August 21–22, 2025
Columbia Country Club, Columbia Missouri
CONFERENCE THEME
“Hands-on Habitat Management: Natural Disturbance Should Not Be Disturbing”
Conference Sponsors
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
SCHEDULE
| Thursday, August 21 | |
| 5:00 pm | Registration |
| 6:00 pm–7:30 pm | Social time, with heavy hors d’oeuvres |
| 7:30 pm–8:00 pm | Welcoming remarks/housekeeping John Burk |
| Open Silent Auction | |
| 8:00 pm–9:00 pm | Keynote speaker: Jim Guldin |
| Over the last 20+ years the population trends of bird species whose lifecycles are either completely dependent upon or at least seasonally dependent upon systems that require a lot of disturbance to restore and maintain are alarming. Our speaker will cover the importance of disturbance-dependent habitats, trends in disturbance-dependent bird species, landscape changes that are driving these trends, and what is being done to address the issue. The speaker will also touch on public perception of habitat management and how policy changes can influence conservation outcomes, both positively and negatively based upon these perceptions. | |
| 9:00 pm–10 pm | Continue social time |
| Friday, August 22 | |
| 7:15 am | Coffee and tea for conference registrants |
| 8:00 am–9:00 am | Welcome and highlights of the year. General Assembly Meeting |
| Allison Vaughn, Chair, MoBCI Steering Committee | |
| 9:00 am–10:15 am | Three, 20-Minute examples of disturbance-dependent systems, what species they benefit, and how they must be managed for the sustainability of wildlife: |
| Wetland restoration. Neil Baalman (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and Doug Helmers (USFWS, retired) | |
| Prairie restoration. Bruce Schuette (Missouri Prairie Foundation) | |
| The Fragility of Fens. Frank Nelson (Missouri Department of Conservation) | |
| 10:15 am–10:30 am | Project Poster Session and Break |
| 10:30 am–11:30 am | Three, 20-Minute project history examples of habitat management: |
| The Wild Turkey decline and the Turkey Habitat Initiative Designed to Address It. Nick Oakley (Missouri Department of Conservation) | |
| The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) that led to the recovery of the Brown-headed Nuthatch. Rebecca Landewe (Mark Twain National Forest) | |
| The Sad Story of the Greater Prairie Chicken that is leading to successes in Grassland Bird Conservation. Tom Thompson (Missouri Department of Conservation) | |
| 11:30pm–12:30 pm | Lunch with Presentation: Eastern Whip-poor-will Research Project Update. Natalie Ramos (University of Missouri–Columbia) |
| 12:30pm–1:30 pm | Three, 20 minutes talks on projects requiring frequent disturbance that MoBCI has supported through the years: |
| The Missouri River Hills Project. Tom Westhoff (Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation) | |
| Missouri State Parks Open Woodland Restoration. Ron Colatskie (Missouri Department of Natural Resources) | |
| An update on the North American Wetland Conservation Act Projects that MoBCI Supports. Dave Graber (Ducks Unlimited) | |
| 1:30 pm–3:00 pm | Open discussion to brainstorm on the Strategic Guidance Analysis to chart the future of MoBCI |
| 3:00 pm–3:30 pm | Wrap-up and closing comments summarize ways we can make a difference for birds: Allison Vaughn |
LOCATION & DIRECTIONS
Columbia Country Club
2210 N. Country Club Drive
Columbia, Missouri
Driving Directions from I-70:
From I-70 take Rangeline Exit and head South on Rangeline. At the second signal, turn left onto Business Loop 70. Follow approximately 1 mile passing under a bridge and take a right on Old Hwy 63. Travel about ½ mile and turn left onto Country Club Drive at the gates which will lead you to the Club.
Driving Directions from Hwy 63: From Hwy 63 take the Broadway Exit and head West on Broadway. At the second signal, turn right on Old Hwy 63. Follow approximately ½ mile and turn right onto Country Club Drive at the gates, which will lead you to the Club.
AREA ACCOMMODATIONS
Columbia Country Club does not have overnight accommodations so the conference attendees are encouraged to book their own rooms, in advance, at a facility of their choice. Columbia has a wide selection of hotels and motels within a short distance.