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by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a hybrid course on surveying butterfly populations that is both virtual and in-person. The course is on butterflies, their ecology, and how to survey for them. The program is being hosted by the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center staff. The in-person class is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. The virtual course is from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. on the same day. Participants may choose to put their knowledge into action by becoming a Missouri Butterfly Monitoring Network volunteer. The class will include a slide show about 25 common butterflies and instruction on how surveys are done. There will be a Wild About Pollinators Booklet trivia game. The in-person course will include a mock butterfly survey using the Burr Oak Woods garden and natural areas. Instructors will also cover how to enter data on a website and they will help participants choose a monitoring route on a public natural area. This is the sixth annual training in the Kansas City area for the Missouri Butterfly Monitoring Network. The network is hosted by Georgetown University with grants from the National Science Foundation. Some butterfly species such as the venerable monarch have been in decline due to habitat loss and environmental problems. Science-based conservation is working to boost pollinators such as butterflies. People simply interested in learning more about butterflies are also invited to take the course. The in-person class is open to participants ages 14 and older. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/42m. The virtual class is open to participants ages 10 and older. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/42e. For more information about butterflies in Missouri, https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4Qt. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a hybrid course on surveying butterfly populations that is both virtual and in-person. The course is on butterflies, their ecology, and how to survey for them. The program is being hosted by the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center staff. The in-person class is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. The virtual course is from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. on the same day. Photo credit: MDC
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by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a free upcoming hunter education skills session from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Participants will earn the safety certificate needed to obtain hunting permits. The session will teach and test participants for safe firearms handling and basic hunting skills. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4BH. For any questions about the session or help getting registered, contact Adam Brandsgaard, MDC conservation educator, at Adam.Brandsgaard@mdc.mo.gov, or call (816) 228-3766, ext. 1325. The skills sessions classes are for students ages 11 and older. The certification course can be completed online by hunters ages 16 and older for a paid fee to an online provider. But for hunters ages 11 to 15, or those of any age seeking in-person instruction, they must take the free skills class in person. They will need to complete the knowledge portion of the class prior to the skills session. That can be done by filling out the chapter review questions in the student manual, or youths ages 11 to 15 can complete the knowledge portion online for a fee paid to the provider. Printed student manuals are available at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, MDC’s Kansas City Regional Office in Lee’s Summit, the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City, or they can be ordered online for free at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zox The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a free upcoming hunter education skills session from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Participants will earn the safety certificate needed to obtain hunting permits. The session will teach and test participants for safe firearms handling and basic hunting skills. Photo credit: MDC
by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is holding an Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Each family or group may receive one redbud or black walnut seedling to plant in their yard. These native trees when mature will provide color and food for wildlife. Redbuds provide lavender blossoms in spring. Black walnuts provide shade when they grow tall as well as nuts edible for people or wildlife. Seedlings will be provided while supplies last. The redbud and black walnut seedlings were grown at MDC’s George O. White State Forest Nursery near Licking, Mo. Registration is not required for this event. For more information about Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/burroakwoods. Photo credit: MDC
by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation
Native plants do well in home gardens because they’re adapted to local soils and weather patterns. They are also beneficial to songbirds and pollinator species such as butterflies and bees. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is hosting a native plant sale from 12:30 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Native plant vendors from Missouri Wildflowers Nursery and City Roots Nursery and Landscape will be onsite and offering plants while supplies last. Besides purchasing native plants, it’s a chance for visitors to get tips about gardening with natives from the vendors. Wildflowers have various blooming periods and can provide color in spring, summer, and fall. They also provide interesting structure in winter. Birds benefit because natives host insects important to feeding baby birds in the nesting season. Pollinators such as butterflies and bees benefit because they evolved as specialists using native plants as a food source or as hosts for eggs and larvae. This native plant sale is open to all ages and registration is not required. For more information on the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/burroakwoods. by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation
