Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
KIRKWOOD, Mo.—The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is commemorating 80 years of citizen-driven conservation. To celebrate, MDC is holding an open house event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7. It’s an opportunity to learn about the importance of pollinators . . . and to meet the director of MDC.
It’s also the chance to offer input to help guide the next 80 years of conservation.
Visitors are invited to come from 4-6 p.m. for the educational program, Protecting our Pollinators. Discover the fascinating world of Missouri’s pollinators, including bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. Find out what you can do to help MDC’s pollinator conservation efforts. While supplies last, milkweed plants will be available for visitors to take home and help start their own pollinator gardens. Other activities will include monarch butterfly tagging, hummingbird banding, and kids’ crafts.
From 6-8 p.m. visitors will have the chance to meet MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley, learn more about MDC, and provide input for the future. The open house will begin with remarks from Director Pauley, as well as Ron Coleman, current president of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, and John Winkelman, associate editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine and host of the Scenic View outdoor radio program.
Afterwards, visitors can stop by information tables and speak with MDC experts directly about key conservation topics and MDC’s mission. MDC staff will be on hand to take feedback from visitors about what they would like to see in the future for Missouri’s fish, forest and wildlife resources. Input provided will help guide MDC in managing these resources.
The event is free and no reservations are required. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call Powder Valley at 314-301-1500. The nature center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road, near the intersection of I-270 and I-44.
For information on other MDC 80th Anniversary Open House events around the state or to offer input online, go to https://mdc.mo.gov/contact-engage/80th-anniversary-open-houses.
