2010 NAI Region 6 Field Sessions

Tuesday, February 23

Field Sessions are included in registration fee. Additional tickets are $15 each.

Lunch is provided with some Field Sessions, see descriptions for details.

All Field Sessions will depart from the conference hotel.

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van.

1. Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor

Times – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time – Meet in Hotel lobby at 8:00 am

Min/Max – 5 min / 30 max

Lunch will be provided

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van. This field session is approximately 70 miles round trip.

Venture to the Northern-most Ozark border, just minutes from St. Louis. This outer region of St. Louis is a hot spot for natural and wild lands managed by several state, local and private agencies providing countless outdoor experiences and opportunities close to home for many Missouri residents. You’ll begin your journey at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Shaw Nature Reserve to experience prairies, woodlands and rustic outdoor education. Then it’s off to Rockwoods Reservation with the Missouri Department of Conservation for an unforgettable maple sugar program among forests that have recovered from mining and clear-cut farming. You’ll end the day at MDC’s Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center to wrap up and fully appreciate the connection between cultural and natural resources in the St. Louis region. Dress for the weather, most of the time will be spent outdoors. Wear hiking/walking shoes.

2. Saint Louis Zoo and Forest Park , SORRY, SESSION IS FULL 1-19-10

Times – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time – Meet in Hotel lobby at 8:00 am

Min/Max – 5 min / 24 max

Lunch will be provided

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van. Forest Park is about 10 miles from the hotel.

No trip to St. Louis would be complete without a trip to the St. Louis Zoo and Forest Park! But one step better is a behind-the-scenes look to get up close and personal with the big cats in the Carnivore area…and eye to eye with the Ozark Hellbenders in the Herpetarium. You’ll learn from global and local leaders in Zoological research, including information on the devastating Amphibian Chytrid Fungus. Zoo Interpreters and other members of the Education Department will be on hand to share program ideas and give you a glimpse into the 2010 Zootennial Celebration. Following the Zoo, you’ll tour the other wild and not-so-wild areas of Forest Park to see the heart of St. Louis up close. Dress for the weather, some time will be spent indoors and some outdoors. Wear hiking/walking shoes. Cameras are suggested.

3. Boone Home and Historic St. Charles NOTE, DEPARTURE TIME CHANGE 2-7-10

Times – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time – Meet in the Hotel lobby at 9:00 am

Min/Max – 5 min / 30 max

Lunch will be on your own in historic downtown St. Charles. Don’t forget to bring

money for lunch, dinner and souvenir shopping.

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van. The Daniel Boone Home is located approximately 45 minutes from the hotel, in Defiance, Missouri.

*Participants will not be returning to the hotel before the scholarship auction in St. Charles. Be prepared to be away from the hotel all day. Don’t forget money for dinner on your own.*

Daniel Boone spent the last years of his famous life on the frontier of Missouri. After his wife Rebecca died, Daniel moved in permanently with his youngest son, Nathan. At the age of 86, Daniel Boone passed away in this beautiful Georgian home located in the Femme Osage valley. Participants will be given a tour of the Boone Home and parts of Boonesfield Village (a reconstructed Missouri frontier town.) There will be discussions about program development, partnerships with local schools, curriculum design, and planning for the future. For the afternoon, participants will be able to freely explore historic downtown St. Charles. Sites include First State Capitol, the Frenchtown museum, and the Lewis and Clark boathouse museum. Unique stores also give participants an opportunity to shop for souvenirs. Dress for the weather as some time will be spent outdoors and some indoors. Bring money for lunch and souvenirs. This trip will NOT return to the hotel. Participants will leave downtown St. Charles and go directly to Lindenwood University for the scholarship auction.

4. “Cache in” at Forest Park

Times – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time – Meet in Hotel lobby at 8:00 am to pick up your box lunch and list of suggested caches.

Min/Max – no min/max

Lunch will be provided

Bring your GPS unit

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van. Forest Park is about 10 miles from the hotel.

*Participants will be sent a list of other participants so that they may coordinate a carpool. A map and directions to Forest Park will be provided.*

Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. There are many visible treasures to see - from the 1904 World's Fair Jewel Box to many Museums. It also holds dozens of hidden treasures. Geocaching has become a very popular activity, and St. Louis has a very active Geocaching community. Join us for a day of caching Forest Park. You can download your waypoints ahead of time, or we'll provide you with a list of popular caches at scenic points in the park. While you are in the park, go inside and get warm at one of Forest Park's many FREE museums - the Art Museum, St. Louis Science Center, Missouri History Museum or the Saint Louis Zoo. Bring your GPS unit, dress for the weather, and wear comfortable walking shoes. There are no set times for this trip. Participants will be sent a list of other participants so that they may coordinate a carpool. A map and directions to Forest Park will be provided, and participants are free to explore and geocache Forest Park at their leisure.

5. Joie de Vivre in Ste. Genevieve SORRY, SESSION CANCELLED 2-7-10

Times – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time – Meet in the Hotel lobby at 8:00 am

Min/Max – 5 min / 30 max

Lunch is on your own downtown. Don’t forget to bring money for lunch.

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van. St. Genevieve is about 60 miles south of the hotel on Highway 55.

