by Bill Mees, Nature Areas Committee

CAS has applied for a second grant to cover the cost of the installation of an interpretive panel discussing the pollinators that use CANS on the prairie. Grant dollars will pay for the hardware and laminated panel, while all content and graphic design, as well as photos, will be donated by CAS members or other volunteers. If you have any photos of pollinators using the grassland restoration project at CANS, please send them to Allisonjv @ yahoo.com and jandbmees @ mchsi.com for consideration into inclusion in the panel. Photo credit will be given! High resolution photos only. To see an example of our original grant request, see below, and special thanks to Nature Areas Committee Chair Bill Mees for working on the second grant request.

For Office Use Only

Date Received:                                                           Committee Assignment:

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Boone Electric Community Trust

Attention: Boone Electric Cooperative Communications Department

1413 Rangeline St., P.O. Box 797, Columbia, MO 65205

(573) 449-4181

Application for Organization

Amount of request:  $1,056.00

1. Name of Organization: Columbia Audubon Society, Inc.

 

7. Specifically state how the funds will be used. (You will have the opportunity to provide more detail in question #13.)  The funds will be used to purchase a trailside interpretive sign.

 Has your organization ever applied for funding from the Boone Electric Community Trust?

Yes      No X     (If no, skip to question #9.)

9. A) If yes, was your organization funded? Yes             No
10. B) Amount(s) Funded:    Amount(s) Requested:
11. C) Date(s) funding received:
12. D) What was the purpose of the grant(s)?
13. E) Did you complete a grant report form? Yes                         No
14. F) What date did you submit grant report form(s)?
15. Number of individuals, families or groups served in Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Howard, Monroe and Randolph counties last year:. Columbia Audubon Society serves members in six counties: Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Howard, Monroe and Randolph. Current membership total 147 members with two members in Callaway County. These numbers represent dues paying members.

  However, Columbia Audubon Society “serves” anyone and everyone who has an interest in birds, conservation, ecology and the environment regardless whether they are members or not.  Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary is open year round to the public including anyone visiting Columbia. 

10. Does agency serve outside Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Howard, Monroe and Randolph counties? Yes X     No

If yes, please provide information on number served and location:

Columbia Audubon Society also serves Cooper County.

It is important to note that Columbia Audubon Society, through its properties, internet website and Facebook page, “serves”  as a resource for anyone and everyone who has an interest in birds, conservation, ecology and the environment regardless whether they are members.  Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary is open to the public year round.  The trailside interpretative sign will provide information to untold numbers of visitors.

12. What are your project deadlines? (Please note that you must submit a final grant report within six months of receiving funding.) There is no hard deadline.  It would be ideal to have the sign ready to install in early spring when heavy use of the nature sanctuary returns and the prairie comes to life.
13. Briefly describe your organization and its purpose. The mission of Columbia Audubon Society is to preserve the natural world and its ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and the earth’s biological diversity, through education, environmental study and habitat restoration and protection.

 Columbia Audubon Society owns and maintains the 28 acre Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (exhibit 1 map and exhibit 2 photo of parking lot signage attached). The Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary is being developed specifically as a natural area to provide an outdoor educational experience. The land is being returned to its natural, historic state by removing invasive plant and tree species and encouraging the return of a native prairie and forest habitat. Walking trails, benches and bridges increase the area’s accessibility. Installation of the trailside interpretive sign is an example of the ongoing effort of CAS members to develop and restore this area for both the enjoyment of the outdoors and education.  The nearby (walking distance) Fairview Elementary School uses the area for outdoor education to augment its recently implemented place-based nature curriculum.

1. State purpose of organization’s/agency’s request of how the funds will be used. (Be sure to include a minimum of two bids/estimates for purchases.): Two bids are attached.  The trailside interpretive sign will be installed at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) which is open to the public year round.  CANS is often visited by people who travel to Columbia for a variety of reasons and also take advantage of Columbia’s nature attractions.

The trailside interpretive sign will be installed near the CANS parking lot on the edge of a reconstructed prairie and immediately adjacent to city owned Scott’s Branch Trail (Exhibit 3 photo of proposed interpretive sign location).  The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department reports this trail has experienced an increased use of 182% over the previous year.

The sign will discuss prairies and their place in the ecosystem and the benefits prairies provide.  This placement will encourage visitors to pause and learn.  Students in nearby (walking distance) Fairview Elementary School will also take advantage of the sign’s information and eye-catching photography.

 List other sources from whom you have requested funding for the above request:

The sign’s photos, photo captions, other verbiage and overall layout is being designed and donated by Columbia Audubon Society member volunteers.  Other sources of funding have not been contacted.