MU Extension in St. Charles County

08/22/2026

Learn to make easy campfire dinners with Park Rangers at Campfire Cookout. 🔥

📅 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12
📍 Klondike Park - campsites #30-31

Prepare simple and tasty meals to make when you are outdoor bound. With your reservation, you receive instructions for the campfire dinner, followed by a dessert. You can take home a recipe book filled with additional campfire meals for future adventures! This program is for all ages. Cost is $5 per person. Pre-registration is required.

Sign up today!
📱 636-949-7535
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/2rd2mfa6

08/22/2026

Bring the family by to:
⭐️Stamp animal tracks on our giant paper roll 🐾
⭐️Play fun tabletop games🎲
⭐️Admire our handcrafted wooden birds 🐦
⭐️Score a brand new logoed bag for MDC aquatic resources! 🎒
Shuttle starts running Friday at 4:00 PM and runs all weekend!

08/21/2026

Looking for a budget-friendly meal that's both nutritious and easy to prepare?

Try this grilled apple and cheese sandwich. Crisp apples or pears and melty cheese come together on cinnamon raisin or whole wheat bread for a warm, flavorful meal that's ready with just a few simple ingredients.

At about $4.50 to $5.50 for four servings, it's an easy way to stretch your grocery budget while serving a satisfying lunch, light dinner or after-school snack.

Recipe card: https://brnw.ch/21x56Oa

08/20/2026

Register for the Food Safety Canning Workshop in St. Peters, MO.
260 Brown Road, St. Peters, MO 63376

https://extension.missouri.edu/events/food-safety-canning-workshop-aug-27-2026

Date: Thu, Aug. 27 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

08/20/2026

Apiculture Extension Spotlight Webinar Series

This four-part webinar series will highlight beekeeping in different locations and apiculture Extension work across the U.S.
The Apiculture Extension Educators of America will host a series of four webinars for beekeepers to learn about beekeeping in different locations and apiculture Extension work across the U.S. Presenters will highlight beekeeping in their state and/or apiculture Extension programs and resources to support beekeepers.

Registration link (https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tuCAcpx9SZeCBH9sVw3FoA #/registration)

Online article (https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/apiculture-extension-spotlight)

Facebook events (https://www.facebook.com/events/3194580744058924/3194580750725590/)

Webinar dates and times
Apiculture Extension Spotlight on Oregon State University Extension with Dewey Caron, Ph.D.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 12 p.m. Eastern
Apiculture Extension Spotlight on North Dakota State University Extension with Rogan Tokach, Ph.D.

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 12 p.m. Eastern
Apiculture Extension Spotlight on University of Florida Extension with Amy Vu

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 12 p.m. Eastern
Apiculture Extension Spotlight on Michigan State University Extension with Ana Heck

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 12 p.m. Eastern
All webinars are subject to change and cancellation.

Webinar recordings
Webinar recordings will be posted within about one week of the presentation to the Michigan State University Extension Beekeeping and Pollinators videos webpage and the Michigan State University Beekeeping YouTube channel.

Accessibility accommodations
Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting the event contact, Ana Heck, two weeks prior to the start of the event. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.

Acknowledgment
Thank you to the One Hive Foundation for supporting the Apiculture Extension Educators of America (https://bee-educated.org/).

Send a message to learn more

08/20/2026

Missing your favorite salads lately?

If recent food safety concerns have you thinking about growing your own veggies, fall is one of the best times to get started.

Learn which cool-season crops thrive in autumn and how to use your first frost date to time planting for a fresh, productive harvest.

Learn more. Do more with MU Extension: https://brnw.ch/21x55kx

08/20/2026

Walk in the Park at The Park at New Melle Lakes, August 7, 2026, with St. Charles County Police Department Public Information Officers, Shawn Birdsong and Barry Bayles, and MU Extension Engagement Specialist, Deana Dothage.

The Park At New Melle Lakes is located at 400 Foristell Rd, New Melle, MO 63365. The park opens at 7 a.m. and closes half an hour after sunset. According to the St. Charles County Parks Department website, park features include: a large shelter, paved and natural surface multi-use trails for hiking and biking, an 18-hole disc golf course, kayaking or paddleboarding, multiple lakes for fishing, the Landhouse event center, and the Storybook Walk.

St. Charles County Police Department Public Information Officers Barry Bayles and Shawn Birdsong joined me for the walk in New Melle Lakes Park. I asked them what they appreciated the most about our parks.

