Conservation Education

Nature Activity

Powder Valley Bird Bash

• Program: Friday Night Live: It’s a Bird Bash!
• Where: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center at 11715 Cragwold Road in Kirkwood
• When: Friday, March 27, 6–9 p.m.
• Registration: No registration needed, and the program is free. Call (314) 301-1500 for more information.

March is a great time to learn about and celebrate birds. Many of our favorite migratory birds are winging their way back to Missouri from wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. Our state’s year-round avian residents have begun their spring courtship rituals, too. Join Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center for a spring celebration of birds. The center’s Friday Night Live: “It’s a Bird Bash!” will feature games, bird crafts, a bird identification scavenger hunt and many other bird-related activities. Visitors will get an eye-to-eye look at Missouri’s powerful birds of the sky when a group of licensed Missouri falconers exhibit their live raptor hunting partners! All ages are invited to enjoy this free event.

Butterfly Gardening

Free booklet shows how to use native plants to attract butterflies.

Want more butterflies in your garden this summer? The recipe is simple. Provide them and their caterpillars with host plants, most of which are native to Missouri. Our free publication, Butterfly Gardening and Conservation, features step-by-step instructions on how to design and plant a garden that will attract and sustain butterflies, year after year. Chock-full of full-color photos, the booklet includes sections on conducting butterfly surveys, designing around sun and wind, planting adult nectar sources, furnishing feeding and breeding grounds, sketching plans and controlling pests. Sections on accommodating nature and conserving butterflies in your community help you become a champion for one of Missouri’s most beautiful insect species. You can download this booklet from the Web , or order a printed copy by writing MDC, Butterfly Gardening and Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102 or e-mail pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov.

Conservation Frontiers

Complete milestones to earn outdoor gear.

Looking for new outdoor adventures this spring? The Conservation Frontiers Program offers dozens of ways to explore and conserve natural Missouri. The guidebook starts with nature walks and field trips, but you can begin with any topic, such as forestry or wildlife studies. Once enrolled in the program, you complete activities to qualify for special Frontiers awards —compasses and water bottles, for example. Anyone can participate in the program, but children ages 5 to 17 need an adult sponsor. For more information, write to Education Programs, Conservation Frontiers Program, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65109-0180.