolution.

“The trip taught me so much about seeing things as an explorer would, about the importance of place, and about the power of storytelling,” Golden said.

“Now I want to share my stories with other teachers, which is part of the responsibility for educators chosen for the National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher fellowships,” she explained.

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Posted on March 8, 2019 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature

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St. Charles Is Celebrating 250 years!

Photo by Holly Shanks.

The city of St. Charles is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year! The Lewis and Clark Expedition will be the main focus of the celebrations taking place.

History runs deep on the shores of the Missouri River in St. Charles. Looks like 2019 will be a great year to visit St. Charles and learn about famous visitors in Missouri’s history. Did you know the first Missouri State Capital building was located in St. Charles? Want to learn more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition? Visit St. Charles and see the Lewis and Clark’s campsite, memorial statue and the Lewis & Clark Boathouse and Museum.

For more information, use the links below to find out more about this year’s celebrations. (At the end of this post see information for Don Corrigan’s new book – coming soon!)

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Posted on February 17, 2019 in Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

Where Are St. Louis’ Urban Fishing Hotspots? Find Out Feb. 22!

Posted on February 16, 2019 | Leave a comment

There are over 80 public lakes comprising more than 1,200 acres of water in the St. Louis area. Photo provided by MDC.

UPDATE FROM MDC: “Fishin’ Hotspots of the St. Louis Area” program at Powder Valley Nature Center has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances making the speaker unavailable. The program will be rescheduled at a later date. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your support of conservation.

 

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) continues its 50th anniversary of St. Louis urban fishing celebration with a special presentation at Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood. The St. Louis lake fishing hotspots program will be held Friday, Feb. 22 starting at 7 p.m.

St. Louis has many quality lake and pond fishing opportunities, from rainbow and brown trout in winter months, to largemouth bass and channel catfish sure to give any angler’s line a workout in warmer months. Many St. Louis anglers may not know about them, however. There are more than 80 public lakes comprising more than 1,200 acres of water within a one-hour drive of the Gateway Arch.

MDC invites St. Louis-area anglers to learn about these overlooked St. Louis fishing holes with MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Kevin Meneau, who manages the urban fishing program.

Read more about the event and how to register below.

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Posted in Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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MDC Marks 50th Anniversary With Year Long Celebration of St. Louis’ Urban Fishing Program

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

Read the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) story of how the Urban Fishing Program (UFP) began and how the positive influence of the outdoors was a resounding success in our urban communities.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the MDC Urban Fishing Program. MDC plans to spend 2019 celebrating and invites metro area anglers to join in.

The UFP was originally initiated in 1969 by the federal government during a time when civil unrest was causing tensions in many cities across the country. Their goal was to bring close-to-home fishing to people and infuse a positive influence into urban communities. The program launched in six cities, including St. Louis with the cooperation of MDC and the St. Louis Parks and Recreation Department. It was a resounding success in the Gateway City. MDC took over the UFP in 1972 and eventually expanded it into St. Louis County and Kansas City.

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Posted on January 19, 2019 in Home, Outdoor/Nature

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