VOLUME 24 | FALL
MISSOURI ACTION AND IMPACT
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Beth Alm, Kansas City Michele M. Risdal-Barnes, Springfield Rick Boeshaar, Shawnee 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 Ben Kniola, St. Louis Steve Mahfood, St. Louis Steve McMillan, St. Louis Abby Moreland, St. Louis Jon T. Moses, Kansas City Carolyn K. Polk, St. Louis Robbie Price, Columbia Fritz Riesmeyer, Kansas City Jon M. Risdal, Springfield Sharon Shahid, Washington D.C./St. Louis Jean Wagner, Kansas City Wallis W. Warren, Beaufort Nancy Ylvisaker, St. Louis
We talk a lot about the urgency of our mission—a driving force I’ve previously explained in these pages as the difference between having a mission and being on a mission. There has never been more work to do and less time to do it. Thankfully, we live in an era of rapid advances in science and technology. Our team in Missouri is leaning in. A big part of The Nature Conservancy’s role in conservation is to take those first, sometimes scary steps forward. We take risks so that everyone can reap the rewards.
As technology evolves, we are in a research-and-development phase. We are testing, improving and assessing cutting-edge applications for conservation. You can read about a handful of examples—our drone at Dunn Ranch Prairie, monitors in streams, high-tech digital tools everywhere—in this edition of Missouri Action and Impact . Some tests will fail. Some will be wildly successful. We need to keep investing because several could be game changers. I cannot tell you how much pride I feel watching our staff embrace this work. Testing new technologies in new applications can be rewarding but also frustrating. It requires dedication to continuous learning and refinement, and it requires tenacity. It’s easier to do things the way we’ve always done them. I’m proud of our team’s tenacity, their creativity and their constant quest for “even better.” If you want to know why this is such an urgent issue for us, it’s because we’re losing. We’re still losing species at rapid rates and landscapes we’ll never get back. That motivates us every day, because we are a team that never settles for losing by less. We want to win the game. That will undoubtedly require new technologies and new tactics. I’m confident they’re out there, and I know our team will find them and add them to our game plan. We are going to win.
Adam McLane Missouri State Director
Printed on 100% PCW recycled, process chlorine-free paper, creating the following benefits: 27.5 trees preserved for the future 2,128.8 gallons of water not used 4,133.7 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.
THIS PAGE Adam McLane © Kristy Stoyer/TNC COVER The setting sun bursts into the semi gloom of a small forest in Gray Summit. © David DeNagel
DRONES IN CONSERVATION
Flying Machines
Drones help TNC reach new heights for conservation Days in the field for The Nature Conservancy usually track toward earthbound activities. Think wading
Consider just a few of the more imaginative ways the Conservancy has deployed the remote-controlled aircraft in the past couple of years: • Instead of flushing ducks from their nests using old-school chain- drag methods, TNC staff in North Dakota deployed less-obtrusive and quicker-moving drones to study the waterfowl from high overhead. • In California, TNC ocean scientists flew high-tech cameras over kelp forests, allowing them to zoom in on waving pockets of seaweed with a precision that put existing satellite imagery to shame. • When staff in Washington experimented with using dynamite to open new estuary channels,
they used drones to safely record the blasts so they could review the operation in detail. There is no dynamite in play here, but TNC staff in Missouri are also experimenting with a drone. Brett Perkins, grazing and grassland manager in Missouri, is our team’s first drone operator. Based at Dunn Ranch Prairie, Perkins has put the flying machine to use monitoring the preserve’s bison herds, tracking the progression of beaver dams on Little Creek and even hovering low to spot- spray invasive blackberry bushes. He learns a little more with each flight—and imagines new possibilities.
through streams, brushing away head-high vegetation or rolling through the tall grass in a UTV to reach remote locales. But TNC’s fieldwork is increasingly pressing into new territory: the sky. The evolution of drone technology is making the power of flight more affordable and more practical for conservation work. That is opening a dizzying array of possibilities. Across TNC, our staff is experimenting with drones, pushing the technology as we develop ways to do more and better work. The results have been innovative and, at times, even explosive.
