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Water Quality Monitoring Day. Photo: Kelsey Rumley Photography
Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems - GLADE
Nature-based learning is proven to be effective. It promotes good health, attitudes and behavior, and lowers stress. Best of all, being outdoors imbues happiness and contentment.
Nurturing the Next Generation of Conservationists
GLADE is our chapter's flagship educational program. Greater Ozarks Audubon and Missouri State University (MSU) developed the GLADE project, made possible by three consecutive Toyota TogetherGreen Innovation grants through the National Audubon Society. Significant ongoing support for the week-long residential camp comes from across Missouri.
Guided by qualified staff, 16 motivated 10th and 11th grade students work side-by-side with a wide range of environmental professionals. They participate in group problem-solving and leadership-building exercises, and collaborate with GOAS's agency partners to spend a day in hands-on habitat restoration: Transplanting native giant cane to new sites along Bull Shoals Lake tributaries, or cutting cedars encroaching into glade/savannah habitat.
GLADE grads may apply for a Community Conservation grant, and work with an adult mentor to tackle a conservation project of their own design. They recruit a mentor and volunteers, write the grant, develop a budget, plan for the sustainability of the project, and account for fund expenditures.
Workshops
Our Birding 101 ID presentations are designed for beginners through advanced skill levels, chapter members present programs to the public year 'round on a variety of topics. These include naturescaping a backyard, how to attract birds, butterflies and pollinators to your neighborhood, and bird house workshops - we have a program for that!
We set up a display and workshop at Fellow Lake on September 16, 2023 for Empower: abilities, where GOAS volunteers helped attendees build bird houses to take home.
Building Sustainability for Our Projects and Programs
How does an all volunteer chapter successfully develop, manage, and evolve programmatically? That’s easy, with your help! We support fundraisers, write grants for GLADE and conservation projects, and devote hours toward the chapter’s work, because we want to make a difference in Southwest Missouri and the planet.