As Missouri Conservation Corps has reached its fourth year working in the community, our emphasis has shifted from simply removing invasive species and restoring native habitat, to teaching and engaging the community while also restoring native habitat. To achieve this, we have started a stronger outreach campaign for student and community groups, we have organized several events in Columbia’s north central neighborhoods, and we have partnered with urban Columbia groups like Columbia’s Job Point, Karis Church, Local Motion, Fresh Start for Sober Living, and the Ridgeway Neighborhood Association. We have also developed community signage that will tell the story of our organization, our partner organizations, and how to get involved in our projects.
Over the course of one very busy year Missouri Conservation Corps has gotten involved in several new ventures, including our first creek cleanup, our first urban neighborhood tree planting, our first educational events led by MCC Naturalist Laura Semken, and our first events organized solely for MU students. We also introduced an urban tree planting program this fall that will become a featured part of our mission in the community as we move forward. In addition, we have been joined by an AmeriCorps VISTA member, Anna Do, who has helped us greatly by expanding our capacity and strengthening our programming in the community. Anna will serve with us until February 2026, and she hopes to renew for a second year of service with Missouri Conservation Corps.
Between Fall 2024 and Fall 2025, Missouri Conservation Corps has organized and hosted 34 invasive species workdays, 2 creek cleanups, 23 environmental education events, 8 tree planting events resulting in 480 trees planted, 20 community outreach events, and 12 summer camp environmental education events impacting 35 young campers. Our volunteer workdays took place in Kiwanis Park, Garth Nature Area, Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary, on the MKT Trail, in Arrow Rock, at Trinity Church, on County House Branch Creek, and at the Boone County Nature School. These events resulted in 1752 volunteer hours in service to our parks, trails, creeks, green spaces, and community. This effort was driven by the energy of volunteers from our community, by the commitment of our partners and supporters, and by the dedication of Missouri Conservation Corps to the restoration of native habitat in Columbia. In 2026 we will need the help of our volunteers once again, and the commitment of our partners once again, and we will once again set out to improve the habitat of our native ecosystems while engaging the community and educating our volunteers and neighbors in the process. Thank you for being a part of our journey!
Our volunteers at work in the community in 2025
