Volume 37, Number 1 - Missouri Prairie Foundation

Transcription

SPRING
2016
VOLUME 37
NUMBER 1
Missouri Prairie Journal
The Missouri Prairie Foundation th
anniversary
campaign
MPF Buys 237 Acres in 2015!
MPF 2015 Annual Report
Great MO Birding Trail
Loess Hill Herps
Integrating Natives Into
Traditional Landscapes
Protecting Native Grasslands
Message from the President
Happy 50th, MPF!
I
th
n October 1966, a small group,
recognizing the urgency for an
anniversary
1966 – 2016
campaign
organization dedicated solely to
GOLDENOPPORTUNITYFORPRAIRIEPROTECTION
Missouri prairies and their preservation,
Prairies Now and
met and formally organized what was to be named the Missouri Prairie
Foundation (MPF). This year, with more than 1,800 members and more
than 3,200 prairie acres now protected in perpetuity under MPF ownership,
we are proudly celebrating our 50th Anniversary!
MPF is currently planning a wide variety of 50th Anniversary events that
include a get-acquainted tour of MPF’s Snowball Hill Prairie—in the Kansas
City metro area—on April 9; our Seventh Annual BioBlitz to be held June 4
at MPF’s Linden’s Prairie, with many interactive opportunities to learn about
this gorgeous prairie; a ceremony to dedicate and showcase our most recent
prairie acquisition in Newton County, Carver Prairie, on July 23; the MPF
Annual Dinner on August 6 in Columbia; Grow Native! workshops; Ozark
glade outings; and many other activities. We very much hope you will join
us in celebrating this significant milestone and attend as many of our events
as possible. Up-to-date information about MPF events is available at www.
moprairie.org and Facebook. If you do not already receive MPF’s e-news,
you can sign up at the website to receive free, periodic updates by email.
While you are making prairie event plans, be sure to remember the
importance of connecting younger generations to our native landscape. This
can be very rewarding—as my husband and I found out last June when we
had the privilege of visiting MPF’s stunning Linden’s Prairie with two of
our grandsons, ages 11 and 13. They were enchanted with the landscape of
blooming goat’s rue, bee balm, pale purple coneflowers, and many more
and couldn’t take enough photos. It is by sharing and by providing prairie
experiences for others, and especially for younger people, that we help others
develop an understanding of prairie—its beauty and functions, and how vital
it is to protect what remains.
As you take part in MPF’s prairie events this 50th Anniversary year,
take a moment to feel pride for your efforts to make these events possible. Whether through your membership, donations, or advocacy, you
are promoting the protection of our vanishing, irreplaceable, native prairie
landscapes. Your involvement with MPF has been and will continue to be
essential to our conservation work and the protection of beautiful, unplowed
prairie remnants in perpetuity.
Make this the year you get out and discover native prairie or get
acquainted with one you haven’t visited previously. Grab your plant, butterfly, and other ID books, your binoculars, pencil and pad, and have a (many)
wonderful prairie experience(s). MPF’s founders would be pleased.
Forever
Doris Sherrick, MPF President
Funding for this issue of the
Missouri Prairie Journal has
been provided by
2 Missouri Prairie Journal
Vol. 37 No. 1
Look for LUSH Charity Pot hand
and body lotion at LUSH stores
across North America.
The mission of the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF)
is to protect and restore prairie and other
native grassland communities through
acquisition, management, education, and research.
Officers
President Doris Sherrick, Peculiar, MO
Immediate Past President Jon Wingo, Wentzville, MO
Vice President Dale Blevins, Independence, MO
Vice President of Science and Management Bruce Schuette, Troy, MO
Secretary Margo Farnsworth, Smithville, MO
Treasurer Laura Church, Kansas City, MO
Directors
Susan E. Appel, Leawood, KS
Anita Berwanger, Jefferson City, MO
Glenn Chambers, Columbia, MO
Christine Chiu, Springfield, MO
Brian Edmond, Walnut Grove, MO
Page Hereford, St. Louis, MO
Sarah Hinman, Springfield, MO
Scott Lenharth, Nevada, MO
Jan Sassmann, Bland, MO
David Young, Windsor, MO
Vacancy
Vacancy
Presidential Appointees
Holly Berthold, St. Louis, MO
Honorary Board Member
Dr. Peter H. Raven, St. Louis, MO
Active Past Officers
Wayne Morton, M.D., Osceola, MO
Steve Mowry, Trimble, MO
Stanley M. Parrish, Walnut Grove, MO
Van Wiskur, Pleasant Hill, MO
Emeritus
Bill Crawford, Columbia, MO
Bill Davit, Washington, MO
Lowell Pugh, Golden City, MO
Owen Sexton, St. Louis, MO
Technical Advisors
Max Alleger, Clinton, MO
Jeff Cantrell, Neosho, MO
Steve Clubine, Windsor, MO
Dennis Figg, Jefferson City, MO
Mike Leahy, Jefferson City, MO
Dr. Quinn Long, St. Louis, MO
Rudi Roeslein, St. Louis, MO
Dr. James Trager, Pacific, MO
Staff
Carol Davit, Executive Director and Missouri Prairie Journal Editor,
Jefferson City, MO
Jerod Huebner, Director of Prairie Management, Joplin, MO
Contents
Spring
Editor: Carol Davit,
phone: 573-356-7828
[email protected]
Designer: Tracy Ritter
Technical Review: Mike Leahy,
Bruce Schuette
2016 VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1
Proofing: Doris and Bob Sherrick,
Bill Davit
The Missouri Prairie Journal
is mailed to Missouri Prairie
Foundation members as a benefit
of membership. Please contact the
editor if you have questions about
or ideas for content.
Regular membership dues to
MPF are $35 a year. To become a
member, to renew, or to give a
free gift membership when you
renew, send a check to
4
16
2
Message from the President
or become a member on-line at
www.moprairie.org
4
2015
Annual Report
By Carol Davit
General e-mail address
[email protected]
14 50th Anniversary Campaign Update
By Carol Davit
16 The Great Missouri Birding Trail
By Mike Doyen
20
18 Establishing Native Pasture with
a Cover Crop Cocktail
By Chris McLeland
20 The Hills Are Alive with Herps
By Mark S. Mills, Darrin Welchert,
and Jordan Meyer
24 Grow Native! Integrating Natives into a
Non-native, Traditional Landscape
By Alan Branhagen
27 Jeff Cantrell’s Education on the Prairie
28 Steve Clubine’s Native Warm-Season Grass News
24
MEMBERSHIP ADDRESS:
Missouri Prairie Foundation
c/o Martinsburg Bank
P.O. Box 856
Mexico, MO 65265-0856
30 Prairie Postings
Back cover Calendar of Events
Toll-free number
1-888-843-6739
www.moprairie.org
Questions about your membership
or donation? Contact Jane
Schaefer, who administers
MPF’s membership database at
[email protected].
On the cover:
The striking bobolink
winters in South
America, flying 5,000
miles to the northern
U.S. and Canada to
breed. Flocks migrate
through Missouri
in spring and fall,
stopping to forage
for insects in prairies
and roadsides. Some
are resident breeders
on some grasslands
in Missouri. In this
centennial anniversary
of the Migratory Bird
Treaty, we recognize
the importance of
prairies for migratory
bird habitat. Matt Miles
photograph.
Vol. 37 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 3
#81779
#8426
2015
MPF
annual report
Two Prairies Purchased in 2015!
Vol. 37 No. 1
BRUCE SCHUETTE
T
he Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) gratefully
acknowledges the generosity of all supporters who not
only enabled MPF to carry out an impressive amount of
prairie stewardship and outreach and educational programming
in 2015, but also to buy two additional tracts of land. With these
new acquisitions, MPF now owns 20 properties totaling more
than 3,200 acres. In an era of rapidly dwindling original prairie
resources and competition for cropland and other development,
this is a significant accomplishment.
This past summer, via a loan and support of generous
donors, the Platte Land Trust, and other groups, MPF purchased
74 acres that includes the 24-acre Snowball Hill Prairie, an original unplowed prairie in Cass County near Harrisonville in the
greater Kansas City area. The balance of the acreage is cropped,
and MPF intends to reconstruct prairie on this portion in the
future. The purchase price was $473,994, with $173,959 the
amount currently needed to pay off the Snowball Hill loan.
The most striking aspect of this prairie is its 70 feet of relief,
which provides habitat for dry prairie plants atop the hill and
for wet-soil loving plants in the wet-mesic and swale areas at the
prairie’s base. At least 119 plant species have been documented
to date at the tract—including the grass Poa interior, critically
imperiled in the state and known from only one other site in
Missouri. This plant community provides habitat for many animals, from insects to birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.
MPF tours of Snowball Hill are planned for April 9 and during
the summer; date to be determined.
On December 16, MPF purchased its second tract of land
for the year: 163 acres of original, unplowed prairie and original woodland in Newton County, adjacent to the Missouri
Department of Conservation’s Diamond Grove Prairie Natural
Area. The cost was $373,144, paid for with funding through the
$750,000 Natural Resource Damage Assessment Award to MPF
in 2013. MPF is naming this new tract Carver Prairie, in honor
of the scientist Dr. George Washington Carver, who was from
the area. A July 23, 2016 dedication is planned.
The financial support MPF received in 2015 brought
the organization closer to its 50th Anniversary goals, as well.
Additional gifts, however, especially for long-term prairie
stewardship and MPF’s permanent endowment, are needed
to meet our fundraising goals. We hope you will take part in
MPF’s many giving opportunities in 2016.
—Carol Davit
Executive Director & Missouri Prairie Journal Editor
MPF’s Snowball Hill Prairie
Welcome,
New Board Members!
At the 2015 MPF Annual Meeting on October 10, members
voted to add new directors Christine Chiu and Sarah Hinman,
both of Springfield, who had served as presidential appointees,
and Anita Berwanger, of Jefferson City. Holly Berthold, of St.
Louis, joined the board as a presidential appointee.
At its October 11, 2015 meeting, the board of directors elected
the slate of officers for the coming year. Those elected had also
served as officers in 2014: Doris Sherrick, President; Dale Blevins,
Vice President; and Susan Appel, Secretary. Bruce Schuette
remains the Vice President of Science and Management and
Laura Church remains as Treasurer. (After that meeting, Susan
Appel resigned as Secretary in order to serve as chair of the
Nominations Committee, and director Margo Farnsworth was
elected at the January 23, 2016 board meeting, to serve as
Secretary.)
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015 WORK
Prairie
Stewardship
• Dedicated Pleasant Run Creek and
Linden’s Prairie, which MPF purchased in 2014, and began stewardship
activities on both tracts. At Pleasant
Run Creek, extensive tree cutting and
tall fescue control were especially noteworthy accomplishments.
• Hired Director of Prairie Management
Jerod Huebner, who is based near
Joplin, MO; stewarded MPF’s more
than 3,200 acres of prairie, which
included completion of many prescribed burns; and provided invasive
species control on more than 500
acres of prairie owned by the Missouri
Department of Conservation.
• Conducted a vegetative survey and
established permanent monitoring
plots at MPF’s Joplin Urban Prairie
project.
• Funded a botanical survey of MPF’s
La Petite Gemme Prairie, conducted
by the Institute for Botanical Training
(IBT), which found the prairie, on
a ¼-meter basis, to have the highest native plant diversity anywhere
in the state ever surveyed by IBT.
MPF also funded botanical surveys
of its Pleasant Run Creek Prairie and
Linden’s Prairie.
• Funded a pollinator survey at MPF’s
Pleasant Run Creek Prairie, and
administered a grant that funded a
study of insects at two conservation
areas and the development of an insect
scorecard for land managers to evaluate
grassland reconstructions and restorations.
HOW MPF USED FUNDING TO CONSERVE PRAIRIE AND
PROVIDE NATIVE PLANT EDUCATION IN 2015*
Membership and Fundraising
10%
Administration:
6.4%
Unrealized Capital Valuation
Loss on Investments ^
8.4%
Outreach, Education, Research,
and Grow Native! Program
35.2%
Prairie Management,
Property Taxes, Land
Appraisals, and Insurance
40%
Programmatic Expenses
75.2%
* I n 2015, MPF received funds to purchase Snowball Hill Prairie and Carver Prairie, which are
accounted for in the revenue chart below. Because these land purchases are fixed assets,
they are not included in the expense chart above.
^ Not a true expense
MPF 2015 SOURCES OF FUNDING
Merchandise, Seed, and Plant Sales
USDA Payments
3.1%
Grow Native! Program
4.7%
2.6%
Rent, Annual Dinner, Used Equiptment
Sales, and other Fundraising Events
Investment Income
1.6%
0.1%
Grants
Membership dues and other
donations by individuals
47%
40.9%
JEROD HUEBNER
In 2015, MPF Director of Prairie Management
Jerod Huebner oversaw significant restoration
of MPF’s Pleasant Run Creek Prairie, including
much tree clearing, as these before (left), and
after photos illustrate.
ATCHISON
NODAWAY
WORTH
HARRISON
MERCER
PUTNAM
HOLT
Vol. 37 No. 1
Bruns Tract
Friendly Prairie
KNOX
DEKALB
BUCHANAN
CLINTON
LINN
CALDWELL
Stark Family Prairie
AUDRAIN
HOWARD
SALINE
JACKSON
LAFAYETTE
BOONE
PETTIS
CALLAWAY
COOPER
JOHNSON
COLE
OSAGE
BENTON
ST LOUIS
FRANKLIN
MORGAN
JEFFERSON
MILLER
MARIES
CAMDEN
ST CLAIR
CRAWFORD
HICKORY
VERNON
ST CHARLES
WARREN
MONITEAU
HENRY
BATES
LINCOLN
MONT
GOMERY
CASS
WASHINGTON
PHELPS
STE GENEVIEVE
PULASKI
CEDAR
POLK
DALLAS
IRON
LACLEDE
BARTON
MADISON
WEBSTER
WRIGHT
BOLLINGER
SHANNON
JASPER
LAWRENCE
CHRISTIAN
DOUGLAS
WAYNE
BARRY
TANEY
STODDARD
OREGON
OZARK
SCOTT
CARTER
HOWELL
STONE
Penn-Sylvania Prairie
CAPE
GIRARDEAU
REYNOLDS
TEXAS
GREENE
NEWTON
PERRY
ST FRANCOIS
DENT
DADE
Welsch Tract
Carver Prairie
PIKE
CLAY
Lattner Prairie
Golden Prairie
RALLS
MONROE
RANDOLPH
CARROLL
Pleasant Run Creek
Prairie
Coyne Prairie
MARION
RAY
Gayfeather Prairie
Edgar & Ruth
Denison Prairie
SHELBY
CHARITON
PLATTE
Schwartz Prairie
Stilwell Prairie
MACON
LIVINGSTON
Drovers’ Prairie
Snowball Hill Prairie
Now in its 50th year, MPF has
acquired more than 3,970 acres of
prairie for permanent protection.
With the conveyance of more than
700 of those acres to the Missouri
Department of Conservation, MPF
currently owns more than 3,200
acres in 20 tracts of land and
provides management services for
additional acres owned by others.
LEWIS
DAVIESS
MISSISSIPPI
BUTLER
RIPLEY
NEW
MADRID
MCDONALD
MAP DATA PROVIDED BY CHRIS WIEBERG, MDC.
La Petite Gemme Prairie
Linden’s Prairie
MPF ownership
These prairies saved by MPF and later sold to
the Missouri Department of Conservation
PEMISCOT
DUNKLIN
8.1-acre property MPF owns and is restoring in the City of Joplin, which will be deeded to the city by 2019.
Presettlement Prairie. Of these original 15 million acres, fewer than 90,000 scattered acres remain.
Ecologists rank temperate grasslands—which include Missouri’s tallgrass prairies—as the
least conserved, most threatened major terrestrial habitat type on earth. Prairie protection
efforts in Missouri, therefore, are not only essential to preserving our state’s natural
heritage, but also are significant to national and even global conservation work. MPF is the
only organization in the state whose land conservation efforts are dedicated exclusively to
prairie and other native grasslands.
Initiative Conference, and many other
locations.
• Organized the MPF Annual Dinner in
Kansas City, featuring Bruce Schuette,
MPF’s Vice President of Science and
Management, presenting “Natural
Assets: The Conservation Value of
Prairie Remnants.”
