same year at Little Creek Farm, near the Iowa border in Harrison County, where TNC is working on solutions for sustainable grazing that help ranchers and the environment. Work is underway for another CCI at TNC's Mill Creek property near Van Buren in the Ozarks. And with the addition of the new property near Huntsdale, TNC envisions another cornerstone of the CCI program. "Our research and that of our peers is producing real data that can lead to solutions and transform the way people use and value nature," says Adam McLane, The Nature Conservancy's Missouri state director. "But there's more that can
The Missouri River CCI has the potential for numerous research projects tied to floodplain and wetland restoration, such as the effects on carbon sequestration, soil health and the lives of fish and birds. The floodplain is relatively small in the context of the massive river system that is the Missouri, but it could tie into larger research projects in the area. One of the Missouri River CCI's greatest assets is its potential as a place where everyone from school kids to adults can learn more about the river and the state's unique habitats. Our partners at Missouri River Relief are already doing outstanding work teaching people about the importance of the river's health. Along with a long history of river cleanups and stewardship, Missouri River Relief's educational paddle trips, camps and workshops have become essential tools for progress. More than 30,000 students and teachers have taken part in its programs. As the organization has grown, Schnarr says, it began looking for a permanent base along the river. They even held a charette in the spring of2022 to create a vision for that plan. Their timing was uncanny. The Potterfields' donation offered the perfect opportunity to marry the complementary work of Missouri River Relief and TNC on the property. Now, the two organizations and other partners are working on new visions to turn the site into a place where generations of people can come to learn about and enjoy the river and the surrounding habitat.
Ultimately, the Potterfields decided to ensure the property remained an asset for the community and donated it to TNC. With its partners, TNC is figuring out the details of the site's future. The work will include high-quality restoration of natural habitats across the acreage, likely to focus on the wetlands and eroding riverbank to protect the land and the river. Plans also include using the former restaurant building as an outreach center for Missouri River Relief. The boat ramp, previously operated through memberships, has reopened to the public. Community access, education, outreach, research and conservation will be key components of the site.
be done to speed up the pace and impact of those results-and that's the gap we're hoping to fill with our CCIs." McLane notes that science-based conservation is in TNC's DNA. "We've been protecting critical landscapes in Missouri since 1956," he says. "And as a science-based organization, we want to learn everything we can about those places-and encourage others to learn from them, as well."
Missouri River Center for Conservation Innovation
In 2021, The Nature Conservancy in Missouri launched a new program to create demonstration and research facilities on its properties to help boost the type of scientific innovation needed to protect the land and water we all depend on.
SCAN THIS CODE or visit nature.org/missouririvercci to learn more about this new TNC property.
The first Center for Conservation Innovation (CCI) was created the
THIS PAGE The 164-acre property includes a former restaurant expected to become an outreach center. © Doyle Murphy/TNC
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