The Missouri Department of Conservation and Conservation Federation of Missouri co-hosted a statewide Missouri Land Trust meeting on Dec 1, 2007.

Nineteen organizations and agencies attended, including Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Conservation Fund, Ducks Unlimited, Eleven Point River Conservancy, Great Rivers Land Trust, Greenbelt Land Trust of Mid Missouri, Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Farmland Preservation Land Trust, Missouri Prairie Foundation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Nature Conservancy, Open Space Council, Ozark Regional Land Trust, Ozark Trail Association, Tumbling Creek Cave Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Watershed Land Trust.

Land trusts and organizations interested in land protection met each other and learned more about Missouri’s Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy and Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, as well as State Wildlife Grants, Landowner Incentive Program and other potential funding sources. The Nature Conservancy provided information on Missouri’s conservation easement laws and the day concluded with an open discussion on the need for a “Coalition of Missouri Land Trusts.”

As an outcome of this meeting, this group will meet again in April 2008 to continue conversations about developing a Missouri Land Trust Coalition, conservation easement laws and other topics of interest.

If you are interested in learning more about this or upcoming meetings, please contact Amy Buechler, Conservation Federation of Missouri (800-575-2322, abuechler@confedmo.org).

Click here to download a PowerPoint presentation on Missouri’s Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy and Teaming With Wildlife given by Dennis Figg and Amy Buechler at the December Land Trust meeting (4.7 MB – may take awhile to download).

Current Missouri Teaming With Wildlife coalition members