• In 2015, MPF provided funding to
Dr. Taylor Quedensley, Assistant
Professor of Biology, at Missouri
Western State University in St. Joseph,
for lichen and bryophyte (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) research and
to the Enns Entomological Museum
at the University of MO–Columbia
for research on macroinvertebrates of
prairie headwater streams, with work
conducted by graduate student Jessica
Warwick. MPF supported other surveys and monitoring by making its
prairies available for study by Dr. Alice
Tipton, studying mycorrhizae interac-
tions (relationships between fungi and
roots) on prairies and glades, and to
the Missouri River Bird Observatory,
for grassland bird studies. See summaries of 2015 research activities at www.
moprairie.org/prairie-research for more
information.
ROBERT WEAVER
annual report
2015
• Partnered in spearheading, at the
request of the National Wildlife
Federation, a Missouri Monarch and
Pollinator Conservation Collaborative,
whereby MPF met more than a dozen
times with partners to form this new
collaborative and begin designing a
statewide plan.
• Gave away more than 6,000 native
milkweed and nectar plants to groups
and individuals to help monarch
butterflies—thanks to a Missouri
Department of Conservation grant.
• Amplified prairie advocacy in numerous ways, including the delivery by
MPF’s Executive Director Carol
Davit of both a TEDx talk on the
importance of prairie and the opening keynote address at the America’s
Grasslands Conference in Colorado.
• Awarded a Prairie Gardens Grant to
the Environmental Action Committee,
Warrensburg.
• Organized events free and open to the
public, including MPF’s Sixth Annual
Prairie BioBlitz at La Petite Gemme
Prairie and a raptor program.
• Produced three issues of the Missouri
Prairie Journal sent to members, elected officials, schools, teachers, landowners, and conservation leaders.
• Gave presentations on prairie and
native plants to garden clubs and other
groups, and organized native plant
sales in Kansas City, at Columbia
Bass Pro Shops®, Town and Country
Whole Foods® Market, and Runge
Conservation Nature Center in
Jefferson City. MPF also had educational displays at the Danforth Plant
Science Center, Dunn Ranch Prairie,
the Missouri Bird Conservation
Runge Prairie
CLARK
GASCONADE
Outreach,
Advocacy,
and Research
SCOTLAND
ADAIR
GRUNDY
ANDREW
Prairie Fork Expansion
SCHUYLER
SULLIVAN
GENTRY
MPF Vice President of Science and
Management Bruce Schuette was the
presenter at the 2015 Annual Dinner.
If you would like a free copy of the 2016
Grow Native! Resource Guide to native plant
products and services, please send a message
to [email protected] or call 888-8436739. Large supplies are also available to give
away at conferences, garden club meetings,
and other events.
MPF Executive Director Carol Davit, far left, was
the opening keynote speaker at the National
Wildlife Federation’s (NWF’s) 2015 America’s
Grasslands Conference. With Davit from left are
NWF colleagues Aviva Glaser, Lekha Knuffman,
and Julie Sibbing.
In 2015, MPF carried out many Grow
Native! activities, including numerous
events to highlight the 15th anniversary
of this native plant education and
marketing program. The goals of Grow
Native! are to increase the
supply of and demand
for native plants in the
built environment and
altered landscapes. The
work of Grow Native! is
overseen by a committee
of dedicated native plant
advocates and native plant
industry professionals.
Highlights of 2015 activities
include:
• Completion of a 2016–2021 Grow
Native! strategic plan to guide growth
of the program and annual implementation. The plan is available at
www.grownative.org.
• Organization of three successful
workshops in Independence, Gerald,
and Kirkwood, MO for professionals,
homeowners, and landowners.
• Commissioning of a native bioswale
design for George Owen Nature Park.
• Production of articles throughout the
year for several gardening publications,
as well as Top Ten natives lists (available at www.grownative.org).
• Organization of a successful Grow
Native! professional member conference to provide continuing native
plant education to professionals.
• Recognition of Grow Native’s 15th
anniversary, with special programming
throughout the year.
• Distribution of 13,000 copies of the
2015 Grow Native! Resource Guide
statewide and elsewhere in the lower
Midwest.
• Sale of more than 130,000 Grow
Native! plant tags to Grow Native!
professional members.
ROBERT WEAVER
Grow Native! Program Activity
In 2015, Grow Native! produced a 15-year booklet on the history of the program. The booklet
includes biographies of 2015 Native Plant
Pioneer awardees. The 15 awardees, including
Henry Eilers, pictured here, received photos
and plaques from Grow Native! Committee
chair Betty Grace and Committee member Bill
Ruppert at the November 6, 2015 MPF Annual
Dinner. MPF board member Jan Sassmann
framed the awards. The booklet is available at
www.grownative.org/who-we-are/history.
In 2015, the Grow Native! program sold
approximately 30,000 Monarch Café plant tags
and developed a new line of specialty native
plant tags for 2016 called Pollinator Buffet,
with 11 different tag designs each featuring
a native plant and a native insect that helps
pollinate it. Look for these tags when you
buy natives! A new Monarch Café tag was
also developed in 2016 for purple milkweed
(Asclepias purpurascens).
2016 Grow Native! Sponsors
Grow Native! Champion Sponsor ($2,000):
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Grow Native! Platinum Sponsors ($1,000):
City of Springfield Environmental Services
Forrest Keeling Nursery
Greenscape Gardens
Missouri Department of Conservation
Missouri Wildflowers Nursery
Native Landscape Solutions, Inc.
Pure Air Natives
St. Louis Composting
Sugar Creek Gardens
Grow Native! Gold Sponsors ($500):
ASP Enterprises
Bohn’s Farm and Greenhouses
Bohn’s Farm and Greenhouses, St. Louis Sales Office
DJM Ecological Services
Madison County, Illinois, Planning and Development
National Nursery Products–St. Louis
Grow Native! Contributing Sponsors: ($250):
Gaylena’s Garden
Green Thumb Gardens/Down to Earth Services
Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater–St. Louis
SCI Engineering
Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries — St. Louis Sales Office
2015 Grow Native! Ambassador Award
The Grow Native! program annually recognizes
an individual who has
made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the use and
promotion of native plants
in the built environment
or altered landscapes.
Recognition is awarded
in the form of the Grow
Native! Ambassador
Award.
At the 2015 Grow Native! professional member conference
in November, Grow Native! Committee Chair, Betty Grace,
left, announced that Bob Lee of Chesterfield, MO had been
selected to receive the 2015 Ambassador Award.
Lee, a Missouri Master Naturalist in the Confluence
Chapter, is the instigator behind Missourians for Monarchs—
an initiative of Master Gardeners, Missouri Master Naturalists,
and Federated Garden Club members—to unify a statewide
army of people to sustain and increase monarch butterfly
populations by planting milkweeds, educating citizens about
the importance of milkweed and native nectar plants, how to
collect seed, grow plants, and distribute them statewide. Lee
is also a member of the Missouri Monarch and Pollinator
Conservation Steering Committee. Congratulations, Bob Lee,
and thank you for being an ambassador for natives!
TINA CASSAGRAND
MPF’s Grow Native! program includes a professional membership
component, whereby members’ annual dues support the activity
of the program, and the program helps market the products and
services of the members, as well as provides member educational
benefits.
In 2015, 96 businesses, educational institutions, organizations,
municipalities, and others renewed or became new members for
2016 at the $100 or $150 membership levels, or at one of several
higher sponsorship levels.
MPF thanks all members and would like to give special recognition
to these generous sponsors:
2015
PHOTOS BY SHARON DEROUSSE
annual report
2015 Native Landscape Challenge
Vol. 37 No. 1
The annual Landscape Challenge, jointly sponsored by Grow Native!, Shaw Nature Reserve,
and the St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones, has once again helped transform another homeowner’s
property, this time in University City, MO. Weather conditions were perfect for planting, with
just enough rain previously to make the ground easy to dig, and an early morning temperature in
the 50s on a sunny day. As volunteers arrived, landscape designer Jeanne Cablish placed native
plants donated by Missouri Wildflowers Nursery in the designated locations.
Homeowners Rosalie and Terry had prepared the site in advance and greeted volunteers. In
addition, Scott Woodbury, Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve
and Grow Native! advisor, was on hand to provide guidance on planting and to oversee the project along with Jeanne and the homeowners.
Amazingly, with everyone’s enthusiastic digging, the plants were placed, soil was filled in
and mulch distributed for the combination shade and sun garden area in only an hour and a half.
After the traditional dirty-hands group photo, Ed Schmidt, St. Louis Wild Ones president, gave
a short talk and presented a volunteers-signed copy of Dave Tylka’s book, Native Landscaping for
Wildlife and People, to Rosalie and Terry.
—Marcia Myers
SCISSORTAILED FLYCATCHER BY NOPPADOL PAOTHONG
Thank you, MPF Members and Other
Supporters Who Made Contributions in 2015
Thank you, 2015 Grantors!
$100,000 and above
Platte Land Trust
MPF is grateful to all individuals, agencies, private
foundations, and other organizations for their support
in 2015. Several grantors made significant awards and
grants that made two acquisitions and much stewardship
possible:
$35,000 to $99,000
Mrs. Hilda (Pat) Jones
Edgar Schmidt
• The Environmental Improvement and Energy
Resources Authority, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources,
for administering $373,144 from a $750,000 Natural
Resources Damage Assessment award made to MPF in
2013, to purchase 163 acres of land in Newton County.
$10,000 to $19,999
Susan Lordi Marker and
Dennis Marker
Rudi Roeslein, Roeslein
Alternative Energy LLC
• Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), for
funding through several cooperative agreements:
$56,250 for prairie stewardship on MPF and MDC
prairies; $17,000 to purchase and give away milkweed
and nectar plants to benefit monarch butterflies and
pollinators; $15,000 to conduct a statewide private
prairie inventory; and $12,750 for an insect study
and development of an insect scorecard as a prairie
restoration evaluation tool.
• The Robert J. Trulaske, Jr. Family Foundation, for its
$25,000 grant for restoration and stewardship work at
MPF’s Pleasant Run Creek, Lattner, and Denison Prairie
complex in Vernon and Barton Counties.
• The William T. Kemper Foundation, for a grant of $25,000
towards the purchase of Snowball Hill Prairie.
• The Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation, for its
grant of $25,000, directed to prairie stewardship.
• LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, for a grant of $17,200
to support production of the Missouri Prairie Journal.
• The Horne Family Charitable Foundation, for a grant of
$10,000 for general operating expenses.
• The Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative, for grant funds
of $10,000 for stewardship and restoration at MPF’s
Stilwell Prairie.
$20,000 to $34,999
Gina Miller
Doris and Bob Sherrick
$5,000 to $9,999
Ronald and Suzanne Berry
Ann Lovell
Margaret Holyfield and
Maurice Meslans
$2,500 to $4,999
Jessica Muller, Federick W.
Muller Testamentary Trust
Mervin and Virginia Wallace,
Stephen Weissman and
Gary Ross-Reynolds
$1,000 to $2,499
Anonymous
Anonymous
Carl Armontrout
Robert and Martha Barnhardt
M. Neil and Debra Bass
Mark Belwood
Anita Berwanger
Dale and Marla Blevins
Dale and Connie Carpentier
Anna Case-Slawsky and Don
Slawsky
Michael Cheek
Laura Church
Bill Crawford
Bill and Joyce Davit
Mrs. Henry (Nancy)Day
Susan Dyer
Margo Farnsworth and
Jim Pascoe
Francine Glass
Thomas Hall
Robert and Cathleen Hansen
Rusty and Prae Hathcock
Page and Fonda Hereford
Mike and Julie Holley,
Ozark Forest Mushrooms
Jerome and Billie Jerome,
Wallace H. Jerome
Foundation
Lance and Pat Jessee
Harold John
Curtis, Deborah, Gary, and
Brittany Kukal
Warren and Susan Lammert
Carol Davit and Michael Leahy
Michael McMullen
Bob Middleton
Wayne Morton
Steve and Ann Mowry
Jerry Overton
Mary E. Pitcher
Terence Raterman
Timothy Lang Rogers, Lang
Rogers Family Foundation
F. Leland and Mary Russell
Walter and Marie Schmitz
John and Jacquelyn Settlage
Bernard and Betty Teevan
Estate of Linden Trial
Van and Margaret Wiskur
$500 to $999
Anonymous
Buzz and Angel Avery
Robert and Linda Ballard
Joe Bassler
Mark Brodkey
Karen and Paul Cox
Suzanne Crandall
Bucky Green
Alan and Sharon Hillard
James L. Hull
Tom and Anne Hutton
John and Deborah Killmer
Robert and Barbara Kipfer
Inger and Ian Lamb
Kurt and Judith Odendahl
Kei and Susan Pang
Barbara and William Pickard
Simon and Vicki Pursifull
Gordon and Barbara Risk
Dustin Schaaf
Aaron and Tracy Twombly
$250 to $499
Joan E. Adam
Hearld and Marge Ambler
Darlene Arnett
Robert and Ruby Ball
Pat Behle
John Besser and Cathy Richter
Deborah Borek
Judy and Jerry Bowman
John Camp
Robert Campbell II
Jeffrey Cantrell
Stephen Davis
Ronald and Sue Dellbringge
Ann Earley and Bob Siemer
Brian Edmond
Rebecca Erickson
Kerry and Steven Herndon
Richard Moore and Linda Hezel
Todd and Susan Higgins
Cynthia Hobart
Larry and Joan Hummel
Joseph and Anne Jezak
George Kambouris
Forrest Keeling Nursery
Janet Koester
Tom and Evelyn Mangan
James and Nancy Martin
Pat and Peter McDonald
Walter and Cynthia Metcalfe
Steve and Judy Mohler
William and Mary Moran
Marjorie Motley, Federated Garden
Clubs of Missouri, Inc.
Paul Petty
Stan and Audrey Putthoff
Paul Ross
St. Louis Community Foundation
Caroline and William Sant
Jean and Jim Shoemaker
Steve C. Taylor
Nancy Tongren
Michael Trial
Charles and Nancy Van Dyke
Mary and Steve Weinstein
Westport Garden Club
Mark Willard Charitable Trust
Sue Ann and Richard Wright
$100 to $249
Barbara Anderson
Krystal Anton
Susan Appel
Richard Armstrong
Scott Avetta
Darin Banks
Kent and Patty Bankus
Daniel and Joann Barklage
Bauer Equity Partners
Anastasia Becker
David and Nancy Bedan
Edward Beheler, Broken Arrow Ranch
Patricia Bellington
Benevity Community Impact Fund
Larry and Sarah Berglund
Holly Berthold
William and Rita Berthold
Nick and Denise Bertram
David Berwanger, CT Laboratories
Jacqueline Bettale
Peter Bloch and Marsha Richins
Leona Lee Bohm
Irving and Melody Boime
Allan and Nancy Bornstein
Ron Boudouris
Robert Boyd
Shirley Braunlich and
Peggy Robinson
William and Ester Bultas
Fred and Susan Burk
Tom and Ellen Burkemper
Ann Case
Robert Charity
Louis Clairmont and Deborah Barker
Marty Clark
Steve and Debbie Clark
Patricia Clarke
Jean C. Coday, Laura Ingalls Wilder
Historic Home & Museum
Donna Cole
Fred and Nancy Coombs
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cronemeyer
John and Kathryn Crouch
Jo Anna Dale
William Danforth
Dolly Darigo
Sue Davis
William and Arlene Davis
Kevin and Janet Day
Joseph and Carmen Dence
2015
annual report
MPF Members and Other Supporters
Who Made Contributions in 2015, Continued
Trent Dennis
Jenny Hopwood-Dickson and
Tim Dickson
Dee Dokken
Stan and Gwynn Douglas
Mike Doyen
Ethan Duke and Dana
Ripper, Missouri River Bird
Observatory
Catherine Ebbesmeyer
Max and Melissa Elliott
Vernon and Judy Elsberry
George and Wendy Farrell
James and Cynthia Felts
Dennis Figg
Mary B. Fink
Cheryl and Chuck Fletcher
Robert and Lynn Fuerst
Timothy Fuhrman
Dale and Patricia Funk
Savannah and William B.