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THIS PAGE Clint Harris (seated) explains drone use for prescribed fires. © McRee Anderson
DRONES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
“Seeing the opportunities that it presents for us and being able to accomplish new tasks has opened my eyes,” Perkins says. “It has my gears turning.” The drone he’s using is designed for agriculture, and it is a large piece of equipment. With its arms unfolded, it is roughly the size of a compact car. A removable tank affixed to its belly makes it possible to target unwanted plants with herbicide or carry out granular seeding. Rechargeable batteries can be swapped out continuously to power operations. There is also a video camera that provides Perkins with a birds-eye view of the sprawling hills and valleys of Dunn Ranch Prairie. Footage from the drone can then be used to map bison grazing patterns and create models of the terrain and vegetation. That’s already deepening our understanding of what’s happening on the ground and will drive more research in the future. “We are partnering with a few different government entities and colleges exploring different hardware, software
programs and AI resourcing for remote sensing high-value plants, invasives and endangered species,” he says. “We are really just starting to see some of the ways the technology can help us achieve our goals.” Last fall, Perkins started a drone tacticians team, looping in experienced operators and others to share knowledge and pursue a long- term goal of expanding the drone program and training opportunities Worldwide, mapping and modeling remain the primary ways TNC is using drones, but their versatility has spread into other avenues. That includes prescribed fire. Ryan Gauger, fire and stewardship manager in Missouri, says the Conservancy’s burn teams are not yet using drones in the state, but the machines are almost certainly part of the future. He has had conversations with colleagues in other states who have begun integrating them into their prescribed fire operations with promising results. to other preserves. A Fire Future
There is also interest among TNC’s partners in Missouri. One of the main themes of our fire program in the Show-Me State is filling gaps in the network of fire practitioners as a way to expand the overall capacity for controlled burning. Drones are another possible pathway to that goal. “I think that it will be important for TNC in Missouri to stay on the cutting edge of this and build our program to incorporate them and make them available to help partners accomplish their goals,” Gauger says. TNC is a global leader in using “good fire” for conservation, adopting and adapting an old tool developed over millennia by Indigenous peoples. The majority of landscapes across North America evolved with fire, both set by humans and sparked by nature. Regular, low-burning fires rejuvenate and protect ecosystems by clearing away overgrown brush that can choke out more delicate plants and fuel unnaturally intense wildfires if left unchecked. That process was interrupted by a century of federal policies that overemphasized squelching fires as quickly as possible and underemphasized controlled burning, in many cases blocking Tribes from a practice passed down through generations. As TNC embarks on an ambitious slate of goals to accomplish by 2030, continuing to restore prescribed fire to fire-evolved landscapes will be an important component of our commitment to conserving 1.6 billion acres of land worldwide. Growing the capacity to burn safely and responsibly will be critical. That includes a foundation of building out a skilled workforce and supporting Indigenous fire practitioners, but also mastering evolving technology. TNC’s fire program in Arkansas has been an early adopter of drones.
THIS PAGE TNC is testing different ways of using drones for conservation. © Clint Harris/TNC
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Incorporating the machines into today’s prescribed fires is helping crews burn larger areas more efficiently and improve monitoring of conditions in real-time. They can also help keep team members out of harm’s way. Clint Harris, manager of resilient forests for TNC in Arkansas, says they have been using two drones: a thermal/ high-resolution drone for mapping and another that can ignite fires. Harris says they use them only in certain situations. The machines take time to set up and there can be range issues for the ignition drone, but in the right situation, they’ve quickly become a valuable tool for crews on the ground. Rather than hiking for miles in full gear through rough terrain to ignite fires from drip torches, teams can send in
a fire drone to light precisely targeted areas remotely. That can decrease a crew’s time in the interior and reduce the risk of exhaustion and injury. That’s especially important on hot summer days when the heat can take a toll on team members. “We are really just starting to see some of the ways the technology can help us achieve our goals.” The mapping drone’s thermal capabilities give operators the ability to keep an eye on fire lines and shifting conditions. It also makes it easier to see what’s happening to the landscape as a result of their work.
“The mapping drone will be an invaluable tool in the future,” Harris says. “Observing overstory scorch and treatments within the prairie restorations and hard-to-reach areas has been great.” They are still testing and adjusting, making plans for upgrades. True of any tool, drones have limitations, Harris adds. But the upside is high. Like Perkins at Dunn Ranch Prairie, ocean scientists in California or any of the others working across TNC, he sees vast opportunities for technology that magnifies our ability to achieve the Conservancy’s mission. The sky is wide open.
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THIS PAGE BOTTOM Drone exploration at Medano-Zapata Ranch in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. © Caitlin Fullam/TNC
Measuring Success On-the-ground (and water) research evaluates our progress
Below the surface of Little Creek, lie a handful of large, saucer-shaped antennas. Fish tagged with microchips by researchers ping the sensors anytime they pass nearby. Each hit is a new data point that helps tell the story of a stream coming back to life. In 2022, Little Creek underwent a major restoration. A team of public and private partners worked with The Nature Conservancy to repair eroded banks near Dunn Ranch Prairie in northwest Missouri and build underwater ramps below culverts, allowing fish to swim through the passages. The project reconnected more than 5 miles of habitat for the first time in decades.
