This May our volunteer of the month award goes to a special group of people who are making a difference in Columbia and all over the state of Missouri, the Missouri Master Naturalists. The program is a community-based program sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri Extension. They focus on providing natural resource education and volunteer service opportunities for adults.
One of the areas in Columbia the Missouri Master Naturalists spend time maintaining and educating people about is the Capen Park area close to downtown Columbia. Capen Park provides the community a beautiful park full of plants native to our region, recreational trails, and a study garden. Volunteers enjoy their time and efforts because they learn so much about the native plants and enjoy educating others as well. Two active volunteers in the Capen Park project are Julie Youmans and Louise Flenner. Louise says of her experience, “Seeing nature in a new way and being able to pass that information along to other people and share a new perspective on how to see the natural beauty that’s out there in Missouri is the most fulfilling part of my volunteer experience.”
Written by volunteer Brittany Perrin
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