Grand River Grasslands CCI © Doyle Murphy/TNC
Centers for Conservation Innovation Leveraging our lands to support new solutions U nsurprisingly, we are big fans of science at The Nature Conservancy. The research and insights of scientists—some on our staff but many not—guide our efforts to develop the latest conservation strategies.
We are currently establishing three centers: • Grand River Grasslands CCI: Located at TNC’s Little Creek Farm in northwest Missouri with access to neighboring Dunn Ranch Prairie, conservation themes include tallgrass prairie restoration, prescribed fire training, hydrological restoration, sustainable grazing, soil health and biodiversity research. • Missouri River Center CCI: Overlooking the Missouri River in Boone County, possibilities for the site include floodplain and wetland restoration, environmental education, recreation and perennial agriculture, which is the cultivation of crops that live through multiple growing seasons without needing to be replanted. • Ozark Woodlands CCI: Near Van Buren, the site features restoration of characteristic Ozark habitats, prescribed fire training and the potential for biodiversity research.
For years, we have welcomed researchers to our Missouri preserves to study everything from sustainable grazing to the lives of lizards. Our new Centers for Conservation Innovation (CCI) take our support to another level. The CCI program will be a network of TNC properties managed to offer opportunities to research natural systems, test new conservation strategies in a real-world setting and educate the public.
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