State conservation director visits Northwest to highlight partnership, view new pollinator plots

Pollinator plots near the Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation feature black-eyed Susan and other native plants, enhancing the Missouri Arboretum and the Northwest campus's natural beauty. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)

Conservation leaders from throughout the region joined the state director Friday for a visit to Northwest Missouri State University, praising their partnerships.

Jason Sumners, the director of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), visited the Northwest campus during a tour of local conservation sites and took time to see new pollinator plots that were funded, in part, by the state.

Jason Sumners (center), the director of the Missouri Department of Conservation, talks on Friday afternoon with Jim Pierson (left), a private land conservationist for Nodaway County, and Shane Baumgart (right), the director of landscape services at Northwest. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

MDC protects and manages the fish, forest and wildlife resources of the state, and provides opportunities for citizens to use, enjoy and learn about its resources. Sumners oversees the state’s resource management efforts and protection.

“It’s great to have a partnership with Northwest Missouri State and to be able to do projects like this,” Sumners said. “It’s beneficial to many people.”

Last year, Northwest planted a native prairie flower garden near the Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation with support from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

In all, Northwest has established three pollinator plots, totaling 2.5 acres, which feature native prairie grasses and forbs that bloom at different times of year, adding to the natural beauty of the campus.

Additionally, Northwest maintains its status as the Missouri Arboretum and recently added a tree walk program to help visitors, as well as the University’s students and employees, learn about the tree species and historic buildings on the campus grounds.

With more than 1,700 trees and 160 species, the Missouri Arboretum serves as a living laboratory for teaching and research in disciplines such as biology, botany, ecology, entomology, geography and horticulture.

“We’ve worked with the department in a lot of different ways,” Tim Hill, the environmental sustainability coordinator at Northwest, said. “Some of the faculty tap the local staff’s expertise, educational resources for the classes and projects on campus, and Shane (Baumgart, director of landscape services at Northwest) and the landscape services team have been fortunate to work with the department on some cost-share projects.”