Community Conservation

Taking Action Platte Land Trust

• Group featured: Platte Land Trust

• Group mission: To preserve natural lands for scenic and recreational enjoyment, watershed protection and wildlife habitat preservation.
• Group location: Platte County

Often planners of shopping centers, housing or other developments fail to consider the impacts such structures can have on the environment. The Platte Land Trust is working to change that in Platte County by assisting businesses and homeowners to implement environmentally friendly development practices. The nonprofit agency has assisted with projects ranging from the placement of rain barrels and planting of trees and grasses to the building of permeable pavements.

The Platte Land Trust wants to assist with low-impact development in the middle part of its watershed, which is expected to grow rapidly in the next decade. Low-impact development can help a community avoid flooding, water contamination and other problems that occur when construction of impervious surfaces interferes with the filtration of water into the ground.

Adopt Your Favorite Trail

Maintaining Missouri’s trails takes volunteers.

Help put fellow Missourians on the path to outdoor discoveries by volunteering with the Department of Conservation’s Adopt-A-Trail program. The program enables hikers, bicyclists and equestrians to assist staff at conservation facilities in monitoring, maintaining and enhancing trails and trailhead facilities. Activities include keeping trail surfaces free of litter and other debris and reporting vandalism, trail hazards or other safety issues. To adopt a trail at your favorite conservation area, contact the Adopt-A-Trail Coordinator at (573) 522-4115 ext. 3636 or trails@mdc.mo.gov.

Operation Game Thief

Report poachers to the OGT hot line.

Your cell phone and attention to detail can help nab poachers. Programming the Operation Game Thief hot line number, (800) 392-1111, into your cell phone enables you to easily and anonymously provide information on poaching to the Department of Conservation. Important facts to note when calling OGT include the exact time and location of the violation, descriptions of persons and vehicles involved, license plate numbers and the direction in which the suspected violators are traveling. Rewards are available for tips that lead to convictions. Poaching affects us all by giving the poacher an unfair advantage over his quarry—and over those who legally pursue game. The term “poaching” covers all violations of state game laws.