Furman
Robert Garrecht
James and Joan Garrison
Elizabeth George
John George
Linda and Clyde Gibson
Ona Gieschen
Gary and Lillian Giessow
Len and Tammy Gilmore
Marian Goodding
Jim and Betty Grace
Ruth Grant and Howard
Schwartz
Rick Gray
Nelson and Susan Greenlund
Greg Gremaud
David Gronefeld
Lloyd and Ruth Gross
Randy Haas
Michael and Kathryn Haggans
Natalie Halpin
Kenneth and Cleo Hamilton
Joe Hampel
Melanie Haney
Jack and Patricia Harris
Ted Harris
Dave and Tanya Haubein
Donald and Ina Hays
Susan Hazelwood
Anita Heckenbach
Kris Henkhaus,
ProPharma Group Inc.
Ann Henning
Charlotte Herman
Rex and Martha Hill
Joe Holland
Chris Kirmaier and
Dewey Holton
Penny (Pauline) Holtzmann
Robert and Melinda Horn
Bob Hotfelder
Gaylena Hudek,
Gaylena’s Garden
Carole and Bob Hunter
Robert and Michele Hurst
Teresa and Mike Ittner
Robert and Joan Jefferson
Tom Jegla
Frank and Theresa Johnson
George D. and Penny Johnson
Juliet Johnson
Paul and Barbara Johnson
Leslie and Chad Jordon
Stu and Susan Keck
Mike and Betsy Keleher
Jay Kelly
Robin Kern
David Kirk
Vol. 37 No. 1
Lesley Knowles
John and Sharon Koehler
Roger and Lynda Koenke
Keith and Kuniko Kretzmer
Russ and Kim Krohn
Linda S. Labrayere Revocable
Trust
Douglas and Deborah Ladd
Terry and Marilyn Largent
Mark and Mary Leeker
Chip Lerwick
John and Nancy Lewis
Mark and Patti Loehnig
Theresa and Joseph Long
Alice Longfellow, Longfellow’s
Garden Center
Glenn and Judith Longworth
Carolyn and Joseph Losos
Ronald W. and Margie Lumpe
Randall Maas
Donna MacDonald, Garden
Club of Richmond Heights
Megan Machin
Roger Maddux and Cynthia
Hildebrand
Dennis and Tina Markwardt
Doug and Beth Martin
Jan Martin
Gayla and Steve May
Ric and Jean Mayer
Marty and Sara McCambridge
Jason McFayden
Larry and Belinda Mechlin
Terry and Ellen Meier
Larry Melton
Mary Meredith
Stephen Merlo
Kathleen Metter
Kristine Metter
Brad Meyer
Philip and Pearl Miller
Missouri Native Plant Society
Richard and Carol Mock
Nancy Mohr
Lydia Mower
Dean and Bette Murphy
Judith Sarah Myers and
Dennis O’Brien
Paul and Suzanne Nauert
Mort Nelson
Thompson Nelson and
Lorraine Gordon
Greg Newell
Doris Niehoff
Thomas and Lynn Noyes
Harry O’Toole
Jeanne Ortega
Mary Jo Ostenberg
Orbie Overly
Ozark Regional Land Trust
Keith and Leigh Patterson
Burton Paul, Tuque Prairie
Farms, Inc.
Glenn and Ilayna Pickett
Jeanie Scott Pillen
Ray Poninski
Wendy Powell
Joel Pratt
Caroline Pufalt
Lois Quenneville
Rip Yasinski and Trish Quinten
Roger and Anita Randolph
Jeanne Reiss
Nancy and Dwyer Reynolds
Tracy Ritter
Mark Robbins
Robert Hagg and Reta Roe
Thomas Alexander and
Laura Rogers
Derron and Connie Rolf
Sebastian Rueckert
Bill Ruppert
Robert Sabin
Thomas Saladin
Charles Salveter
Becky Sanborn
Faith Sandler
Bruce and Jan Sassmann
Jane Schaefer
Dave and Angela Schneider
Martin Schweig
Noel George and Connie Seek
Arlene Segal
Kathy Sellars
Roberta Settergren
Cecil Settle
Jerry Shatto
Steven and Christine Sheriff
Tim Sherrick
Carl and Kay Singer
John Skelton
Charles and Charlotte Skornia
Rollin and Bettina Sparrowe
Cindy Squire, Twin Cedar
Creeks
Deanna Staehling
Marvin and Karen Staloch
Steve Straub
James Sullivan
Christine and Rocky Swiger
Rheba Symeonoglou
Judith Tharp
Richard and Karen Thom
Lisa Thomas
Herbert and Susan Tillema
Bill and Sue Tillman
Nadia Navarrete-Tindall and
Randy Tindall
Gary Schimmelpfenig and
Christine Torlina
Lydia Toth
James and Jan Trager
Mike and Kathy Trier
Eric Tschanz
David and Jennifer Urich
Henk and Nita Van Der Werff
Jane Van Sant
Frank Varon
Kayla Vaughn, Ethical Society
of St. Louis
Matt Vitello
Michael Rues and Ann
Wakeman
Henry and Susan Warshaw
W. Randall Washburn
Richard Watson
Samuel Watts
Jim Welsh
Carol Weston
Linda Williams
James and Alice Williamson
Karen Wilson
Janet Kister and David Wolfe
Jill Woodruff
Carole Woodson
Teresa Woody and Rik Siro,
Woody Law Firm, LLC
$60 to $99
Cathy Backs, Grace the Earth
Foundation
Doug Bauer, Pure Air Natives
Jim Braswell, Show-Me-Nature
Photography
Denise Brubaker
Tom Carr
Theresa Ciccolella
Columbia Weavers and
Spinners Guild
Donald Dick
Lawrence Drummond
Bernadette Dryden
John Eckardt
Dick and Dianne Fermanian
Suzanne Hunt and Andrew
Gredell
Chris and Pam Gumper
Jeff Hansen
Ivan Hayworth, Missouri
Veteran’s Home
Neil and Marilyn Heimsoth
Jason and Jane Hennessey
Kathleen and Lawrence Horgan
Emily and Paul Horner
Karen Horny
Vicki Johnson
Kim Killian
Steve Kodner
Kent Kuhlman
Linda Lehrbaum
Jeff Leonard
Rae and Joan Letsinger
Quinn and Melissa Long
Bob Lorance
Mallinckrodt Matching Gifts
Program
Marcel Maupin
Angela Nance
Barbara and Wade Newman
Maria O’Keefe
Wayne Perkins
John Harris and Denise
Pimkerton
Nancy and Sam Potter
Margie Richards
Daryl Ann Rogers
George Rose
Paul Ross, Jr.
Harley Scheidegger
Marc and Debbie Scholes
Justin Sheriff and Elizabeth
Leis-Newman
Robert and Joyce Slater
Brian Todd
Joel and Marty Vance
Ralph Barker and Margaret
Vandeven
Rad Widmer
Duane and Judith Woltjen
Dalton and Stephanie Wright
$35 to $59
Monte Abbott
Janice Albers
Drew and Tara Albert
Tom and Cathy Aley, Ozark
Underground Laboratory, Inc.
Russell Allen
Alan and Paula Alshouse
David and Sandra Alspaugh
Bill Ambrose
Denise Anderson
Kathleen and Harold Anderson
Michelle Anderson
Pamela Schnebelen and
Jane Anton
Nancy Jo Appel
Patty Ardis
Robert Arrowsmith
David Austin
Martin Bailey
Debra Jo and Barry Baker
Byron and Virginia Baker,
Baker Brothers Farm
Lisa Bakerink
John and Agnes Baldetti
Carol Ballard
Tom and Cindy Bander
Steven Barco
Pamela and Jerry Barnabee
Melanie Barrier
Bruce Bates
John and Emmi Bay
Lesa Beamer
Jack Beckett
John and Carole Behrer
Renée Benage
Bill and Linda Bennett
Jerry and Linda Benson
Margaret Bergfeld
Terry and Carol Berkland
Jo Ann Berwanger
Mary Lou Berwanger
Paul Berwanger
Robert Bidstrup
Kathy Bildner
Bill Birkeness
William and Dianne
Blankenship
Dan and Jenny Blesi
Kevin and Mistie Bley
Alice Bloch and Frank Flinn
Boeing Company
Jane Block
Don Bohler
Dennis and Kathleen Bopp
John S. and Laura Bosnak
Beverly Boucher
Linda and Dale Bourg
William and Monica Bowman
Dennis Bozzay
Jim and Joyce Braddock
Lyndon Bragdon
Barbara Brain
George and Nancy Brakhage
Charles Bramlage
Terry and Ann Brazeal
Mike and Martha Brooks
Glenn Brown
Julie Brown
William and Sibylla Brown
James and Erma Brown
John Brueggemann
Sandra Brumfield
David Brunworth
Jo and Kelly Bryant
Eric Buehler
Casey Burks
Bob Burton
Steve Burton
Gary Busiek
Joan Butcher
Cathy Bylinowski
Claire Ciafre
Paul and Olivia Cackler
Mariel Caldwell
Debi Calhoun
James and Anne Campbell
Donald and Delores Cannon
Ivy and Don Canole
Harvey and Francine Cantor
Jennifer Reidy and
Randy Cartwright
David and Ann Catlin
Danny and Mona Caylor
Charlie and Zoe Caywood
Phyllis Chancellor
Hilary David Chapman
Kyle Cheesborough
Doyle Childers
Linda and Jack Childers
Robert Childress
Christine Chiu
Jim and Brenda Christ
Debbie Christenson
Bibie Chronwall
Joe and Ginny Church
Shirley Cirio
Elaine Clark
James Clark, Middle Grove Farm
Steve Clubine
Diane Cobb, Alpha Chiropractic
Center, Inc.
Betsy Collins
Kirk Sibley and Koryen Collins
James Conner
Liz Copeland
Wayne Copp
Kate Corwin, Green works in
Kansas City
Christopher Crabtree
Gerry Crawford
Paul and Martha Cross
Michael Cullinan
Donald Culwell
Jill Cumming
Eric Cunningham
Rupert Cutler
Duane Dailey
Larry and Marilyn Daniel
William Dark Photography
Wray and Doris Darr
Garrett and Jean Das
Duane and Connie Dassow
Richard and Mia Datema
Joyce Davenport
Hilary Davidson
Laurel DeFreece
Gail DeGunia, Kress Farm
Garden Preserve
Thomas Dearth
Mickey and Steven Delfelder
Valerie and Ron Dent
Dale Dermott
Andy Guti and Sherri DeRousse
Mary and Wallace Diboll
Janet Dickerson
J. Brock Diener
Damien Dixon
Carolyn Doyle
William Dreyer
Joyce Driemeyer
Eleanor Smith and
James Droesch
Kate and Jack Durham,
Durham Designs
Jack and Evelyn Eads
Harold Eagan
Perry and Christie Eckhardt
William Eddleman
Shirlee Edmond
Neil and Irene Ellis
Theresa Enderle
Danny Engelage
David Erickson
Sally and Fred Erickson
Spencer Ernst
Dennis Evans
Judy and Tom Evans
J. Robert Farkas
Jean and Kevin Feltz
Louesa Runge Fine
Jerry and Mary Ann Fischer
Suzanne Fischer
Ted and Julie Fisher
Martin Fitzgerald, Priory School
William and Joanne Fogarty
Mary Foley
Beverly Foote
Larry and Pam Foresman
Jeffrey Forster
Roy Fortner
Kathleen Frank
Valerie Frankoski
Linda Frederick
Paul and Heather Frese
Christine Smith and
George Fuson
David Galat
Robert Gamer
Thomas Ganfield
Clark Gantzer
Norman and Vicki Gartor
Karen Garver
Jim and Karren Gebhart
Virgil Gehlbach
Nancy and Lawrence Gelb
Stan and Suzanne Gentry
Michael Gerard
Beverly Gieselman
Bryan Goeke
Karen Goellner
Jackie and Dale Goetz
Deborah Good
Gerald and Anita Gorman
David Groenke
Darin Groll
James and Janine Guelker
Margaret Gilleo and
Charles Guenther
David and Ann Gulick
John Gulla
Hilary Haley
Jerry and Linda Haley
Sharon Haley
Rex and Amy Hamilton
Emily Loeb and Lee Hammons
Harold and Kristy Harden
Sylvia Hardy
Marilyn Harlan
Betty Struckhoff and
James Harris
Jo Ellen Hart
Mick and Janie Hayden
Karen Hayes
Sylvia and Daniel Hein
Roger Helling
Sue Helm
Josephine Hereford
Nick and Erin Hereford
Roger and Nancy Hershey
Vera Herter
Jeanne Heuser
Michael and Jeanne Hevesy
Steve Heying
Harriet Hezel
Ronald USN (Ret) and
Mary Ann Hill
Steve Hilty
David and Tina Hinds
Sarah Hinman
Sue and Steve Holcomb
E. Allen Holland
Anne Rankin Horton and
Robert Horton
Larry Houf
Gary House
Grant House
Robert and Linda Hrabik
Paul Hubert
Lessie Hudson
Paul Hughes
William Hughes
Harold Hunt
David and Kaye Iftner
North Independence Library
Branch
Dan Isom
Gary Jackson
Edwin Jacobs
Dave and Tammy Jahnke
Jamie Jepsen
Bernie and Sally Jezak
Barbara Johnson
Jeff and Nancy Johnson
Kay and Betty Johnson
Alvin Jording
Angie and Aaron Jungbluth
Mary Kaeser-Miller
Laura Kahl
Margaret and Henry
Kaltenthaler
Kansas City Public Library
Arvil Kappelmann
Fred Kautt
Buck and Patricia Keagy
Sue and Dan Kelly
Robert and Robert Kern
George Stalker and Jean
Keskulla
Russell Kinerson
V. S. King
Timothy Kirchoff
John Kirmil
Amy and Nathan Klaas
Wallace and Norma Klein
Pam Klump
Jean Knoll
Bryan Knowles
Linda and Erik Kocher
Phillip and Sara Koenig
Don and Ruth Kollmeyer
Daniel Kopf
Scott and Cindy Kranz
Robert and Maureen Kremer
Jim and Mary Kriegshauser
Robin and Mike Kruse
Liz Kucera
Rose Allison and Nicholas Kyle
Larry and Marvin Lackamp
Debbie and James Laemmli
Leona Lambert-Suchet
William and Virginia Landers
Henry and Linda Landry
Wayne and Marilyn Langston
Olive Lansburgh
Cynthia Pavelka and Mike
Larocca
Dean and Dianne Laswell
Jim and Mariann Leahy
George Leaming
Robert Lee
Debbie Lehman, Clay Potters
Garden Club
Jim and Suzanne Lehr
Sherry Leis
Bill and Susan Lekey
J. E. Leonard
Sherry Leonardo
Lawrence and Ruth Lewis
Curtis Lichty
Mark and Pamela Lindenmeyer
Craig Lingle
Teri Linneman
Arleena Littlepage
Dave Lochhaas
Mary Logsdon
Mary and Charles Long
Gretchen and Lynn Loudermilk
Barbara Lucks
Patricia Luedders
Douglas Maag
Dirk and Ellen Maas
Clarence Mabee
William Mabee
Tim Maddern
Chandan and Banti Mahanta
Edward Manring
Thomas J. and Julie Martin
Linda Burns and Chuck Mason
Richard Matt
Loretta McClure
Ronald McCracken
Wallace McDonald
Rosa Christisen McHenry
Robert McPheeters
Fred McQueary
M. H. and W. R. McVicker
Paul and Carol McAllister
Sherry McBride
Wayne McCall
Dan McCann
Mary McCarthy
Linda McCaughey
Tom and Phebe McCutcheon
David Bradley and C. McGennis
Bill and Brenda McGuire
Winnie McKinley
Monte McQuillen
Veronica Mecko
Lenora Medcalf
Holly Mehl
Stan Mehrhoff
Retha Meier
Melodie and Mark Metje
Karen Meyer
Stephanie Michels
Mid-Continent Public Library
Elizabeth Middleton
Mr. and Mrs. Matt Miles
Diana Miller
Douglas Miller
Elaine Miller
Erin Miller
Jan Miller
Bill Minford, Sherwood Forest
Nursery & Garden Center
P. E. Minton
Missouri Western State College
Library
Linda Modesitt
Megan Moncure
Ricky and Lou Mongler
Shella Monk
Cecil and Geraldine Moore
Richard Moore
Leroy and Diane Morarity
Jeanne Morrel-Franklin
Larry Morrison
Joseph Morton
Terri Morton
J. Scott Moss
Kevin Mouser
Mark and Candace Mudd
Joanne Mueller
Michael and Monica Mueller
Billie Mullins
John Murphy
Elizabeth Myers
Lisa and Robert Nansteel
Elaine and Charles Nash
Jan and Bill Neale
Peggy Neer, Boone County
Garden Club
Scott Neiner
John Nekola
Edie and Ronnie Nelson
Eric and Barbara Nelson
Paul and Linda Nelson
Mary Nemecek
Nancy Newcomer
David Newkirk
Randy and Mary Niswonger
Krista Noel
Sue and Doug Noland
Burton Noll
Dennis and Charlene Noring
Brett and Carrie O’Brien
Philip O’Hare
Joyce Oberle
Juanice Oldroyd
Bill Olson
Susan Orr
Ozark Wilderness Waterways
Club
Janette and Russell Pace
Jarrod Pace
Bruce Palmer
Stephanie Paschall
Nancy and Michael Pawol
Beti Pearson
Richard Pedroley
Tony Peper
Bob and Pat Perry
Mark Peters
Nathaniel and Juanita Peters
M. June Pfefer
Brock Pfost
Lee and Dennis Phillion
Mark Phipps
Joel Picus
Paul Pike
Allen Piles
William Piper
Agnes Plutino
Susan Poley
Wayne and Linda Porath
Wayne and Elizabeth Porter
Dick and Donna Pouch
George and Susan Powell
Kari Pratt
Dallas Preston
Tom and Brenda Priesendorf
Tom McGraw and Elizabeth
Prindable
Lowell and Betty Pugh
Allan Puplis
Susan Pyle
Edward Quinn
Cindy Ragland
Patricia Ragsdale
Michael and Sharon Rapp
David Read
Sue Reed
Jerry Reese
Leighton Reid
Bart Renkoski Liz Renkoski
Thompson Reuters
Tom and Shirley Rheinberger
John and Karen Richardson
Sheryl Richardson
Thomas Richter
Cheryl Ricke
Joann Rickelmann
Marcella Ridgway
Mike Rieger
Kelly Kindscher and
Maggie Riggs
Eileen Robb
Susan and Edward Robb
Angela Roberts
Michael Robertson
Richard and Marie Robertson
John Roeslein
Jason and Amy Rogers
Tim and Janet Rogers
Gretchen Ross
Robert Rothrock
Mr. and Mrs. William Rowe
Gail and Thomas Rowley
Leah and Paul Ruehle
Russell and Ann Runge
James Ruschill
Mark and Suzanne Russell
Douglas and Jeanette Salzman
Steve Sampers
John and Dori Samson
Stephen Savage
Ken Schaal
Adam Schaffer
MPF’s
2015 Awards
JIM PASCOE
By Lee Phillion
With a magnificent sunset on the prairie, children played at MPF’s 2015 Evening on the Prairie, where
the 2015 MPF awards were presented.
