Up Front

Over 90 percent of Missouri is in private ownership, which means the majority of Missouri’s conservation success stories have a significant connection to those who have cared for and worked the land. The role of landowners in the future of fish, forest, and wildlife is a hallmark of Missouri’s modern conservation movement, which started 90 years ago this month.

September 10, 1935, was one of the most significant days in the history of the state of Missouri. Nearly 100 individuals gathered at the Tiger Hotel in Columbia to form the Conservation Federation of Missouri, which led the initiative petition, with citizen support, that created the conservation commission we know today. The direction of conservation in Missouri was determined by several of the initial decisions made by the first commission. One of those decisions was hiring I.T. Bode as the first director. 

Director Bode understood the connections between the success of conservation and the actions of landowners. He brought a landowner-focused approach to much of the early work of the Department of Conservation. Having grown up on and around many cattle and row crop farmers, spending countless hours hunting and fishing on private lands, I, too, have great appreciation for the role of landowners in the continued success of fish, forest, and wildlife in Missouri. 

The department remains committed to working closely with landowners because when the land is healthy and our wildlife is thriving, so do those of us fortunate enough to live in this great state.

Jason Sumners, Director

JASON.SUMNERS@MDC.MO.GOV