Events

Registration required through https://DeepRoots.org (adults) This is a mature maple/oak forest and is recognized by the National Park Service as a significant Natural Area in Gladstone, Missouri. Learn with MDC experts why it is a popular spring destination to view migrant songbirds and wildflower displays. This program is in partnership with Deep Roots KC.

All ages (should be able to do a 1 ½ mile hike)

Come spend a beautiful spring afternoon hiking in Rockwoods Reservation. We should be able to see and identify many native wildflowers and flowering trees. You will also see how “Wise Use” over the past 86 years has transformed Rockwoods into an amazing place. The entire program is outdoors, and we will be hiking the Trail Among the Trees. We will meet at the Rockwoods Visitor Center.

Celebrate Earth Day all week with us! Volunteer naturalists will present their passion for gardening with native plants, offer recommendations, and give tips on encouraging pollinators. All ages.

Cooking outdoors is a great complement to many other outdoor activities. Whether you are camping, fishing, hunting, or enjoying your backyard, this program will add another element to your outdoor experience. In this session, we will discuss different methods, techniques, and ingredients to grill or bake fish.

This class covers the basic equipment, materials, and techniques needed to reload metallic cartridges and produce custom loads suited to your rifle for the particular target or game you are pursing. We will demonstrate the process and then give you some hands-on experience reloading rifle cartridges.

*Discover Nature Fishing Lesson 1 is required before attending this program*

Discover Nature Fishing Lesson 2

Participants will learn intermediate fishing techniques and skills. Participants will be taught how to tie an improved clinch knot and how to properly secure a variety of baits to various types of hooks.

All fishing gear will be provided by the instructors. Please wear clothing and close-toed shoes suitable for outdoor and water activities. It is recommended that participants bring sunglasses, a water bottle, and sunscreen.

This class is for Children and Families of all ages! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

All participants who complete all 4 Discover Nature Fishing Lessons will go home with a free fishing reward to encourage fishing with the family.

To register your child, you may need to make a family account, or add them to an existing family account. You can also make you child their own, separate account.

It is morel mushroom season. We will discuss not only morels but the life cycle of other mushrooms, habitat, and locations where to look as well as rule and regulations.

Celebrate Earth Day all week with us! Volunteer Naturalist Cathy Webb will present on behalf of DarkSky Missouri, demonstrating how bird migration and other wildlife are disturbed by light pollution in the state. All ages.

Nature's Needlers, a program combining nature with quilting, is back! This monthly series features a nature presentation along with a customized quilt block pattern to take home and complete at your own pace. The 2024 theme is "Missouri's Conservation Success Stories."

Aaron Hildreth, a scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, will share the story of how MDC managed to reestablish a population of the magnificent and impressive elk to Missouri’s landscape (our 4th quilt block). Registration required. Ages 18+

Celebrate Earth Day all week with us! Artificial lighting helps humans function in the dark, but robs wildlife of their ability to perform daily functions. Join us as we learn the effects of light pollution on plants and wildlife and what we can do to stop it. This program will not be recorded. Please include a valid email address when you register so we can send you a virtual program link.