Conserving Missouri’s Prairies and other Native Grasslands

“The Missouri Prairie Foundation is very grateful to the Hulston Family Foundation for its generous support of our work to protect priceless prairie resources for all to enjoy.”

Carol Davit, Missouri Prairie Foundation Executive Director

For over 50 years, the Missouri Prairie Foundation has been conserving Missouri’s prairies and other native grasslands through research, management and several outreach programs.

The Hulston Family Foundation continues to annual support for ongoing prairie maintenance efforts.

The Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) has protected more than 5,000 acres of prairie (959 acres from several tracts conveyed to the Missouri Department of Conservation) and currently owns more than 4,900 acres of prairie in 35 tracts around the state. Most are original remnants with a high level of native biodiversity; Runge Prairie, Bruns Tract, and the Welsch Tract are restorations or reconstructions, and some of MPF’s original prairies include adjacent, MPF-owned reconstructions.

Since 1966, MPF has acquired more than 5,560 acres for protection in perpetuity, including several properties conveyed to other conservation entities: Catlin Prairie, Dorsett Hill Prairie, Sky Prairie, Burns Tract, and Prairie Fork Expansion Area, all transferred to the Missouri Department of Conservation. In 2019, MPF conveyed ownership of the 8-acre Joplin Urban Prairie to the City of Joplin. MPF now owns and manages 4,927 acres, including some of the most biologically diverse, old-growth prairie in the state.