1 / 22

2012 Conservation Leadership Corps Convention

2012 Conservation Leadership Corps Convention. Carolyn Tragasz, Park University. FYI…. Missouri has some of the nation’s best state parks. There are over 400,000 deer hunters and 1 million anglers in Missouri. ¼ of Missourians hunt 1/3 watch wildlife (2 million out of 6 million pop)

margaretndavis
Download Presentation

2012 Conservation Leadership Corps Convention

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 2012 Conservation Leadership Corps Convention Carolyn Tragasz, Park University

  2. FYI…. • Missouri has some of the nation’s best state parks. • There are over 400,000 deer hunters and 1 million anglers in Missouri. • ¼ of Missourians hunt • 1/3 watch wildlife (2 million out of 6 million pop) • Conservation PAYS • 95,000 jobs • $11.5 billion/year in revenue • For every dollar invested in conservation, the state receives $72 in return • Q: What is clean water worth? Clean air?

  3. What is Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC)? • Program for high school and college students interested in conservation • Sponsored by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) • Nonpolitical citizen conservation group • Established 1935 during the Great Depression • First program of its kind in the nation • Dedicated to preserving and protecting Missouri’s natural resources

  4. What Does CFM do? • Works collaboratively with Missouri’s government agencies such as the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) and Dept. of Conservation(MDC). • Supports initiatives that preserve/protect our natural resources: • Political lobbying • Inform politicians about issues • Conservation Watchdog • Almost anything involving conservation in Missouri, the CFM probably has a hand in it!

  5. CFM Projects • Established permanent 1/8th of 1% sales tax used exclusively by conservation dept. • On 1976 voter ballot- still in effect today. • Stream Team • Operation Game Thief • Project Forest Arson • Share the Harvest • Helps Develop and Maintain the Ozark Trail and Katy Trail

  6. How Do They Do It? • Annual Convention • Link between conservation and communication • Collaborate and write resolutions • Items for the organization to take action on throughout the upcoming year

  7. What Do CLC Members Do? • Help Write Resolutions! • Process brings together students with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets • Biologists, hunters, people w/knowledge about conservation • Also need people with English and communication skills (like myself!)

  8. What Do We Write Resolutions About? • Whatever we are passionate about! • 14 Different Groups • Camping, Archery, Quail, Rivers, Forestry, Solid Waste, Waterfowl, Deer, Ecology, Fisheries, Small Game, Sportsmen's’ Rights, Education, Natural History • I was in the Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, and Recycling Group

  9. Examples of Resolutions • Encourage Mo’s Board of Education to require conservation education training for teachers • Support for establishment of Kansas City Metropolitan Parks and Greenway Trail District

  10. Some of this Year’s Resolutions • Place bicycle self-repair stations along the Katy Trail • Support the reintroduction of the American Burying Beetle • Raise awareness about White Nose Syndrome- kills bats

  11. Resolutions Process • Each student group presents their resolutions to resource committees made up of people with knowledge about the issues and CFM members • CLC resolutions are reviewed, edited, and given preliminary approval • Resource committee members also write their own resolutions to present to the CFM • All resolutions that come out of the resource committee meetings are read and discussed by the CFM Resolutions Committee and then voted upon in a General Assembly

  12. My Group’s Resolutions 1. Establishment of Recycling Programs at All Missouri Institutions of Higher Learning 2. “Practice What We Preach” 3. Lead Cleanup (Resource Committee) This is not just an exercise- its for real!

  13. Recycling Facts • In 2010 the State of Missouri disposed of an average of 12.5 million tons of solid waste • The United States generated 250 million tons of solid waste in 2010 • only 34.1% (85 million tons) of the solid waste generated nationwide was recycled in 2010;

  14. Lead Cleanup http://grassrootsozark.net/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=224

  15. Lead Mining in Missouri • Presentation by Dennis Dennson, works with Superfund cleanup sites in Missouri • List of priority Superfund Sites in MO, including herbicide cleanup along Armour Road in N. Kansas Cityhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/hwp/sfund/npl.htm • Missouri is the past and present largest lead producer in the country • 17 million tons of lead all time production • Largest lead deposit in the world is in SE Mo in Viburnum County.

  16. The Dangers of Lead • Lead effects… • Brain development of children • Land usage • Water quality • Found in residential yards, surface tailing deposits, drinking water, wells, surface water, fish (makes them unsafe for ppl to eat), dangerous mine openings • 30,000 acres of state and private property • Millions of dollars and years of work to cleanup

  17. What’s next? • All of my group’s resolutions passed  • Over the next year, the CFM staff will take action on the 40+ resolutions that were passed. • Empowering- My words are going to be read by government officials and have a direct impact on state policies • Great opportunity for me to make my voice be heard on issues that are important to me!

  18. What Did I Learn? (And how does it relate to this class?) • I. Ecological Triangle in Action • Felt Waders Resolution and Didymo • Links to 2011 CLC Resolution and 2012 Response • http://www.confedmo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=602:increasing-awareness-and-education-of-didymo&catid=155:2011-resolutions&Itemid=233 http://www.confedmo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=680:porous-soled-waders-banned-in-missouri-trout-waters&catid=70:general&Itemid=184

  19. II. Lab Work in Action • Representing diverse interest groups needs and wants • Lab activity with lions, water buffalo, and Indian ethnic groups • Examples: • Reintroduction of Elk into Missouri • KKK in State Parks • Controversy over Hunter License Renewal Resolution • Church Mountain

  20. Why does it matter? • “Conservation, at bottom, rests on the conviction that there are things in the world more important than dollar signs and ciphers. Many of these things attach to the land, and to the life that is on it and in it. People who know these things have been growing scarcer, but less so in Missouri than elsewhere. That is why conservation is possible here. If conservation can become a living reality, it can do so in Missouri. This is because Missourians, in my mind, are not completely industrialized in mind and spirit, and I hope never will be” • - Aldo Leopold, 1947

  21. Some Final Thoughts • YOU can change the world by being involved. • Doesn’t have to be conserving natural resources. • Find something that you are passionate about. • Find others who share your passion. • College is the perfect time to do that!

  22. More Information? • Mo. Conservation Federation website: • http://www.confedmo.org/

More Related