Prescribed fire trainings in Missouri © Route 3 Films
Statewide Prescribed Fire The Nature Conservancy is a world leader when it comes to using “good fire” to increase biodiversity and head off wildfires. You can see that work here in Missouri, where TNC burns more than 3,000 acres each year. Prescribed fire is an essential tool in conservation, one used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years to care for natural habitats around the globe. It helps control invasive plants while also clearing away the dead leaves and brush that can pile up and fuel wildfires. Along with conducting prescribed burns on our own properties, TNC is deeply involved in training and partnerships with other agencies to promote responsibly managed fires across Missouri and beyond. We host a variety of prescribed fire workshops and events that are intended to give the next generation of fire practitioners the hands-on training to build a stronger, more diverse fire workforce that is committed to positive ecological outcomes. Additionally, we’ve supported successful state legislation that makes it easier and safer for Missouri private property owners to conduct burns on their land or connect with professionals who can assist them to return this critical process back to the landscape. Mill Creek The Mill Creek Center for Conservation Innovation packs the best parts of the Ozarks into its 163 acres.
Located north of Van Buren on the border of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the property is a collection of oak and pine woodlands, glades, springs, fens and riparian forests. Large rock outcrops, small bluffs and even a small shelter cave are found on site. More than 200 species of native plants surround the banks of its namesake, the crystal-clear Mill Creek.
Mill Creek © Cindy Pessoni/TNC
Our work here carries forward the previous owner’s long-term restoration goals. Renata Culpepper, who along with her late husband, Bryan, is a dedicated conservationist, bought the land in 2012 and began to rehabilitate its natural features with help from TNC, Missouri Department of Conservation, the L-A-D Foundation, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. TNC purchased the property in 2021. We have designated it as a cornerstone in TNC’s burgeoning network of Centers for Conservation Innovation (CCI) in Missouri. Like our first CCI at Dunn Ranch Prairie in Harrison County, the Mill Creek CCI creates a place where TNC can host researchers on-site and contribute to the study—and protection—of one of the world’s unique ecosystems. nature.org/mobiodiversity
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