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MDC and partners offer free invasive species workshop Aug. 9 in Nevada
Nevada, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Quail Forever will offer a free workshop to help landowners manage invasive plant species from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, at the 3M Clubhouse Building, 2120 E. Austin Blvd., In Nevada, Mo. This workshop will help property managers understand invasive plant problems and ways to reduce them.
Undesirable invasive plants can choke out preferred cattle forage plants in pastures, wildlife-friendly native plants, and native trees and shrubs in forest settings. Ponds for fishing and cattle watering can also be harmed by unwanted aquatic plants. Invaders are often nonnative plants that reproduce prolifically from seeds or sprouts and have growth characteristics that help them outcompete natives. Shrub honeysuckle, sericea lespedeza, and callery pear trees are examples of nonnative plants or trees that cause problems. Often, imports have few natural controls, such as insects, because they did not evolve along with other natural life in the ecosystem. But sometimes native plants, such as red cedar, can also become overly dominant in pasture settings, a prairie remnant, or a native warm-season grass restoration.
Experts making presentations at the workshop will include staff from MDC, MFA, DOW Chemical Co., Mid-West Fertilizer, University of Missouri Extension, and Corteva Agriscience. They will discuss ways to suppress invasive plants using fire, grazing, mowing, or other targeted strategies. Topics discussed will include increasing available forage for livestock, maintaining resiliency of desired plants on a farm, removal and control of red cedars, issues with monocultures, and maintaining good quality wildlife habitat. Also on the agenda is a discussion about how to control invasive plants in farm ponds and small lakes.
The workshop is free and lunch will be provided. But participants are asked to register by Tuesday, Aug. 6. To register or for more information, contact Aimee Coy, MDC private land conservationist, at 660-885-6981, or aimee.coy@mdc.mo.gov.
To learn more about how MDC can help landowners achieve property management goals, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/property.