At the Missouri Prairie
Foundation’s (MPF’s) annual
meeting held October 10, 2015,
at Dr. Wayne Morton’s prairie
just outside of Cole Camp, MPF
honored the following individuals
for their contributions to prairie
conservation efforts. Framed
photos were presented to the
awardees. MPF would like to
thank the photographers who
contributed their photographs
for the awards, and MPF board
member Jan Sassmann for
generously framing them.
2015
annual report
MPF Members and Other Supporters Who Made Contributions in 2015, Continued
Francis and Eva Schallert
Jim Schiller
Jackie Schirn
Gary Schneider
Mike and Holly Schroer
Mike and Rose Schulte
Scott and Elizabeth Schulte
Don and Deb Schultehenrich
Ruby Schweppe
Brent Scott
Lynne Scott
Thom and Jane Sehnert
Vincent and Joan Seiler
Robert Semb
Gary and Penny Shackelford
Quint Shafer
Terry Sharpe
Lisa Shartzer
Robert and Marcia Shelby
Michael Sherraden
Ronda and Terry Sherrill
John Dengler and Carol
Shoptaugh
Steve Craig and Amy Short
Ross Shuman
George Shurvington
Jennifer Sieradzki
Jim Rhodes and Stephanie
Sigala
Susan Silvy
Erin Skornia
Ted and Beth Slegesky
Sandra Slusher
Patricia Smetana
Mike Smith and
Maria Brady-Smith
Robert Smith
Stephen Smith
Steven and Julie Snow,
Snow Family Farm
Michael Soltys
Vol. 37 No. 1
Toni Armstrong and
Richard Spener
Suzi Spoon
Tom Spriggs
Alistar and Karen Stahlhut
Karen Stair
John and Judith Stann
Richard and Nelda Steel
Cheryl Ann Steffan
Doug and Cindy Steinmetz
D’Jeanne Stevens
Leisa and Tony Stevens
Stanley Stine
Clarence Stitz
Al and Linda Storms
Robert Strickler
Mark Strothmann
Mary Stuber
Mary Stuppy
Bob Sullivan
Sarah Swearingden,
Thalias Garden Club
Rebecca Swearingin
Joe Sweeny
Audrey Sweet
Harriett Swinger
Larry and June Terrell
Alan Thibault
Julia Thoma
Andrew and Diann Thomas
Ellen Thomas
Justin and Dana Thomas
Romie Thornhill
Dorothy and Robert Thurman
Carlynn and Dennis Trout
Dennis and Adele Tuchler
Robert Turnbull
United Health Group
University of Missouri
Extension, St. Charles
Elmer Van Dyke
Matthew Van Dyke
Jim Van Eman
Don and Paula Vaughn
Jonathan Vaughn
Joe Veras
Michael and Diana Wagner
Stephen Walker
David Waltemath
Seth Walters
Jan Weaver
Cori and Al Westcott
Patricia and Tom Westhoff
Ann Wethington
Bonnie and Timothy White
Gail and Stephen White
Mary Jo Wickliff
Margaret Wideman
Jerry and Maggie Wiechman
Thomas Griesedieck and
Julie Wiegand
Janice Wiese-Fales
Joyce Wiley
Ron Wilkerson
Ed Williamson
Nancy Willis
James and Barbara Willock
Michael Wohlstadter
Dennis and Katherine Woldum
Douglas Wolter
David Woltz
Robert Wood
P. Allen Woodliffe
Becky and Mike Wylie
James and Lois Wyman
Patrick Wynne
S. Jeanene Yackey
Laura Yates
Judy Yoder
Julie Youmans and Fred Young
Glynn Young
Martha and Douglas Younkin
Terry and Luana Zlateff
Suzanne and Ted Zorn
Mark and Jill Zupec
Lucile Church and
Bob Zuvanich
o $34
T
Jan and Lyle Alderson
Paul Allgood
Anonymous
Carol Bachhuber
Erin Beaslin
Patrick Bousquet
Joan Bowen
Stephen Bowles
Glenn Chambers
Karen Chionio
M. R. Clark
James and Lany Clough
Judith Conoyer
Joe and Betty Dwigans
Marshall and Faye Dyer
Earl and Darryl Edwards
Christine Fisher
Sally and Howard Fulweiler
Dudley Galloway
Kathryn and Kirkland Gates
Joseph Godi
Tony Grandinetti
Stephanie Gray
Vernon Ray Harmon
Marcia Hawk
Winifred Hepler
Dennis Hogan
Carla Bascom and Kevin Hogan
Andrea Hussey
Delwin Johnson
Jeannie Johnston
Jill Kleinberg
Steven Linford
Jim and Julie Lundsted
Lyn Magee
Michael Marks
L. Margaret Martin
Suzanne Martin
Virginia Mc Daniel
Marcella Morales-Gaona
Laura Morlan
Kimberly Moynahan
Rick Myers
Edward Pahuski
Vincent and Jane Perna
James and Juliane Poag
Carolyn Putnam
Eric Rakestraw
Betty Richards
Dorothy Osterloh and
Cindy Rinker
Fay Roberts
Thomas and Elaine Scatizzi
Renee Staab
John and Laura Streett
Sandy Sullivan
Steve and Sanay Tomey
James Tonatore
Jim and Patricia Tornatore
Kristen Von Gruber
Willie Wise
Mary Wittry
Susan Wrasmann
Contributions listed above
are per 2015 bank deposit
dates. Please contact Jane
Schaefer, who administers
MPF’s membership and donor
database, at janeschaefer@
earthlink.net or call 888-8436739 if you have questions.
BOB BALL
Donald M. Christisen
Prairie Volunteer
of the Year
Longtime MPF member and
volunteer Lance Jessee can
often be found waist-deep
in prairie vegetation collecting seed, surveying plants
or searching for rare prairie
fringed orchids and Mead’s
milkweed. It’s equally likely
to find Jessee working the MPF annual native plant sale in Kansas City.
Jessee has shown his commitment to prairies through seed collecting at various KC WildLands sites, restoration work at Jerry Smith
Park, and other Kansas City-area remnant prairies, and leading tours
of MPF and other prairie sites to educate the public.
“Lance combines vast knowledge about native plants and prairies
with a great passion for helping others appreciate them,” said Bonnie
Teel, former MPF board member. “He gives his full energy to everything he tackles and has a genuine interest in making sure that what
he does will have a positive effect on nature and people.”
As Vice President of the Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri
Native Plant Society (MONPS), Jessee has helped lead the group in
surveying, identifying, and classifying native plants. He has worked
with both federal and state agencies as part of the Missouri Mead’s
milkweed recovery team, and has helped the Missouri Department
of Conservation survey for the eastern and western prairie fringed
orchids. He has worked with private prairie owners in Kansas to survey for Mead’s on their land and given them information about methods to protect the plants and collect seed from them. Jessee received Bridging the Gap’s Kansas City Wildlands
Award in 2007 in recognition of his efforts to improve the environment, and in 2012 was given the Missouri Native Plant Society Plant
Stewardship Award. His company, Posty Cards, Inc., has been recognized with many awards for its LEED Platinum building, which
incorporates native landscaping and two rain gardens to address storm
water runoff.
Randy Haas
BOB BALL
Bill T. Crawford Prairie
Professional of the Year
Randy Haas enjoyed a long
career with the Missouri
Department of Conservation
(MDC) that began in
1981 with MDC’s Wildlife
Division on southwestern Missouri prairies. He
moved to the role of private
land conservationist in 2000, and began assisting private landowners, including prairie landowners, with conservation strategies. Haas
retired from MDC last September, but continues to be a member and
a great friend of MPF.
Haas has helped MPF identify prairies for potential acquisition
in southwestern Missouri and has provided management assistance
and advice to MPF’s Joplin Urban Prairie Project, most notably with
invasive species control. He also advocated for protecting the original
prairie on the campus of Missouri Southern University in Joplin.
“Randy has been a great “go-to” guy to get things done when
it comes to natural habitat rehab,” said Jeff Cantrell, MPF technical
advisor and MDC education specialist. “Randy has helped me with
every Prairie Jubilee at Prairie State Park for 20 years, and almost
always worked all day giving prairie interpretive tours on hayrides
across the landscape. The visitors would get on the wagon interested
in bison, but Haas gave them an in-depth prairie ecology expedition
as well. Families loved it and learned a lot.”
Always ready to lend a hand for prairie conservation, Haas has
instructed Missouri Master Naturalist training classes in prairie, edge
habitat, and fire management. And, last June, Haas devoted a portion
of a rare day off from his job to do a TV interview to promote protection of MPF’s Linden’s Prairie.
Glen D. Wilson
Clair M. Kucera
Prairie Landowner
of the Year
Glen Wilson and his
family have owned
hundreds of acres of
remnant native prairie
in Newton County,
MO for decades. “Glen
is very protective of his
prairies,” said MPF Vice President Dale Blevins. “Despite pressures to
sell to developers, Glen has resisted.”
Along with an abundance of native prairie forbs and grasses,
Wilson’s prairies contain many low, domelike circular or oval mounds
called “mima mounds,” which, according to Blevins, are associated
with healthy prairies and are a sign that a prairie has never been
plowed.
Although Wilson’s prairie acres are located in an area where there
is great demand for cropland and suburban development, he has chosen to keep the majority of his land as prairie. Many years ago, Wilson
insured long-term protection for some of his prairie holdings by selling parcels to the Missouri Department of Conservation to become
part of Diamond Grove Conservation Area.
Today Wilson is working with his niece Danette Conley to
insure that his land holdings remain prairie and are managed appropriately well into the future. The way Wilson has managed his land
over the years and his plans for continued care after he is gone serve as
a model and motivation for other owners of native prairie remnants.
BOB BALL
Lance Jessee
Lee Phillion is an MPF member and a
Missouri Master Naturalist from St. Charles, MO.
UPDATE
50th Anniversary
Campaign Funds
Received, Awarded,
or Pledged
GOAL $ 4 million end of 2016
$3.888 million as of 1/16
$3 million
MPF’S LINDEN’S PRAIRIE BY RUSSEL KINERSON
1966 – 2016
th
anniversary
campaign
Fifty years ago, the founders of the Missouri Prairie Foundation
(MPF) took a stand to ensure that Missouri will always have rich,
beautiful prairies. Now in its 50th anniversary year, MPF presents
all prairie enthusiasts and those who love native landscapes
with a golden opportunity to invest in future prairie protection
by contributing to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s 50th
Anniversary Campaign.
$2 million
$1 million
GOLDENOPPORTUNITYFORPRAIRIEPROTECTION
Forever
Prairies Now and
Campaign Goal—$4 million
in gifts and pledges. This
campaign fundraising goal,
established in 2014, for three
years, will enable the Missouri
Prairie Foundation (MPF) to
purchase more land, steward
it carefully, and increase and
sustain the staffing necessary to
continue building future support
for prairie and native plants.
Vol. 37 No. 1
How MPF Will Allocate
Campaign Funds
$1 million for operating expenses from 2014 through 2016.
$1 million for new land acquisitions and MPF’s Land Acquisition
Fund, so MPF is financially prepared to act promptly to save a prairie
parcel from being plowed under. While MPF has recently received
funds to acquire land, it is vital that the Acquisition Fund continue to
receive funds so MPF is prepared to acquire prairies when they become
available.
$1 million for MPF’s Stewardship Fund, to provide a secure source
of funds for future prairie stewardship expenses, as it continues to
acquire land.
$1 million for MPF’s Permanent Endowment Fund, to provide a
permanent source of funds for non-stewardship operating expenses,
so that MPF has a stable financial foundation well into the future.
ed,
d of 2016
of 1/16
Prairie Champions and Patrons
MPF has established Prairie Champion and Prairie Patron giving opportunities for
individuals, businesses, philanthropic foundations, and others with the means
to give cash or securities at various levels. Since MPF’s campaign began in 2014,
campaign funds awarded, received, or pledged to date include:
Prairies Now and Forever Champion $1 Million or More
Big Bluestem Champion $500,000 or More
The Conservation Fund
Estate of Ms. Linden Trial
Award for prairie acquisition from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Missouri
Department of Natural Resources
Prairie-Chicken Champion $250,000 or More
Sunflower Champion $100,000 or More
Ed Schmidt
Platte County Land Trust
Robert J. Trulaske, Jr. Family Foundation
Award for land acquisition and restoration in the City of Joplin from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Monarch Champion $50,000 or More
Joseph C. Koster Revocable Trust
Andrew Love, Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation
Mrs. Pat Jones
Rudi Roeslein, Roeslein Alternative Energy
Blazingstar Champion $25,000 or More
William T. Kemper Foundation
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
Gina Miller
Doris and Bob Sherrick
Gold Patron $10,000 or More
Ronald and Suzanne Berry
Horne Family Foundation
Hulston Family Foundation
Susan Lordi Marker and Dennis Marker
Margaret Holyfield and Maurice Meslans
Tom and Anne Smith
Silver Patron $5,000 or More
Anonymous
Anonymous
Warren and Susan Lammert
Ann Lovell
Pledges include:
Anonymous, $5,000
Rusty and Prae Hathcock, $5,000
Dr. Clifford Welsch, $120,000
Each contribution moves MPF closer to fulfilling its campaign, and each donor of
any gift amount is an honored supporter. You can make a difference for prairies by
helping MPF reach this goal at your desired level of giving. Gifts or pledges may be
lump sums or annual amounts. Prairie Champions and Prairie Patrons may receive
significant recognition and a generous package of amenities.
