MDC to temporarily close several southwest Missouri offices to public due to rising COVID-19 concerns

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News from the region
Southwest
Published Date
12/11/2020
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will temporarily close several MDC offices in southwest Missouri to the public due to rising COVID-19 concerns. Beginning Monday, Dec. 14, these southwest Missouri MDC offices will be temporarily closed to the public:

  • MDC Southwest Regional Office, 2630 N. Mayfair, Springfield
  • MDC Springfield Conservation Nature Center, 4601 S. Nature Center Way, Springfield, (building will be closed, trails will remain open except for Saturday, Dec. 12-Monday, Dec. 14 when trails will be closed for the managed hunt taking place at the nature center)
  • MDC Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center, 4897 N. Greene County Farm Road 61, Greene County (Closure includes all shooting activities at the facility)
  • MDC Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery and Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center building, 483 Hatchery Road, Branson (trails near hatchery will remain open)
  • MDC Bennett Spring Hatchery, Dallas County (This closure applies only to the MDC hatchery building and fish production areas around the building; the fishing areas and trails at the state park will remain open)

These closures come after the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) classified several counties under the “Extreme Risk” category due to their positivity rate and case rate. The latest county-level positivity rates can be found at https://showmestrong.mo.gov/public-health-county/.

Though the offices will be closed to the public, staff will still be available to answer phone calls during regular office hours. People can get information by calling MDC’s Southwest Regional Office, 417-895-6880; Springfield Conservation Nature Center, 417-888-4237, Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center, 417-742-4361, Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery at 417-334-4865, ext. 0, or the Bennett Springs Hatchery at 417-532-4418. Information about MDC virtual events can also be found at mdc.mo.gov.