Events

Celebrate Earth Day all week with us! Volunteer naturalists will present their passion for gardening with native plants, offer recommendations, and give tips on encouraging pollinators. All ages.

Cooking outdoors is a great complement to many other outdoor activities. Whether you are camping, fishing, hunting, or enjoying your backyard, this program will add another element to your outdoor experience. In this session, we will discuss different methods, techniques, and ingredients to grill or bake fish.

This class covers the basic equipment, materials, and techniques needed to reload metallic cartridges and produce custom loads suited to your rifle for the particular target or game you are pursing. We will demonstrate the process and then give you some hands-on experience reloading rifle cartridges.

It is morel mushroom season. We will discuss not only morels but the life cycle of other mushrooms, habitat, and locations where to look as well as rule and regulations.

Celebrate Earth Day all week with us! Volunteer Naturalist Cathy Webb will present on behalf of DarkSky Missouri, demonstrating how bird migration and other wildlife are disturbed by light pollution in the state. All ages.

Nature's Needlers, a program combining nature with quilting, is back! This monthly series features a nature presentation along with a customized quilt block pattern to take home and complete at your own pace. The 2024 theme is "Missouri's Conservation Success Stories."

Aaron Hildreth, a scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, will share the story of how MDC managed to reestablish a population of the magnificent and impressive elk to Missouri’s landscape (our 4th quilt block). Registration required. Ages 18+

Celebrate Earth Day all week with us! Artificial lighting helps humans function in the dark, but robs wildlife of their ability to perform daily functions. Join us as we learn the effects of light pollution on plants and wildlife and what we can do to stop it. This program will not be recorded. Please include a valid email address when you register so we can send you a virtual program link.

Five Common Missouri Fish - Their Anatomy, Habitat, and Life Cycle. Fishing with Lures and Fishing Regulations. You must take Discover Nature - Fishing Lesson 1 and 2 before you can take this class.

Additional Information:

Lesson 3: Five Common Missouri Fish-Their Anatomy, Habitat, and Life Cycle combines instruction with hands-on fishing to teach young anglers and their families basic biological concepts and functions specific to largemouth bass, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, channel catfish and rainbow trout. Participants will learn the different components of fish anatomy and their functions. In addition, participants will learn about various types of fish habitat and aquatic food webs. Lesson 4: Fishing with Lures and Fishing Regulations combines instruction with hands-on fishing to teach young anglers and families how to properly select a fishing lure based on desired fish species, weather and water conditions. In addition, participants will learn how to identify and understand fishing regulations.

Participants are limited to anglers ages 7 and up. We encourage the entire family to participate. Fishing equipment, instructors/coaches and bait/lures will be provided. Adults who do not wish to fish must accompany their child(ren) at all times. Participants must have completed Lessons 1 and 2 prior to attending Lessons 3 & 4. Participants do NOT need a fishing permit to fish during this program. For additional information or questions contact LuAnn Conway at (573) 325-1381 ext. 6036.

Fishing is a great way for kids and families to have fun outdoors, learn about conservation, and make happy memories. Our Discover Nature-Fishing program is a hands-on, four-part fishing instruction series that helps families gain the skills and confidence they need to go fishing on their own.

This program will cover the Discover Nature-Fishing Lessons 1 and 2, which are best to complete before Lessons 3 and 4 (hosted later). Participants will learn about fishing equipment, casting, rigging a fishing rod, baiting a hook, and proper fish handling. The Discover Nature-Fishing program is available for ages 7 and up. This program will take place at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. Participants will not be required to have a valid fishing license for this program.

Veterans are invited to fish for free Saturday (April 20) at Bennett Springs State Park’s Veterans’ Fishing Day event. This special day is a chance for any veteran to get out and fish! Missouri offers tremendous trout park fishing opportunities and Bennett Spring proudly sponsors this event and an opportunity to fish for FREE.

At Veterans’ Fishing Day, fishing is free for all veterans. There is no license or daily tag fee. All veterans can pick up free trout tags at the park store on the Friday evening before or anytime on Saturday during the event. Fishing hours for the event will be 7 a.m.to 7:30 p.m.

During the event a part of the park’s Zone 2 fishing area will be specially stocked and reserved for anglers who are veterans. Adjacent to the fishing area, volunteers will be hosting a hospitality tent featuring fly tying demos, lessons, casting instruction, and the latest adaptive fishing equipment.

If you are interested in trout fishing, come out and fish with one of our heroes on the water – many volunteers will be on hand to show you the ropes! Not quite sure, practice with some of the casting games on the lawn or tie up a fly.

For more information please contact Ben Havens at Ben.Havens@mdc.mo.gov or call the hatchery at 417-532-4418.