Member News

Conservation Communicator – Jeff Cantrell

Jeff Cantrell has served with the Missouri Department of Conservation as a Naturalist at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, as well as an Education Consultant and Conservation Educator out of the Neosho and Joplin MDC offices for almost 30 years. An ecologist at heart and in training, Jeff looks at everything holistically and encourages those he works with to look at how everything is interwoven and find the conservation connections. He is an expert ornithologist, botanist, and entomologist, among other fields. His ecological knowledge is a foundation upon which he teaches and interprets conservation biology. He lives what he teaches and has restored prairie and woodlands all over the Ozarks, on his own farm as well as other properties.

Corporate Conservationist – Forrest Keeling Nursery

Forrest Keeling is more than a nursery. It's a visionary team making a difference every day for the environment and people. Seventy-five years of research and commitment coupled with determination allowed its team to meet challenges through its history. It forged Forrest Keeling Nursery as a respected leader in conservation restoration around the world. Following periods of flooding and ice storms that decimated Missouri’s hardwoods, Forrest Keeling Nursery developed a patented technique to allow them to grow native trees faster and healthier in a fraction of the time that it had previously taken, all to replenish the lost stock throughout Missouri. People around the globe still look to Forrest Keeling Nursery to see how they continue to innovate. Over 500 professionals from across the country attended Forrest Keeling’s field day in September 2022. The Nursery is able to teach cutting edge information, with an emphasis on river restoration. Forrest Keeling Nursery is committed to sustainability, reducing chemical usage, using primarily solar energy, and even using grazing sheep to replace mowers.

Conservation Educator – Kendra Swee

Kendra Swee is an Interpretive Resource Coordinator for the James Foundation at Maramec Spring Park. Kendra is an exemplary leader in the field of interpretation and has breathed new life into the programs at Maramec Spring Park and area schools. She handles all outreach and educational aspects of the park, including tours, school groups, and social media. She supervises staff at both park museums and coordinates museum exhibits and leads program and development and design efforts. Kendra skillfully interweaves outside interests of the children into programs to keep the them engaged. When 4th grade students come to the park to learn outdoor skills, Kendra mirrors the book Hatchet, which the students are reading in school, and has them learn map reading, shelter building, and fire starting. Kendra and her staff regularly host park interpretive programs throughout the year for the public as well.

Conservation Organization – Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation is operated by 40 volunteers. These volunteers are working constantly with rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing native animals, and providing education to youth and the public about humane wildlife management so wildlife and humans can coexist in a changing world. Each year the organization intakes approximately 650 animals for rehabilitation resulting in an average release rate of eighty-seven percent. This rehabilitation requires educating new volunteers, and many long nights, and weekends of volunteer work. In addition to the hands on care these volunteers provide to wildlife, they manage a call hotline that received approximately 1130 calls this year regarding 26 different species. Wild Souls identified a problem when raptors and reptiles were being brought to Wild Souls after becoming entangled and injured in fishing line. Based on their identification of the problem they brainstormed solutions and installed fishing line recycling bins to collect old fishing lines in the two problem lake areas. Since the implementation of the successful fishing line recycling program, no raptors or retiles from these areas have been brought in or reported to Wild Souls.

Forest Conservationist – Justin Warren

After graduating from the University of Missouri in 2014, Justin worked for Pioneer Forest, the U.S. Forest Service, MDC, and as a private contractor, which has provided him with a wealth of knowledge on forest systems, management methods, accountability, organization, and integrity within the forest management stakeholders group. Upon Justin's return to the MDC in 2021, he immediately took on the role of Lead Forester for the Clearwater South District and other Districts of the Southeast Region to coordinate management activities that had previously been inactive or in various stages of completion. Justin provided guidance to two new Foresters, two new Technicians, and six existing staff to ensure that standardized forms, and management practices such as timber marking, tree scaling, timber sale administration procedures, silviculture prescriptions were followed as required for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program.