Construction is long finished. Willows planted as sticks along once-barren banks have filled in to form lush, leafy borders. The roots of new trees and grasses hold soil in place. Now, ongoing monitoring by University of Missouri researchers is helping assess the effect on fish populations in the prairie stream. Monitoring is important for TNC’s work on land and in the water. It can take on nearly endless forms: channel surveys, fish captures, water or soil sampling, acoustic recorders and even underwater antennas, to name a few. Rob Pulliam, TNC’s nature-based solutions coordinator in Missouri, says monitoring goes beyond recording
what actions were taken and helps illustrate why a project was done in the first place. “It’s not just acres, feet and miles of what we’ve done,” Pulliam says. “It’s getting to true outcomes.” Those outcomes might include the concentration of native plants after a prescribed fire, cleaner drinking water as a result of curbing chemical runoff from fields, or a greater variety of fish after opening a blocked passage. Whatever the goal of the effort, monitoring can help gauge its success. The lessons inform future projects. They also build the case for expanding
THIS PAGE Researchers sampled fish populations before and after work along Huzzah Creek. © Rob Pulliam/TNC
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MONITORING
conservation and offer a roadmap for others. In recent years, Pulliam has helped facilitate ongoing efforts to stabilize stream banks on Huzzah Creek, a tributary to the Meramec River and an important part of the biodiverse watershed. Two projects—backed by National Resource Damage Assessment funding with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and Missouri Department of Natural Resources acting as trustees—rebuilt roughly 3,400 feet of streambank in Crawford County. The Ozark Land Trust also helped fund one of the projects. Jennifer Girondo, fisheries management biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, sampled gamefish populations before and after the Huzzah stabilization projects. In a report released in June, she noted the stream featured deeper pools and better cover after the projects. She also saw signs of improvement in the fish population—either more juveniles, larger adults or more overall numbers in most species. “Project installation appears to be having a positive effect on gamefish populations,” Girondo wrote. The results are not conclusive, but they point in the right direction as the team of collaborators prepares for more projects along the Huzzah. They also match broadly with ever-growing research that may seem like common sense: When we take care of streams, the fish (and people) who depend on them benefit. TNC typically works with partners on monitoring, either building assessments into agreements with contractors or collaborating with researchers from government agencies or universities. It allows the
Conservancy to work with specialists attuned to specific projects. At Little Creek, the University of Missouri researchers have begun multiyear monitoring projects with support from the Missouri Department of Conservation and TNC. In April, Dr. Jacob Westhoff, assistant unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and doctoral student Seth Callahan outfitted 235 fish from nine different species with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags near the newly installed underwater ramps. The tags use microchip technology, making them detectable as they swim over or within 18 inches of the antennas. It’s a little like cars passing through electronic toll booths on a highway. The MU researchers also marked another 305 with visible implant elastomers (VIE) tags at the same time. Instead of pinging an antenna, the VIE tags are little bands of color, coded to specific areas where fish were released. Any fish caught later in different areas will help researchers determine how far they have traveled through Little Creek. The results are only preliminary but seem promising. “Tag detection data collected by PIT tag arrays positioned at the upstream and downstream ends of the rock ramps has already shown fish passage through both forks of Little Creek,” Callahan wrote in a June summary of their early findings. Updates on the VIE tagged fish have proven harder to come by. Seining in May turned up only a handful of fish, a fact that Callahan attributes to the difficulty of physically capturing the fish. That too is a
valuable lesson they will factor into the design of future monitoring. The project will continue as the researchers learn more about how the restoration work affects fish, such as the Topeka shiner, a native prairie minnow placed on the endangered list more than 25 years ago. TNC started the restoration to help the shiner. Now, the progress of the little minnow will help teach us about conservation methods we can use far beyond this stream.
