Community Conservation

Taking Action: TRIM aids communities hit by ice

The Tree Resource Improvement and Management program expanded services to help 42 communities recover from damage caused by ice storms in January. The Missouri Conservation Commission provided more than $350,000 to help with the removal of downed and hazardous trees following the ice storms. The funds were provided to the city of St. Louis and communities located in counties that had been declared major disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The TRIM grants are part of an effort by the Department of Conservation and the Missouri Community Forest Council to assist communities in the care and maintenance of trees. Annually, through its competitive cost-share tree care program, TRIM provides grants of $1,000 to $10,000 to assist government agencies, public schools and non-profit groups with projects to manage, improve or conserve trees on public lands.

You Can Help Save Bees

Reverse the decline of bee populations, plant natives.

Help take the sting out of problems contributing to the population declines of native bees and other pollinators by planting native plants this spring. The insects make reproduction possible for most of the fruits, vegetables, seed crops and other crops we rely upon for food, drugs, fuel and other items. According to the National Academies of Sciences, disease, competition from exotic species and habitat loss are among the causes for decreases in pollinator populations. Everyone can help reverse declines linked to habitat loss by planting native plants at home, school, the workplace and public lands.

Start your pollinator conservation efforts by assessing your property to learn the native pollinators and habitat that already exist. Next, adjust land management practices to avoid harming the pollinators and habitat, then work to enhance the habitat. Grow Native!, which promotes use of native plants for landscaping, has excellent information on plants that attract wildlife and a list of retail sales outlets for native plants and seeds. The Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting biological diversity through invertebrate conservation, has a wealth of in-depth, practical information about the conservation of pollinators on its Web site.