MDC prepares to offer outside programs at nature centers and reopen shooting ranges in the Kansas City area

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is preparing to offer outdoor programs at nature centers and reopen shooting ranges in the Kansas City area. The nature center buildings and outdoor shooting ranges have been closed to the public since March as a precaution against COVID-19. Staff have worked on maintenance projects and building upgrades in the interim.

MDC will begin holding nature and outdoor skills programs on Tuesday, July 7, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs and the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City. All programs will be held outdoors with social distancing and health safety in mind. It is recommended that participants bring a water bottle and hand sanitizer. The buildings will remain closed. Water fountains will not be available and drinking water cannot be provided due to health precautions. Plans call for temporary portable toilets to be installed outside the buildings. They will be handicapped accessible.

Examples of programs that will be offered include target archery, canoe and kayak paddling for families, fishing skills, and naturalist studies. Programs will vary by site.

The Parma Woods Shooting Range in Parkville and the Lake City Shooting range near Buckner will reopen to the public on Wednesday, July 8. Both ranges have new hours of operation, and both will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. The range offices and meeting rooms will remain closed.

MDC’s Lake City range will be open from 1 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

MDC’s Parma Woods range will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The range will also be open from 1 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

New guidelines for range use are in place as health precautions.

• No more than two target shooters in a booth.
• No more than five trap or skeet shooters on a shotgun field.
• It is requested that all visitors bring their own drinking water, water fountains and vending machines will not be available.
• The Lake City Shooting Range will limit all shooters to one hour on the rifle and pistol ranges and two rounds (50 birds) on the shotgun fields.
• It is requested that all shooters please provide their own eye and ear protection. The ranges will have disposable ear plugs available to the public, but will not be loaning out anything else, this includes spotting scopes, hand tools or any other equipment.
• It is requested that all shooters please provide their own cleaning supplies if they wish to disinfect their booths. The Department will only be providing hand sanitizer for visitors.

A list of events and programs offered in July after the reopening can be viewed by visiting https://mdc.mo.gov/regions/kansas-city. We will practice social distancing during these programs. Please also consider wearing a face covering for your protection and the protection of those around you.

For information about Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zm5. To learn about MDC’s Gorman Discovery Center, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Z4b.

For information about the Lake City Shooting Range, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZoM. Information about the Parma Woods Shooting Range is found at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Z7t