2010
MCHF Executive Vice President Rick Thom Receives Award from NAA
On October 28, 2010, at the 37th Annual Natural Areas Conference held in Missouri at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Rick Thom received the Natural Area Association's highest honor, the George B. Fell Award. Go to story>>
Missouri Welcomes Honduran Conservationists
In October, MCHF helped the Mo. Dept. of Conservation's Runge Conservation Nature Center host three guests from a Honduran after-school environmental education program. During their week-long visit to Missouri, the two teenagers and the executive director of Guaruma conservation education center studied glades and woodlands at Spring Creek Gap Conservation Area, spent a day on the Missouri River, visited area high schools and Lincoln University, and even met the Governor and First Lady during the Jefferson City Harvest Festival and Multicultural Event. Runge Nature Center staff and volunteers, MCHF Executive Vice President Rick Thom, and the many other people who helped host the group enjoyed learning about the conservation and education challenges and programs in each others’ countries. Learn more about their visit>>
Centennial Celebrated For Vann School
MCHF supported restoration of the
historic school at Twin Pines Conservation Education Center
On September 10, 2010, local residents celebrated the Vann
School Centennial at the Twin Pines Conservation Education Center with an ice
cream social and music by the Bressler Brothers Quartet, pictured above. For the
final song 
of the evening, the Bresslers moved out to the schoolhouse where Andy
Bressler once taught 24 students.
Officially named Independence School,
Vann School was originally constructed as a community school supported by the
state of Missouri in 1910. It was later moved to the grounds of the Winona High
School for educational purposes. In 2008 it was donated by the Winona School
District to Twin Pines, who also picked up the cost of moving the building to
its present location. Restoration funds were provided by the Missouri
Conservation Heritage Foundation, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and
the Stewardship Ozarks Initiative - Community Foundation of the
Ozarks.
Twin Pines is located in Winona Missouri on Highway 60, 1.3
miles east of the intersection with Highway 19 North. The Center is open
Wednesday thru Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. For
more information or to register for programs call 573-325-1381.
ADA-Compliant Archery Range Completed at Twin
Pines
On
Friday September 10, 2010, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Twin Pines
Conservation Education Center, Winona, for the recently completed Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant improvements to the archery range located
on the grounds at Twin Pines. On hand for the ceremony were local NWTF Current
River Caller Chapter committee members Troy McAfee, David Adams, Skyler Bockman
and Valeria Adams picture here with Melanie Carden-Jessen, Education Center
Manager at Twin Pines and Tori McAfee, daughter of Margaret and Troy McAfee of
Winona. Tori cut the camouflage ribbon to officially open the
range.
The Twin Pines Archery Range is located to the west of the center
and consists of an instructional range and a static range with targets at 10,
20, 30 and 40 yards. The range was constructed as two Eagle Scout projects with
funding from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Funding for the ADA
improvements were provided by the Wheelin Sportsmen, a division of the National
Wild Turkey Federation and the Missouri Conservation Heritage
Foundation.
The range is open from sunrise to sunset when the Twin Pines area is open. Twin Pines is located in Winona Missouri on Highway 60, 1.3 miles east of the intersection with Highway 19 North. The Center is open Wednesday thru Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. For more information or to register for programs call 573-325-1381.
MCHF Supports Lincoln
County Youth Hunting Clinics and Hunts
MCHF provided $600 to help offset costs of two youth hunting
clinics and hunts in Lincoln County. On September 4, 2010, approximately 30
youth hunters, mentors, Hunter Education instructors and Missouri Department of
Conservation staff participated in the first of these events, held in
cooperation with the Cuivre River Wildlife Management Association. The
association is a local cooperative organization of conservation-minded
landowners in western Lincoln County, whose goal is to manage private land for
better quality deer and upland game.
The clinic portion of the event was held at William R. Logan Conservation Area shooting range, and featured three stations: 1) regulations, 2) hunting strategies and safety and 3) shotgun shooting. "The group enjoyed a picnic lunch on the area and the participants were grateful to MCHF for providing funding to pay for the food and drinks," said Kevin Eulinger, Lincoln County Conservation Agent. said Eulinger.
Following the clinic, the kids headed to William G. and Erma Parke
White Memorial Wildlife Area and participated in a drawing to hunt doves on
managed sunflower fields specifically reserved for the youth hunters. Eulinger
noted, "Every hunter had shooting opportunities and a few lucky ones came home
with doves for the dinner table."
The second event will be a youth deer
hunting clinic for up to 25 youth age 6-15 and their mentors.
Twin Pines Receives Donation from Missouri
Forest Heritage Board of Trustees
MCHF Facilitates Transfer of Funds
The Board of Trustees for the Missouri Forest Heritage Center, Inc. (MFHC) voted to dissolve the corporation and donate the remaining funds to the education center they envisioned more than two decades ago. On August 18, 2010, Jerry J. Presley, former director of the Missouri Department of Conservation and MFHC President, made a donation of $19,276 to the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation on behalf of the Twin Pines Conservation Education Center. The donation will be used for programs, events, exhibitions and displays that educate the public about Missouri’s forest heritage and conservation programs.
