MDC’s Powder Valley Nature Center to host Explore the Outdoors event Oct. 24

Kirkwood, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) are partnering to bring a special event to the St. Louis area. "Explore the Outdoors" will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the nature center. This regional event will help acquaint St. Louis residents with outdoor opportunities in the area.

Visitors will have the opportunity to attend both indoor and outdoor sessions and learn about important conservation topics from leading experts. The programs will be split into two groups: the indoor seminars and the outdoor "Get Outside" sessions. The entire day's worth of activities is free and open to everyone.

The seminars will cover:

• Live raptors and birds of prey demonstrations courtesy of the World Bird Sanctuary
• Outdoor photography with MDC photographer Noppadol Paothong
• Keeping up with the Outdoors, with radio personality Ray Eye
• Missouri State Parks presentation on the Katy Trail
• A Nine Network "Water Matters" program about Missouri Stream Teams

The Get Outside sessions will include:

• Hiking St. Louis, with author Robert Rubright
• Birding 101 with Mitch Leachman of the St. Louis Audubon Society
• Fly fishing and fly casting demonstration with MDC fisheries [biologist?] Mark Van Patten
• Pollinators and Native Plants
• Hunting and fishing opportunities in the St. Louis region
• Canoeing and kayaking
• Information stations from various conservation partners

For more information on the Explore the Outdoors event, go to confedmo.org/st-louis/. Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road in Kirkwood, near the intersection of I-44 and I-270.