Events

Patricia Littlefield is a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau with a passion for art and birds. She is "Committed to promoting conservation through art." It is her hope that through art she can inspire a love for birds and nature in others, especially young people.

Come visit during the month of June to see artwork from Perryville High School featured in our auditorium.

Prairie, prairie, quite contrary, how do your grasses grow? “Quite well,” the prairie answers. Prairies are home to some amazing wildflowers and grasses that make a beautiful natural garden. Learn about this amazing habitat on National Prairie Day, create some cool crafts and participate in prairie-themed activities to celebrate the day. Little Acorns programs are designed to help children ages 3-6 learn about the natural world through hands on experiences, crafts, and focused free-play activities.

Prairie, prairie, quite contrary, how do your grasses grow? “Quite well,” the prairie answers. Prairies are home to some amazing wildflowers and grasses that make a beautiful natural garden. Learn about this amazing habitat on National Prairie Day, create some cool crafts and participate in prairie-themed activities to celebrate the day. Little Acorns programs are designed to help children ages 3-6 learn about the natural world through hands on experiences, crafts, and focused free-play activities.

Prairie, prairie, quite contrary, how do your grasses grow? “Quite well,” the prairie answers. Prairies are home to some amazing wildflowers and grasses that make a beautiful natural garden. Learn about this amazing habitat on National Prairie Day, create some cool crafts and participate in prairie-themed activities to celebrate the day. Little Acorns programs are designed to help children ages 3-6 learn about the natural world through hands on experiences, crafts, and focused free-play activities.

Discover the importance of Missouri reptiles and amphibians and see what it takes to keep our education animals happy and healthy. Bring your family and watch as we introduce and feed several different reptiles and amphibians. Youth and adult organizations welcome.

Does your neighbor always seem to fill their deer permits when you don’t? Are squirrels the only thing you see when you’re in the stand? Well, a food plot may be the answer. Learn about the basics of putting in food plots for deer and how you can still actively prepare for deer season during the summer.

Please ensure your account has a valid email address to receive the link to the program. Links are sent at least 30 minutes before the program starts.

Fishing is a great way for kids and families to have fun outdoors, learn about conservation, and make happy memories. Join the Missouri Department of Conservation on June 7 for our annual family fishing night. Help your young ones pull fish from our kid’s pond and get a chance to reel in some fish from Cape Girardeau County Park North Pond. No registration or permit is necessary and equipment with instruction can be obtained at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. The weekend following this event, June 8 and 9, are Free Fishing Days so when you find out you love fishing you will be able to use the loaner pole program located at the Nature Center and fish even more for free. So join us and get hooked on fishing.

Youth Jug Fishing Clinic will be hosted by MDC and the Army Corp of Engineers at the Redman Recreation Area, below Bill Emerson Visitor Center, Wappapello, MO. This event is for youth ages 8-15 years old, it will start at 5pm and will last until after midnight. The event will consist of a fish fry for dinner, multiple stations including safety and regulations, fish biology, and a jug making station. Youth will then spend the rest of the evening out on boats with MDC employees and Conservation Agents jugging for fish. (Parents/guardians can attend all of the evening, but will not be able to accompany this youth while on the boats)

Fishing is a great way for kids and families to have fun outdoors, learn about conservation, and make happy memories. Our Discover Nature-Fishing program is a hands-on, four-part fishing instruction series that helps families gain the skills and confidence they need to go fishing on their own.

This program will cover the Discover Nature-Fishing Lessons 1 and 2, which are best to complete before Lessons 3 and 4 (hosted later). Participants will learn about fishing equipment, casting, rigging a fishing rod, baiting a hook, and proper fish handling. The Discover Nature-Fishing program is available for ages 7 and up. This program will take place at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. Participants will not be required to have a valid fishing license for this program.