Member News

Conservation Legislator of the Year - Representative Bruce Sassmann

Representative Bruce Sassmann (R) represents all of Osage and Gasconade Counties and parts of Miller and Montgomery Counties (District 61) in the Missouri House of Representatives. Sassmann has been named the Chair of the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee for the 102nd General Assembly. He will also serve as a member of the Committees on Higher Education, Special Committee on Tourism, and the Special Committee for Small Business. Bruce and his wife Jan were named the Wildlife Conservationist of the Year in 2009 and Conservation Educator of the Year in 2017 by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. In the past years, he has been honored with the 2010 Missouri Department of Conservation Private Land Services Partnership Award, the 2012 Missouri Quail Forever Leopold Land Ethic Award, the 2013 Missouri Chapter of Wildlife Society Andy G. Runge Award, and the 2020 NACD Hugh Hammond Bennett Conservation Excellence Farm. For over a decade, Sassmann has participated as a mentor in the Governor’s Youth Spring Turkey Hunt.

Conservation Legislator of the Year - U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

Senator Roy Blunt served as U.S. Senator from 2011 to 2023. He previously served as the 33rd Missouri Secretary of State (1985–1993) and was elected seven times to represent the people of Southwest Missouri in the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district (1997–2011). Senator Blunt was the co-sponsor and strong supporter of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, which so many conservation supporters across the state were trying to help get passed. This legislation would provide more than $20 Million dollars annually for recovering threatened and endangered wildlife resources of the state. Senator Blunt has been a longtime and consistent supporter of our great state and as a fifth-generation, small-town Missourian, a true advocate for the outdoors, recreation, wildlife, and conservation. Many projects would not have gotten done without his support and will continue to have a positive, lasting impact on Missouri and across the United States.

Conservationist of the Year – Carol Davit

Carol serves as the Executive Director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF). She is a passionate and articulate advocate for Missouri's natural resources, working tirelessly on behalf of Missouri's native grasslands and the ecosystems they support. Carol has taken MPF to a higher level in her tenure as Executive Director. In 2021 alone, MPF sought and received over $1.1 million dollars in grants from 13 federal and state agencies, NGOs and foundations to support prairie acquisition and management, monarch habitat, native plantings in urban areas, and much more. Many of these grants involve long-term cooperative agreements and multiagency/organization coordination, all managed by Carol. This funding support enabled MPF to acquire 5 properties in 2021, Including the purchase of their 30th prairie, Increasing their holdings to 4,300 acres. In addition, Carol recently completed the process for MPF to become an accredited Land Trust, allowing them additional tools for prairie protection. The funding also supports prairie management and restoration, as well as studies of prairiedependent species, through support of scientific research and contracts for plant and animal surveys.

Carol worked closely with the Grow Native! Partners to develop the Grow Native! Professional Certification (GNPC) Program, that was launched in December 2022. Under her leadership MPF and Grow Native! recently initiated the Prairie and Native Plant Careers Project to introduce students and young professionals to biologists, ecological contractors, and others whose studies of prairie and native plants have been key to their careers. The goal for this project is to inspire students and young professionals to turn their interest in natural resources and the great outdoors into a satisfying career.

17th Annual Conservation Federation Sporting Clays Classic

Saturday, August

12, 2023

Prairie Grove Shotgun Sports, 1420 County Rd 276, Columbia, MO 65202

Shoot as a Team or Individual

Two Shooter Scramble- 75 targets, $65/team

Individual Sporting Clays- 50 targets, $40/shooter

Schedule of Events

Registration: 8:00 a.m. - Noon

Shooting: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Awards: 2:00 p.m.

Prizes for Two Shooter Scramble & Individual Sporting Clays using the Lewis Class System

Pre-registration is encouraged, but signing up on the day of the event is acceptable. Visit www.confedmo.org or call 573-636-2322 to register or for more information.

Challenge shooting games will be held during the event!

Food trucks will be available on site and drinks will be provided.

Presented by:

Central Electric Power Cooperative & Bass Pro Shops - Columbia

Central Electric Power Cooperative's members are Boone Electric Cooperative, Consolidated Electric Cooperative, Callaway Electric, Cuivre River Cooperative, Central Missouri Electric Cooperative, Howard Electric Cooperative, Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, and Three Rivers Electric Cooperative.