Conservation Education

Nature Activity: Archery Basics with Wildcat Glades Staff

Program: Introduction to Archery

Who should attend: Adults and children accompanied by adults

When: Aug. 19, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Walter Woods CA. Go 1.25 miles east of Redings Mill on Route NN , then right onto Dutch Elm Drive for .75 mile.

To register, call: (417) 629-3423

Whether you are interested in bowhunting or shooting targets for fun or competition, you’ll learn everything you need to get started at the Introduction to Archery workshop Aug. 19. Offered by the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center staff, the workshop is designed to introduce new shooters to the lifetime sport of archery. Plan to meet at Walter Woods Conservation Area, which is just down the road from the Wildcat Park in Joplin. The class is free and open to the public, and it includes equipment and targets. To register, please call the number listed below.

Located in Joplin’s Wildcat Park, the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center lies next to an area of chert glades, among the last of their kind on the planet. The Audubon Center is a partnership project of Audubon Missouri, the City of Joplin and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Get Ready for Envirothon!

St. Louis high school won $10,000 in 2007.

If you’re a high school student or educator and you’re not already involved with Missouri’s Envirothon program, now is the time to put together your school’s five-member team and prepare for next May’s competition. Envirothon is a great way for students and teachers to have fun learning about natural resources. The Envirothon is sponsored by the Missouri Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts with help from the County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and University of Missouri Extension. The State’s winning school goes on to compete in the national Canon Envirothon later in the summer. In 2007, St. Louis’ Parkway North High School won fourth place and took home $10,000 and Canon photo equipment. For more information about starting an Envirothon team and preparing to compete in the 2009 competition, visit online.

Field Trip Grants

Teaching students about nature, in nature

Field trips! Students love them, but schools can’t always afford the transportation. That’s why MDC offers Conservation Field Trip Grants. This program distributes $7 per student, up to 100 students, to public, private, parochial or home-school educators for field trips related to fish, wildlife and natural habitats. Appropriate destinations include Conservation Department sites or any Missouri location that features fish, wildlife or natural habitats. MDC accepts Field Trip Grant applications on an ongoing award basis Sept. 1 through March 1, or until all funds are awarded.