Connecting with nature can boost physical and mental health, science has shown. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) helps people deepen their connections with nature with a series of Nature Rx programs at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Next up in the series is a Mindfulness and Sensory Stroll from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27. A key component of the Nature Rx series is when Lisa Richter, MDC naturalist, points out new things people can see, hear, touch, and smell in the outdoors. Experiencing nature with heightened awareness is the goal. Scientific studies have shown that nature contact can provide health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, improving sleep, and boosting immunity. The Mindfulness and Sensory Stroll down a Burr Oak Woods trail provides an experience but also a guide to how people can experience nature on their own. Nature Rx events are held regularly at Burr Oak Woods year-round. Some upcoming programs will include nature themes such as wildflowers as well as activities such as archery and kayaking while immersed in nature. The Nature Rx programs are open to participants ages 18 and older. Registration is required. To register for the Mindfulness and Sensory Stroll, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4Xo. Upcoming Nature Rx programs can be found on MDC’s events page for the Kansas City region at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4X3. For more information about the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center and the area’s hiking trails, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/burroakwoods. by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation Morel mushrooms taste good and hunting them provides an excellent reason for a walk in the woods when spring is blooming. But there are more mushroom types than morels to be found, cooked, and enjoyed. Learn which mushrooms to pick and which to avoid when the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers a free virtual Midwest Mushrooms class from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19. No prior experience hunting mushrooms is necessary. This online class will help newcomers get started. But it will also help experienced mushroom hunters learn more about morels and all types of mushrooms. Alix Daniel, MDC native landscape specialist and a mushroom expert from the Missouri Mycological Society, will provide mushroom hunting tips. Daniel will discuss various mushroom species and where to find guides to help with identification. There will be a question-and-answer session available to participants after the presentation. Midwest Mushrooms is open to participants ages 12 and older. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/48c. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers a free virtual Midwest Mushrooms class from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19. Photo credit: MDC
by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation
Walk beside a river, lake, or pond on a warmer day in late winter and you can see turtles sunning themselves on a log. They’re anxious for spring. Learn all about these fascinating reptiles when the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) hosts a free Totally Turtles class from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Join experts Cindy McManis and Crystal Parson, the Turtle Ladies, as they discuss the variety of land and aquatic turtles found in Missouri. They will give insights into the habitats, life cycles, survival skills, and specialized structures such as the protective shells. Participants will get a chance to see 10 different live turtles from the smallest ones to big ones like the eastern snapping turtle. This class is open to all ages. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/47n. For information about MDC’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/burroakwoods. by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation The warmer days of early spring will soon be here, bringing on a prime fishing season. But few things are more frustrating than having a fishing reel break down when the fish are biting. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a free Fishing Reel Maintenance and Repair class from 6 to 8:30pm on Thursday, Feb. 29, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. This class will teach some preventive maintenance tips such as how to disassemble, clean, and lubricate fishing reels. John Rittel, MDC community education assistant, will also cover how to make repairs for common problems found in spinning, spin casting, and baitcasting reels. The class will help participants get reels in tip top shape for the upcoming spring fishing season. Fishing Reel Maintenance and Repair is open to participants ages 9 and older. Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/47p. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a free Fishing Reel Maintenance and Repair class from 6 to 8:30pm on Thursday, Feb. 29, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. Photo credit: MDC
MDC offering free ammunition reloading classes Feb. 10 near Blue Springs and Feb. 13 at Parkville2/8/2024
by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation The Missouri Department of Conservation is offering free classes in reloading shotgun shells and brass cartridges. Reloading is a way to save money on ammunition but also a way to custom load shells for hunting or target shooting. Registration is required.
MDC’s Lake City Shooting Range near Blue Springs will offer a shotgun shell reloading class from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10. The class will cover basic materials, equipment, and techniques needed to reload shells. Photo credit: MDC
by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation A way to tie things together meant comforts, adornments, and sometimes survival for early humankind. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering free Cold Cordage classes from 10 to 11 a.m., from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and from 1 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City. The cold in the program’s title refers to twisting grasses into cordage as a good indoor winter pastime. But the skills are also useful in outdoor survival situations. Pat Whalen, MDC naturalist, will teach how to twist prairie plants into rope and string. Participants learn how to create a natural bracelet or necklace adorned with shells, beads, and antler buttons. The classes are open to participants ages 12 and older. Registration is required.
For information about the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/discoverycenter. Photo credit: MDC
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