How to Make A Campaign Gift of Cash or Securities
To make a tax-deductible, 50th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign gift of cash,
please send a check to
c/o Martinsburg Bank
P.O. Box 856
Mexico, MO 65265-0856
For information on making a tax-deductible campaign gift of securities,
patron recognition and amenities, and other details about the Missouri Prairie
Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Campaign, visit the Donate page at www.moprairie.
org, call 573-356-7828, or send a message to [email protected].
In 2015, Susan Lordi Marker donated $5,000 to MPF as
a challenge to other supporters to contribute as well.
Numerous MPF members and others contributed more than
$6,700, exceeding the goal by more than $1,500! Please
contribute to the 2016 Marker Monarch Match, and your
gift will be matched 100 percent. Susan Lordi Marker $7,500
Monarch Match for 2016
Artist and MPF member Susan Lordi Marker and her
husband Dennis Marker, of Kansas City, will match gifts
of any amount to steward habitat for monarchs and
hundreds of other native species on MPF prairies, up to
$7,500. The deadline for contributions to be received
for the Marker Monarch Match is September 30,
2016—about the time that monarchs will be migrating
through Missouri to Mexico.
“Like so many other MPF members and supporters,”
said Lordi Marker, “I am extremely concerned with
the dramatic decline of monarch butterflies, as well as
the rarity of our rich prairies that provide habitat for
monarchs and thousands of other plants, pollinators,
and other insects and animals. So I decided to do
something about it, and I hope you will join me.”
To make a Monarch Match gift in 2016, please send a
check to Missouri Prairie Foundation, c/o Martinsburg
Bank, P.O. Box 856, Mexico, MO 65265-0856, or make
a donation on line at www.moprairie.org/2016/01/31/
susan-lordi-marker-monarch-match-for-2016/. You may
make an anonymous donation if you wish.
Crawford and Christisen Compass
Society Dinner—August 27, 2016
Existing lifetime members who made a $1,000 or more
gift in 2015 are 2015 members of MPF’s Crawford
and Christisen Society, and will receive an invitation
in the mail to attend Dining Wild in Jefferson City
on August 27, 2016, as guests of MPF. This dinner event
organized by our partner Lincoln University’s Native
Plant Program will feature many native plant
ingredients. Native garden tours, local wine samples,
and hors d’oeuvres precede the dinner. Existing lifetime
members who make a $1,000 donation in 2016 by June
1, 2016 will also receive an invitation to the dinner.
THE
GREAT
MISSOURI
BIRDING
TR AIL
Recognizing important bird habitats
and connecting people to them.
W
ith well over four hundred
species of birds that either
live in or visit Missouri,
native habitat is critical. The Great
Missouri Birding Trail was developed
as a way to get birders to think about
native bird habitats and to establish an
ethic of bird conservation that will grow
with each new generation of birders.
The goal of the trail—which is
a virtual birding route maintained at
www.greatmissouribirdingtrail.com—is
Vol. 37 No. 1
to get birders and others who are interested in the Missouri outdoors to visit
the hundreds of locations on the trail
and get a feel for why certain species of
birds visit these diverse habitats. There
is a saying in the birding community
that “if the habitat is right, the birds
should be there.” This is just as true in
your backyard or back forty as it is in
any conservation area, natural area, state
park, nature center, or other location
on the trail. The Great Missouri Birding
SEDGE WREN BY MATT MILES
By Mike Doyen
Trail is all about recognizing habitat and
the birds that live there, and connecting
people to this habitat.
There is a sense of urgency as we call
on backyard birders and landowners to
establish and maintain permanent native
bird habitat on their properties. Just as
critical is the understanding that invasive
plants are of no use to wildlife. So where
does a backyard birder or landowner
go to get the necessary information and
product mix to bring nature back home
with native plants to support birds? The
Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow
Native! program, of course! The Great
Missouri Birding Trail website not only
directs users to the best birding locations, but it will serve as a link to many
resources, including Grow Native! and
the best birding sites on the Internet.
The Great Missouri Birding Trail
is a combined effort of the Missouri
Bird Conservation Foundation and the
Missouri Department of Conservation
(MDC) with other new partners, including the Missouri Prairie Foundation
(MPF), who have recently joined or are
coming on board soon. The trail will
consist of more than 230 of the best
birding locations across the state, including metro birding trails in all major cities. The metro trails are critical, because
well over 85 percent of the state’s population is centered in and around these six
metropolitan areas. Regardless of where
you live in any of the six metro areas,
you will never be more than ten minutes
away from a known birding hotspot.
To date, we have completed the
Kansas City and St. Louis segments of
the trail. Cape Girardeau and Columbia
will soon follow and hopefully by
the end of 2016, we will have the
Springfield and Kirksville trails completed. These six metro areas and their
respective television markets make up
the Great Missouri Birding Trail.
Many rural areas will also be
included on the trail, with a number of
public prairies and these owned by MPF
featured: Carver Prairie (next to MDC’s
Diamond Grove Prairie); Golden Prairie
Natural Area; and Friendly Prairie,
Drovers Prairie, and the Bruns Track in
Pettis County. As the Western Route of
the trail is completed this spring, other
prairies may be added.
not only connects people to bird habitats, but will also drive economic activity
along the birding routes and throughout
the state. The 1.3 million current birders
in Missouri collectively spend in excess
of an estimated $680 million every
year in birding-related purchases and
travel. The trail’s website will offer many
other things for birders to do as they
travel across the state, including hiking,
antiquing, shopping, canoeing, kayaking, and nature photography, to name a
few activities.
Please follow our journey across
the state as we work to develop and
complete the trail at www.greatmissouribiridngtrail.com. Become a friend of the
trail on Facebook and stay up to date on
our progress.
Mike Doyen is an MPF member and the
president of the Missouri Bird Conservation
Foundation. He lives in Rolla, MO and can
be reached at [email protected].
Recognizing
100 Years of the
Migratory Bird Treaty
MPF is a partner with the Missouri Department of
Conservation in recognizing this milestone and
importance of migratory bird habitat.
T
he year 2016 marks 50 years for MPF, and is also
the centennial of the Convention between the
United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the
Protection of Migratory Birds (also called the Migratory Bird Treaty), signed on Aug. 16,
1916. The Migratory Bird Treaty, and three others that followed, form the cornerstones of
conservation efforts to conserve birds that migrate across international borders.
The Treaty connects the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service—the federal agency responsible for,
among many other responsibilities, the management of migratory birds and National
Wildlife Refuges—with other federal, state, private, non-governmental, tribal, and
international partners, who share a long, successful history of conserving, protecting, and
managing migratory bird populations and their habitats. Celebrating the centennial of the
Migratory Bird Treaty provides an opportunity for all bird conservation partners to work
together to galvanize efforts to protect migratory birds for the generations to come.
—information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For more resources on the
Migratory Bird Centennial, visit www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100/
Missouri
Prairie
Foundation
Special Birding
Events in 2016
SUMMER TANAGER BY MATT MILES
is designed to direct and assist the
more than 1.3 million birders, aged
sixteen or older, who live in Missouri
to the best places in the state to bird.
Most of the state’s birders are classified as backyard birders, but they too
occasionally drive at least one mile
from home to see birds in their native
habitat. It is the goal of everyone associated with the trail that the relationship
between birds and habitat make a
strong and lasting impact on birders in
Missouri and beyond the state’s borders
to build support for the conservation
of original habitats, and also to bring
nature home and grow native.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, via coordination by the Missouri Department of Conservation, has called
upon many groups in Missouri to help promote the centennial and the importance of migratory birds and
their habitats. As a partner in this endeavor, MPF has organized a number of bird-related activities for
2016, including a bird presentation at its Annual Dinner on Aug. 6, articles, and outings like this:
Glade and Savanna Breeding Bird Investigation
Sunday, 22 May 2016, 10:00 a.m. to noon
Chute Ridge Glade near Roaring River State Park, Eagle Rock, MO (Barry County)
Join Jeff Cantrell, naturalist and MPF technical advisor, Audubon Society of Missouri member, and
experienced birder, for a free MPF in-the-field program on the nesting bird ecology of this National
Audubon-designated Important Bird Area. Missouri Master Naturalist Becky Wylie will co-lead. The
group should be rewarded with views of prairie warblers, chats, tanagers, field sparrows and much more.
We will take special notice of the structure of the habitat and all factors affecting birdlife. This will be
approximately a 2.5-mile hike on uneven terrain with a moderate to difficult climb with exposed rocks and
roots. However, the wildflowers and birds make up for the climb. Information will follow registration; class
is limited to 18 adults. To register contact Jeff at [email protected] or 417-629-3423.
Establishing Native Pasture
with a Cover Crop Cocktail
Cowpeas and Grazing Corn Help Convert Fescue to Native Pasture
By Chris McLeland
Above, native warm-season
grass takes hold in a pasture
amid annual legumes.
The seed mix of natives
along with annual forage
like cowpeas helps cattle
producers transition from
fescue pasture to native
forage: The natives–which
are slower to establish—
will be future forage
while the annuals provide
immediate food for cattle.
Table 1, at right, shows
weight gains per native
forage type. Weight gain
with tall fescue is much less
(McLeland, pers. com.).
Vol. 37 No. 1
DAVID NIEBRUEGGE
T
he benefits of native forage
for livestock, as opposed to
nonnative grasses like tall fescue, have been documented for many
years.1 Converting non-native pasture
to native prairies and forbs not only
has been shown to increase cattle daily
weight gains (see Table 1) when used as
part of a rotational grazing system, but
these native species also exhibit drought
tolerance, another critical factor in successful livestock grazing. In addition to
the economic profitability provided by
the native grasses and forbs, these species also provide improved habitat for
grassland birds, many invertebrates, and
other animals. Additionally, the deep
root systems of natives improve water
infiltration as well as reduce erosion by
stabilizing ground.
The challenge has been finding a
way to make it economically feasible for
cattle producers to convert their pasture.
In recent years, a novel approach is helping to address this challenge.
Beginning in 2014, the Missouri
Department of Conservation (MDC)
implemented an experimental grazing
system project within the Green Ridge/
Hi Lonesome Grassland Bird Focus Area
in Pettis County, MO and fortunately,
it is showing signs of success. The
experimental seeding involved the
cooperation and close coordination of
staff from MDC’s Private Land Services
Animals
Grazing
Grazing
System
Forage Species
Stockers
Early Season
Big bluestem/Indiangrass blend
(600 lb)
Full Season
Cow/calf
Full Season
Division as well as that of a local
Pettis County cattle producer who was
willing to participate in the trial. The
experimental trial was designed to assist
the cattle achieve his overall objective of
converting very low-quality, cool-season
pasture on his farm to a higher quality,
perennial warm-season grass forage
type that he can utilize in his rotational
grazing system.
Average
Daily
Gain/lbs
Days
Grazed
Total
Animal
Days/Acre
Total
Gain/Acre
2.65
30
74
196
Switchgrass
2.21
30
85
189
Eastern gamagrass
1.70
30
98
162
2.21
60 – 95
136
299
Switchgrass
1.65
74 – 95
169
289
Eastern gamagrass
1.12
95
223
249
1.87
66 – 87
125
189
Switchgrass
1.45
66 – 87
101
180
Tall fescue
0.5 – 0.9
65
70
85
DAVID NIEBRUEGGE
While the benefits of incorporating
native warm-season grasses into a rotational grazing system are well known,
one potential economic drawback of
these conversions can be the temporary
loss of grazing acres available for livestock while waiting for the new forage to
become established and ready to graze.
In an attempt to remedy this issue, an
experiment was designed that would
utilize a cover crop of a diverse mix of
warm-season annual forages established
at the same time, and on the same acres,
as the native warm season grasses. The
objective was to use the annual summer
cover crops for forage while the native
warm-season grass stand was being
established.
The warm-season cover crop mix
was planted in mid-May 2014 and
served as a nurse crop for the warm-season grasses and forbs that were planted at
the same time, and also as supplemental
forage for the producer during the establishment phase of the conversion process.
Once the cover crop was established,
it was available to be grazed. The producer weighed 18 650-pound calves and
began grazing during the last week of
August 2014 using a high stock density/
short-duration grazing method of strip
grazing the calves at a stocking rate of
45,000 to 50,000 pounds live weight/
acre with daily moves. He grazed the
calves for 30 days with an average daily
gain of about two pounds per animal.
The producer sold those calves and
then grazed some non-lactating cows
on the stand for approximately 30 days,
using the same method, which got him
through the summer “lull” and in a good
position to roll the cows back out onto
fall cool-season pasture. At the end of the
summer growing season, big and little
bluestem, Indiangrass, and several of the
native forbs that had been planted in the
spring were prevalent in the stand, both
in the grazed and ungrazed portions.
Last year was the second growing
season for the native grasses and forbs,
and the response has been very encouraging. In the summer of 2015, the
native grasses and forbs looked robust in
both the grazed and ungrazed portions
from the 2014 season. MDC staff and
the landowner decided to establish the
same cover crop cocktail again in part
of the paddock and planned to graze it
again, in a similar fashion as in 2014, to
see if there is any benefit or detriment to
grazing it a second consecutive year.
As was the case for many farmers,
the cool and wet conditions in May,
2015 did not provide for good establishment of annual crops, and the forage
stand did not do well. Nevertheless,
some scattered cover crop species such
as cowpeas, soybeans, grazing corn, and
sorghum sudan were present throughout
the stand, along with giant ragweed.
There is good nutritional value in
both these native and planted annuals.
During 2015, the landowner implemented some controlled, light grazing in
the paddock again this past late summer/
fall to use that forage before moving to
stockpiled cool-season pastures for the
winter months. The project will continued to be monitored over the next couple of years to evaluate soil health and to
try to determine if there is any benefit or
These native warmseason grasses
became established
in a pasture planted
with a cover crop of
annuals for forage.
detriment to warm-season grass establishment using this method.
The preliminary results of this project provide hope that this method can
prove to be a valuable approach for some
of Missouri’s approximately 68,000
cattle producers to use similar annual
cover types to provide valuable forage
while establishing a warm-season forage component to their grazing systems.
The important side benefits will be better nesting and brood habitat for small
game and other grassland species, and
improved soil health on their livestock
operations.
Allen, V. G., and E. Segarra, 2001. Anti-quality
components in forage: Overview, significance, and economic impact. J. Range
Manag. 54:409-412
Doxon, E. D., P. D. Keyser, G. E. Bates, J. C.
Waller, and C. A. Harper. 2011. Economic
implications of growing native warmseason grasses for forage in the Mid-South.
University of Tennessee Extension SP731-E.
Keyser, P. D., G. E. Bates, J. C. Waller, C. A.
Harper, and E. D. Doxon. 2011. Grazing
native warm-season grasses in the MidSouth. University of Tennessee Extension
SP731-C.
1
Chris McLeland is the Private Land
Services regional supervisor in the Missouri
Department of Conservation’s central
region, working out of Columbia.
The
Hills Are
Alive with
HERPS
TOM NAGEL
Amphibian and Reptile
Diversity in the Loess Hills
of Squaw Creek National
Wildlife Refuge
Steep loess hills, such as these in northwestern Missouri, are globally rare.
By Mark S. Mills, Darrin Welchert,
and Jordan Meyer
In the fall of 2008 one of the
authors, Dr. Mark Mills, was riding
in a pickup truck along the back
roads of Squaw Creek National
Wildlife Refuge (SCNWR) discussing
potential research projects with
Frank Durbian, then SCNWR wildlife
biologist. We were discussing the
research needs of SCNWR and the
many potential projects involving
amphibians and reptiles in which
students at Missouri Western
State University (MWSU) could
participate. Then Frank stated
that, whereas many studies at
SCNWR had focused on the game
species and vast wetlands on
the refuge, little work had been
done in the much smaller upland
sites, specifically the Loess Hills
on the refuge. He suggested that
someone should do a survey of the
amphibians and reptiles of these
steep, dry prairie remnants.
