Osage Plains Section
2005
Kansas City Wildlands-Bridging the Gap Blue River Parkway – $20,000.00 to Kansas City Wildlands to restore native habitat for birds and other wildlife in an urban bottomland forest along the Blue River. Restoration is a continuation of work accomplished through a large-scale elimination of invasive shrub honeysuckle from bottomland forest along the Blue River Parkway. After eradication, habitat will be improved by enhancing and protecting biological diversity by planting native soft and hard mast-producing trees and shrubs, thereby improving the aesthetic and recreational value to the public in urban setting.
Contact: Linda Lehrbaum, Program Coordinator, 816-561-1087,
linda@bridgingthegap.org
Missouri Prairie Foundation for Summer Work Crew – $20,000.00 to continue efforts to treat native prairies throughout the state for invasive sericea lespedeza, to remove unwanted trees from MPF and privately owned prairies, to pile, burn and cut brush, and treat other invasive species such as sumac, as needed.
Contact: Steve Mowry, 573/356-7828
missouriprairie@yahoo.com
Missouri Prairie Foundation Private Prairie Preparation Project – $20,000.00 to supplement on-going private land restoration efforts in the Grasslands Coalition’s Taberville Focus Area, Golden-Dorris Creek Focus Area and Stony Point-Horse Creek Focus Area, and to initiate private land restoration efforts in the Mystic Focus Area in preparation for greater prairie-chicken recovery activity in 2006 and 2007. These Focus Areas were all identified as priority sites where long-term greater prairie-chicken recovery is possible.
Contact: Steve Mowry, 573/356-7828
2004
The MPF Summer Sericea team will help the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) continues its efforts to treat native prairies throughout the state for Sericea lespedeza, an invasive exotic species, which threatens floral diversity and habitat quality. More than 14 properties primarily in Southwest Missouri, most of which occur in critical Grassland Coalition Focus Areas, will be treated. Property to be treated by the team is owned by the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF), the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the Missouri Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Kansas City Parks Department and private landowners adjacent to these public tracts. Notable species that will benefit from control of sericea, increased floristic diversity and improved habitat structure include: Greater Prairie-Chicken, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Loggerhead shrike, Henslow’s Sparrow, and Upland Sandpiper. The loss of open habitat has had a dramatic effect on more common species such as the eastern meadowlark, bobolink, dickcissel and horned lark. Several species of katydid, the regal fritillary butterfly, prairie mole crickets, and other rare insects utilize the land included in this proposal and control of sericea will benefit all of these and other native prairie species. Partners include private donors, private landowners, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Contact:
Throughout Southwest MO, Barton, Vernon, and other counties
Justin Johnson, Development Director, Missouri Prairie Foundation, 573-442-7512
The Prairie Management and Restoration Partners Project will work to manage existing tallgrass prairie and restore areas with non-native land cover to native Missouri species. Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) will continue existing prairie management partnerships with the Missouri Department of Conservation and other Grasslands Coalition partners (17 organizations and many landowners) and initiate new partnership efforts with the Clay County Parks Department and the City of Nevada, Missouri. MPF will use a combination of tree and brush clearing, chemical treatment of fescue and other non-native species, prescribed fire and native seed establishment to enrich tallgrass prairie habitat throughout western Missouri. MPF will educate Missourians about our native prairie heritage, demonstrate best management and restoration practices to private landowners and motivate conservation partners to take action to save and restore native grasslands. Priority may be given to activities that will benefit the state-endangered Greater Prairie Chicken but all activities should benefit the full range of grassland birds. Fragmentation of habitat will be reduced, prairie vistas will be maintained, or expanded and exotic species will be replaced with native vegetation.
Kansas City Wildlands – Bridging the Gap Organization This project is focused on restoring native habitat for birds and other wildlife in an urban bottomland forest along the Blue River in Kansas City. Primary restoration is being accomplished through a large-scale elimination of invasive shrub honeysuckle from a section of bottomland forest along the Blue River Parkway. This will be followed by planting native soft and hard mast-producing trees and shrubs, thus improving the habitat, enhancing and protecting biological diversity and improving the aesthetic and recreational value to the public. Over 32 separate partners are assisting with this restoration and enhancement project. Species expected to benefit include: Red-headed Woodpecker, Eastern Wood Pewee and Cerulean Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Canada Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler and Olive-sided Flycatcher. The broader goal of this project to benefit neotropical migrants is compatible with Partners in Flight goals.
Contact:
Blue River Parkway Restoration Project (Jackson County), Kansas City Wildlands (an organization of partnerships)
Linda Lehrbaum, Program Coordinator, 816-561-1087, linda@bridgingthegap.org
Blue River Parkway Restoration (2004). This project will remove invasive shrub honeysuckle and plant native soft and hard mast-producing trees and shrubs.
Contact:
Blue River Parkway (Jackson County), Kansas City Wildlands
Linda Lehrbaum, Program Coordinator, 816-561-1087, linda@bridgingthegap.org
2003
Southwest Grassland Coalition Management. 100 acres will be cleared of encroaching woody species, a patch-burn grazing regime will be designed for Golden Prairie, and at least 150 acres will be burned to provide early successional habitat for grassland birds.
Contact:
Priority Prairie Habitat Improvement
Golden Prairie (Barton County)
Justin Johnson, Development Director, Missouri Prairie Foundation, 573-442-7512
Wah’Kon-Tah Fescue Conversion. Project to convert cool season dominated degraded prairie to native warm season grasses and forbs as a part of a larger landscape scale effort to manage a tallgrass prairie preserve.
Contact:
Wah-Kon-Tah Prairie Restoration
Wah-Kon-Tah Focus Area (Cedar, St. Clair counties)
Blane Heumann, The Nature Conservancy, bheumann@tnc.org, 314-968-1105.
Warm Season Grass Drill Partnership (2004) allows for the purchase of equipment to be shared for the planting of warm season grasses through the Benton County SWCD.
Contact:
Private Lands (Benton County)
Tina Hovendick, Benton Co. SWCD, tina-hovendick@mo.nacdnet.org
Johnson County ATV Equipment equipment purchase to facilitate enhancement of bird habitat on private lands in the region.
Contact:
Private Lands (Johnson)
Steve Hoel, Private Lands Conservationist, MDC, 660-584-8732, ext. 125, Steve.Hoel@mdc.mo.gov