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Missouri State Parks Extends Centennial Passport Program

Missouri State Parks announced today that, because of its ongoing popularity across the state, the Centennial Passport program has been extended until April 9, 2018.

The original deadline was Oct. 31, 2017. The new deadline date commemorates the state park system’s founding on April 9, 1917, and gives Passport participants an additional six months to complete the program. The extension applies to both the printed passport and the digital passport formats.

All of the rules remain the same, except for the deadlines:
Printed – Completed passports must be presented to park/historic site staff for verification by close of business on Monday, April 9, 2018.
Digital – To be eligible for a prize package, passports must be completed by close of business on Monday, April 9, 2018.

Grand Prize drawings will now be held on May 15, 2018. Go to mostateparks.com/passport for more information about the Centennial Passport Program.

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Posted on November 10, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature

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SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES CLIMATE CHANGE CULINARY TOUR

From left to right are Barbara Wall, Diane Albright, and Rachel Speed, Sierra Club members who participated in the Climate Change Culinary tour.

Climate change often seems like a big, slow-moving monster that haunts other people’s lives in other locations, but the powerful natural disasters associated with climate change can be felt from thousands of miles away right here in St Louis.

Members of the Sierra Club spoke with St. Louis area restaurateurs who have roots in communities that have been hit by natural disasters. The Sierra Club Climate Change Culinary Tour gave participants plenty to chew on, both literally and figuratively, as they partook in carefully crafted cuisine and learned about the cultures and communities that inspire each venue.

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Posted on November 5, 2017 in Environment

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Powder Valley Nature Center To Close Nov 4-6 For Managed Deer Hunt

Photo by Diana Linsley, Webster-Kirkwood Times.

Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center and its grounds will be closed this Saturday, Nov. 4 through Monday, Nov. 6 to accommodate a managed archery deer hunt in the area.

The managed hunt is being used as a tool to help keep deer numbers at a healthy level.

During the closure, the nature center building and grounds, including the surrounding trails, will not be accessible to the general public.  Powder Valley will resume normal operational hours again starting Tuesday, Nov. 7.

The goal of the three-day managed hunt is to help balance deer populations which have grown beyond what Powder Valley’s 112-acre habitat can provide for, according to MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Erin Shank.  Using data from fall spotlight survey counts, Shank estimates the deer population is approximately five times what can comfortably exist there, given the area’s size and proximity to residences and roadways.

More from the MDC release below.

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Posted on November 4, 2017 in Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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Some creatures can’t seem to catch a break, especially around the Halloween season

Photo: Webster-Kirkwood Times

No haunted house for Halloween is complete without a scary bat, a spooky owl and a sly, skittering spider. Area yard decorations feature bug-eyed spiders, hooting owls and flapping bats all ready to give kids the critter jitters.

Certain creepy creatures are just naturally synonymous with Halloween. But why? Do spiders, bats and owls deserve a bad rap every October?

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Posted on October 30, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature

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Black & Green Wednesday: The Sixth Mass Extinction

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Posted on October 29, 2017 in Local Events

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Workshop: Soil Health for Native Plant Landscaping, Habitat Restoration, Sustainable Agriculture, Vegetable Gardening, and Water Quality

Hosted by the horticulture program at St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus, the workshop will be held Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A panel discussion with all speakers will follow the individual presentations.

Geared to vegetable gardeners and native plant enthusiasts, farmers, and land and water conservation professionals, this soil health workshop produced by the Grow Native! program will present a wealth of information from four experts all traveling to St. Louis for this special learning opportunity.

See speakers, cost, and location details below.

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Posted on October 24, 2017 in Local Events

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Is There Hope For Radoactive Contamination Clean-up At West Lake Landfill?

Kay Drey addresses the EPA officials at a public listening session concerning the West Lake Landfill, Oct. 19, 2017.

There have been decades of public information meetings, public feedback sessions, and government finger-pointing. There have also been years of generational illness – the kind that leaves both adults and children with rare auto-immune disorders and cancers. The result? Devastation to entire communities and families, an endless stack of funeral notices and a future that continued to promise more of the same.

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Posted on October 20, 2017 in Environment, Local Events

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Calling All Teachers & School Administrators! Is Your School Green?

The 2017 Missouri Green Schools and Environmental Education Conference.

WHEN: November 3-4
WHERE: Kansas City Zoo – Kansas City, MO

Authentic experiences with Nature are pathways to learning math, reading, writing, science, citizenship and justice as well as about how the natural world works. The conference will focus on three specific pathways, green schools, standards, and sustainability.

KEYNOTE: – Robyn Ratcliff, Executive Director, Wildwood Outdoor Education Center –  “Kids Grow Better Outside”

(But It Takes Some Work to Get Them There) Many organizations want to engage underserved communities in environmental education. What do families in underserved communities want from us? Robyn Ratcliff, Executive Director of Wildwood Outdoor Education Center, will share some lessons she’s learned (the hard way) about connecting with underserved communities.

For more information, or to register for the conference CLICK HERE.

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Posted on October 20, 2017 in Local Events

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TRIM Grants Awarded To 35 Missouri Communities

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) TRIM grants offer cost-share funding for government agencies, public schools, and nonprofit groups to manage, improve or conserve trees on public lands.

“Trees make life better for our cities and towns every day,” said MDC Community Forestry Program Supervisor Russell Hinnah. “TRIM grants help communities with tree inventory, pruning, planting, and programs that help keep our neighborhood trees healthy and thriving.”

The MDC recently awarded $382,914 to Missouri communities through its Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program.

See what cities and organizations received the grants below.

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Posted on October 18, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature

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Forest Park Great Streets Open House: Public Invited To Voice Ideas

A public open house is scheduled to update the community on recommendations from the Forest Park Great Streets project team, gather feedback and answer questions.

When: Thursday, October 19, 9:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Who: East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the City of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, and the nonprofit conservancy Forest Park Forever
Where: Trolley Room in the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center, 5595 Grand Drive in Forest Park.

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Posted on October 15, 2017 in Local Events