Richard Thom, the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation’s Executive Director, thanked the organization for “their hard work and dedication in promoting a forest heritage center for Missouri." Thom added "Twin Pines certainly fills that need and is a fitting tribute to the many contributions of Missouri forests, forestry, and forest industry to our history and quality of life.”
MCHF Supports "Discover Nature" Radio
Spots
MCHF provided funding to help produce a full year of two-minute
“Discover Nature” radio spots on National Public Radio-affiliate station KRCU,
which airs Monday morning during the popular drive time radio program Morning
Edition. Each weekly topic is written by MDC staff to help NPR listeners
discover nature. Listen
now>>
MCHF a Partner in the Grand River Grasslands
In
2008, MCHF contributed provided $10,000—capstone funding for the $100,000 John
McPheeters Challenge to The Nature Conservancy for prairie management and
restoration in the 70,000-acre Grand River Grasslands Conservation Opportunity
Area. Learn
about conservation progress in the area today>>
Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation
Board Awards More than $44,000 to Conservation Projects
At their
August 26 meeting in Jefferson City, the Missouri Conservation Heritage
Foundation board of directors approved $44,470 in funding to nine grant projects
benefiting conservation or outdoor recreation. The grants are from the
Foundation’s Missouri Department of Conservation Partnership Grant Program. Learn about the grants awarded>>
For Generations to Come
A donated conservation easement from Yale and Alicia Muhm—and nearly $50,000 from the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation—keeps more than 1,000 acres of forest and more than three miles of headwater streams intact in Warren County.
The August 2010 issue of the Missouri Conservationist features the 2009 contributuion of Yale and Alicia Muhm, donated a conservation easement of more than 1,000 acres to the Ozark Regional Land Trust (ORLT). The Muhm's donation of this highly valuable conservation easement, together with nearly $50,000 from MCHF, allowed ORLT to protect the land in perpetuity. The MCHF funding was made possible from the Stream Stewardship Trust Fund because of the importance of protecting the numerous headwater streams on the property.
"This is another example of how MCHF is partnering with conservation organizations and landowners to protect natural resources in Missouri" said Ted Heisel, Executive Director of ORLT. "MCHF was essential to making this project work, as its financial support ensures that ORLT can uphold the conservation easement in perpetuity." Go to story and photos>>
MCHF Supports Rural School Partnership Program with $10,000
From left, at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks' Rural
School Partnership announcement event last year, are Warren Rose, Outreach and
Education Regional Supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation; David
Reynolds, Chris Nattinger, Julius Wall, Jan Horton, directors, Missouri
Conservation Heritage Foundation; and Jill Reynolds with Commerce Trust
Company.
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) officially launched the Rural Schools Partnership on August 19, 2009. The aim of this comprehensive program is to strengthen small school districts, and has received support from many organizations, including MCHF, which provided $10,000 for student-led conservation projects.
“In 2010—the second year of the program—I have been able to work with many Missouri Department of Conservation staff members, informing them of CFO’s Rural School Partnership Program, so when they are working with schools, they can suggest this as an avenue to fund conservation efforts,” said Warren Rose, Outreach and Education Regional Supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation. “This collaboration between MCHF and CFO will result in more and better conservation projects for everyone involved, especially the students.” Go to more on this story>>
Novelist Donates to MCHF
Missouri
writer Stan Crader's novel The Bridge helps readers connect to conservation. Go to
story>>
Birthday Wishes for
Conservation
Business partners Carroll Wilkerson and Jared Reynolds
honor their clients' birthdays with donations to MCHF. Go to story>>
Ripley County Area Harbors Missouri's Oldest
Known White Oaks
MCHF funding helps expand Little Black Conservation
Area. Go to story>>
Welcome Wings
MCHF supports
Neotropical bird protection projects, to help ensure that "our" birds come back
to us every spring. Go to story of how MCHF funds
helped a conservation couple in Central America work
to bolster ecotourism, and in turn, bird habitat protection >>
MCHF Grant Helps Hermann
Care for Trees
Brian Scott with the City of Hermann, Mo, is one of 10
arborists around the state better able to care for city trees thanks to a grant
from MCHF. In 2009, the MCHF board of directors approved a $5,000 grant to help
train municipal arborists with tree care.
Foundation Board
Announces Grant Awards, Welcomes New Directors
At their first meeting
of the year on Febrary 26, the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation’s board
of directors approved nearly $30,000 in funding allocations to wildlife
conservation and outdoor recreation projects. Foundation Chair Julius Wall, far
left, and President Chris Nattinger, right, also welcomed incoming director Mr. Jim Wilson to the board, center, as
well as new directors Ms. Ann
Sullins and Mr. Lowell Mohler. Go to news
release>>
