Discover Nature

6 Ideas for Family Fun

To find more events near you, call your regional office, or visit mdc.mo.gov and choose your region.

Tenth Anniversary Celebration

May 2 • Saturday • 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Southeast Region, Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, 2289 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 No registration, call 573-290-5218 for information All ages, families.

Help us celebrate the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center’s 10th anniversary with an assortment of programs from outdoor skills and animal identification to native plants and nature art. Activities will be on a firstcome, first-served basis. Try one activity or try them all. Youth and adult groups welcome.

Discover Nature — Families: .22 Rifle Shooting Basics

May 16 • Saturday • 8:30–11:30 a.m. Southwest Region, Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center, 4897 N. Farm Road 61, Ash Grove, MO 65604 Registration required, call 417-742-4361 or email daltonrange@mdc.mo.gov All ages, families.

Join us to discover the joys of shooting a .22-caliber rifle. We will discuss various aspects of rifle shooting, including dominant eye, sight picture, sight alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze, shooting positions, and much more. You may use our rifles or plan to use your own. Please make sure your rifle is completely unloaded before you arrive at the range.

Preparing Fillets for the Frying Pan

May 16 • Saturday • 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.St. Louis Region, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, 801 Strodtman Road, St. Louis, MO 63138 Reservations begin May 2, call 314-877-6014

Ages 10 and older, families. After a successful day of fishing, what do you do with the one that didn’t get away? Join us as we practice cleaning a few different types of fish. If you have a favorite filleting knife, bring it, or you can use one of ours.

Scope it Out!

May 21 • Thursday • 10 a.m.–noon St. Louis Region, Forest Park Office, 5595 Grand Drive, St. Louis, MO 63112 Reservations begin May 1, call 314-877-1309. Ages 6 to 12.

We’ll take a short hike where grasses and wildflowers grow. Using our field scopes, we will uncover and discover the natural world at 20X magnification. All you need is a water bottle and comfortable shoes.

What’s Going On? Think of a Beaver!

May 23 • Saturday • 10 a.m.–2 p. Central Region, Runge Conservation Nature Center, Hwy 179, Jefferson City, MO 65102 No registration, call 573-526-5544 for information. All ages, families.

Beavers mate for life, can live up to 24 years, and have teeth that never stop growing. Want to know more about Missouri’s largest rodent? Join us for activities and crafts that are all about beavers, and enjoy the PBS Nature video, Leave it to Beavers, at 11 a.m.

Duck Decoy Carving

May 29 • Friday • 6–10 p.m. MAY 30 • Saturday • 8 A.M.–2 P.M. Southeast Region, Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, 2289 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Reservations begin May 1, call 573-290-5218. Ages 8 and older, families (12 and younger accompanied by adult).

Make a beautiful cork decoy to use for waterfowl hunting or as unique art. Learn duck identification, duck ecology, and decoy history as you sculpt and paint your own decoy. Cost for materials is $15.