Rural Missouri - April 2022 - 15

photos courtesy Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation
Above left: Kids from the Kansas City area take part in the Nathan's Catch fishing event at James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area.Top left:
Students take aim during the 2021 MoNASP State Tournament in Branson. Above right: Kids plant a new tree as part of a Green City Coalition
greenspace project in the Belt Loop Triangle of St. Louis.
Restoration work on the properties included the removal
of invasive plants to help dormant native species regain a
foothold on the former farm land. Maintaining a mix of oldgrowth
and new trees to support the bats' summer roosting
and feeding habitat is also a key factor in helping the
species bounce back. All of this effort seems to have had
an impact on other species, too, notes Burns & McDonnell
Staff Environmental Scientist Josiah Maine.
" When we started work on these fields we started seeing
a covey of quail and a pheasant or two, " Josiah says. " I
don't know if they are directly related, but it's an interesting
correlation. We definitely have more insect diversity. "
One of the signature programs MCHF is affiliated with
is the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program,
or MoNASP. Geared at teaching archery skills to fourth
graders through high school seniors, the program teaches
self-reliance and self-confidence, Tricia says. MoNASP also
gives students a taste of another form of outdoor recreation.
Its popularity can't be overstated. Since its inception
in 2008, more than 250,000 students at more than
800 schools across the state have participated in MoNASP.
Since 2017, MCHF has partnered with MDC to put on the
state tournament held annually during March in Branson.
In 2021, nearly 270 schools participated in the tournament,
which also received over 10,000 attendees. The
foundation, along with the National Archery in the Schools
Program, gives away $20,000 in scholarships at the event.
The MoNASP State Tournament is indicative of the kind
of relationships MCHF builds with its collaborators. Efforts
include raising funds for the Share the Harvest program,
research projects at the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation
and National Wild Turkey Federation and writing a grant
for a $1 million monarch habitat restoration project with
the Missouri Prairie Foundation.
" It's all about building the partnerships and finding the
people who want to make it work, " Tricia says. " There are
always opportunities. "
Recently, the foundation and its partners have set
a focus on community conservation. In rural Missouri,
projects include working with farmers and landowners
on regenerative agriculture practices, which increase
soil health, water quality and habitat management while
remaining productive and profitable. From an urban perspective,
MCHF works with the Green City Coalition in St.
Louis to convert vacant or abandoned properties into green
spaces such as outdoor classrooms and play areas. Tricia
sees both approaches as vital to the mission of the foundation
and planting the seeds for outdoor appreciation in the
next generation of Missouri conservationists.
" If kids are not comfortable outside, they will not go outside, "
Tricia says. " That takes time and exposure. If you're
exposed to the outdoors, you're encouraged to spend more
time there. "
For more information on the Missouri Conservation Heritage
Foundation, visit www.mochf.org.
APRIL 2022 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 15

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Rural Missouri - April 2022

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