top of page

Prairie Reclamation Project

purple-coneflower-field-at-twilight-patt

This project seeks to continue our mission to educate and inspire a love of learning in our visitors out the front doors of our museum and onto the grounds of the park.

The Joplin History & Mineral Museum is excited to be collaborating with U.S. Fish & Wildlife and our community partners to boost the native Missouri ecosystem on museum grounds.  We are beginning this project by filling our flower beds with native flowers and returning the areas on the north and south ends of our building to native prairie by integrating grasses, sedges, and a variety of flowers.  The next phase of the project, to be continued in the coming years, will see our organization extend the native footprint into the Mining Machinery Yard, east of the museum, and scattered throughout the rest of Schifferdecker park.

Community Involvement Events

Our most recent Volunteer Gardener Day in January

Planting native is beneficial in so many ways!

  • Reducing our amount of lawn space will decrease the ecological footprint we create by eliminating the need for pesticides, reducing needed resources for maintenance, and the man-power necessary for the upkeep

  • Encourages native animals and essential insects to return to the park  

  • Reduction of erosion and increased water retention for our soil

  • Absorption of air and soil pollutants improves air quality

  • and many more...

Environmental and Economic Benefits of Native Plants

Ozark Glade Ecology and Restoration Methods

Our Plan

Phase 1

November  - December 

Parks to disperse mulch

 

December - February

Request edging funds from Historical Society

Purchase edging - Parks to install

Disperse compost

Seeds put in on north plot, south plot, fenced in north, center and south plots

Community Day for planting

 

April - May

Put in plugs and shrubs in north plot, south plot, fenced in north, center and south plots

Community Day for planting

 

September - October

Grass seed put in

Museum Staff for planting


 

Phase 2

May - July 2022

Spray 3 rounds of herbicide in machine yard

 

December 2022 - February 2023

Seed machine yard

Community Day for planting

 

April - May 2023

Put in plugs and shrubs in machine yard and interspersed in sunken garden

Community Day for planting


 

Possible Phase 3

2023

Incorporate accent clumps of native plants into other areas of the park

To accompany the reintegration of native life, we plan to incorporate educational materials, sculpture, and other artistic elements throughout the outdoor space to provide the opportunity for museum visitors to learn about Missouri wildlife, the importance of pollinators, and how they can add natives to their own garden spaces. 

Museum Project Map phase one and two.tif
Mural Mock-Up.tif
rtaImage.jpg
rtaImage.png
Who Pollinates COLOR.tif
SMALL Why Garden With Natives.tif
MISSOURI-PRAIRE-FOUNDATION.png
Wright.png
BigMoodsLogo-01 (1).webp

Our Community Partners

missouri master naturalists.tif
img003.jpg
Liberty.png
Parks and Rec.png
fishand wildlife.png
bottom of page