THIS PAGE TOP Tagging fish at Little Creek. © Seth Callahan THIS PAGE BOTTOM Connor Church and Seth Callahan seining fish. © Jamey Decoske
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DIGITAL MAPPING
Tools of the Trade Digital maps point conservation in the right direction
Let’s say you want to do some important work to protect nature. You have a team of smart, dedicated people to help. And you have resources to make an impact if you pick your spots. Where do you start? How do you pick those spots? The answers can determine whether you make a meaningful difference or none at all. At The Nature Conservancy in Missouri, the first step is often a map. Usually, many maps, digitally rendered, layered on top of each other and infused with multiple datasets. They’re images that can be moved and examined, highlighting where crucial considerations overlap. These maps, or web tools, help TNC and our partners set priorities and figure out where to deploy limited resources for maximum results. Staff regularly use and contribute data to
existing tools. When no tool exists, they create them. The Conservancy has helped build multiple web tools over the years. They help us pick our spots. Three Examples of Web Tools Our Missouri Staff Use Interior Highlands Threat Assessment Tool: The Interior Highlands are a wonder of biodiversity. The cave-filled region runs southwest across Missouri in a wide band from the St. Louis metro into Oklahoma and Arkansas. More than 200 species of the fish, freshwater mussels, crayfish, vascular plants and insects that live there live nowhere else. A stunning 51% of the Mississippi River Basin’s native freshwater species of fish—more than 190 in all—swim through its streams and rivers. That seems like a good place to protect, right? But we have to figure out where
to focus. The threat assessment tool cross-references data about high and low biodiversity in the region with data about high and low threat levels. Staff on TNC’s three-state Interior Highlands team incorporate that information in maps, identifying places that fall within a range, from high biodiversity and high threat to low biodiversity and low threat. “We have to be really targeted and efficient, because there is no time to waste,” says Megan Buchanan, TNC director of resilient lands in Missouri. “This gives us the information we need to move quickly in a region that is one of the most biodiverse in the world.” The team is now using their findings to develop a portfolio of projects and strategies to reconnect rivers and protect key places within the region’s karst landscape, a porous geography that features caves, sinkholes and springs.
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THIS PAGE Baldcypress trees grow in a swamp in southern Missouri. © Byron Jorjorian
dangerous low-water crossings. Culvert tubes squeeze channels until the water shoots through at unnatural speeds. Dams cut off fish from food and breeding grounds. It can be tough to get a handle on what’s happening and where it’s happening. The barrier removal tool builds on a Missouri Department of Conservation inventory of barriers across the state. TNC is part of the “With so much work to be done, it’s essential to pinpoint where we’re needed most.” statewide Stream Connectivity Partnership that updates the tool with the latest information. If we help replace a low-water dam with a free-span bridge that lets fish travel underneath, we adjust the list. We also use the tool to see how many barriers are in a given stream. That allows us to see the most disconnected watersheds in the state. When paired with TNC’s Resilient River Explorer tool, we can identify the
most important streams and figure out how many barriers are present. We can then work with partners to reconnect our most biologically critical streams. These tools also make it easier to sequence barrier removal for maximum connectivity, and we can report river miles gained by removing the barrier. That helps us see how projects align with our goals. “We use the SARP Barrier Removal Tool all the time to prioritize barriers for removal,” says Rob Hunt, TNC director of resilient waters in Missouri. “With so much work to be done, it’s essential to pinpoint where we’re needed most.” Resilient Land Mapping Tool: TNC scientists spent more than a decade mapping a network of landscapes across the United States that offer the best opportunities to withstand climate impacts. Not only do these places have a mixture of unique topographies and geologies, but their makeup includes pathways, or “natural highways,” for plants and animals to move among microclimates. The mapping tool looks at the country as a whole for proactive, big-picture thinking. If we can support this network of climate- resilient, connected lands and waters, we can help nature adapt to rising temperatures and shifting conditions by creating safe havens for thousands of species. The publicly available tool lets anyone click through layers of data and zoom in on specific sites. Our teams use that as a roadmap to design the strategies and projects that protect these areas. Using the tool makes the starting point plain, so we can get to work.
Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) Barrier Removal Tool: Thousands of barriers chop up waterways throughout Missouri. Concrete slabs built over streams form unreliable, often
THIS PAGE Trout surface at the Maramec Spring Fish Hatchery. © Doyle Murphy/TNC
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CONSERVATION INTERNS
Hands On in the Tallgrass Prairie An intern’s perspective on learning and living in the grasslands
regular obligations and time in nature. Conservation fieldwork melds my worlds together, allowing me to apply the physical and mental muscle memory of working outside while finding enjoyment in the task itself, something that is familiar through hunting, fishing, barn work and camping back home. Restorative work this summer was incredibly gratifying, because I was actively learning new skills with outdoor equipment, and I could see the impact of our work at the end of every day. Felling cedars, brush cutting small woodies and applying herbicide treatments are skills that I was fortunate to learn. They are tasks that make it possible to see the before and after in real time. This was rewarding, a labor of affection for the ecosystem that encouraged my desire to continue the work. My time at Dunn has only reaffirmed my commitment to seeking an environmental science career. The people I met and learned from are connections I will continue to revere, and I am grateful for the opportunity
to work with individuals from The Nature Conservancy, Missouri Department of Conservation and the natural resources departments of Iowa and Missouri. Madelyn Christian is a Drake University student and a member of the university’s Jay N. Darling Institute Student Conservation Corps program. DarlingCorps students are helping to conserve and restore native grasslands in the Grand River Grasslands region of Missouri and Iowa through collaborative public and private land management strategies. The program is a partnership between the Iowa and Missouri environmental organizations, including the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Iowa Department of
Working and living at Dunn Ranch Prairie was an invaluable experience. The tallgrass prairie ecosystem is magnetically immersive, unlike anything I had experienced. When leaving, I found I had become emotionally invested in Grand River Grassland conservation efforts. Seeing restored prairie in person, it was shocking to truly realize the amount of human effort needed to destroy something so vast and unforgivingly powerful. Growing up in Midwest farm country, a life outdoors has been a constant since childhood. I find my joy in life comes when I am able to balance
Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, the Jay N. Darling Institute, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, and the Missouri Prairie Foundation.
THIS PAGE TOP From left: Drake University students Rory Hetz and Madelyn Christian spent the summer interning in the Grand River Grasslands. © Julie Copley/TNC THIS PAGE BOTTOM Bison roam at Dunn Ranch Prairie. © Madelyn Christian
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PHILANTHROPY
Support for Science Combining research with resources moves TNC forward
The Nature Conservancy has always been a science-based organization. It is the compass that guides us, pointing us toward the most effective strategies to preserve and restore our natural landscapes. This approach is not just about preserving nature, but about understanding and harnessing the intricate web of life that sustains us all. This approach is not always easy. In fact, it can make the work more complex. Imagine putting together a puzzle without having all the pieces. Once you discover that missing piece, maybe hiding under another piece or sitting just beyond your sight, you can swiftly connect more of the puzzle. In many cases, it’s science that leads us to those missing pieces. Jeanette Hartshorn is a trustee for TNC in Missouri and serves as the chair of our Conservation Committee. She is also a scientist. “As a scientist, I appreciate the critical role that science plays in identifying and understanding the challenges that our environment faces,” Hartshorn says. “Science is unbiased and methodical, and that is the approach that TNC takes in tackling conservation challenges.” But science alone is not enough. To truly make a difference, we need the ability to act swiftly and decisively when new opportunities arise. It has always been and continues to be the support of our donors that allows us to be the organization we are. You are the driving force behind our successes, enabling us to make timely investments and seize
critical opportunities to advance our conservation work. “TNC is on a mission, and that mission is focused on making a positive and real impact for people and nature. I see the evidence throughout our conservation work,” Hartshorn says. “TNC makes data-driven decisions by assessing conservation needs, analyzing the findings, adjusting practices and adopting strategies that will have lasting beneficial effects.” Your support provides us the flexibility to invest where we see the potential for the biggest results. The challenges we face are immense, but so are the opportunities. We face complex challenges that are evolving, but with a science-based approach, we can develop and deploy strategies that benefit people and nature. “Whether it is reconnecting river corridors to support healthy populations of fish and other aquatic organisms, preserving and improving
our critical grasslands and prairies for environmental benefits, or helping communities overcome challenges of climate change, TNC looks for the levers they can pull to make the biggest difference,” Hartshorn says. Our work is a testament to what we can achieve when we combine scientific expertise with a deep commitment to conservation. With your support, we are giving nature a fighting chance to thrive. Thank you for being a part of this important mission.
THIS PAGE TOP A bison walks through native grasses at Dunn Ranch Prairie. © Doyle Murphy/TNC THIS PAGE BOTTOM Jeanette Hartshorn © Anna Hancock/TNC
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The Nature Conservancy Missouri Chapter P.O. Box 440400 St. Louis, MO 63144 nature.org/missouri
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MISSOURI ACTION AND IMPACT
The Nature Conservancy has been working to conserve the lands and waters in Missouri since 1956. Throughout the years, we’ve faced different challenges and brought forward many solutions. It’s our science and collaboration with partners and communities that continue to guide us. In Missouri, we are dedicated to preserving vital landscapes, restoring waterways and addressing the challenges of a changing climate. Our commitment to these priorities underscores the role we play in the Conservancy’s global mission to create a healthier, more resilient plant for future generations. We invite you to visit nature.org/missouri to learn more about our priorities in Missouri and see your support in action. LAND WATER CLIMATE
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