MISSOURI
The Mitigator Meet Wes Hauser, The Nature Conservancy’s first mitigation specialist in Missouri. section 404 of the Clean Water Act. *Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, June 2022 Hauser grew up in Missouri, ranging around the De Soto area as a nature- focused Boy Scout. He now works to protect wetlands and waterways in his home state. TNC’s mitigation work helps offset damage from development by creating “mitigation banks”—nearby sites where we can carry out new conservation projects—and sell credits. Hauser says high-quality TNC projects can create guideposts for the emerging industry. 23* mitigation banks currently in Missouri approved under
Treesiliency partners train on the Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities app in Pine Lawn. © Doyle Murphy/TNC
Tuning Into Trees A digital tool helps us keep an eye on our leafy protectors It’s time to get to know some trees. We’re not talking about trivia-night stats and facts— this isn’t about reciting the scientific name for a dogwood ( cornaceae ) or the global carbon flux of forests (400 gigatonnes). No, it’s more personal. How is that oak on the corner doing? Is its canopy thinning? Leaves newly discolored? It’s easy to take trees for granted, but experts say becoming more familiar with our tall friends makes a difference in their health and, as a result, our health. The Nature Conservancy’s Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities app can help. It provides tools for assessing and tracking the condition of trees. The ground-level data collected by everyday people can clue them into what’s happening in their own backyards while contributing to a bigger picture that communities and researchers can use to identify concerns early and set priorities. This spring, TNC and its partners in the Treesilience St. Louis program spent a day testing out the Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities app under the watch of Dr. Rich Hallett of the USDA Forest Service and Rachel Holmes, TNC’s North American Cities urban forestry lead. Treesilience St. Louis, part of a national program, addresses dead, dying and hazardous trees while restoring canopy in the region. Collaborators Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Beyond Housing and Davey Tree Expert Company team up to remove dead or dying trees and replant two trees for every one taken down. Trees hit their full potential for cleaning the air and cooling neighborhoods in their adult years, so ensuring our trees are healthy for years to come is vital. “It’s great if you’re going to plant a tree today,” Holmes says, “but if it’s not going to make it to that 25- to 30-year line, what are we doing?” Learn more about the Treesilience St. Louis program at nature.org/treesiliencestlouis
“Regulators see that, and they take note of what mitigation can be,” he says. “When that happens, it raises the bar for everybody.” Hauser explains more about his work during an appearance on our podcast, It’s in Our Nature . Listen to the full podcast at nature.org/mopodcast Missouri State Director Adam McLane (left) and Wes Hauser © Doyle Murphy/TNC
facebook.com/natureconservancymissouri twitter.com/nature_mo Instagram.com/nature_missouri
Missouri missouri@tnc.org nature.org/missouri
The Nature Conservancy P.O. Box 440400 St. Louis, MO 63144
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker