We conserve Missouri's natural resources
through outreach, restoration, and research.

The Chert Glades Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists welcomes you to our site.  Please look around.  Here you will find information about what is happening now in nature, chapter activities, and  upcoming events around the area.  We have links to our Facebook page and our chapter sponsors, Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri University Extension.  Our blogs are full of timely information about natural communities in Missouri.. 

Click on "Projects" to see the latest information our Monarch Projects, Redings Mill Glade Restoration Project, and our Stream Team Initiative at Cardinal Valley.

 

Featured
Celebrate and learn about the beauty of the great outdoors!
Celebrate and learn about the beauty of the great outdoors!

Looking for outdoor recreation? Your nature activities can be safer and more satisfying if you increase your knowledge and hone your skills. Things are happening at Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center!

Enjoy a fun filled morning at the Monarch Festival!
Enjoy a fun filled morning at the Monarch Festival!

Every fall, a magical event takes place—the annual monarch migration to Mexico. Perhaps traveling over your own head right now—or clustered by the hundreds in a nearby tree—monarchs are on the move. Celebrate this event at the Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center.

Native Plant Sale Sept. 21st - Beautify your surroundings and fill your landscape with life!
Native Plant Sale Sept. 21st - Beautify your surroundings and fill your landscape with life!

“Restoring native plant habitat is vital to preserving biodiversity. By creating a native plant garden, each patch of habitat becomes part of a collective effort to nurture and sustain the living landscape for birds and other animals.”

Doug Tallamy, Entomologist and Author

Center Reopens on September 6th!
Center Reopens on September 6th!

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center in Joplin will hold an open house to celebrate the opening of the facility from 10 a.m.-noon on Friday, Sept. 6. The Shoal Creek Center is located at 201 W. Riviera Drive in Joplin.

Walking Toward the Light
Walking Toward the Light

Comparable to June & July’s night sky of twinkling stars, the fireflies seal our childhood memories, catch our attention and set our imagination soaring…no wonder we find ourselves walking toward the light. 
“Get up, Get out, and Let’s go fishing!”
Adorn the Patio Scene with Feathered Charm
Adorn the Patio Scene with Feathered Charm

They may have the stamina of an endurance athlete, the appetite of a teenager, and possess antics of a trapeze artist. Lastly, the little charmers may hold our attention like a Branson entertainer…they are our resident hummingbirds. Click here to read more………

Dragonflies as Ecological Indicators
Dragonflies as Ecological Indicators

Dragonflies Are Masters of Flight! Click her to learn more. Join us and discover some nymph dragonflies and other tiny water critters that reside in our streams. We will conduct a biological water quality demo at 12:00, April 27th, at the Earth & Arbor Day celebration in Landreth Park. We are looking for Wonderful, Wacky Water Critters. Join us at creekside and learn what they can tell us about our water quality.

Fireflies: Nature’s Flashlights
Fireflies: Nature’s Flashlights

I'm here. Where are you?  It might be a matter of the timing of the flashes, the duration, or even the color, but a firefly of the same species and of the opposite sex gets the message and flashes an answer that, in essence, says, I'm here.   

Grounding Kids to the Earth
Grounding Kids to the Earth

April is the threshold month of taking kids outside.