OPPORTUNITIES & FUTURE EVENTS (that we know of)

Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center, a unit of the Missouri Department of Conservation, is hosting a wide variety of nature programs and events at their facility at 201 Riviera Drive in Joplin.

Missouri Stream Teams hold regular events throughout the state, including informational workshops and stream cleanups. Check out their calendar.

The Neosho National Fish Hatchery stocks fish to SW Missouri streams and lakes, conducts research, and hosts educational and public information events at the Visitor Center - 520 Park Street, Neosho. Call (417) 451-0554 for more information.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on February 2. More information can be found at the website maintained by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

It's not too early to start planning to celebrate World Water Day 2023.  More information can be found at the organizer's website here. For 2022, the theme was Groundwater, which is an important issue in the Shoal Creek Watershed - and all over Southern Missouri - due to the region's Karst hydrogeology

The first Earth Day was organized in 1970 in the United States on the initiative of A US Senator from Wisconsin and coordinators across the country. It has grown into a global event to demonstrate support for environmental protection. This year's theme is "Invest in Our Planet." 

The Clean Water Act (CWA) established meaningful rules to protect USA streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and water supplies was published October 18, 1972. Its goal was "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters" and to assure  "fishable, swimmable" waters. Still a goal worth chasing!