Environmental Echo

Columbia Bottom staff has planted additional sunflower fields for viewing and photo opportunities again this year. MDC crews have staggered the timing of the plantings to spread the blooming periods out through mid-August. Photo: MDC

The 4th of July brings spectacular aerial fireworks shows.  However, this time of year nature also puts on its own explosive displays of color.  Sunflower fans will have the opportunity again this summer to view and photograph remarkable sunflower displays at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake.  Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff has planted multiple sunflower plots again this year.

Showy sunflower fields have been an annual tradition at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.  MDC staff have been planting sunflowers for years as part of their management for mourning doves.  The area is known for dove hunting each September.  The large flowers supply seeds that entice the birds, and their lofty stalks create cover for the hunters who pursue them.  Sunflowers also benefit a wide variety of other birds and pollinators.  They lure plenty of photographers, too.

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Members of the Loess Hills Master Naturalists work on a tree planting project along Highway 36 from St. Joseph to Hannibal. Photo: MDC

Protecting Missouri’s natural resources is an ongoing and challenging task. The challenge is made easier when private citizen groups can coordinate efforts with state agencies to provide education, outreach information, and services. That’s the idea behind Missouri’s Master Naturalist program.

The Meramec Hills Master Naturalist Chapter will hold a Master Naturalist informational meeting from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 3 at the Rolla Technical Institute (RTI) Building, Classroom 121. The RTI Building is located at 1304 E. 10^th St. in Rolla.

The Missouri Master Naturalist program mixes science with service. Master Naturalists engage Missourians in stewardship of the state’s natural resources through science-based education and volunteer community service. The program is a partnership between MDC and the University of Missouri Extension.

The Aug. 3 meeting will have information on the program and on the Master Naturalist training course that will be held on Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. from Aug. 31 through Nov. 9. Some scholarship opportunities are available.

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May 30 incident, a 19-year-old was standing on the banks of the river at Castlewood when he slipped into the Meramec at mid-afternoon. He was underwater for 10 minutes before two men were able to find him in the river and pull him out.

He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. This area has experienced an unusually high number of drownings. The surface of the water often may look calm, but there are strong currents and undertows just below.

Charlie Woodruff, a 22-year-old Webster University student, knows the Castlewood Park area well. The bluffs along the river offer excellent views. Trails above the river offer pretty walks past the ruins of a 1950s’ resort area.

Hikes on trails along the river offer nature rewards as well, but Charlie Woodruff says the park’s reputation for bucolic trails and natural beauty is being ruined and overwhelmed by the sheer number of fatalities among those who decide to take a dip in the Meramec River.

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Stars and Fireflies – Photo courtesy MDC.

Enjoy an evening of insects, stargazing, music, and more at August A. Busch Conservation Area after dark on July 23, 2022!

This program highlights the interesting world of moths and other night-flying insects, in celebration of National Moth Week.

Activities will include black light sheet insect ID by the Sofia M. Sachs Butterfly House staff, information from the International Dark-Sky Association, telescope stargazing, and a special musical performance by the Eco Tones. Bring the whole family and discover nature after dark!

This is a no registration, all-ages event, but please visit our information table to check-in and for a free sweet and cold treat. It is STRONGLY encouraged that you bring a flashlight or headlamp as lights on the area will be out.

No Registration Required
Date: Saturday, July 23, 2022

Time: 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Location: St. Louis Regional Office/Busch Memorial Conservation Area

Photo by Ursula Ruhl

By Don Corrigan

As a youngster, Matthew Norman used to play – and work – in his grandmother’s garden in Kirkwood. She inspired his plant career, which blossomed in the decades since he was in the dirt at grandma’s house.

Norman started his plant career right out of Kirkwood High School when he took a job with the Kirkwood Parks & Recreation Department in 2014. Today, he cares for the Missouri Botanical Garden’s (MoBot) two extensive rose gardens.

“The rose gardens are true crowd pleasers,” noted MoBot spokesperson Catherine Martin. “Matthew Norman is the garden’s rosarian and he looks over more than 1,500 individual plants encompassing 250 varieties.”

Roses hold a historically special place at the Garden in Saint Louis. Founder Henry Shaw wrote a small book on the emblem of his native England, entitled “The Rose.”

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Photo: Missouri Department of Conservation

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds St. Louis region residents that spring and early summer is the time when bears are on the move.

It’s common for MDC to receive reports of bears in counties like Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, and Crawford.  However, it was just over a year ago when a male black bear wandered through St. Louis County and into Richmond Heights, were MDC biologists immobilized and safely relocated the bear to an area of suitable bear habitat outside the urban corridor.

Incidents like this remind us that black bears are becoming a growing part of the St. Louis regional landscape, even at times in highly populated areas.

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