Missouri Department of Conservation offers FREE nature classes for outdoor lovers of all ages and abilities. Registration is required for most classes unless indicated. Click on the BLUE text for each class. MDC’s Free Classes & Programs Sign up for email or text alerts to stay informed of MDC’s latest programs and events here: Sign Up for MDC News.
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Fall Colors ~ Spiders ~ EAGLES IN MO ~ Be Bear Aware ~ Fishing & Hunting
Participants with disabilities should email the instructor when registering to discuss accommodations needed to participate. Support staff are usually allowed to attend to provide assistance, but instructors need prior notice.
Junior Duck Stamp Exhibit
2024 Missouri Junior Duck Stamp Contest art entries on display at Powder Valley Nature Center through November 30, 2024. See how these talented youth artists bring waterfowl to life through their detailed artwork. KIRKWOOD, Mo.—The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is exhibiting the 2024 Missouri Junior Duck Stamp Contest winning art entries during the month of November at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center. K-12 students compete every year in the free Junior Duck Stamp wildlife art contest as part of the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program. Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road in Kirkwood, near the intersection of I-44 and I-270. The 2024 Missouri Junior Duck Stamp Contest artwork will remain on display in the nature center’s exhibit gallery until the end of November.
The deadline for entering the 2025 contest is March 1, 2025. More information about the Junior Duck Stamp contest can be found at THIS LINK
Nature Programs
Outdoor Cooking class
Thursday, November 21 from 1-2pm
Location: Rockwoods Reservation
Registration Required: Register Here
Cooking outdoors is a great compliment to many other outdoor activities. Whether camping, fishing, hunting, or enjoying a backyard night out, many people feel food simply tastes better when it’s cooked outdoors. The class will focus on simple fire-making methods, cooking utensils, food options, and feature a cooking demonstration. The emphasis of the course will be on using a basic backpacking wood stove. Toward the end of the program, participants will have the chance to get hands-on experience with the skills they learn in the class, and to sample oatmeal and hot chocolate made outdoors.
Outdoor Cooking is a free class; however, advanced online registration is required. All those planning to attend the event should register separately. As the name implies, this class will be held outdoors, so participants should dress for the weather. The program is free and open to ages 5 and up. Children younger than fifteen years of age should be accompanied by an adult. Rockwoods Reservation is located at 2751 Glencoe Road, off Highway 109 between I-44 and Highway 100.
FULL – Urban Nature Readers Book Club
Date/Time: Saturday, November 23, 2024, 2PM-3:30PM
Information – No seats available
Location: Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office
Description of event: Join the Missouri Department of Conservation for our Urban Nature Reader’s Book Club at the Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office! Our book of discussion will be “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben, which describes the discoveries and mysteries of the fascinating organisms that make up our forests and parks.
Bird Feeders: Seed to Suet
Date/Time: Friday, November 29, 2024, 2PM-3PM
Registration: Register Here
Location: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Description of event: Birding is a great way to enjoy nature, and the best part is you can do it from the warmth of your home. Come to Powder Valley to learn some tips to make your winter feeders more productive. Join a naturalist to learn about seed and suet selection for winter birding and how to manage your feeders.
Hiking: Walk off the Turkey and Pumpkin Pie
Date/Time: Friday, November 29, 2024, 1PM-2:30PM
Registration: Register Here
Location: Columbia Bottom Conservation Area
Description of event: Take a leisurely stroll (or if you prefer, a brisk walk) between the fields and prairies of Columbia Bottom. Or, if weather permits, we may walk to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
Night Hike – Busch Hiking/Biking Trail
Date/Time: Saturday, November 30, 2024, 5:30PM-8:30PM
Registration: Register Here
Location: Busch Memorial Conservation Area
Description of event: Experience the sounds of the night during a moderate hike at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area. We will hike the Busch Hiking/Biking Trail which is approximately 3 ½ miles in length. We may hear coyotes howling, and hear 2 or 3 species of owls calling their mates. Please bring a water bottle and small flashlight.
Nature Journaling: Looking Micro
Date/Time: Saturday, November 30, 2024, 9AM-10AM
Registration: Register Here
Location: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Description of event: Powder Valley only gets bigger when you start looking smaller. In this unique hands-on lesson, we will be exploring Powder Valley’s plants, ponds, and seeds under microscopes.
Pinecone Bird Feeders
Date/Time: Saturday, November 30, 2024, 1:30PM-2:30PM
Registration: No Registration Required.
