E S T A B L I S H E D I N : 1901, as the Audubon Society of Missouri S T A T E B I R D : E

1. C H A P T E R H I G H L I G H T SOzark Gateway AudubonChapter volunteers provide critical operational and programmatical support at Wildcat Glades and have an office located onsite.Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater Kansas City The chapter maintains the Burroughs Nature Center and Library located in Fleming Park at Lake Jacomo.Ozark Rivers Audubon Society Located in Rolla, the chapter maintains a nature trail and is planning the development of the John J. Audubon Regional Nature and Art Center.St. Louis Audubon SocietyThe Chapter annually cosponsors the annual Wings of Spring Confluence Birding Festival at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Saturday, April 26, 2008, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. www.wingsofspring.org AT A GLANCE E S T A B L I S H E D I N : 1901, as the Audubon Society of Missouri S T A T E B I R D : Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis H O W T O R E A C H U S : 201 W. Riviera Drive, STE A, Joplin, Missouri 64804 P H O N E : 417-623-2211 F A X : 417-623-2288 W E B : http://mo.audubon.org Birds and Science: Important Bird Areas (IBA) In partnership with State and Federal conservation agencies, University of Kansas and University of Missouri, and Audubon Chapters, Audubon Missouri led the effort to indentify 47 IBAs in Missouri. IBAs include strategies in protecting a cross section of Missouri’s most treasured and threatened landscapes: grasslands, woodlands, glades, savannas, forests and wetlands. Grassland Bird Recovery Plan Audubon, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the City of Cole Camp Missouri has implemented a landscape scale, community based project, in one of the most important grassland IBAs in the state for benefit of the Greater Prairie Chicken and all grassland species. Greater Prairie Chicken, and a number of grassland dependent species, are declining throughout Missouri. Audubon’s recovery plan includes guidance from Audubon chapters, wildlife conservation biologists and private landowners on ways to maintain, expand, and restore critical grassland habitat. Species Monitoring • Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center Bio-Blitz: Audubon staff and volunteers annually gather data and record all plant and animal species identified in Wildcat Park’s aquatic, savanna, chert glade and woodland habitats. Animal species monitored more closely include painted buntings, collared lizards, cave and dark-sided salamanders, and eastern pippistrelle bats. • Great Backyard Bird Count: Hundreds of Missourians log on each year to enter data into this mid-winter bird count, providing scientists with valuable data on the status of winter bird populations in Missouri. Centers and Sanctuaries: Audubon and our local chapters manage and maintain centers and sanctuaries, including: Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center: Missouri’s first Audubon nature center, this 60 acre sanctuary has nearly five miles of trails that wind through several unique natural communities like chert glades, chert bluffs and riparian habitat. Since opening in Fall 2007, 30,000 visitors have seen the facility and parents, children, school groups, and instructors, participate in Audubon teacher-naturalist and Missouri Department of Conservation led programs. Great Rivers Audubon Center:This emerging nature center, boat, and trail system is a flagship project of the National Audubon Society. Located at Riverlands Conservation Area in St. Louis, this center will provide firsthand educational and recreational opportunities at the confluence area of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Business and campaign planning is underway and a project director will be hired in April 2008. A major trail system will connect up with the Great Rivers Birding trail network currently under development. To learn more, go to www.greatriverbirding.org

2. Policy Priorities: Audubon Missouri leaders, staff, and chapter members actively participate in a number of key local and national policy campaigns, including: • Audubon’s Global Warming Initiative: Audubon Missouri works closely with National Audubon Society’s Missouri Global Warming Coordinator to advocate for the reduction in greenhouse gases and sustainable energy development. • Missouri Coalition for the Environment:Audubon Missouri is a member of this alliance which advocates key state legislative issues like water quality protection, renewable energy policy, green building incentives, and better siting and management of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). • Missouri Night Sky Coalition:Audubon Missouri advocates legislation that will reduce the impact of light pollution on wildlife and people in our communities, state parks, and natural areas. • Missouri Parks Association: Audubon staff and leaders serve on the board of this non-profit, independent and non-partisan association dedicated to the protection, enhancement, and interpretation of Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites. Audubon’s interest is in maintaining the highest level of integrity of these facilities both for the enjoyment of the public, and as high quality habitat refuges for birds and other wildlife. • Mississippi River Initiative:Audubon is working with key partners in taking a basin-wide approach to protecting the Mississippi River, balancing the river’s important economic and environmental values.