MDC’s Northeast Regional Office announces March programs

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Northeast Regional Office in Kirksville is open and ready to help you connect with nature this spring.

To help ensure public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, MDC asks all visitors to observe current, local guidelines regarding physical distancing and masking. Participants should wear masks covering mouth and nose indoors and at all public programs.

MDC Naturalist Alyssa Garver has a full schedule of programs planned for March. Most programs require registration in advance and space is limited, so Garver encourages guests to familiarize themselves with MDC’s event website at mdc.mo.gov/northeastevents.  

March programs at the regional office will include:

• The Wetland Story — Virtual Program
  Tuesday, March 1, 4–5 p.m. — all ages
  When settlers first arrived in Missouri, many saw wetlands as useless, dark, and creepy places. The Swamp Act changed that and encouraged people to move to swampy places. Learn about the Swamp Act, Missouri’s wetlands, and why we must protect this valuable ecological resource.
  Registration required at: mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/182903.   

• Make Your Own Hair Jig Fishing Lure
  Thursday, March 3, 6–8 p.m. — ages 16+
  Fishing is a great way for everyone to have fun outdoors, learn about conservation, and make lasting memories in nature. Making your own jig is a great way to customize a fishing lure to a specific type of fish or a particular stretch of stream. It can also add a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you caught a fish with a lure you made yourself. This workshop will focus on tying hair jigs. Participants will learn how to tie hair jigs that can be used in warm waters of northeast Missouri. Participants should bring reading glasses if they require them. MDC will provide all other equipment and supplies.
  Participants age 10–15 must be accompanied by an adult.
  Registration required at: mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/182905. 
• The Cave State
  Wednesday, March 9, 1–2 p.m. — all ages
  Missouri’s nickname is The Cave State because we have more than 7,000 caves. Learn about how caves form, where to find them, and what animals make their homes in Missouri’s caves.  
  Registration required at: mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/182906.
     
• Missouri’s Prehistoric Monsters — Virtual Program
  Tuesday, March 15, 4–5 p.m. — all ages
  No one knows why these giant animals became extinct. Join this virtual event to learn about the giant prehistoric animals that once roamed Missouri.
  Registration required at: mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/182911. 
• Feathered Friends
  Tuesday, March 22, 4–5 p.m. — all ages
  Celebrate springtime and learn about the special traits of birds that left for the winter, but are now returning to the region. Participants will make binoculars and then go outside to spot birds in the wild.
  Registration required at: mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/182912.

Visitors can conveniently manage program registration online at mdc.mo.gov/northeastevents. The first step in registering for a program is creating an account, then signing up for future programs is simple. Once registrants create an account and register for events, they will receive details about those specific programs.

Families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own accounts which will streamline the program registration process.  Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each individual.  This functionality will allow parents to register their entire family or select family members to an event at the same time.  First, users will log into their account and click “My Group Profile,” then add family members to their account.  Setting up a group account today will make program registration quicker and easier for all MDC programs.

Sign up for email and/or text updates about MDC programs near you at mdc.mo.gov/GovDelivery.

Events at MDC’s Northeast Regional Office are free, thanks to the one-eighth of 1 percent conservation sales tax. The facility is open to visitors 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday, and trails on the surrounding public grounds are open 4 a.m.–10 p.m., daily. Visitors should practice physical distancing and wear masks covering mouth and nose when distancing is not feasible. 

For more information about programs at the Northeast Regional Office, visit mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/northeast-regional-office, or call 660-785-2420.