Deanna Armstrong
Deanna Armstrong
Photo courtesy of the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks
Deanna Armstrong
Welcome to OzarksEnvironmentNews.com! This is your virtual bulletin board – a place to share information and celebrate your events, your accomplishments, your projects as well as a place to find info about organizations of like-minded folks, cool places to go to experience the outdoors at its best, and resources offering data, information, expertise. You are invited to share your news and enjoy the news of others! Got news? Report it to info@ozarksenvironmentnews.com Please note: we make every effort to ensure accuracy in our website; however, we cannot be responsible for info garnered from sites other than ours.
The mission of OzarksEnvironmentNews.com is to facilitate communication and to celebrate efforts and accomplishments among the environmental community of the Southwest Missouri Ozarks and to provide useful information to those who live in or visit the Region. Learn more...
Breaking News
(see flyer, click here)
The Ozark Society is a non-profit organization established in Arkansas in 1962 to protect the Buffalo
River and its surrounding wilderness area from development, thus allowing it to remain a free-flowing
and scenic river. Today, the Ozark Society continues to advocate for conservation of natural resources,
preservation of scenic places, and environmental education.
The Ozark Society is soliciting proposals of up to $2,500 for the Youth Grant Program. The program is designed to support, enhance, and expand the implementation of environmental and outdoor education in the Ozark and Ouachita region by classroom teachers and non-formal educators and organizations.
Ozark Society funds projects that include, but are not limited to, direct hands-on conservation projects, equipment for environmental education, and community engagement events that include an environmental or outdoor education emphasis.
Application and details can be found at ozarksociety.net. Deadline for applications is November 30, 2026
Sponsor: Ozark Society
Lowell Collins, Chairperson, Youth Grants Committee
9995 E Hwy 72, Bentonville, AR 72712
479.273.2394
Homeschool Outdoor Fair, October 8, 2026, 10 am - 1 pm, Springfield Nature Center.
See Flyer HERE
Register HERE
A Note from Tiffany
Hi friends! Boards and nonprofits go together like peanut butter and jelly, cheese and crackers, chocolate and peanut butter, etc. (It’s lunchtime as I write this). While nonprofits are legally required to have a board, having an involved and empowered board is a game changer.
How do you empower your board? Do you provide new board orientation, opportunities for thoughtful discussion and relationship building? Does the board have a clear picture of what their responsibilities are, what role they play, what the expectations are including time commitment? Do your board members feel connected to and passionate about your mission?
It’s like baking a cake (here I go again with the food): Without all the right ingredients the cake could end up hard, dense and flavorless. But with the right combination, created with awareness and care, a good cake can go a long way. What's one ingredient your board is missing right now? Clarity, connection, education, confidence? Start there.
A stronger board starts with intentional support, and the organizations that invest in their boards often see the return throughout their mission. For more on board development, check out the “Deeper Dives” section below.
Tiffany Frey is the director of philanthropic services at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
Drury Nonprofit Leadership Conference: Time-Tested. Future-Focused.
8:15 a.m. - 4 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9
Oasis Hotel and Convention Center
2546 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield
This year’s theme honors the enduring foundations of effective nonprofit leadership — strong governance, responsible stewardship, compelling communication and mission-centered strategy — while encouraging forward-thinking approaches that position organizations for lasting impact. Learn more here.
MU study shows $68 million generates $1.5 billion economic impact from Missouri’s
state park system
The Division of State Parks is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The 2026 Keep America Beautiful National Litter Study is now available for download, with the latest look at litter across America’s roadways, waterways, and — for the first time — coastal areas.
Explore where we’re making progress, where new concerns are emerging, and how communities and partners can turn these insights into action.
Download the Keep America Beautiful 2026 National Litter Study
Thank you for being part of this work — and for helping keep America clean, green, and beautiful.
Let’s do beautiful things!
Jennifer Lawson
President & CEO
Keep America Beautiful
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
James River Basin Partnership
Missouri Prairie Foundation
Missouri Department of Conservation
Ozarks Clean Fuels Coalition
Watershed Committee of the Ozarks
Solid Waste Management District O
EPA
Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA)
L-A-D Foundation
Incorporated in 1962, the L-A-D Foundation is a Missouri private operating foundation dedicated to the responsible management of Pioneer Forest as a working demonstration of renewable resource use compatible with the long-term carrying capacity and health of the land and water. The Foundation also acquires and preserves in the public interest outstanding areas of natural, geologic, cultural or historic interest. In addition, the Foundation provides support to various projects consistent with its conservation goals, with a particular focus on the Missouri Ozark region.
2024 Annual Report
SW Missouri Local Government Briefings
Missouri Butterflies, host plants and Caterpillars
Go here to see a great poster of common butterflies and their caterpillars!
Watershed Center of the Ozarks
Children and Nature Network
Springfield Community Resource Guide
Read to find out how to subscribe and see what events are coming up. Learn about composting, free workshops and more! Click HERE.
The Ozarks Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) Go HERE to find out more. and the Clean Air Action Plan
The Schoolcraft Ozarks Society
Dark Sky Missouri (Click here for more information)
Staples https://www.staples.com/stores/recycling
Missouri Product Stewardship Council (MP PSC)
Check out their informational flyer HERE
Meet your webmaster, Shae Johnson. She is a Springfield Plateau Master Naturalist, a Greene County Master Gardener, a docent at the Dr. Bill Roston Native Butterfly House, and she wears many other hats. She is also an artist.
Meet the owner of this website. Barbara Lucks has developed it as a central place
for patrons to find all sorts of environment related news and opportunities.
