Category: Uncategorized
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Spotted Salamander
MDC’s Online Field Guide: Spotted salamanders are considered abundant in Missouri but are rarely seen. Found in forested areas in the southern two-thirds of the state, they spend most of their lives hidden under logs, rocks, leaves, or inside the burrows of small mammals. On warm, rainy nights in late winter and early spring, these…
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Birdwatching in India
By Chhaya Kolavalli (2024) My partner and I just got back from 3+ weeks on my family farm in India. We saw 79 species of birds, including an Indian Roller, and a Scaly Breasted Munia.
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Honeysuckle Removal at Loess Bluffs
By Cynthia Anderson Partner: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service– Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge Like so many other park and woodland areas, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is fighting the encroachment of bush honeysuckle. The current Refuge Manager, William Kutosky, recognized that addressing the infestation early would make mitigation efforts significantly more effective. This proactive…
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Making Summer School Fun
By Angie Clarke MMN 2021 Having to go to summer school – no fun, right? But at least there’s recess and your friends! So, you can just imagine my surprise when a hand full of 4th graders have chosen working in one of our pollinator gardens over playing at recess almost every day! Back in…
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20 years of Missouri Master Naturalist – Celebrate and Reconnect: A Conference in Columbia
Photos by Kitty Peer, Christine Meier, Linda Callahan, and Lisa Provence. On June 7 and 8, Missouri Master Naturalists gathered in Columbia for a celebration of 20 years of the program and a chance to connect with members from across the state. A wide range of field trips and educational presentations were on offer, as…
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Head ‘Em Up, Move ‘Em Out—Goose Roundup!
By Ed Beijen, 2017 MMN Canada geese lose their flight feathers for about a month starting in June and that is an ideal time to round them up to record their bands and geese that do not have bands are banded. Banding allows biologists to learn about their distribution, calculate survival rates, harvesting and production…
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June Chapter Meeting: Hike at Rocky Point
Our June chapter meeting was highlighted with a hike led by Larry Rizzo. This area has been worked on for years by KC WildLands, and is now showing a wonderful variety of native woodland and glade species. A couple of interesting finds on the hike were the wild bergamont (above), and the cicada just emerging…
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A New Snake Enrichment Box for Burr Oak Woods
Report by Karen Highfill Karen Highfill, a member of the 2023 class, completed her capstone project. Karen worked with Nikki King at Burr Oak Woods, in the planning of a snake enrichment box . With the assistance of her husband, Karen designed and built a 3’x3’x3’ snake box. This box allows the snakes to sun and…
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Fox Hollow Creek cleanup on April 6
By Mary Smead Trash! What an ugly word! But what is even more ugly is what trash can do to our environment! 15 of us found this out on Saturday, April 6, during the Blue River Clean up. Our assignment was to pick up trash along Fox Hollow Creek. This is the section of the…
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Capstone Project: The History Writers of the Forest presentation at the Urban Woods event
By Darla Burns The annual Urban Woods event, which celebrates trees as one of our most valuable natural resources, was held on Saturday, February 24 at the Anita B Gorman Center. Lisa Gann and Darla Burns contributed to the event by sharing their capstone project on Dendrochronology, which is the study of tree rings, also…