Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
Just in case you have not noticed yet, the local Redbuds are looking like they want to start blooming. Spring is around the corner! Finally!
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers a great idea to help celebrate our trees during Arbor Days.
The Ozark Trail: Images of Missouri’s Longest Hiking Trail, a new book by St. Louis Photographer/Author, Don Massey, Is Now Available!
Don Massey describes his work on this book as a “labor of love.” He says, “By putting the images in a book, I am hoping to share what the trail has to offer and the great gift and potential we have in creating and finishing the Ozark Trail.”
Timothy Good, superintendent for the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, presents Don Corrigan with an “Outstanding Service” award.
Don Corrigan, a Sunset Hills resident and editor of the South County Times, Webster-Kirkwood Times and West End Word, recently received an award for “Outstanding Service” from the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in Grantwood Village.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
Visitors to St. Louis County’s popular Creve Coeur Lake Park may experience some temporary restrictions in using the park for a two-week period between Jan. 21 and Feb. 17. The long-term benefit, however, should be the near-eradication of the lake’s biggest nuisance—invasive Asian carp.
Read more below from the MDC about how the carp will be removed and restrictions to lake usage during the project.
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.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is accepting used natural Christmas trees to create fish habitat in Lake 33 on the August A. Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles and in north St. Louis County at Spanish Lake Park. Christmas trees can be donated at these lakes between now and Jan.10, 2018.
Read more below from the MDC about how recycled Christmas trees help native Missouri fish.
Don Corrigan at Rocky Falls. Photo by Emery Styron
Where does Don Corrigan go to relax and enjoy nature?
St. Louis Magazine asked Corrigan a few questions about his favorite Missouri hiking spots in a new article by Jeannette Cooperman.
Find out where Corrigan recommends visiting in Missouri and a few tips to help in your journey! Read the article HERE.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture has released information about MissouriGrownUSA.com. The website gives users the ability to find locally grown products nearest to their location.
That’s right! Do you want to purchase fresh locally grown items quickly and near where you live? Do you need tomatoes, onions or lettuce? How about apples or peaches?
The answer can be found at MissouriGrownUSA.com. Type in what item you are looking for, and your zip code, and with the press of the enter key you will find where the nearest farmer or local retailer is located. OR select a category from a list of choices, like berries, cheese, eggs, meats, pickles, vegetables, fruits, relishes, salsa, and more. Easy! And everything chosen is produced right here in Missouri!
Check it out HERE!
Read more from the Missouri Department of Agriculture below.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports Jeff Rowland of Poplar Bluff became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he gigged a northern hog sucker on the Current River in Ripley County. The new “alternative method” record fish caught by Rowland on Oct. 15 weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces with a length of 18.3 inches. Rowland’s recent catch broke the previous state-record held by his cousin of a 2-pound, 3-ounce northern hog sucker gigged in 2010.
“I knew it was big fish when I gigged it, but I was shocked to see it outweighed the state-record,” Jeff Rowland said.
Partners in the American burying beetle recovery project pose with the 2017 North American Conservation Significant Achievement Award from Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). From left to right are Dan Ashe, AZA; Andrea Schuhmann, MDC Natural History Biologist; Bob Merz, St. Louis Zoo; Scott Hamilton, US Fish & Wildlife.
The American burying beetle recovery program, a partnership project between the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the St. Louis Zoo, among others, has achieved national recognition.
The program received the 2017 North American Conservation Significant Achievement Award this fall from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). AZA is the non-profit, accrediting organization for the top zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and seven other countries. According to AZA, the annual award recognizes exceptional efforts toward regional habitat preservation, species restoration and support of biodiversity in the wild.
Environmental Echo 