Conservation News
Conservation "Design" helps people connect with nature
By Arleasha Mays
Missouri's information and education program is a national leader.
JEFFERSON CITY - Whether your favorite outdoor activity is hunting, fishing, trapping, nature viewing or helping to protect our forest, fish and wildlife, the Missouri Department of Conservation has facilities and staff to help you enjoy those pursuits. It is that way by design, specifically, the Design for Conservation.
The Design for Conservation is an innovative plan that transformed the Conservation Department from an agency primarily funded by and serving anglers, hunters and trappers, to one that also has expanded the ways in which state residents can learn about and enjoy those resources.
The Design for Conservation promised that in exchange for dedicated funding, the Conservation Department would reinvent the state's conservation program. In addition to the expansion of traditional fish and wildlife conservation programs, improvements would come in the form of more lands for outdoor recreation, conservation education programs, programs for stream preservation and focused efforts to address the needs of non-game species.
In 1976, voters approved a one-eighth of 1 percent sales tax to fund the plan. Work began on the Design for Conservation in 1977. The agency's Outreach and Education (O&E;) Division programs offer examples of the positive impact 25 years of stable funding for conservation has made in the lives of Missourians.
"Our mission in the Outreach and Education Division is simple, but very important," said Outreach and Education Division Adminstrator Kathy Love. "We work to bring people and nature together. Our programs help raise awareness about the value of our forests, fish and wildlife and teach state residents how to get involved in protecting and enjoying those resources."
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