Settled by French-Canadian habitants in the late 1740s, the village of Ste. Genevieve has been inviting visitors to enjoy the charm of its narrow streets, shops, museums and historic homes for decades. Located in the Ste. Genevieve National Historic Landmark District is Felix Valle State Historic Site, which offers a rare glimpse into Missouri's French-colonial past. The site features the Felix Valle House built in 1818 as an American-Federal style residence and mercantile store. Restored and furnished to reflect the 1830s, the home today interprets the American influence on the French community following the Louisiana Purchase. Facing le grand champ, the agricultural fields of colonial Ste. Genevieve, is the 1792 Bauvais-Amoureux House. The walls of the house were formed from hewn logs, set upright into an earthen trench in a style known as poteaux en terre, making it a rare architectural treasure. Ste. Genevieve claims three of the five known surviving examples of this style in the United States. Enjoy lunch on your own in one of many quaint restaurants in the historic district, each with its own unique stories to tell. After lunch, we will continue to tour through the historic district of Ste. Genevieve. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes.

6. Civil War in St. Louis

Times - 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Program start time – Meet in hotel lobby at 8:00 am
Min/Max – 3 min / 30 max
Lunch will be at the Lemp Mansion – Don’t forget to bring money for lunch ($9 - $16)
We will be van-pooling.  Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van.   This field session is less than 50 miles round trip.

With strong Union and Southern factions, St. Louis played a pivotal role in the early Civil War.  Our guided trip will take us to Jefferson Barracks, which served through many wars and was a post for men such as Grant and Lee; the Old Courthouse, where Dred Scott was tried; and Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries were many historical figures are buried including Dred Scott, Gen. William Sherman, Gen. Sterling Price and many more. Lunch will be at the "haunted" Lemp mansion, home to one of America's premier and tragic brewing families.  

While the day's journey will emphasize chiefly Civil War history in St. Louis, the differences in active / non-active Civil War interpretation will be covered.  We will also be covering what St. Louis area historical sites are doing for the upcoming sesquicentennial, which starts in St. Louis in 2011.  Walt Busch, director of Missouri's Fort Davidson State Historic Site, will be leading the tour.  Walt has been involved in several groups’ efforts to create sesquicentennial events.  He also has an active interest in documenting all Civil War monuments and historic markers in the state.

7. Bluffs, Beer, Bricks – How Geology Built St. Louis. SORRY, SESSION IS FULL 1-29-10

Times - 7:45 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time: Meet in the Hotel lobby at 7:45 am

Min/Max: 3 min / 14 max

Lunch will be at an Italian-style sub shop on the St. Louis Hill. Don’t forget to bring money for lunch ($7 - $9)

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van. This field session is 60 - 80 miles round trip, all within the St. Louis metro area.

When Pierre Laclede looked for a location to build his trading post in 1764, the riverfront bluffs and nearby freshwater springs of St. Louis attracted his attention.  Laclede knew little of the caves the Germans would put to good use 100 years later, the clay and coalfields which supported urban growth, the nearby glass sand or other Ozarks mineral resources which acted as a settlement engine for the area. 

This all-day field trip will explore significant rock and water resources which support the St. Louis metro region.  Tara Flynn of Onondaga Cave State Park and Jo Schaper of Geo Communications Services will lead you on an all-day adventure visiting places you never knew existed, and showing you how to interpret similar places near or at your site.  Come along with us, and lift the skin of civilization to see what it was built upon!  Stout walking shoes or hiking boots are recommended. You will be outside, so dress for the weather.

8. Winter Birding at the Confluence SORRY, SESSION IS FULL 2-12-10

Times – 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Program start time – Meet at 8:30 am in the hotel lobby

Min/Max – 5 min / 20 max

Lunch will be provided

Bring field guides, binoculars, spotting scopes, etc. Some equipment may be available to borrow.

We will be van-pooling. Please indicate on your registration form if you are bringing a van.

Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Columbia Bottom Conservation Area are considered the most exciting winter birding hotspots in the mid-west! Local birding guides will take participants to these areas in search of common winter visitors and elusive rarities. A visit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Great Rivers Museum will provide insight into interpretive efforts surrounding bird education and an up-close view of eagles from the dam. Transportation and box lunches will be provided. The majority of the time will be spent outdoors along the Mississippi. Dress for wind, cold temperatures and walking.

Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a designated Important Bird Area and one of the best birding locations in the mid-west, hosting past rarities such as Smew and Ross’ gull.  In winter, the Mississippi River and Ellis Bay attract large numbers of ducks, geese, Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Bald eagles, and American white pelicans.  Because of the open water below the lock & dam, many rare gulls such as Greater & Lesser black-backed, Glaucous, Glaucous-winged, Iceland, and Thayer's are seen annually.  Scoters and Loons can often be found amongst the hundreds of ducks.

Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is managed for waterfowl and shorebirds, and a large variety of birds are attracted to the mix of bottomland hardwoods, open fields, and floodplain.  The fields are home to over 10 species of wintering sparrows, including Eurasian tree sparrow, exclusive to the St. Louis area.  A Northern shrike has been seen in the last two years as well as a large selection of raptors including Peregrine and Prairie falcons and Northern harriers.  A visit to the confluence provides a close view of ducks, gulls, swans, eagles and pelicans. The visitor center hosts information about the area and smaller birds visiting feeders.