Education and Interpretation for the Department of Natural Resources
Thank you for visiting the Education and Interpretation Web page! The Department of Natural Resources strives to bring support to students across the state of Missouri. It is an exciting time to be promoting our work in environmental stewardship and justice.
Whether you are a parent, teacher, school administrator, home school teacher, private school employee or someone who simply wants to know more about Missouri’s resources, you are in the right place. The work of the Department of Natural Resources teaches environmental stewardship through a broad understanding and appreciation for Missouri’s natural, cultural and energy resources. Check out what we have so far - and there will be more coming! Regional offices and district offices are spread across the state and stand ready to support their local schools. You can find the links to their Web pages below.
We look forward to working with you because we have a lot to share! If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact environmental.education@dnr.mo.gov.
The 18th annual Department of Natural Resource Earth Day celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 20, 2012, at the Missouri State Capitol south lawn.
The DNR Camps
In 2011, 678 middle school students from Columbia Public Schools learned about environmental stewardship in a piloted program with the Department of Natural Resources. Students camped overnight in a Missouri State Park with their teachers and parent chaperones for three days and two nights. They learned about careers at the Department of Natural Resources and topics related to the natural, cultural and energy resources of Missouri. This opportunity will be reviewed before offering it state-wide. If your school district is interested in more information about the DNR Camps, please e-mail environmental.education@dnr.mo.gov.
Soil and Water Conservation
The Missouri Envirothon is a statewide high school event held annually and sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation districts. For the 2011 Envirothon events in Missouri, 440 students from 61 schools participated on 91 teams. Pembroke High School won the 2011 Missouri Envirothon and went on to the Canon Envirothon to complete at the North American competition. Soil and Water Districts provide educational presentations to local areas.
Division of Environmental Quality
Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring: Missouri Stream Teams celebrated their 20th anniversary with departments of conservation and natural resources. There are about 4,200 stream teams in Missouri with 80,000 volunteers in Missouri. Additional Stream Team information for teachers can be found at: http://www.mostreamteam.org/eduprojects.asp.
The Air Pollution Control Program, Environmental Services Program, Land Reclamation Program, Hazardous Waste Program, Solid Waste Management Program and Water Protection Program offer presentations specific to their field. If interested in a presentation about these topics, please e-mail environmental.education@dnr.mo.gov to share your request.
Division of Geology and Land Survey
The Geology Museum
Presentation examples: Rolla School Daze, Phelps County Fair, Truman Elementary Earth Science Day, Karst Symposium, Earthquake Awareness Month
Teacher training: "Missouri Is A State Of Mines -- Rocks, Minerals And Our Environment" workshop at Missouri State University for K-8 teachers.
Division of Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites
Each park and historic site has on-site programs for adults and youth. Examples of programming: Nature Bingo, Bat, Her Story/Our Story: Remembering Missouri Women, Frogs, Park Offerings, Recycle!
Missouri offers many places to experience the great outdoors! From parks to playgrounds or exploring your backyard, there are many options to keep things fun and interesting. Visit the website and learn more about the opportunities for Missouri families to get outdoors!
Missouri Parks Association UPOP (Urban Populations Outreach Project). This is a partnership between Missouri State Parks and Missouri Parks Association to introduce urban youth to the outdoors. These events are located in St. Louis, Columbia, Joplin and Kansas City areas.
WOW National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation School is designed to teach participants how to enjoy a wide range of outdoor recreation activities while practicing personal safety and outdoor responsibility. Each WOW course includes an outdoor skill, conservation, safety and ethics component.
Check this out today! WOW National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation Schools in Columbia, Kansas City, Roaring River State Park, Springfield and St. Louis.
If you have ideas to share or would like to know more about education at DNR, please email DNR Environmental Education at environmental.education@dnr.mo.gov