Hunter Education Instructor – Jerri Lynn Keith

Jerri Lynn Keith has been a dedicated hunter education instructor for years. As a clinic coordinator and life member of the Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation, Inc. (MHHF), she volunteers and leads several clinics per year teaching youth hunter education. Through her involvement with MHHF, dozens of families have the opportunity every year to learn safe hunting practices and an appreciation for Missouri's outdoor heritage. Jerri Lynn has logged over 600 instructor hours. Countless new hunters in the greater Kansas City area have benefited from her commitment to hunter education and Missouri's outdoors. Thanks to her efforts, a new generation has made an unbreakable connection to Missouri’s outdoors.

Professional Conservationist – Nathan (Nate) Muenks

Nate provides leadership by example, always providing strong support to the team he supervises, his peers, and the programs that he leads for the Department. He regularly and willingly works the extra hours needed to complete assignments and he continually demonstrates the flexibility needed to meet a diverse workload. Nate has a bright and positive style of leadership that people are drawn to. As a lifelong learner, Nate continues to look for new information, opportunities, partnerships, and relationships to boldly advance conservation while working to make conservation relevant to the citizens of Missouri and beyond. Nate routinely works to find mutually beneficial solutions to issues. He has instant credibility with people and partners both inside and outside of the agency. His strong communication and interpersonal skills help him work effectively with our team members, partners, and the public.

Water Conservationist – Amera Wild

Many people’s first impressions of Amera include her "we can do it attitude" and her sincere offers to help and especially her ability to include all people. Amera emphasizes the "we" in the "we can do it attitude" because she not only embodies teamwork and support but, most important, the sharing and learning from fellow peers so that they feel they contribute to the mission. Over the past 9 years Amera has contributed greatly to the Cardinal Valley Wetland and Restoration project, an effort to mitigate the impact of nearly a century’s worth of lead and zinc mining in Southwest Missouri. This has been a continuing project for thirty plus groups including Missouri Southern State University staff, master naturalists and conservation volunteers all with common goals of assisting with water quality and aquatic related wildlife monitoring, riparian rehab with native plantings and watershed improvements. Amera has been a solid, consistent volunteer, not only with hands on work, but also in recruiting others into the project.

Wildlife Conservationist – Sarah Kendrick

Sarah has been instrumental in many elements of bird conservation efforts throughout Missouri and beyond. Among the long list of Sarah’s achievements is her efforts towards the reintroduction of the Brown-headed nuthatch to our state. Sarah was the driving force organizing and implementing the reintroduction of the Brown-headed nuthatch to the southern pine forest of Missouri in 2019 through 2020. Sarah helped bring partners into the project across three state agencies (Missouri, Arkansas, and Florida), the USDA Northern Research Station, as well as ecologists from Tall Timbers Research Station in Florida who had experience with Brownheaded Nuthatch translocations. Sarah has also been instrumental in establishing and coordinating automated radio telemetry stations throughout Missouri, the Midwest US, Central and South America. Sarah has spearheaded a project to create two lines of stations stretching across northern and southern Missouri. These stations pick up signals from birds and bats as they migrate seasonally. This information can be used by researchers, state/federal conservation area managers, and private citizens to improve habitat for migratory animals. Sarah has been instrumental in finding funding and creative ways to partner with state and federal conservation partners as well as private citizens to establish MOTUS stations across Missouri.

Youth Conservationist – Carter Stoelzel

When Carter was 16 years old, he was selected to participate in the Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems (GLADE) and since then has emerged as an avid community volunteer, an accomplished birder, and a committed conservationist. He currently serves on the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society (GOAS) Board of Directors while pursuing a degree in Wildlife Biology at Missouri State University (MSU). As a GOAS Board member, GLADE alum, and MSU student, Carter founded and led the Missouri State University Bird Club. In establishing this organization of 40 active members, Carter worked with both National Audubon Society and MSU to receive official recognition and support for the club. The club now offers regular field trips and promotes Bird-Safe campus surveys, monitoring avian window strikes during spring and fall migration. Carter has exhibited excellent leadership during this time, meeting with MSU's Sustainability Coordinator to present bird strike data and with campus architects to promote Bird-Safe glass designs for campus buildings. Carter's enthusiasm for birds and other wildlife is unmatched. His outstanding work ethic and his personal integrity make him an outstanding leader.