Conservation

A decade ago, a federal task force announced a plan to help monarch butterflies along their great migration. The six-state effort along Interstate 35 didn’t take off as expected, but some roadsides are blooming anyway.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service lost nearly a quarter of its staff nationwide in 2025 after the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government. Many were local experts that help farmers with soil and water conservation efforts.

A sting from an Asian needle ant can cause anaphylaxis. The ant tends to prefer forests and wood-rich areas, has a distinctive stinger, and has a lighter reddish-brown color on the legs.

On the August 4 ballot, Amendment 1 reauthorizes a sales tax of 0.1% that provides money for soil and water conservation projects and Missouri's state parks system.

These ranchers tried to protect grassland from trees and shrubs in all the traditional ways. It didn’t work. So they brought in hungry goats that turned woody plants into a cash stream.

Officials with the Department of Conservation said the pandemic helped many Missourians reconnect with the outdoors. But that has led to significantly more problems with campers at conservation areas since 2020.

The "farmer-led movement" aims to shape the agricultural landscape by strengthening soils and building community.

Some Kansans are spooked by data centers as the likelihood of the state hosting more big tech facilities is rising. One positive to all the hullabaloo? Heightened civic engagement early in local proceedings.

From a field on an Illinois university campus, to rare, untouched land in Texas, here are some efforts to replant once-abundant prairie in the Midwest and Great Plains.

Weighing bear cubs and measuring teeth are part of Nate Bowersock’s regular workday with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Starting in the 1820s, Maramec Iron Works grew into a state leader in iron production. Years later, Lucy Wortham James donated the property that became Maramec Spring Park.

The Trump administration's federal workforce cuts shrunk U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies that inspect produce, provide conservation resources and collect data on crops and livestock. It's creating longer wait times for farmers seeking federal services and programs, people working in agriculture say.