BOARD OF TRUSTEES Beth Alm, Kansas City Michele M. Risdal-Barnes, Springfield Rick Boeshaar, S hawnee Mission, Kansas Jeanne Steinberg Bolinger, Kansas City John Brands, St. Louis Carl Freiling, Ashland Debra Filla, Kansas City Jeanette Hartshorn, Kansas City Diane Herndon, St. Louis Steve Mahfood, Wildwood Carolyn K. Polk, St. Louis Robbie Price, Columbia Joel Pugh, St. Louis Fritz Riesmeyer, Kansas City Jon M. Risdal, Springfield Sharon Shahid, Washington D.C./ St. Louis Jean Wagner, Kansas City Wallis Warren, Jeffriesburg Nancy Ylvisaker, St. Louis
Every time I step outside, I can see something wild.
It’s one of the thrills of living in Missouri. I’ve gotten into mushroom hunting, a hobby that might not always be the most reliable method for bringing home dinner but does force me to slow down and really see all the little plants and animals at work in the woods. Honestly, you don’t even have to go into the woods to appreciate the natural elements all around us. You’re probably not going to find too many morels on city streets in Missouri (if you do, you can trust me with your secret hunting spots), but even staring out the window turns up a procession of wild birds through the seasons. If there’s a community
garden or a pocket park nearby, all the better.
Of course, there are truly stunning hotspots of biodiversity in Missouri, places that take your imagination back to what this landscape must have been thousands of years ago: Ozark streams that are home to tiny creatures that live nowhere else. Unplowed prairies where hundreds of species of grasses, flowers, insects and other wildlife can be found within a few square meters. Sadly, those spaces cover only a fraction of the ground they did just a couple of hundred years ago. A global biodiversity crisis is making the world less resilient, less healthy, less... wild. Our work in Missouri is part of The Nature Conservancy’s global focus on promoting biodiversity. We start by really looking at what is around us. Where are those habitats critical to Missouri’s native species? Where are they most at risk? Who else is working on the problem? Can we team up? Then comes the most important part: We act. In the pages that follow, you’ll find examples of what TNC and its partners are doing right now to conserve the habitats that support the impressive variety of life we have in Missouri. A lot of the programs are new, such as our Habitat Strike Teams (pages 3-5), which we’re deploying across the state. We are also drawing on the shared strength of our TNC staff across state lines (pages 6-7) and our partnerships with other organizations and agencies (pages 10-11) to extend our reach. As always, we rely on science (pages 12-13) to measure our progress and provide insights. All of this is possible thanks to your help. I’m guessing that you, like me, love those days when you can step outside and see something wild. Working together, we can make sure there are plenty of those opportunities—and mushrooms—in our future.
Printed on 100% PCW recycled, process chlorine-free paper, creating the following benefits: 30.1 trees preserved for the future 2,315.9 gallons of water not used 4,494.0 pounds of CO 2 prevented The Nature Conservancy is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) international membership organization. Its mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy meets all of the Standards for Charity Accountability established by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance is a national charity watchdog affiliated with the Better Business Bureau.
Adam McLane Missouri State Director
THIS PAGE Adam McLane © Kristy Stoyer/TNC COVER Xeromphalina mushrooms © T.J. Crow Photography
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker