MDC offers free Discover Nature Girls Camp June14-16

Registrations now accepted for outdoor skills camp for girls at Camp Palestine in Johnson County

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is now accepting registrations for a free Discover Nature Girls Camp June 14-16 at Camp Palestine near Chilhowee, Mo., in Johnson County.

   Discover Nature Girls Camp is a three-day, two-night outdoor skills camp for girls ages 11 to 15. This camp provides a supportive learning environment for girls to learn about firearm safety, fishing, conservation management and ethics, water safety and basic canoeing, archery, hunting and other outdoor skills. Participants will have a chance to shoot pellet guns and archery on target ranges under the supervision of experts. They will receive Missouri Hunter Education certification. Campers will get a chance to catch fish in the lake at Camp Palestine.

   

The outdoor activities will be taught by MDC experts. Participants will gain the confidence to explore Missouri’s diverse nature on their own. MDC will provide all the necessary gear and material for camp activities. Campers are accepted in the order that completed applications are received. Completed applications must be received by April 1.

   MDC is also seeking female chaperones who would like to assist at the camp.

  To request an application form and apply for Discover Nature Girls Camp, contact Conservation Agent Brian Bartlett at 816-835-6087, or brian.bartlett@mdc.mo.gov. Applications are also available at the MDC Kansas City Regional Office and the MDC offices at Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, El Dorado Springs, Clinton and Sedalia.

   For more information, call 816-622-0900. MDC connects people with nature. For information about other MDC educational programs, visit http://mdc.mo.gov.

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Osage Beach student goes “with the flow,” wins Earth Day 2014 slogan contest

An Osage Beach student’s suggestion to “go with the flow” won top honors in the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Earth Day 2014 Slogan Contest.

Mallory Bartels, a fifth-grader at Camdenton R-3 –Capstone Gifted Center, submitted the slogan, “Watersheds: Go with the flow, clean H₂0,” based on the 2014 Earth Day theme, “Watersheds”.

Bartels will be honored on stage at Earth Day 2014, which will be held April 25 on the South Lawn of the Capitol in Jefferson City. She will also receive a $50 gift card donated by Central Bank of Jefferson City. The department received nearly 250 entries in the contest.

Earth Day 2014 is the 20^th annual Earth Day event sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Between 1,000 and 2,000 students are expected to attend the event, which will include educational activities, contests and stage shows. For more information on Earth Day 2014 visit www.dnr.mo.gov/earthday/.

Bellflower student offers “bright idea” for 2013 Earth Day slogan contest

Bellflower fifth-grade student Shelby Stille wrote the winning submission in the Department of Natural Resources’ Earth Day 2013 slogan contest. Shelby’s slogan, “Energy Efficiency: It’s a Bright Idea,” was selected from nearly 500 entries based on the theme, “energy efficiency.” As the slogan contest winner, she will receive a $50 gift card donated by Central Bank in Jefferson City and be recognized on stage during the Earth Day 2013 opening ceremony, April 19 in Jefferson City.

Shelby, the daughter of Ned and Maria Stille, Bellflower, is a student in Christina Harms’ class at Montgomery City Elementary School.

Shelby’s slogan reminds all of us that being energy efficient – in lighting, heating and air conditioning, and transportation – not only has environmental benefits, but is also a smart move economically.

Earth Day 2013 represents the Department of Natural Resources’ 19th year sponsoring the event, which will include educational displays and activities from the department as well as a number of other state and federal agencies. The day’s events will also include a number of stage shows and contests. Although geared toward upper elementary school age students, the event is free and open to the public.

More information about Earth Day 2013 is available online at dnr.mo.gov/earthday.

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