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Since 1997, the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation has provided more than $11 million for conservation and outdoor recreation. In 2010 alone, we funded 33 projects. |
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Water Feature Highlights Powder Valley Nature Center 20th Birthday
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Favre Foundation Trustees Amen, Zitzmann and Haislip, along with MDC & MCHF staff and other local government officials at Ribbon cutting |
Powder Valley is no longer a teenager! The Missouri Department of Conservation Nature Center, located in Kirkwood, Missouri, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday, October 22nd. Dedication of a brand new water feature in the wildlife viewing area highlighted the event. The feature represents an Ozark spring-fed waterfall as it cascades down multiple levels of meandering rock. Landscaped with native plants and actual Ozark boulders, the feature is a closed system that constantly recirculates the water. Goldfinches and cardinals splashed in its pools on the dedication day. The Kathryn G. Favre Foundation for Animals, through a donation administered by the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, funded the waterfall. It was built by Nature's Re-Creations of St. Louis. Kathryn G. Favre Foundation trustees Charlie Amen, Jerry Zitzmann, and Mary Haislip helped cut the ribbon, dedicating the water feature for nature center visitors and wildlife. After the dedication, Nature Center Manager Tamie Yegge and staff served up a special 20th anniversary cake. They also presented 20-year service awards to nature center volunteers Pat Harris and Art Paule, both of whom have been working at Powder Valley since it opened its doors in October, 1991. The next day, Powder Valley Nature Center held a public 20th Anniversary Celebration event, which included many special activities. About 1,500 people participated . . . all getting their first chance to glimpse at the new water feature. |
Dedication of Building at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area
A ceremony to dedicate a new office building at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area near Columbia was held on October 12, 2011. The frame of the building was re-used steel from a MO Dept of Transportation shed removed from the I-70/Hwy 63 interchange in Columbia. The MCH F arranged for the transfer of the building to the MO Dept of Conservation (MDC) and funded part of the demolition costs. Funds were also provided by the MCHF for a display case to house educational materials. The building sits out of the floodplain and on the site of the old house and outbuildings that served as the area office. Demolition of the old to construction of the new took approximately one year. The new building provides office and meeting space along with room for equipment storage and maintenance. The new building will meet the needs of area staff and serve the public well for many decades.Eagle Bluffs is an intensively managed wetland and waterfowl area with a high level of public use and a history of partnerships to accomplish management goals. State Senator Kurt Schaefer, MDC Deputy Director Tom Draper, and MCHF Executive Vice President Rick Thom were some of the guest speakers. Numerous MDC retirees attended along with people representing The Audubon Society of Missouri, Missouri Master Naturalists, and Ducks Unlimited.
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Foundation Throws Party for Pat Jones
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Pat Jones (middle), sister-in-law Ann Keyes (left) and sister Ann Lloyd (right) enjoy time together during the social |
On September 19th, MCHF and the Friends of La Barque Creek Watershed threw a "thank you" party for Mrs. Pat Jones, honoring her for her generosity and love for Jefferson County's La Barque Creek Watershed. Pat gave MCHF $2 million to help the Department of Conservation buy and protect critical portions of the watershed. Pat enjoyed visiting with relatives and old friends from the area where, as a youth, she spent summers at her family's farm on the Meramec River. Her friends Ray and Sunny Oberkramer hosted the event on their lovely property near some of the new public land that Pat's donation helped acquire. At the "harvest dinner under the tent", MCHF president Dave Murphy read a proclamation from Governor Jay Nixon. The Governor calls Pat Jones "an incredible resource" for protecting the La Barque Creek Watershed and for promoting Stream Team programs and stream conservation, as well as for her "countless contributions to conservation in the state of Missouri". The Pat Jones appreciation event gave conservation leaders, friends, and family the chance to visit with Pat and honor her for all that she has accomplished. |
 Make an End of Year Tax Deductible Donation
With your help MCHF has accomplished a lot this year, funding projects from tree planting for Joplin, elk restoration, Missouri Girls Exploring Nature Camp, and many others. To review a list of past accomplishments go to this link. You may make a tax-deductible gift to the Foundation in a number of ways. More than 90 percent of donations goes directly to program expense. If you wish, your gift may be directed to specific conservation needs or activities that are especially meaningful to you, such as fishing events, hiking trails or stream protection-we invest in your conservation legacy. Donate Now. |
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The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization founded in 1997 to help meet financial needs placed on natural resource conservation and conservation-related outdoor recreation.
The Foundation is separate from the Missouri Department of Conservation but supports that agency's mission of protecting the state's fish, forestry, and wildlife resources for all Missourians. We are governed by a volunteer board comprised of conservation, community, and business leaders. By working with Missouri Department of Conservation staff, who partner with conservation groups statewide, we fund projects that immediately address conservation and outdoor recreation needs. Since it was created in 1997, the Foundation has provided more than $11 million for conservation projects. The Foundation receives funding from several sources, including Conservation Heritage License Plate donations; private donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations; and payments to the Stream Stewardship Trust Fund.
The Foundation offers volunteer opportunities and a variety of conservation giving opportunities. If you would like to speak to a Foundation staff person for more information, call 1-800-227-1488. |
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