Vol. 37 No. 1
The Loess Hills of the Midwest
consist of glacial and wind-deposited
soils that border the Missouri River
from northwestern Iowa and northeastern Nebraska down to just south of
St. Joseph, MO. Deep loess soils, and
steep loess hills, are rare, found only
in Germany, China, and the region
described above, and have important
ecological significance. Topography
of the loess hills is steep with slopes
ranging from 14 to 90 percent and
elevation changes of 150 to 250 feet.
Narrow knife-blade ridges and numerous steep drainages are common. In
North America, the Loess Hills are often
the site of prairie remnants that contain
endemic species, including western species adapted to drier environments.
The Loess Hills face many threats,
including woody vegetation encroachment (often the result of fire suppression), agriculture, invasive species, and
erosion. Therefore, SCNWR has instituted prescribed burning, woody plant
removal, and other habitat management
techniques to maintain and enhance
the loess hills on the refuge. As part of
the management planning process, it
became clear that surveys of animals—
including amphibians and reptiles, or
herps for short—would be needed. A literature search for studies on the herps of
the loess hills yielded no results, further
emphasizing the need for such work.
Therefore, we initiated a survey.
The Habitat
The 7,440-acre SCNWR is in Holt
County in northwestern Missouri, midway between Kansas City, MO, and
Omaha, NE. The refuge derives its name
from Squaw Creek, a major stream
flowing through the Missouri River
floodplain that drains the loess hills via
a man-made ditch and empties into the
Missouri River. SCNWR includes about
6,700 acres of floodplain that is managed as wetland, grassland, and riparian
habitats. In addition, SCNWR manages
approximately 700 acres of loess hill forest and grasslands.
SCNWR’s habitats are managed on
a scale to minimize habitat fragmentation for waterfowl, shorebirds, neotropical migratory birds, and other native
What We Did
The objectives of our study included
documenting species richness and
relative abundance of herps in the
loess hills as they related to habitat
types (forest versus prairie) and habitat
alterations (prescribed fire and woody
plant control). We initially wanted
to use a simple, inexpensive sampling
technique that didn’t require constant
attention. Therefore, we decided to use
coverboards. Herpetologists have long
known that one way to look for herps
is to simply find and turn over natural
cover (e.g., logs and rocks) or man-made
cover (such as old boards, metal siding
or roofing, car doors, etc.). Coverboards
are simply using this “technique” in a
systematic and organized manner.
In 2009, MWSU student Teresa
Ausberger and Mark Mills placed 128
coverboards in a U-shaped transect
through both wooded and grassland
portions of the loess hills. The plywood
boards measured approximately 20 by
48 inches. We placed these boards in
pairs approximately 15 meters apart. We
typically checked the boards weekly or
at least once a month depending on the
year.
In 2011 Darrin Welchert, wildlife
biologist at SCNWR, and Jordan Myer,
another MWSU student, placed a series
of drift fences with pit-fall buckets and
funnel traps in various habitats throughout the refuge, including six in prairie
and woodland habitats within the loess
hills near the coverboard array. The extra
sampling technique was added in order
to potentially capture different species
Herps were surveyed in both prairie and woodland sites.
Participants involved in the survey checking coverboards and pit-fall buckets for herps.
NWSU PHOTOS
are.
species. Wildlife species include up to
476 bald eagles, 1,400,000 snow geese,
and 200,000 ducks during migration.
In addition, the refuge hosts a diversity
of vertebrates including 310 species of
birds, 41 mammals, and, the focus of
our study, 37 herps.
A prairie racerunner and a red milksnake documented during the study.
and to reduce sampling bias. Since animals can dehydrate or overheat in the
traps/buckets, these fences were checked
daily. Typically, we would run a fence
for a week, then shut it down and run
again about two weeks later.
We identified and measured all animals captured under the boards or at the
fences. We began marking milksnakes
with PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder)
tags in 2011 to determine if we were
capturing the same or different individuals of this relatively common snake.
What Did We Find?
Ring-necked snakes and more ringnecked snakes! With our sampling techniques, we captured and measured 217
ring-necked snakes, 56 red milksnakes,
and 53 gartersnakes (mostly red-sided
gartersnakes, but we captured plains
gartersnakes as well; see the complete list
in Table 1). We collected nine times as
many herps in the grasslands than in the
woodland habitats. What you will not
see on that list is all of the other organisms we found, ranging from mammals
(e.g., deer mice, voles, and shrews) to a
variety of invertebrates such as ants, centipedes, beetles, and snails. In fact, Dr.
David Ashley (MWSU Biology Professor)
has used the same coverboards to collect invertebrates for his entomology and
invertebrate biology classes and to search
for a species of snail that serves as the
intermediate host for deer brain worm.
Captured in
this study
Species
Small-mouthed salamander
(Ambystoma texanum)
Eastern tiger salamander
(Ambystoma tigrinum)
Plains spadefoot
(Spea bombifrons)
American toad
(Anaxyrus americanus)
Great Plains toad
(A. cognatus)
Rocky Mountain toad
(A. woodhousii woodhousii))
Blanchard’s cricket frog
(Acris blanchardi)
Cope’s gray treefrog
(Hyla chrysoscelis)
Boreal chorus frog
(Pseudacris maculata)
Western narrow-mouthed toad
(Gastrophryne olivacea)
Plains leopard frog
(Lithobates blairi)
American bullfrog
(L. catesbeianus)
Northern leopard frog
(L. pipiens)
Plains (Ornate) box turtle
(Terrapene ornata ornata)
Five-lined skink
(Plestiodon fasciatus)
Great Plains skink
(P. obsoletus)
Northern prairie skink
(P. septentrionalis septentrionalis)
Prairie racerunner
(Aspidoscelis sexlineatus viridis)
Western worm snake
(Carphophis vermis)
Eastern yellow-bellied racer
(Coluber constrictor flaviventris)
Prairie ring-necked snake
(Diadophis punctatus arnyi)
Great Plains ratsnake
(Pantherophis emoryi)
Western (Black) ratsnake
(P. obsoletus)
Western foxsnake
(P. ramspottii)
Eastern hog-nosed snake
(Heterodon platirhinos)
Prairie kingsnake
(Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster)
Speckled kingsnake
(L. holbrooki)
Red milksnake
(L. triangulum syspila)
Bullsnake
(Pituophis catenifer sayi)
Texas brownsnake
(Storeria dekayi texana)
Orange-striped ribbonsnake
(Thamnophis proximus proximus)
Plains gartersnake
(T. radix)
Red-sided gartersnake
(T. sirtalis parietalis)
Lined snake
(Tropidoclonion lineatum)
Western smooth earthsnake
(Virginia valeriae elegans)
Copperhead
(Agkistrodon contortrix)
Timber rattlesnake
(Crotalus horridus)
Western Massasauga rattlesnake
(Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus)
Historical Record1
for Holt County
Potentially
Occurring1
Prairie/Woodland
Species1, 2
✓
Both
✓
Both
✓
Prairie
✓
Woodland
✓
Prairie
✓
Both
✓
Both
✓
✓
Woodland
✓
✓
Prairie
✓
Prairie
✓
✓
Prairie
✓
✓
Both
✓
1 county north
✓
Prairie
✓
Prairie
✓
Woodland
1 county north
Prairie
2 counties east
and in KS and NE
Prairie
✓
✓
Both
✓
✓
Woodland
✓
✓
Both
✓
✓
Both
1 county north
Both
✓
Woodland
✓
Both
✓
Both
✓
Both
✓
Both
✓
✓
Both
✓
✓
Prairie
✓
✓
Both
✓
Both
✓
✓
Prairie
✓
✓
Both
✓
✓
1 county east
Prairie
2 counties east
Woodland
✓
Woodland
✓
Woodland
✓
Prairie
Based on range maps and descriptions in Johnson (2000) for Missouri, Collins et al. (2010) for Kansas,
and Fogell (2010) for Nebraska.
2
Habitat categories based on where they are most commonly found.
1
Vol. 37 No. 1
❮
Table 1 – Amphibians and reptiles
known to occur or potentially occur in
the Loess Hills of Squaw Creek National
Wildlife Refuge (we did not include
aquatic turtles or water snakes).
Herps that We
Had Hoped to Find
When we started this study we had
hoped to collect new county records
for a variety of species, but our targets
were those western prairie species on the
periphery of their range. The literature
suggests that the loess hills serve as an
eastern refuge for some western prairie
plants and animals, so we hoped that
this might include herps.
If we look at historical records and
records from across the river in Kansas
or Nebraska, we see such species as
Great Plains narrow-mouthed toads
(captured by the authors one county
south in Andrew County, MO), plains
spadefoot, Great Plains skink, northern prairie skink, and bullsnakes. Since
many herps are cryptic or hard to find,
we expected that constantly checking
these boards and drift fences would turn
up some of these prairie species.
Alternatively, in the heavily wooded
ravines we expected to turn up black
rat snakes and at least a few salamanders and possibly other amphibians like
toads. Small-mouthed salamanders occur
at the refuge, and we expected to potentially find tiger salamanders as well.
Surprises, Unusual Finds,
and Notable Observations
The biggest surprise was the almost
complete lack of lizards under the coverboards (Fig. 2). As stated above, we
had hoped to collect some of the prairie
species such as the Great Plains skink or
the northern prairie skink; however we
had fully expected to collect five-lined
skinks and prairie racerunners (whiptails) because they have been collected or
observed at SCNWR. We routinely saw
racerunners scurrying along the trails
on the top of a bluff near several of our
coverboards, but rarely collected them
under the boards.
❮
FIGURE 2 – COVERBOARDS
Red milksnake
Prairie kingsnake
Prairie racerunner
Five-lined skink
Additional species with two or
fewer observations
FIGURE 3 – DRIFT FENCES
American bullfrog
Five-lined skink
Prairie racerunner
Plains leopard frog
Boreal chorus frog
Additional species with only
one observation
Both five-lined skinks and racerunners, however, were commonly collected
in the drift fences (Fig. 3), illustrating the necessity of using more than
one technique to sample species. This
sampling bias was not unique to these
lizards. Notice that the species most
commonly collected under the boards
(i.e., ring-necked snakes, milksnakes,
and gartersnakes) were much less commonly collected in the drift fences (Figs.
2 and 3). Another surprise was the lack
of western (black) ratsnakes, especially
in the wooded or edge habitats. They
are known to occur on the refuge, but
we never collected one under a board or
with the drift fence.
We found bullfrogs in drift fence
buckets on a steep hill! Yes, this was a surprise for many reasons. Bullfrogs typically
are not out wandering around 520 meters
(1/3 mile) from a permanent water source
let alone in upland habitat on the side of
a steep bluff. These were predominantly
young individuals that may have been
dispersing to new habitats.
The numbers of individuals and
diversity of species was much greater in
the grassland areas than in the wooded
areas of the Loess Hills. However, we
must be careful how we interpret these
findings because the woodland areas
also have a greater abundance of natural
cover material such as logs and leaf litter.
Figure 2 – Relative abundance of
amphibians and reptiles captured under
coverboards.
Figure 3 – Relative abundance of
amphibians and reptiles captured using
drift fences.
Therefore, amphibians and reptiles may
not have been found under the boards
because they have an abundance of other
options for cover in these wooded areas.
In terms of the restoration of woodland
to grassland habitats, this has recently
occurred in an area where we have 10
boards and one drift fence, so we are
particularly interested to see how this
might affect what we capture over the
next several years.
This study was a tremendous learning experience for all those involved.
We collected data that not only has created a species list for refuge managers
and wildlife biologists at SCNWR, but
that will also allow these managers to
make better decisions concerning how
they manage the Loess Hills habitat.
In addition, this study has given many
students at MWSU hands-on experience
in techniques commonly used to sample
herps and other terrestrial organisms. It
has been a classic “win-win” situation for
Squaw Creek and MWSU that we hope
continues to provide these benefits into
the future.
Acknowledgements
This study would have never been possible
without the many students and classes from
MWSU who have participated over the years.
We would like to especially thank Teresa
Ausberger, Jordan Myer, and Adam Shore for
all of their hard work, and Dr. David Ashley
for his support. We also want to thank Frank
Durbian, Ron Bell, and Corey Kudrna of
SCNWR for their assistance in various stages
of this project. Funding for this project has
come from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and
MWSU. The findings and conclusions in this
article are those of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the views of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Mark S. Mills is an associate professor
of biology at Missouri Western State
University in St. Joseph, MO.
Darrin Welchert is a wildlife biologist with
the U.S. Fish and Service at Squaw Creek
National Wildlife Refuge in Mound City, MO.
Jordan Meyer recently graduated from
MWSU and is a bio tech at SCNWR.
Integrating Natives
into a Non-native,
Traditional Landscape
Text and photos by Alan Branhagen
M
ost homeowners
maintain a
traditional
landscape, often inherited
from previous owners. A
conventional home is often
surrounded by foundation
plantings set in a lawn with
a few shade and ornamental
trees, shrubs, perennials, and
annuals, most of which are
not native and offer little to
support pollinators, birds,
and other wildlife.
The seasonal flowers and gray foliage of leadplant (Amorpha canescens) provide a pleasing contrast
to a purple-leaved cultivar of weigela.
We are quickly learning that the
more native plants in our landscapes, the
healthier the environment around us and
in our communities will be. Our beloved
songbirds all feed their young insects,
mainly caterpillars—and it’s native plants
that for the most part provide foliage on
which insect larvae feed. (Wonder why
cities with streets planted mainly with
London plane, Norway maple and their
hybrids, Japanese zelkovas, and ginkgos
are full of European Starlings, House
Sparrows and Rock Pigeons? They have
no associated native insects to feed our
native birds, which require more than
dropped French fries!). Native plants
and their associated insects are building
blocks of the web of life that ultimately
includes us.
Vol. 37 No. 1
Integrating natives into any and all
existing landscapes does result in positive
impacts: if you plant them, insects and
wildlife will come. It is also not always
necessary to remove existing non-native
plants when they are not invasive. You
do not have to give up your prized fragrant peony, heirloom lilac, or whatever
other non-invasive flora soothes your
soul. I do, however, strongly recommend
that homeowners remove callery pears,
burning bush, hardy pampas grass, and
wintercreeper euonymus, which are
invasive plants that can spread far and
wide beyond one yard by wind or birds.
You can keep your lawn, but consider
reducing it to what is actually utilized.
Yes, there are many native plants
suited to a traditional landscape that
conform to a less wild aesthetic. There
are many resources to help homeowners
pick these natives starting with the Grow
Native! website that includes—under
the Native Plant Info tab—Top Ten
Native Plant lists. You can also see many
of these integrated with non-natives at
botanical gardens including the Missouri
Botanical Garden, Powell Gardens,
and the Springfield-Greene County
Botanical Center. Missouri Wildflowers
Nursery’s catalog also provides a “front
yard suitability” rating guide to natives.
Native Trees and Shrubs
If you want to add shade trees (trees that
grow over 50 feet tall and are deciduous), choosing native species will create
the most biomass, and thus shade, in
many landscapes. The most valuable
placement is to the southwest of your
home where the tree will block the hot
summertime afternoon sun—resulting
in significant savings on cooling costs.
Sturdy species of native oaks are excellent choices for planting near one’s
home, and, oaks provide food for hundreds of species of leaf-eating moth and
butterfly larvae. Dropping acorns can be
annoying, but a good reminder of the
season as well as food for other wildlife.
Ornamental smaller trees (growing
15 feet and over) are valued for their seasonal color of bloom, fruiting, and fall
color. To create an intimate space, try
planting them by a front door, porch,
outdoor seating area, edge, understory of
woodland, or along property boundaries. They also fit under power lines that
would conflict with a tall shade tree.
Native flowering dogwood (Cornus
florida) and redbud (Cercis canadensis)
are quite popular and should remain so
for their beauty and benefits to insects
and other wildlife. Always use native
small trees to replace callery pears. Two
ornamental native small trees I feel are
overlooked, yet perfect for wet areas, are
Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana) and
buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentallis),
which easily trims up into a lovely sum-
mer-flowering tree. Both species attract
tremendous insect diversity.
