MPF 14th Annual BioBlitz, National Prairie Day, and Prairie Dedication

Weekend Overview

Join the Missouri Prairie Foundation for our 14th Annual BioBlitz, National Prairie Day, and Prairie Dedication! Following a welcome and dedication of the Snadon Tract of Coyne Prairie at 1:30 p.m. on June 7, you can join one of many study groups to search for and document butterflies, bees, plants, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and much more! Following afternoon study groups, enjoy a potluck dinner under a big tent on the prairie, and pitch a tent if you wish to spend the night under the wide-open prairie sky. Several study groups will also be held on Sunday morning, including early morning bird watching. See information on what MPF will provide and what participants should bring below the schedule.

Participation in this weekend event is free but registration is required by June 5, 2025. For questions, please email outreach@moprairie.org or phone Amanda Lands Ramrup at 636-303-7418.

Register Here

 

This event is supported in part by a David A. Risberg Memorial Grant from the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

 

 

2025 Prairie BioBlitz Schedule

Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain with moderate slopes. Please read details, below, on what MPF provides at this fun event, and what you should expect to bring.

Saturday, June 7

1:30 to 2:15 p.m.

Welcome and Dedication of the Snadon Tract of Coyne Prairie:  MPF President David Young, MPF Vice President of Science and Management Bruce Schuette, and MPF Executive Director Carol Davit will welcome participants and lead a dedication of the Snadon Tract with guest Patrick Snadon.

2:15 to 3:45 p.m.

Register for one of the following field activities by Thursday, June 5 (some will be repeated Sunday morning). Registration is required:

–Mike Leahy, Natural Communities Ecologist, Missouri Department of Conservation — Prairie Ecology and Soils (Maximum 20 participants)

–Ken McCarty, Missouri State Parks — Native Bees (Maximum 15 participants — FULL)

–Linda Williams and Steve Craig, volunteer naturalists — Butterflies and Moths (No maximum)

–Eric Eaton, author of Insectpedia (Princeton University Press, 2022), Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect (Princeton University Press, 2021), lead author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), and co-author of Insects Did It First (Xlibris, 2018) and Heidi Eaton — Insects and Arachnids (Maximum 15 participants)

–Doug Helmers, MPF Board Member, and Amanda McColpin — Bumble Bee ID (Maximum 15 participants)

3:45 to 5:15 p.m.

Register for one of the following field activities by Thursday, June 5 (some will be repeated Sunday morning). Registration is required:

–Dr. James Trager, Entomologist — Ants (Maximum 7 participants)

–Bruce Schuette, MPF Vice President of Science and Management — Plants (Maximum 20 participants)

–Steve Buback, Missouri Department of Conservation — Plants (Maximum 20 participants)

–Dr. Sean Maher, Professor of Biology, Missouri State University — Small Mammals (No maximum for talk; maximum 5 to help set traps)

–Jordanya Raos and Betzaida Rivera, Missouri Department of Conservation – Amphibians and Reptiles (Maximum 25 participants)

–Lorie Hetrick-Volenberg, Missouri State Parks – Bryophytes (Maximum 15 participants)

5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Potluck Dinner: Please bring a dish to share! Enjoy dinner and relax!

6:30 – 7:00 p.m.

After-Dinner Talk about prairie photography with Ethan Freese, Producer with the Platte Basin Timelapse project at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

8:30 p.m. (at dark) – onward

Nocturnal Insect Observation with Eric and Heidi Eaton, Linda Williams, Steve Craig, and Bruce Schuette

Saturday Night

Tent Camping on the Prairie: Please bring your own camping supplies. See more information below the schedule.

Sunday, June 8

7:00 – 8:30 a.m.

Vernon Elsberry, MPF Board Member and Veronica Mecko, volunteer naturalist:  Bird Walk (20 participants maximum per leader)

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Register for one of the following field activities by Thursday, June 5. Registration is required:

–Dr. Sean Maher, Professor of Biology, Missouri State University – Small Mammal Trap Checks (Maximum 10 participants)

–Steve Buback, Missouri Department of Conservation — Plants (Maximum 20 participants)

–Eric Eaton, author of Insectpedia (Princeton University Press, 2022), Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect (Princeton University Press, 2021), lead author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), and co-author of Insects Did It First (Xlibris, 2018) and Heidi Eaton — Insects and Arachnids (Maximum 15 participants)

–Mike Leahy, Natural Communities Ecologist, Missouri Department of Conservation — Prairie Ecology and Soils (Maximum 20 participants)

–Doug Helmers, MPF Board Member, and Amanda McColpin — Bumble Bee ID (Maximum 15 participants)

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Steve Craig, volunteer naturalist — Butterflies and Moths (No maximum)

Noon

Depart Coyne Prairie

Preparing For Your Visit

What MPF provides:
Big tent for eating and relaxing under
Tables, chairs
Portable restrooms

What registrants should bring:
A dish to share for the potluck dinner (Please keep perishables in a cooler to ensure freshness)
Plates, cutlery, cups, etc. (pack in what we pack out; we like to minimize trash creation)
Drinking water
Breakfast items for personal use Sunday morning
Camp stove (if making coffee/tea Sunday morning is desired)
Tent camping supplies (MPF provides chairs for under the big tent, but you may wish to bring camp chairs; no generators, please)
Sun protection
Long pants are best for exploring the prairie
Close-toed shoes or boots (flip-flops or sandals, including hiking sandals, are not recommended); rubber boots or gaiters shield insects and morning dew
Binoculars, camera, if desired

Know before you go:
This event will take place rain or shine, though some activities may be altered in the event of rain at the discretion of group activity leaders and MPF staff. In case of severe inclement weather, MPF will be in touch with registered participants. Please, leave pets at home. Participants are invited to visit other MPF prairies in the area, including Cook Meadow, Penn-Sylvania, Pleasant Run Creek, Denison, and Golden. More information about our other properties is available here.

Directions:
Coyne Prairie is located in Dade County on Highway E, about 16 miles east of Lamar.  Drive 2 miles west of Highway 97 on Highway E, then south on CR 199. Parking is available along the gravel road, or drive 0.5 miles to the gate on the west side of CR 199. Look for the large white tent. By GPS, N37 30.380 W93 59.149 (in decimal degrees, 37.50634 -93.98581).

Questions? Please call Amanda Lands Ramrup at 636-303-7418 or email outreach@moprairie.org.

Prairie blazing star and rattlesnake master at MPF’s Coyne Prairie by Bruce Schuette