Location: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Description of event: Want to jump in to bird feeders and don’t know where to start? Find the naturalist in the Powder Valley lobby for a quick lesson on bird feeders and leave with a pinecone your backyard birds will love.
Families: Making Holiday Crafts
Date/Time: December 6 from 11am-12:30pm
Location: Virtual ~ Register Here
Free online program will show how to turn outdoors items into ornaments. People who would like to learn more about incorporating nature into their holiday decorations should attend MDC’s Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center Naturalist Jessie Ballard who will demonstrate how a variety of items from the outdoors can make beautiful decorations. She will also show how the 2024 MDC Natural Events Calendar can be recycled to brighten up the holiday season.
Cooking with Venison Class
Date: December 7 from 12 – 2 p.m
Location: Columbia Bottom – Register Here
Learn how to properly prepare the venison you harvest for the dinner table with this free class. SPANISH LAKE, Mo.—Harvesting a deer during the hunt is only the first step in creating a great meal for the dinner table. What are the steps needed to properly prepare venison? The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a free class to help hunters get from field to fork by demonstrating how to cook with venison. MDC will host a Venison Cooking Class on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 12 – 2 p.m. at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in Spanish Lake. This class will guide deer hunters through the step-by-step process of transforming fresh venison into delicious meals. The program is free and open to anyone age nine years and up. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is located at 801 Strodtman Road in north St. Louis County. The area can be reached by taking the Riverview Drive Exit from I-270 and travelling north approximately three miles.
November Begins Winter Trout Season at MDC-Stocked Lakes
Many people look to springtime to start their fishing adventures. However, great angling opportunities for rainbow trout are just beginning right now in the St. Louis region. The month of November marks the annual start of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) winter trout season. Winter trout fishing, part of MDC’s St. Louis Urban Fishing Program, is good news for trout chasers. They need only drive minutes to pursue their passions, rather than hours to a Missouri trout park or distant Ozark stream. During cold-weather months, MDC will stock nearly 40,000 rainbow trout from November until February in nine St. Louis City and County lakes, Union City Lake in Franklin County, as well as in five lakes in the August A. Busch Conservation Area on Route D in St. Charles.
Anglers should note that Gendron Lake in St. Ann, Jefferson Lake in Forest Park, and Wild Acres Park Lake in Overland will not be stocked with trout during the 2024-2025 Winter Trout Season. Each of these three lakes are currently undergoing renovation projects making them inaccessible to fishing. MDC will continue to add several brood stock lunker trout—some as large as 10 lbs.—into the mix at its urban winter trout lakes, including the ones in August A. Busch Conservation Area. Area lakes stocked with winter trout this winter include:
- Carondelet Park Boathouse Lake in St. Louis
- January-Wabash Lake in Ferguson
- Koeneman Park Lake in Jennings
- O’Fallon Park Lake in St. Louis
- Suson Park’s Island Lake and Carp Lake
- Tilles Park Lake in St. Louis County
- Union City Lake in Union, Franklin County
- Walker Lake in Kirkwood
- Vlasis Park Lake in Ballwin
- August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area lakes 3, 7, 21, 22, and 23
Between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, some lakes are catch-and-release only, and some are catch-and-keep. After Feb. 1, trout may be harvested from all lakes. Anglers can find information on specific winter trout lakes statewide at this Link to Trout Lakes in MO, or check regulations posted at the lakes. All trout anglers between age 16 and 64 must have a valid Missouri fishing permit to participate. Anglers wishing to catch and keep trout must also possess a trout permit regardless of age. MDC provides a chance for anglers to keep on top of trout stocking efforts in the St. Louis area via the Fish Stocking Hotline. The hotline is updated immediately after each stocking run. The number is toll free from anywhere in the St. Louis area. A recorded message lets anglers know when and where fish were stocked, the total number and species stocked. Anglers are encouraged to call the hotline at 636-300-9651 to get the latest stocking information. Information
Eagles
Eagles of Missouri:
Learn more about bald eagles in Missouri from the MDC online Field Guide at mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/
BEAR
Black Bears in Missouri and How to Be Bear Aware
Missouri is home to more than 900 black bears and their numbers are growing. Missouri black bears are an exciting part of Missouri’s natural history, and they’re making a comeback in the southern part of the state. Follow these guidelines to Be Bear Aware. Stay safe in bear country, and keep our bears wild. mdc.mo.gov/bearaware