Officer Birdsong responded, “I value our County Parks because they provide a wonderful sense of getting away, exploring, and enjoying the natural beauty around us—all while being just minutes from home. I also really appreciate the dog parks and the opportunities they provide for people to get outside and enjoy time with their pets. As a huge animal lover, that is something that makes our County Parks especially meaningful to me. Our parks truly offer a great balance of recreation, nature, and community right here in our own backyard.”

Officer Bayles shared his enthusiasm for our parks with this, “One of my favorite things about all our outstanding parks, is the opportunity to meet people in a fun, relaxed and informal way. A park is a great way to meet new people from different places. Many people travel from outside St. Charles County to visit our amazing park system. Also, who doesn't feel better just visiting a park.”

During our visit, we observed a St. Charles County Parks maintenance employee at work, a sprint runner, walkers, and a dog walker. This park is well maintained and absolutely gorgeous. I intend to return for a spin in a kayak. The Parks Department offers classes to new kayakers.

The comment Bayles made about meeting people turned out to be true for me. After the officers left, I kept exploring. While walking uphill on a paved trail, I passed a man who kindly commented on the (slight) uphill climb. I laughed and said I was “training” for an upcoming hike in Colorado. That one comment opened the door to a frequent Missouri conversation: Where did you go to high school? To my absolute shock, the man—Gary Gerber—said he graduated from St. Charles High School, class of 1978. I said, “WHAT? ME TOO!” We didn’t know each other personally, but we immediately recognized each other’s names and started rattling off classmates we both remembered. Encounters like this happen to me all the time when I’m out and about in St. Charles County, and it never stops being fun. Gary loves parks just as much as I do. He’s a park operations foreman for the City of St. Charles and has a long history with the land that’s now The Pa lks of New Melle Lakes — it used to be a golf course where he once worked, and now he and his wife live just down the road.

Meeting people in parks, whether brand‑new or familiar from decades ago, is one of the reasons I love exploring every park in the cities of St. Charles County, as well as the county parks themselves.

Exploring a park like New Melle Lakes delivers health boosts. Its mix of trails, water views, and quiet natural spaces encourages steady movement, reduces stress, and lifts your mood. Even a short walk surrounded by fresh air and open scenery can improve cardiovascular health, support better sleep, and help you feel more grounded in nature.

Walking while sharing resources with community leaders like Officers Bayles and Birdsong creates real opportunities to partner on programs and events that support residents, business owners, and visitors throughout St. Charles County.


To learn more, visit:
St. Charles County Parks
https://www.sccmo.org/1983/The-Park-at-New-Melle-Lakes

Park Activity Guide
https://www.sccmo.org/m/newsflash/home/detail/2715

St. Charles County Police Department
101 Sheriff Dierker Court, O'Fallon, MO 63366
O 636-949-7900 ext. 3057
https://www.sccmo.org/406/Police

MU Extension in St. Charles County
https://extension.missouri.edu/counties/st-charles

08/20/2026

MASTER NATURALIST update Confluence Missouri Master Naturalist

The Confluence Chapter continues to provide significant volunteer support to St. Charles County through environmental education, conservation, citizen science, and community stewardship. From February through May 2026, 57 members contributed nearly 2,500 hours to projects connecting residents with the natural world. Members supported environmental education programs and events, including the St. Louis Regional Envirothon at Quail Ridge Park, where volunteers guided 60 high school students through hands-on learning in aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and environmental issues. Members also maintained native plant demonstration gardens, propagated native seedlings for community partners, and supported local schools and youth organizations with conservation projects.

Confluence members also provide valuable trained capacity for local natural-resource stewardship and monitoring. Their work includes habitat restoration, trail monitoring, native plant and seed projects, amphibian and water-quality monitoring, bluebird and eagle nest monitoring, and other citizen-science activities. Through these efforts, Master Naturalists contribute not only volunteer hours but also specialized knowledge and skills that benefit local ecosystems and the community. Their continued partnerships with schools, parks, nonprofits, and conservation agencies demonstrate the value of investing in a trained volunteer network capable of extending the reach of environmental education and conservation throughout St. Charles County.

Send a message to learn more

08/19/2026

Nitrogen prices have risen more than 40% in recent months, causing many livestock producers to take a closer look at fall fertility decisions.

Research shows fall nitrogen applications can increase stockpiled tall fescue yields, but the return on investment depends on fertilizer costs, hay prices and growing conditions.

To compare costs and make an informed decision based on your specific situation, use the formula in this article: https://brnw.ch/21x533N