Selected Projects
These featured projects illustrate the importance of Foundation support to achieve conservation success. We invite you to check back often to learn about new projects. For a complete list of Foundation-supported projects, visit our Projects Database.
Ozark Trail Storm Damage Clearing—On May 8, 2009, a severe storm devastated trees along more than 40 miles of the Ozark Trail in Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest and Ketcherside Mountain Conservation Area. With both straight-line winds and several tornadoes, the windstorm delivered the worst damage from one weather event in the 30-year history of the Ozark Trail, a multi-use hiking, cycling and equestrian trail.
Acting quickly to assess the work needed to clear and re-open the trail, the late John Roth, founder of the Ozark Trail Association, (pictured at right) contacted Missouri Heritage Conservation Foundation. On a quick turnaround and working with both the Ozark Trail Association and Missouri Department of Conservation, the Foundation supported a June clean-up project on five miles of the Ozark Trail through the Ketcherside Mountain Conservation Area. “Without the support of the Foundation, it would not have been possible to get the Taum Sauk section through Ketcherside Mountain cleared as quickly as it occurred. MDC and Foundation assistance of $3,150 was greatly appreciated by the OTA,” said Steve Coates, OTA president. Go to profile>>
Missouri Tropical Bird Account—The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation supports efforts to protect Missouri birds year-round. To that end, donations to this account fund bird habitat protection activities in the region between eastern Mexico and Panama, where 95% of Missouri’s tropical migrant bird species overwinter. The Foundation is a partner of ACA—the Avian Conservation Alliance— which includes seven Missouri Audubon chapters and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Other partners are the American Bird Conservancy, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), individual Central American and Mexican conservationists, and environmental education and conservation organizations like Enchanted Wings Nature Center in Copan Ruinas, Honduras and Guaruma, at the edge of Pico Bonito National Park, Honduras. Current projects focus on habitat protection, restoration and bird monitoring at El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, and land acquisition in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun. The account also supports staff training, capacity building, education, public outreach, publications and ecotourism in and around critical conservation lands. Donations may be made on-line to the Missouri Tropical Bird Account.
LaBarque Creek Watershed, Jefferson County, Missouri—The Foundation has invested more than $1 million to protect land in the 8,365-acre watershed of LaBarque Creek. This remarkable stream—which supports an astonishing 44 fish species—flows within only one-half hour’s drive from St. Louis.
Kayaks for Conservation—Foundation dollars don’t have to be a lot to make a difference—a 2008 Foundation grant of $2,320 purchased two kayaks to help wildlife law enforcement and education. Go to story for more>>
Grand Plans for Grand River Grasslands, Harrison County, Missouri—In 2008, the Foundation provided $10,000 to complete the match for the $100,000 John McPheeters Challenge to The Nature Conservancy for prairie management and restoration in the 70,000-acre Grand River Grasslands Conservation Opportunity Area. The resulting $200,000 will be used to promote sustainable prairie conservation and provide assistance to cattle producers and other farmers in the area.
Habitat for Humanity Community Rain Gardens, Native Landscaping—A $5,000 Foundation grant in 2008 provided funding for the construction of rain gardens at the Legacy Trails Habitat for Humanity Community in Springfield, Missouri.
Cerulean Warbler and Riparian Habitat—In 2008, the Foundation allocated $55,500 to help The Nature Conservancy and the Missouri Department of Conservation acquire 80 acres containing important riparian habitat in the watershed of the Current River, one of North America’s most biologically diverse streams. Although small in acreage, this key parcel links federal and state protected lands and provides breeding habitat for the cerulean warbler, whose population is declining in parts of its range. Photo courtesy www.billhubick.com
