Teaming With Wildlife is a coalition of businesses and organizations that support additional dedicated funding for fish, forest and wildlife conservation as well as related education and outdoor recreation.
Spread the word! Encourage other organizations and businesses to join the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition by filling out the form at www.teaming.com/user/register ___________
JOIN CFM! ___________ |
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Missouri and Mississippi Confluence is Highlighted as a Model for Conservation in the 21st Century
as Sec'y of Interior America's Great Outdoors Rivers Initiative
The Missouri-Mississippi Confluence Restoration Partnership effort is being recognized nationally as an example of how to move conservation into the 21st century and has been chosen as one of 51 river projects (1/state and U.S. territories) for the President and the Secretary of Interior's America's Great Outdoors Rivers Initiative. Healthy rivers/floodplains are part of the vision for AGO because rivers offer close to home recreation, provide important habitat and migration corridors for fish and wildlife, and connect communities to natural places.
Missouri Congressional leaders and Governor Jay Nixon are receiving the announcement from the Secretary's Office that the Confluence represents some of the best examples of moving river/floodplain restoration forward, connecting people to our river systems, and providing recreational opportunities. Our partnership has a slightly different twist than the other projects chosen in that our partnership is mostly focused on habitat restoration efforts and protection (through conservation easements) with voluntary landowners. The vision is to focus on voluntary wetland restoration / enhancement and protection, public land acquisition through willing sellers, address policy issues that could negatively impact the Confluence floodplain, and educate and reach out to others to get people connected to the outdoors.
Since 2004 the partnership has achieved great accomplishments :
- Restored and protected just over 7,000 acres of wetland habitat in the Confluence. These habitats are providing important migratory habitat for ducks, geese, swans, songbirds, large wading birds, marsh birds etc.;
- Purchased from willing sellers lands now in public ownership including USFWS Cora Island part of Big Muddy NFWR, additional acquisition acres for MoDNR's Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones Confluence State Park, and of course the completed MDC Columbia bottoms;
- Built an educational center for public use for education and getting people, especially children, outdoors with the newly built Missouri Audubon's Audubon Center at Riverlands;
- Brought forward policy issues that have been hard fought by many of the landowners who own property in the confluence regarding TIF financing in floodplains;
- Utilized the Hunting Heritage Protection Act to protect the right of citizens to hunt and limit the use of TIF financing to promote development within the 100-year floodplain;
- Proudly thanked and continue to deeply appreciate the dedicated, wonderful landowners who have the desire to protect a very special part of Missouri's conservation heritage in the Confluence;
It is a great deal of work accomplished 8 short years! Congratulations to the partners!
For more information about America's Great Outdoors Initiative, please visit the website: http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/ and for more about the AGO Rivers Initiative, visit http://www.doi.gov/Americas-Great-Outdoors-Highlighted-River-Projects.cfm.
Information from:
Kelly Srigley Werner
US Fish and Wildlife
Columbia, MO
Partners:
US Fish and Wildlife Service
natural Resources Conservation Service
US Army Corps of Engineers
Missouri Department of Conservation
MDC Directorate
Private lands Services, Wildlife and Forestry staff
St. Louis RCT
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
MoDNR Directorate
State Parks
Great Rivers Habitat Alliance
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
The Nature Conservancy
Audubon Missouri
Pheasants Forever
Conservation Federation of Missouri
Greenbrier Wetland Services
Quail Forever
National Wild Turkey Federation
Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative
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Neosho's Conservation Partnership Efforts Honored at
CFM Summer Board Meeting
Missouri Department of Conservation Community Planner, Ronda Headland presented a framed print to Neosho Mayor Pro Tem Steve Hart recognizing the city of Neosho for its conservation efforts and accomplishments conducted through model partnerships.. The award was oresebted at the Conservation Federation of Missouri's summer board meeting in Neosho held on Sunday, June 10th at the Civic Center in Neosho.
For the past year, Neosho has been a focus city for the Missouri Department of Conservation's community conservation efforts in the southwest part of the state. The partnership between the Department of Conservation and the city has resulted in the creation of a habitat improvement project at Morse Park, an Ozark Cavefish recharge delineation survey, a forestry stewardship plan for the city, a community workshop, an urban deer survey, a Hickory Creek "trout opener" event to raise awareness about urban fishing opportunities and an urban stream publication. Department of Conservation Community Planner Ronda Headland talked about this partnership and the benefits the community sees as well as the interesting effect it is having on development and change in values for better conservation practices.
Though the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) are closely linked organizations, the Federation's history precedes MDC's. In 1935, sportsmen from throughout Missouri came together to form the CFM. They organized with the purpose of taking conservation out of politics. Their initiative petition campaign in the months leading up to the 1936 general election resulted in the creation of the Missouri Department of Conservation - a non-political conservation agency that has been a model for other states. Since then, the Federation has undertaken many successful battles to ensure Missouri continues to be the leading state in conservation policies and funding. In 1976, CFM spearheaded the efforts that led to the passage of the conservation sales tax and, in so doing, created a stable, broad-based funding for the state's outdoor resources.
Today, CFM is the largest and most representative conservation group in Missouri. It is a citizen's organization with 80 clubs and 85,000 members. CFM is the Missouri affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.
Article by: Dept. of Conservation - Southwet Regional Office | For more information, please contact Francis Skalicky at 417-895-6880 or francis.skalicky@mdc.mo.gov
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Congratulations EarthDance Farms!
WITH THE HELP OF OPEN SPACE COUNCIL AND OTHER DONORS, EARTHDANCE PURCHED THE 14 ACRE MUELLER FARM. IT HAS BEEN PRODUCING ORGANIC FOOD IN NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY SINCE 1883.
Molly Rockamann of EarthDance and Ron Coleman of The Open Space Council were able to purchase the title to the Mueller Farm on Thursday, May 24th. It was an jubilent moment!!! The purchase of Mueller Organic Farm will ensure the legacy of sustainable agriculture on the property and provide land security for the farming non-profit, EarthDance.
Ownership of the farm enables EarthDance to continue adding more farmers to the seventy-two graduates that have gone through the nationally-recognized Organic Farming Apprenticeship Program. The Ferguson-based non-profit is in its fourth season of growing not only food on the Mueller Farm but also farmers! Many graduates start their own farms, community gardens, school gardens, farmers markets and more. The organic farm is a catalyst for change in the epicurean industry for St. Louis. It is changing the "foodscape" from farm to table and means restaurants have access to more organic foods so they may offer more organic menu options.
The Open Space Council, along with a few donors, provided funds to purchase the farm, with the understanding that a conservation easement will be placed on the land ot protect it from development. According to Ron Coleman, the acquisition is leading to healthier food, healthier people and healthier communities for the long-term.
For more information visit www.EarthDancefarms.org |
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