Events

Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center turns 35 years old this year and to celebrate, the nature center is inviting the public to join the Passport to Powder Valley program. The program will encourage visitors to explore multiple aspects of the nature center and offer the opportunity to win a raffle basket of prizes.

The Passport to Powder Valley program launched Tuesday, July 14 and runs through Oct. 31. To participate, visitors can pick up a copy of the Passport to Powder Valley booklet at the nature center’s front desk. The booklet is designed to engage visitors with five fun activities that celebrate what makes Powder Valley Nature Center unique.

The five activities in the Passport to Powder Valley challenge include:

1. Birdwatching

2. Checking out one of the nature center’s nature-themed discovery backpacks

3. Meeting Powder Valley’s live “ambassador animals”

4. Attending a naturalist-led educational program

5. Exploring one of Powder Valley’s hiking trails

The passport booklet even includes a bonus coloring page. Full details on completing each activity are included in the booklet.

Every person who finishes each of the passport booklet’s activities will receive a special limited Powder Valley 35th anniversary sticker. They’ll also be entered in a raffle to win a grand prize basket, including:

- Tour tickets to the Endangered Wolf Sanctuary

- Membership and swag pack from Laumeier Sculpture Park

- Free admission tickets to either the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Butterfly House, or Shaw Nature Reserve

- The book A History of Kirkwood, Missouri, 1851-1965 by June Wilkinson Dahl, donated by the Kirkwood Historical Society

Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is proud to present Trail Tales, an interactive hiking experience! Explore our Tanglevine Trail, a 1/3 mile paved loop perfect for strollers and families. As you walk, look for interactive storybook pages along the trail. October will feature "In A Nutshell" by Joseph Anthony.

Look for book pages posted along Runge’s Naturescape trail and enjoy a seasonal children’s book as you walk and explore. Book begins at the trailhead across from the parking lot. No registration required. All ages.

Celebrate the Missouri Department of Conservation photographers and their ability to capture the ephemeral beauty of Missouri's flora, landscapes, and wildlife. 

Discover what’s for dinner at Burr Oak Woods as the nature center’s amphibians, fish, and turtles enjoy their feast every Tuesday and Friday. The snakes are fed on the second and fourth Wednesday (October 14 & 28).

Visit Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center's Art Gallery this month to view the work of Missouri Nature and Environmental Photographers. (MONEP)

The MONEP mission is, to provide a forum for individuals interested in the field of nature photography and the environment, provide education, gather and disseminate information to promote nature photography as an art form and medium of communication.

This year they celebrate their 30th anniversary. They invite everyone to view their work in the hallway of the nature center.

“Look! It’s freakin’ bats… I love Halloween.”

Experience the world of eastern red bats through a quick chat and fun craft. Learn how these little fuzzballs help to protect you and how we can keep them safe in return. After our short presentation, we’ll create our own eastern red bat through the art of needle felting! Needle felting is a craft that uses special barbed needles and wool to sculpt shapes and designs. No experience required for this program as we will take you step by step through how to make this design.

Please note that this program is for participants ages 18 and up. Make sure to register all participants in your group.

You are cordially invited to our 2nd annual Moth Ball! Meet fellow nature lovers, ages eighteen and above, for a charming -FREE- event dedicated to moths, butterflies, and other marvelous insects! Compete for prizes in our Bug Costume Contest, taste a wild mocktail and wander our trail while playing nature trivia, try your hand at insect art with a local artist, get on the floor to learn a buggy dance or two, enjoy insect photography, and try a few crafts. Join us for a moth-tastic time at this stop by event!

Parents, grandparents, and adult mentors bring your youngster(s) to learn a new skill and spend time practicing. You don’t have to be a hunter to become a skilled archer. No experience is necessary, and archery equipment will be provided. We will teach and practice the basics, helping you perfect your stance to shoot more consistently and accurately.