Shrubs provide excellent cover for
many favored songbirds, such as cardinals, mockingbirds, catbirds, and brown
thrashers. Native shrubs, as opposed to
non-native honeysuckle, also sustain
successful nesting because of their morphology and structure. In addition, they
don’t leaf out as early as exotic honeysuckle, which acts as a nesting signal to
birds, and thus to bird predators.
We tend to use shrubs as foundation plantings, hedges, or screens. Often
we inherit them along a neglected edge
of a property, which can end up being a
tangle of invasive Amur honeysuckle, yet
serving as a valuable screen nonetheless.
Always remove honeysuckle and replace
it with similarly behaving native shrubs,
such as possumhaw (Ilex decidua)
for spring flowers and winter berries,
roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii), blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium),
and if you really want the screen effect,
native cane (Arundinaria gigantea) is
evergreen. If you have forsythias, flowering quince, or other non-native (but not
invasive) shrubs, you can plant natives
near them to increase habitat value, and
you might decide to switch them out
over time as your native plants mature.
Numerous native shrubs can be added under
canopy trees, along a walk, or a property
border to add beauty and ecological value
to a landscape. From left, possumhaw (Ilex
decidua) is a great replacement for invasive
bush honeysuckle, with choice red berries as
showy as the finest ornamental tree. A native
silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) adds seasonal
color to an adjacent non-native viburnum at
Powell Gardens. The flowers of wild hydrangea
(Hydrangea arborescens), a species featured
in Grow Native’s Pollination Buffet program,
attract a wealth of pollinators. American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens, the native species) enhances the ecological value of a nonnative seven sons tree at Powell Gardens.
Vines
Vines offer some of the most environmentally enhancing attributes to a
landscape—but send fear up the spines
of arborists and foresters. Our native
vines in the grape family (Vitis spp.,
Parthenocissus spp., and Ampelopsis cordata) offer tremendous value to insects
and wildlife—and no other plant group
Increase the ecological value of your landscape’s
square footage with native vines: Top, Virginia
creeper (Parthenocissus quinqefolia) enlivens the
stone base of the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel at
Powell Gardens, and above, crossvine (Bignonia
capreolata) adds beauty to a limestone wall at
Powell Gardens Visitor Center.
will support more hummingbird-like
sphinx moths.
Using vines as curtain walls is a
practice widely used abroad and catching
on in the U.S. In spaces too tight for a
tree, vines are shading many a structure
and saving cooling costs. Landscapingfriendly Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia) can be planted on a nonnative or low wildlife value tree where
its extremely nectar-rich flowers are followed by fat rich berries in early fall that
are relished by migrating songbirds.
Vol. 37 No. 1
Have beds with conventional cultivars? A great variety of native
perennials can be added to these plantings, such as, from top,
and clockwise: aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium);
savanna blazingstar (Liatris scariosa), featured in Grow Native’s
Pollinator Buffet program, as is blue wild indigo (Baptisia
australis; as long-lived and well behaved in a garden as any
peony); and self-sowing columbine (Aquilegia canadensis).
Perennials
Existing non-native perennial plantings
can be enhanced with natives, just be
sure and select appropriate plants compatible with your soil and moisture, sun
or shade conditions. Consider planting
milkweeds or pollinator beneficial plants
as promoted by Grow Native!’s Monarch
Café and Pollinator Buffet selections.
Lawn is the de facto groundcover in
most traditional landscapes where much
of it remains not utilized and becomes
solely, as Dr. Doug Tallamy states, a
status symbol. Some, mainly urban,
landscapes can have extensive non-native
groundcovers of vinca, English ivy,
and the “monkey grasses” Liriope and
Ophiopogon, which provide only slightly
more ecosystem services than plastic
plants.
If you have extensive lawn, consider
reducing it. Save turf for areas you utilize for play or for access to utilities and
home maintenance, and even for fire
breaks in some locations. For all other
lawn areas, begin by replacing grass
under trees with native groundcovers.
Consult the Grow Native! Top Ten list
of native groundcovers for inspiration.
Alan Branhagen is the director of
horticulture at Powell Gardens in Kingsville,
MO and a Grow Native! committee
member. His forthcoming book, Native
Plants of the Midwest is slated for
publication in fall 2016.
CYNDI COGBILL
Education on the Prairie with Jeff Cantrell
Feathered Curricular
Connections to Literature
Part 1 of a three-part bird series
in honor of the Migratory Bird
Treaty Centennial
Bird-related storybooks, appropriate to the grade level or age,
can help children and adults
create their own stories and
ultimately develop a deeper
understanding of birds and
their connections to the natural
world as a whole.
PHOTOS JEFF CANTRELL
B
irds are commonly observed on a prairie field trip, in
the schoolyard, or at home. They are a fascinating class
topic, and accounts of them can be found in historical
documents, current events, and a variety of media and educational materials.
Educators and naturalists utilize non-fiction life history
books and basic field guides to explore habitats and help identify the life their students observe. A different approach or a
supplement to this investigation uses children’s literature—
especially storybooks—to peak a child’s interest. Stories place
the reader in the literature’s landscape. The youth’s imagination sprints along the storylines, and, if they are well written, a
few pages into the book and children find themselves interacting with the characters.
An educator can easily incorporate a bird-related storybook for a field experience or find an avian literary reference
to build an activity or class discussion on birdlife. The use of
storybooks works best for kindergarten to fourth grade levels.
However, I use brief selected passages from topic-related children’s books for most grade levels as well as for educators in
university courses. A chosen sentence or two from a favorite
book initiates journal writing and storytelling for upper grade
levels and adults.
Storytelling is one of the best avenues for human communication. An engaging age-appropriate tale is a perfect platform
to engage children—or adults—on a level they can understand.
Engaging bird-related stories allow students to learn about bird
migration, food niches, and territory, as well as avian facts like
beak adaptations in a way that textbooks can not.
Native grasslands and their ecology have been the subject
of stories for hundreds of years. Those stories told in Osage
lodges, around other neighboring Native American campfires,
and later in family rooms and one-room schoolhouses transformed some complicated concepts into generalizations, making the information easy to comprehend.
Students can also write their own bird-related stories.
Teachers and naturalists can give students “bird facts” to
incorporate into their writing. Having the students include
themselves into their storylines may give the students more
freedom and interest in the creativity. I regularly have students
or educators I teach borrow some lines from a text and use that
as an opening to an oral or written narrative. Popular Native
American legends, classics like By the Shores of Silver Lake and
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, or more
recent children’s books with bird and nature topics all work
nicely.
An example I’ve used with fourth grade teachers is the
passage “Out on the prairie where the constant wind blows
free, lived a mother meadowlark and her little chicks three.”
I’ll instruct from the storybook Out on the Prairie by Donna
M. Bateman, 2012 Charlesbridge Publishing. The Little House
books are popular with homeschool networks, and I like to recommend Laura’s description of a hawk soaring overhead, or the
Ingalls girls’ discovery of a bird’s nest, prairie birds balancing
on goldenrods and the songs of meadowlarks and “little dickiebirds” (dickcissels).
The highlight of using children’s literature, I believe, is it
gives the educator another connecting resource to reach youth.
By adding storytelling, educators can encourage social exchanges between the speaker and the listening audience, making the
natural landscape and characters appealing on a personal and
education level.
Any questions on using the outdoors to teach youth/adult groups
or interpret nature can be relayed to Jeff at swampcandle1@gmail.
com or 417-476-3311 or work 417-629-3423.
Grade Level Expectations: FA 1, 2.1, FA 1, 2.1, FA 1, 2.1, LO.1.A.3a, L.3.3a, L.4.3a, L.6.3a, L.6.3b
Native Warm-Season Grass News
A Landowner’s Guide To Wildlife-Friendly Grasslands
2015 Patch-Burn Grazing Working Group Meeting
JOAN CLUBINE
Vol. 37 No. 1
At left is the Z-Bar Ranch in Aetna,
KS, managed with tree cutting,
some fire, and rotational grazing.
In contrast, the ranch on the right
has not cut cedars, applies no fire,
and carries out seasonal grazing. At
lower right is the tree saw used by
Keith Yearout to cut cedars at the
Z-Bar Ranch.
The Z-Bar ranch in Aetna is grazed by 700 to 1,000 bison cows plus calves
and bulls. Yearling calves are shipped to feedlots in late spring, instead of grass
finishing, because Montana Grill wants each animal to be uniform, which can be
a challenge with grassfed animals.
Yearout said that when Turner first visited the ranch after he was hired as
manager, he brought up the cedar problem. Turner wasn’t big on controlling
them, but after Yearout put a copy of Randy Roger’s “Cedar Invasion” article
from Kansas Wildlife magazine where Turner would see it, his attitude changed.
Turner told Yearout he could kill all the cedars he wanted.
Rotational grazing was chosen for managing bison grazing on the Z-Bar.
This required constructing several large pastures or paddocks. Animals are
grazed about two weeks before they are moved to a new paddock. Yearout
says they are always waiting at the gate for the move. Between the wildfire
and grazing rotation, which includes long rest periods, little bluestem and
sideoats grama have come back from what was mostly buffalograss and blue
grama shortgrass prairie under Boatman’s continuous, severe grazing lease
management. Yearout has been to a couple patch-burn grazing working
group meetings and is beginning to incorporate it into the rotation, which isn’t
particularly easy while retaining the rotations. Animals have to be on a burn
shortly after burning so the grasses and forbs don’t get too far ahead and lose
the attraction to the burned versus the unburned patches.
Cedar invasion is epidemic in this part of the world as it is almost
everywhere in North America. One of the many effects this invasion has is on
local water tables and stream flows. Cedar removal in the Red Hills has had a
dramatic effect on water resources. Researchers at Oklahoma State University
have documented that it takes at least two inches of rain before any moisture
reaches the soil beneath a cedar and that cedar transpire between one and
seven gallons of soil moisture daily depending on the size of individual trees.
STEVE CLUBINE PHOTOS
T
he 2015 Patch-Burn Working Group met in the
Red Hills of south-central Kansas in late August.
Featured were Ed Koger’s Hashknife Ranch at
Wilmore, and Ted Turner’s Z-Bar Ranch, at Aetna,
both southwest of Pratt, KS. The Red Hills—also
known as the Gypsum Hills because of thin sheets of
gypsum that outcrop on slopes—cover all or parts
of four counties and consist of predominantly mixed grass prairie dominated
by little bluestem and sideoats grama grasses. Eastern red cedar is a serious
invader that has become epidemic the last 40 years due to the absence of
fire. Slowly, ranchers are instituting prescribed fire, but many cedars have
become too large for prescribed fires to kill, requiring cutting except where the
occasional wildfire has raged.
Koger, his son Jared, and one other employee run the 37,000-acre
Hashknife Ranch. (See photos of the ranch at www.huntthehashknife.com.)
Koger moved to the Red Hills in the early 1970s from the Flint Hills. Growing up
in the Flint Hills, his father and grandfather indoctrinated a young Koger in the
art of prairie burning. However, fire was rarely used in the Red Hills when Koger
moved there. “It took me about three years before I decided to burn my first pasture,” Koger said. The next step was cutting cedars that were too tall for fire to
kill and after decades of fire suppression, there were plenty of those. Fire helped
stem the tide of cedar spread, as does keeping three cedar cutters running whenever other chores allow. The change in the landscape has been remarkable.
Koger became interested in patch-burn grazing, instead of whole
pasture burning, while watching the success his sister, Jane, was having at her
Homestead Ranch in the Flint Hills. Although the Red Hills receive less rainfall,
he thought it might work there, too. He has been very pleased and it has also
made a big difference in bringing back lesser prairie-chickens to his property.
Koger says he has between 300 and 600 lessers, 30 known leks, and feels the
population will continue to increase with better habitat provided by patchburn grazing. He says he also has significantly more forage because unburned
patches get less grazing pressure, grasses are taller, and big bluestem,
indiangrass, and forbs have increased.
I asked Koger if there had been any herbicide spraying in the Red Hills. He
said there was a lot during the 1960s when USDA cost-shared for 2,4,5-T and
some other herbicides promoted by big herbicide companies. He said he aerial
sprayed about 3,000 acres on the south end of his ranch for sandsage control. “It
was the worst mistake I ever made,” he said. “It will take at least 60-70 years for
the prairie to recover from the damage.”
The Z-Bar Ranch in Aetna was owned by the same people who owned the
Z-Bar in Strong City and later by Boatmen’s Bank in Kansas City. The 43,000-acre
Aetna Z-Bar is now owned by Ted Turner, and the Strong City Z-Bar is now the
11,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve owned by the Kansas Chapter of
The Nature Conservancy.
The Aetna Z-Bar is one of 11 Turner ranches that raise bison for Ted’s
Montana Grill restaurants. Ted’s criteria for purchasing a ranch, according to
Z-Bar manager Keith Yearout, is that it can sustainably carry 2,000 animal units
and support indigenous wildlife, in the case of Z-Bar, bobwhite quail and lesser
prairie-chickens. Turner is an avid quail hunter, pursuing them about 60 days a
year. Other of his ranches support sharp-tailed grouse and cutthroat trout.
STEVE CLUBINE
The mean soil moisture loss per tree per year is 2,555 gallons. A mere 10 cedar
trees occupying an acre would remove over 25,000 gallons per acre per year,
easily enough to dry up prairie streams. Koger commented that he was cutting
cedars along one of his many upland prairie streams, but got interrupted for a
few weeks. When he returned to cut more, he got stuck because the side hills
were now full of moisture with overland flow to the stream.
Another personal account came from Eva Yearout at the Z-Bar. Wildfires
burned 6,000 and 5,000 acres each in November 2006 and August 2008.
The fires killed thousands of cedars that were too tall to kill with the calmer
conditions used in prescribed fires. As we caravanned along a ridge, Eva, who
had given radios to each vehicle driver so she could give us a travelogue, told
us to look to the east and we would see a large number of huge cedar skeletons
killed in the wildfires. We would also see two large ponds (small lakes,
actually). She said before the fires killed the cedars, they didn’t know those
ponds existed—they were hidden by the big cedars, which were impenetrable
to almost any living creature, and the ponds were probably constantly dry.
Yearout, like Koger, uses three tree cutters and keeps them going
whenever he and the hired hands aren’t doing other chores. Prescribed burning
is critical and they are well equipped. However, Eva said it is so important to
restore fire to as much of the Red Hills as possible that they often don’t get their
own needs done because they are busy helping other ranchers burn. “We know
the importance of fire and will eventually get ours done,” said Eva, “but we
want to make sure our neighbors have the equipment and help they need so
that as much grassland can be restored as possible. This makes our own prairie
restoration more significant.”
According to another Red Hills rancher, Ted Alexander, one of the leaders
in the Red Hills Burn Association, “We set a goal to burn 13,000 acres last
spring (2015), but we were only able to get 12,000 acres done. That’s a good
start. However, to get ahead of the cedar encroachment problem, we will
have to burn up to 100,000 acres annually.” The burn association in Kansas
gives ranchers a stronger voice for keeping the use of fire from being overregulated or even banned. It also helps ranchers and other private landowners,
government entities, and non-government organization work together and
share equipment to get more done safely. Alexander and his son Brian were
featured on Rural Free Delivery Channel’s Out-on-the-Land produced by Dr.
Larry Butler. Out-on-the-Land airs at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Dr. Butler, by the way,
is looking for good conservation stories to feature on the show, so let me know
if you have good candidates and I’ll relay them to Butler—a fellow Society for
Range Management member and friend.
Another interesting comment made during the field trip was on bison
eating habits. Bob Hamilton, manager of Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve,
said their bison eat more grass than forbs. However, Eva Yearout noted, with
their rotation, forbs are the first thing their bison eat after being moved into
a new pasture. The difference isn’t the bison, they maintain, it’s how they are
managed, i.e., continuously grazed with burned patches vs. rotationally grazed
and exposed to fresh grass and forbs every few days to weeks. This is similar to
what Tom Hartnett, with Konza Prairie at Manhattan, KS, said about differences
between bison and cattle. The difference between diet and behavior has more
to do with how they are managed than between the species. When bison are
managed like we traditionally manage cattle, their diets may differ, but when
cattle are managed more the way bison historically moved across the land,
adhering to burned patches, their diets are very similar.
