- Three new Master Naturalists complete Capstone project
Three members of the 2023 class have completed their Capstone project! Cheryl Bolton, Ann Greene and Janet Blauvelt removed invasive bush honeysuckle from the old growth area at Hidden Valley Park, working with Linda Lehrbaum of KC Wildlands right before her retirement and resignation on December 31. (KC Wildlands is our partner under Bridging the Gap.)
Greene said of the project, “I have learned so much from this experience! I had never removed invasives before this project, and I admit, I am now hooked!”
Bolton added, “While we may not have addressed all the invasives in the designated area, we are now attached to this park. Our goal is to host a workday for other volunteers next fall to get even farther!” The group learned that spring invasive removal was discouraged because of potential damage to Spring Ephemerals, so further work on the area will have to be postponed.
The area addressed by the group began at the second intersection of two trails and included all the area between the two.
Expressing her agreement with the benefits of the project, both individually and for the park, Blauvelt stated that the hours they all spent were inspirational. “I never knew this Park even existed. You can be sure I will be back many times, both to visit and to work!‚” she gushed.
It was agreed by all that the experience was a great introduction to the joy of volunteering in the outdoors.
Story by Janet Blauvelt
- Winter Seed Cleaning Was Completed in December at Dunn Ranch Prairie
By Barb VanVleck Prairie heroes at work! In mid-December, Gail Goeke, Mel Haney, and Janie Borchart had a very dusty yet satisfying day sorting and cleaning the seeds from pods and removing stems to process the valuable seeds we collected at Dunn Ranch this summer. One mishap turned out alright. Janie’s cellphone slipped unnoticed into a deep bucket of fluffy liatris. When she dumped it into the hammermill, she noticed an odd sound. The cell phone was pulverized into thousands of pieces. She remained in good spirits as she was going to get a phone replacement the next week anyway, and everything had recently been automatically backed up to “the cloud”. A catastrophe turned out fine.
- 38 Trainees become Osage Trails Interns
By Jim Hinds
A graduation ceremony was held for the 38 members of the class of 2023 on
November 7.
After the students shared their “Ah-ha” moments from the training or what
they plan to do now that they have graduated, a potluck dinner for the new
students and their families was held.
The new Master Naturalist Interns are:
Ann Greene, Brooke Fisher, Carla Dobbins, Cheryl Bolton, Chloe Thomas,
Chris Brown, Connie Campbell, Dan Conge, Darla Burns, David Gardener,
Debbie Coble, Destiny Costley, Dustin Schroer, Elena Payne, Janae Hlavacek,
Janet Blauvelt, John Whiteman, Julie Koppen, Karen Highfill, Kelly Hall,
Kim Lee, Kristy Solocinski, Kristin List, Laura Heinz, Linda Morgan, Lisa Gann,
Lucy Fletcher, Mark Townsend, Melanie Meyers, Moira Waldron, Molly Dillon,
Monica Schroer, Natalie Ison, Sally Urdang, Scott Hatcher, Sherry Pilsl,
Susan Walsh, and Zach Adams.Please join me in welcoming these great naturalists into the Osage Trails chapter!
Photo by Ed Beijen - Our “Adventure in the Ozarks”
by Angie Clarke,
MMN 2021
Awe-inspiring are the words that immediately come to mind when thinking about our experiences on our 2023 Adventure in the Ozarks field trip. Everyone met Friday night at the Alley Springs Campground Pavilion to enjoy an incredible Dutch Oven Dinner put together by Mary Smead and LeeAnne Googe and cooked by the incomparable Linda Williams. We had a great time eating and sharing together, and a short walk from the pavilion gave way to the gorgeous views of the 3 story red mill and the cerulean spring that pumps out about 81 million gallons of water a day! It looked like an image from a story book.
The next morning, we met at Linda’s property to learn much more about the geology and geography of the area and took a quick walk down to her creek. We then drove to Rocky Falls to another picturesque view of the falls, the shut-ins, and the colorful fall foliage. Another hike led us to a series of smaller shut-ins with plenty of plant identification along the way. After a quick lunch, we headed over to MDC Conservationist Susan Farrington’s property.
Susan took the group on a guided hike to continue our learning about the geology of this Ozark Region. Susan and her husband have spent years working on their own property to clear out two large sections of dolomite glades that they found years ago. The entire area was covered with fascinating dolomite pinnacles and left us with the feeling of walking on the bottom of the ocean surrounded by coral reefs. From there, we headed out to Peck Ranch Conservation Area.
We were all full of hope as we pulled down the main road just wishing to see at least an elk or two. The drive in resulted in sights of a turkey and an armadillo… not very promising. But the drive back out … just wow! Our first sighting of elk was incredibly exciting. Four of them were feeding and wandering and practically posing for the camera. We were all thrilled. We headed out of the area happy people. But not much farther down the road, a herd of 16 elk came rumbling down from the hillside to take a snack break just at the edge of the drive! We couldn’t believe it! Many females and babies were present, and you could tell the bull was keeping a safe watch over them all as they trotted on over the road and off into the woods. It was breathtaking!
A huge shoutout to all of the people that made this happen. It was definitely an experience that won’t be forgotten. It just doesn’t get much better than spending time with great people seeing gorgeous sites together. We’re already counting the days till our next adventure!
Photo by JL Johnson, 2021 - Osage Trails Master Naturalists help at Get MO Wild event
Photo: Back row starting left. Jesse / JL Johnson (2021), Jack Corrigan (2021). Middle row: Naomi Crewse (2018), Jillian
Johnson (2022), Karen Paulic (2022), Laura Morlan (2017). Front: Elizabeth Stoakes, Burroughs Audubon Society.
Not pictured: Jessica Culbertson (2022.)By JL Johnson
MDC and over a dozen partners teamed up to support the first annual Get MO Wild event. Get MO Wild combined separate events from prior years and occurred on the last day of September at beautiful James A Reed in Lee’s Summit. Osage Trails partners such as Burroughs Audubon and Missouri River Bird Observatory (among others) had booths and games with the intent of getting people of all ages interested in the diverse outdoor activities our great state offers.
Seven Osage Trails Master Naturalists supported the Burroughs Audubon booth. Over the course of the day we met with at least 197 unique visitors to chat about common native birds of Missouri. Children and adults alike enjoyed playing “The Bird Game” which involved volunteers providing clues about birds to support identification of birds from a menu on the table. For each bird we would discuss the “three Bs:” Beak, Body and Behavior. A few lucky visitors were able to spot Turkey Vultures circling overhead at various points throughout the day. We were also lucky to have a Great Blue Heron make a brief visit near our lakeside tent.
To our surprise, the children tended to be better at identifying birds by listening to the clues. Whereas adults seemed more prone to skip steps and misidentify. With each successful identification there were smiles all around. While we were there to help educate, we walked away with newfound appreciation for kiddos eager to listen and to learn.
The kids are OK!