Nov. 15, 2024
Grants support agencies serving south-central, southeast Missouri
L-A-D Foundation has granted $55,000 to nine nonprofits that support the conservation of natural and cultural resources in its 12-county service area. Based in St. Louis, L-A-D Foundation manages the Pioneer Forest and holds land with natural, geologic, cultural or historic interest in Carter, Crawford, Dent, Madison, Maries, Oregon, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Ste. Genevieve, Shannon and Texas counties.
The recipients of L-A-D Foundation’s autumn 2024 grant program are:
- Houston R-1 School District: $10,000 to support an outdoor pavilion for students to connect with nature and foster learning and play outside the traditional classroom.
- Missouri Prairie Foundation: $2,060 to support an educational workshop for the citizens of Doniphan on invasive plant identification and control.
- Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition/Stream Teams United: $5,000 to support the purchase of a vehicle dedicated to river stewardship and education efforts in the Current and Jacks Fork River watersheds.
- Ozark Riverways Foundation: $4,550 to support the purchase of raccoon-proof trash cans for Alley Spring, Chubb Hollow and Big Spring campgrounds and Waymeyer, Bay Creek and Blue Spring river accesses.
Dr. Justin Copley, superintendent of Houston R-1 School District, receives a $10,000 grant from Brandon Kuhn, chief forester of L-A-D Foundation, to support an outdoor pavilion for students to connect with nature. (Photo courtesy of L-A-D Foundation)
- Ozark Trail Association: $4,070 to support trail maintenance along sections of the Ozark Trail by a five-day AmeriCorps crew, and to expand and update its display materials for outreach events.
- Partnership for Youth Inc./AmeriCorps St. Louis: $9,320 to support the Current River 10-day Full-Corps Training Trip to provide career pathways, prepare future leaders and expand partner capacity to achieve environmental objectives.
- Salem Area Community Betterment Association: $10,000 to support updates to its lobby and exhibit spaces to improve the visitor experience and better highlight regional resources and partners.
- Shannondale United Church of Christ Congregation: $5,000 to support an 8–10-minute video and podcast series about the history of the Shannondale Forest.
- Sherwood Forest Camp Inc.: $5,000 to support the construction of firebreaks.
“This year’s grants support a fantastic blend of projects and represent L-A-D Foundation’s commitment to supporting the sustainability of the Ozarks’ natural and cultural vitality,” said Jennifer Battson Warren, executive director of the L-A-D Foundation.
About L-A-D Foundation: Incorporated in 1962, the L-A-D Foundation is a Missouri private operating foundation dedicated to the responsible management of Pioneer Forest as a working demonstration of renewable resource use compatible with the long-term carrying capacity and health of the land and water. The Foundation also acquires and preserves in the public interest outstanding areas of natural, geologic, cultural or historic interest. In addition, the Foundation provides support to various projects consistent with its conservation goals, with a particular focus on the Missouri Ozarks region.
