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A Meeting to Remember: the Ozark Society Spring Member Gathering May 18-19, 2024, Featuring Author Doug Tallamy

Our annual spring meeting will be like one you’ve ever attended before May 18-19. There’s the host: the 100-member Schoolcraft Chapter centered around Springfield, MO. The chapter is named after Henry Schoolcraft who traveled the winter of 1818/1819 with Levi Pettibone from Potosi to Springfield through the Ozark Mountains and down the White River into Arkansas.

There’s the keynote speaker: nationally known sustainability and conservation author Doug Tallamy, who will present “A Conversation with Doug Tallamy” Saturday. His best-selling conservation and ecology-related books, including Nature’s Best Hope, Bringing Nature Home and the Nature of Oaks. Books will be available for sale.

There’s the meeting location: the Darr Agriculture Center, a feature of Missouri State University.

There’s the extras for the meeting: a catered lunch, a native plant sale, and, in addition, Springfield Environmental Services will present its yard ethic program.

And post-meeting, there’s more: two campsites highlighting spectacular member properties, landscapes and conservation best practices; a potluck in a barn with musical entertainment and maybe even some dancing; a possible reappearance of Henry Schoolcraft himself; and the option of a tour Sunday afternoon of Tumbling Creek Cave and Ozark Mountain Laboratory.

Here are the details as of press time:

Location of Saturday Morning & Afternoon Activities

 The Darr Agricultural Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expressway, Springfield, MO 65807, 417-836-5638

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/36.9557562,-93.137834/Darr+Agricultural+Center,+2401+S+Kansas+Expy,+Springfield,+MO+65807/@37.0635437,-93.3841066,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x87cf63f372001331:0xa82df6b6f05d2623!2m2!1d-93.3168945!2d37.1708831?entry=ttu

 Schedule Saturday Morning

8 a.m.-Noon:  Native Plant Sale Outside Darr Building  – Ozark Society and public invited. Hosted by Missouri Wildflowers, mowildflowers.net, Gaylena’s Garden, gaylenasgarden@gmail.com and Ozark Soul, natives@ozarksoul.com

9 a.m:  Member and Board Meeting and Refreshments

Noon:  Catered lunch $20, featuring Doug Tallamy.  Registration/head count required at www.eventbrite.com/e/ozark-society-spring-meeting-and-luncheon-tickets-847524006117

Saturday Afternoon

2 p.m: Mini-conference, free to Ozark Society members, charge for nonmembers. Doug Tallamy Speaker.  Introduction by Curtis Millsap, Chair, Schoolcraft Chapter

3:15-3:30 p.m: Break

3:30-4:15 p.m:  City of Springfield Yard Ethics Program.  Conclusion by Curtis Millsap for to mini-conference

Accommodations and Evening Activities

Free Camping Sites

Location is Bob and Barbara Kipfer’s historic Bull Mills property, about 25 miles southeast of Springfield. This beautiful 400-acre property includes pristine Bull Creek, a cabin, cemetery, grasslands, woods and site of the former Bull Mills. The Kipfers host many wildflower walks, WOLF School visits, research projects and educational presentations.

Barb or Bob Kipfer, rekipfer@gmail.com for questions, reservations and map

AND

Rockspan Farm, home of Dan and Mike Chiles, an extraordinary tree farm and site of many sustainability projects, best practices, research and innovation

1448 Chiles Lane, Bois D’Arc, MO 65612.  https://www.rockspanfarm.com/ for description and directions, 417-848-2780, Dan Chiles

Potluck & Entertainment

After setting up camp, kick back at Rockspan Farm’s Red Barn for good food, music and some toe tapping.  Tables, chairs and electric provided.

Sunday Activities

For Sunday, the Schoolcraft Chapter has two possibilities:

• Enroute home if you live south of Springfield, take a slight detour southeast for a tour of the nationally known Tumbling Creek Cave and Ozark Underground Laboratory May 19 at 1572 Aley Lane, Protem, MO 65733. The cave’s owners, Tom and Cathy Aley, have devoted their careers to using dye tracing to track groundwater, its flow and path through karst topography in many parts of the U.S. We’ll need a head count before announce start of tour.

https://www.bing.com/maps?mepi=127%7EDirections%7EUnknown%7EDirection_Button&ty=0&rtp=pos.36.55801773071289_-92.80616760253906__Tumbling+Creek+Cave+Foundation__e_%7E&mode=d&v=2&sV=1&cp=36.557997%7E-92.806155&lvl=14.5

To learn more about the cave go to https://www.ozarkundergroundlab.com/tumbling-creek-cave.html.

• There may be a sighting of the elusive Henry Schoolcraft at the Bull Mills property Sunday morning. We’ll announce an expected time of arrival later. Henry is well versed in his own adventures, of course, as well as the land’s history, starting when an ocean covered it millions of years ago and 15,000 year-old artifacts were left behind.

All Members Welcome!

Missouri Plans to Show You a Good Time