The Missouri Department of Conservation is offering grants to urban areas in southwest Missouri and in St. Louis. The goal of the Community Conservation Grant program is to help communities create conservation strategies that are beneficial to both residents and wildlife.
MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Ashley Schnake says wildlife habitats are being harmed as more people move to urban areas.
“So if we’re able to provide some of that habitat that we might be taking away for development and continuing to provide it somewhere else in an urban area, we hopefully wouldn’t have a large decline in our wildlife.”
Groups who are eligible for the grant include civic governments, municipal and county park departments, public schools and non-profit organizations.
Grants given in the southwest MO region will not exceed more than $10,000, and in St. Louis they’ll be capped at $30,000.
According to Schnake, the MDC grants also encourage volunteer groups to, “get into contact with their city and see what they can do or maybe help on projects that are currently going on.”
Two upcoming meetings in southwest Missouri will focus on the Community Conservation Grant program. The first is this morning at 9 (6/5) at the MDC Southwest Regional Office in Springfield, and the second is in Joplin on Thursday June 8 at 9 a.m. at the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center.
The meetings will cover topics such as what the grant will provide, who specifically is eligible for the grant, the habitat projects that have been completed, the layout of the application and when the deadline is for turning in the applications.
To learn more, 895-6880.