One subject I will save for a future article pertains to effects of herbicides
on prairie production and livestock production, asked of Oklahoma State
Well managed, diverse mixed-grass prairie on Ed Koger’s Hashknife Ranch
in the Red Hills, Wilmore, KS.
University researcher Sam Fuhlendorf by Audubon of Kansas Executive Director
Ron Klataske. I was aware of some additional details of Fuhlendorf’s response,
and Klataske has asked me to write an article about it for his Prairie Wings
magazine. Sorry to keep you in suspense.
Attendance at the 2015 PBG Working Group meeting was more than a
hundred people from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas. The leadership and involvement varied
by state: The Oklahoma contingent is largely from Oklahoma State University
and The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Kansas’ is TNC and Kansas State University;
Nebraska’s, South Dakota’s, and Minnesota’s are TNC; and Missouri’s is the
Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri State University. The
meeting in the host state usually attracts a number of local producers and
organizations. Missourians attending were Max Alleger, Matt Hill, Steve Cooper,
Frank Loncarich, Kyle Hedges, Tom Thompson (MDC); Dr. Wayne Morton
(producer and MPF member); Jef Hodges (National Bobwhite Conservation
Initiative grassland specialist); Stevie Collins (producer; TNC and MPF member);
and me (producer; TNC and MPF member).
Location of the 2016 meeting has not been determined but a return to
Oklahoma is a strong possibility unless someone from Texas volunteers. Missouri
is in line for the 2017 meeting and will feature patch burn grazing and bobwhite
quail studies on Talbot and Stony Point Conservation Areas.
Yours for better grasslands,
Steve Clubine
General Conservation Reserve Signup
T
he general CRP signup ended February 26, 2016, and it
will be interesting to learn how many acres were enrolled
in Missouri. Significant lower crop prices and substantially
higher average soil rental rates may have encouraged more
producers to enroll lower yielding cropland. I have heard
encouraging news from native grass and forb seed dealers and
contract planters that they have heard from a lot of landowners
about planting native grass and forbs—which is a good sign.
Hopefully, too, some expiring CRP tracts will be re-enrolled,
preventing years of work, expensive seed, well established grasslands and good grassland wildlife habitat from being destroyed
by going back to crops.
Prairie Postings
CÉCILE LAGANDRÉ
News from Feaster Glade
This past year, flash floods
roared through Feaster Glade,
redistributing a large amount
of white-covered rocks. Under
heavy rains, the bacterial
weathering of underground
pyrite (iron sulfide) triggers
an acidic run-off that dissolves
aluminum from soil clay and
deposits/precipitates it downhill on some alkaline dolomite
outcroppings.
Mineral leaching downhill results in a particular kind
of perturbation of the soil: a
crystalturbation, (fragmentation and reorganization of
chemical bonds between
atoms.) The energy released
A 16-year-old lightning strike
from this pedoturbation, and
cascaded into creating a narrow
opening in our glade, which was
other ones, allows the glade
gradually invaded by eastern red
soil not only to function and
cedar (Juniperus virginiana) over the
maintain itself, but also to
last half century.
adapt to the onslaught of restoration when its cover changes from red cedars to prairie plants, its insolation from shade to
full sun, and its root systems from shallow to deep.
Our glade restoration started on a convex nose slope where
grasses and forbs have appeared on cue after a fall-winter right
of passage. We are now contemplating the western adjoining
section sloping in opposed curvatures, a concave amphitheater
slope, where red cedars have held onto their rigid, dead lower
branches—where the existing openings are fewer and smaller,
and where rainwater from higher grounds has eroded several
rocky gullies. I wonder how to implement restoration activities in this space where shumard oaks (Quercus shumardii) grow
3-meter-long flexible trunks, and where dwarf hackberries
(Celtis pumila) poke their heads everywhere. Gradually bringing the benefit of dappled sunlight to the soil seems reasonable,
as suggested by Justin Thomas (Director, Institute of Botanical
Training).
These woods’ most stimulating element is their history
painted in a mysterious palette. Hanging out in their dark and
humid environment, and imagining the rebirth of grassland
under the pictured snags, brings me comfort.
MPF member Cécile Lagandré and her husband Dave Van Dyne
have the privilege of calling Feaster Glade their own. Cécile shares
tales of its restoration in the Missouri Prairie Journal.
Vol. 36 No. 1
Memorials
MPF thanks the following individuals for their gifts in memory of MPF
member and former Missouri state ornithologist Jim D. Wilson:
Terry and Ann Brazeal
Mrs. Rosemary Curran
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Denny
Dudley Galloway
Mrs. Yolanda Graham
Mr. and Mrs. Dave Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hussey
Andrea Hussey
Ms. Cheri Klose
Carol Davit and Mike Leahy
Julie Lundsted
Randall Maas
Dean and Bette Murphy
Rev. and Mrs. Doug Nicholas
Dennis and Charlene Noring
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Presley
Larry and Marilyn Largent
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Shultz
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Smith
Mr. and Mrs. George Spratt
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Thom
Karen Wilson
MPF thanks Shirley Cirio for her gift for Cori and Al Westcott in memory
of Clay Westcott.
MPF thanks Mark Belwood for his gift in memory of his parents
Harry and Mabyl Hanley.
MPF thanks Mary M. Meredith for her gift in memory of her mother
Veronica Mater.
MPF thanks Jeremy E. Farrar for his gift in memory of Sarah Ann Wiess.
MPF thanks Roberta Settergren for her gift in memory of Carl Settergren.
MPF thanks Alice Bloch for her gift in memory of Frank Flinn.
MPF thanks Mary B. Fink for her gift in memory of Helen Elwell.
MPF thanks Francine Glass for her gift in memory of Richard Glass.
MPF thanks Paul Ross, Jr. for his gift in memory of Paul M. Ross and
Jefferson Miller.
Honorariums
MPF thanks MPF Emeritus Board Member Bill Crawford for a gift in honor
of MPF’s Vice President of Science and Management Bruce Schuette, who,
as Bill stated, “is a treasure to our group.”
MPF thanks Olive Lansburgh for her gift in honor of Paula Diaz, for
introducing her to native plants in Missouri and Kansas.
MPF thanks Carl and Kay Singer, and Jay Kelly, for their gifts in honor of
MPF Emeritus Board Member Lowell Pugh.
MPF thanks Michelle Anderson for her gift in honor of R. E. Fullerton.
MPF thanks Larry Melton for his gift in honor of MPF Emeritus Board Member
Bill Davit and his “lifetime of giving back.”
MPF thanks Francine Glass for her gift in honor of Jack and Pat Harris.
MPF thanks Linda Gibson for her gift in honor of Dana and Justin Thomas.
MPF thanks Jean and Jim Shoemaker for their gift in honor of MPF Board
Member Margo Farnsworth and Jim Pascoe.
MPF thanks Margo Farnsworth and Jim Pascoe for their gift in honor of
Jean and Jim Shoemaker.
MPF thanks Jeffrey Forster for his gift in honor of Elizabeth Newman.
MPF thanks Alice Bloch for her gift in honor of Randy Arndt.
MPF thanks Curtis, Deborah, Gary, and Brittany Kukal for their gift in
honor of Evelyn Kukal.
MPF thanks Faith Sandler for her gift in honor of Scott Jones and Ray
Lauer.
SCOTT LENHARTH
Call for proposals for MPF’s
2016 Prairie Gardens Grant
Amazon will donate 0.5%
of the price of your eligible
AmazonSmile purchases to MPF whenever you shop on
AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know.
Same products, same prices, same service.
Visit http://smile.amazon.com for details. Thank you for
supporting MPF when you shop with AmazonSmile!
Gardening and conservation groups, parks, schools, and other entities
are invited to submit proposals to MPF’s Prairie Gardens Small
Grants Program. In 2016, MPF would like to award $500 to help
fund the establishment of a prairie garden or planting. Gardens must
be available to the public and must incorporate native prairie species.
Matching funds are not required, but proposals with secured matching
funds may be evaluated higher than others. Visit www.moprairie.
org for an application form. Applications are due March 24, 2016.
Questions? Call 888-843-6739.
50th
MPF
ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN
MEMBERSHIP GOALS
To broaden its membership support, which will increase
MPF’s prairie protection capacity and also strengthen the
collective voice for prairie conservation, MPF has established
the following membership goals by the end of 2016:
Planned Giving for Prairies
•G
row membership to 2,000 or more by 2016.
Your annual membership and other gifts to MPF are vital to our
ongoing prairie conservation work. By establishing a planned
gift to MPF as well, you can also ensure that we can continue
our work well into the future. Below are several ways to make
a planned gift:
•W
elcome 50 or more new lifetime members.
•R
ecognize 30 or more lifetime members as Crawford &
Christisen Compass Society Members in 2014, in 2015,
and in 2016.
• Create a charitable remainder trust. You will receive fixed
payments for the rest of your life and have a charitable
deduction. Charitable remainder trusts offer payment rates
that are more attractive than many other investments, with
the rate amount determined by your age. In addition, you
have the satisfaction of knowing that the remainder of your
gift will benefit MPF.
Member support is crucial to MPF’s work. If you are not a
member, please send your membership dues today. If you are
a current member, please note that your expiration date is
printed above your name on the back cover. Prompt renewal
helps our conservation work. If you are able, please consider
increasing your membership level.
• Give appreciated stock or bonds. You will provide a larger
gift to MPF—and avoid capital gains liability.
• Put a bequest in your will or trust (cash, specific property,
or a share of the residual estate). You will make a gift for
MPF’s future that doesn’t affect your cash flow or portfolio
now, but will provide an eventual estate tax deduction.
Those wishing to make a bequest to MPF may find the
suggested wording helpful:
I bequeath ___% of my residuary estate (or $___) to the Missouri
Prairie Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization, with
its address at P.O. Box 200, Columbia, MO 65205 for its ongoing
programs in prairie acquisitions, stewardship, and education.
If you have already made a planned give to MPF, or plan to,
please let us know. For more information contact us: Missouri
Prairie Foundation, P.O. Box 200, Columbia, MO 65205, tollfree phone: 1-888-843-6739, or email at [email protected].
YOUR MEMBERSHIP MATTERS!
To become a new member, renew your membership, give
a gift membership, or make an additional donation outside
of annual membership, please send payment and address
information to
c/o Martinsburg Bank, P.O. Box 856
Mexico, MO 65265-0856
You may also contribute on-line at www.moprairie.org/Donate.
If you have any questions about your membership, please
contact Jane Schaefer, who administers MPF’s membership
database, at [email protected] or call 1-888-843-6739.
Membership Levels
(individual, family, or organization)
Regular and gift memberships: $35; Friend: $50;
Supporting: $100; Contributing: $250; Sustaining: $500;
Life (no membership expiration): $2,000; Crawford & Christisen
Compass Society: Annual Gift of $1,000 or more from existing
lifetime members (cumulative or lump sum in a year)
See www.moprairie.org, Donate, for contributor benefits.
MISSOURI
PRAIRIE
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
INPTECH
FOUNDATION
Protec ting Native Grasslands
P.O. Box 200
Columbia, MO 65205
[email protected] • 1-888-843-6739 • www.moprairie.org
PLEASE NOTE that your
MPF membership expiration date
is now printed with your address.
Renewing promptly will save MPF costs
of mailing renewal reminder letters.
To renew, see page 31.
Calendar of Prairie-Related Events
Missouri Prairie Foundation Events
Saturday, May 21, 2016—MPF
Native Plant Sale, 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m., Bass Pro Shops, 3101
Bass Pro Dr., Columbia, MO 65202.
Trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses,
and seeds will be sold by Millpond
Plants, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery,
Smiling Sun, Pure Air Natives, Claire’s
Garden, and Longfellow’s Nursery.
All will donate a portion of proceeds
to MPF.
MPF Establishes National Prairie Day!
MPF has registered the first Saturday of June with the National Day Calendar as
National Prairie Day. By establishing this special day we hope to enhance public
awareness of what prairie is, educate its value, and inspire all to support prairie
conservation, restoration, and enjoyment. Watch for more details on National
Prairie Day programming and how you can be involved.
Saturday, April 9, 2016—MPF
Board of Directors spring meeting, Peculiar Lions Club, 500
Schug Ave., Peculiar, MO. 64078.
A tour of MPF’s Snowball Hill
Prairie will follow. See www.
moprairie.org for details or call
816-716-9159.
Saturday, April 16, 2016—MPF
Native Plant Sale at MDC “Go
Native” Event, Anita B. Gorman
Discovery Center, 4750 Troost
Ave., Kansas City MO, 64110,
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Missouri
Wildflowers Nursery will offer
natives, grasses, shrubs, vines,
and trees. To pre-order for pick
up on the 16th: 573-496-3492
or [email protected]. A
portion of proceeds will
support MPF. Questions?
Call 816-716-9159.
April 23 & 30, 2016—MPF Native
Plant Sales at City Market, 5th
and Walnut, Kansas City MO,
8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. April 23:
will offer native wildflowers
grasses, shrubs and trees. Plants
can be pre-ordered for pick up
at the sale: mowldflrs@socket.
net or call: 573-496-3492. April
30, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery
will offer native wildflowers and
grasses, and Forrest Keeling
Nursery will offer native trees and
shrubs. Plants can be pre-ordered
from Missouri Wildflowers
Nursery: mowldflrs@socket.
net or 573-496-3492. To preorder trees ($20) and shrubs ($15)
from Forrest Keeling Nursery:
[email protected].
Vendors will donate a generous
portion of proceeds to support
MPF. Contact 816-716-9159 for
more information.
DAN ZARLENGA
Saturday, March 26, 2016—
Runge Nature Center Native Plant
Sale with Grow Native! professional members. 2901 W. Truman
Blvd., Jefferson City, MO 65102.
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Plants,
trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges,
and seeds will be sold by Sunrise
Gardens, Missouri Wildflowers
Nursery, Smiling Sun Gardens,
Longfellow’s Nursery, Forrest
Keeling Nursery, Prairie Hill Farm,
and Pure Air Natives. Lincoln
University’s Native Plant Program
will have information on host
plants for butterflies and native
edible food samples. Greener
Gardens will provide information
on native gardening. See www.
grownative.org for pre-ordering
information.
Saturday, May 7, 2016—Night
Sky Photography Presentation
and Star Gazing with Dan
Zarlenga. Prairie camping too!
Meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Golden
City Community Center and
enjoy a slide presentation of
Dan Zarlenga’s amazing night
photographs. We will then drive
to nearby Golden Prairie to view
the night sky with telescopes.
Participants may camp on the
prairie. Free, however donations
to MPF gratefully accepted. RSVP
to [email protected] or call
888-843-6739.
Saturday, May 14, 2016—Grow
Native! Intro to Native Gardening
Workshop, Arcadia, MO. Great
speakers, lunch included, only
$22 for non-MPF members, $18
for MPF members, $15 for students. See www.grownative.org
for details and to register.
Sunday, May 22, 2016—Glade and
Savanna Breeding Bird Investigation.
10:00 a.m. to noon. See page 17 for
details.
June 4 & 5, 2016—MPF’s 7th
Annual Prairie BioBlitz. Spend the
first National Prairie Day exploring
Linden’s Prairie in Lawrence Co. with
biologist leaders, a potluck dinner,
and camping on the prairie. Watch
for details at www.moprairie.org and
e-news. Questions? Call 888-843-6739.
Saturday, July 23, 2016—
Dedication of MPF’s Carver Prairie
in Newton County, preceded by MPF
Board of Directors summer board
meeting. Watch for details.
Saturday, August 6, 2016—MPF
50th Anniversary Annual Dinner.
Dr. Jane Fitzgerald with the American
Bird Conservancy will present “Prairies
past, grasslands present, and the birds
that need them” at this fundraiser.
Columbia, MO. $100 per person; two
complimentary dinners for existing or
new lifetime members (new lifetime
membership: $2,000 individual, household, or business). Watch for invitation
in postal mail.
E-news alerts provide MPF members with news about more events. Send your e-mail address
to [email protected] to be added to the e-news list. MPF does not share e-mail addresses with other groups.
Events are also posted at www.moprairie.org.

Volume 37, Number 1 - Missouri Prairie Foundation

Transcription

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