Prairie Fork Conservation Area

02/28/2026

02/09/2026

08/05/2025

Here's your friendly back-to-school reminder to schedule your field trip to Prairie Fork - we can't wait to welcome all of our new explorers out this year!

Reach out to schedule your visit at

Request use of Prairie Fork for your school. If you are a Teacher, Counselor, or other Educational Staff running School Field trips, you are in the right place.  Please complete […]

06/13/2025

The Conservation Federation of Missouri is hosting a campout for Young Professionals on June 27th-28th at Prairie Fork. Visit confedmo.org/young-professionals to register!

12/01/2021

TSI, and school groups, and prescribed burns, oh my! Check out the latest area update to read about what's been happening here at Prairie Fork, and to see some photos of our recent activities!

Prairie Fork Update: December 2021 Posted on December 1, 2021 in Education, Education, Education News, Education Projects, Exotic/Invasive Species, Management, Management, Management News, Management Projects, On The Blog, Research, Research News0 Comments Prairie Fork Update: December 2021   Welco...

11/03/2021

Want to see some fall colors and read about what we've been up to out at Prairie Fork? Make sure to check out our update for the month!

Prairie Fork Update: November 2021 Posted on November 3, 2021 in Education News, Management, Management News, Management Projects, On The Blog, Research News0 Comments Prairie Fork Update: November 2021 Falling leaves, and field experiences, and habitat improvements…oh my! October started off with...

10/11/2021

On Indigenous Peoples Day, MPF believes it is imperative to acknowledge and honor the people who lived here and shaped this land prior to our management. We respectfully acknowledge that the land we work to protect was the homeland of a diversity of Native American nations prior to European-American settlement. The land in our care continues to have cultural significance for the Ni-U-Ko’n-Ska (Osage), Nyut/\achi (Missouria), Asakiwaki and Meskwaki (Sac and Fox), Báxoje (Ioway), Kaw, and other Native American nations. We are mindful that these nations had a significant role in shaping the landscape and that they continue a sacred relationship with the lands we protect. We recognize and appreciate their contributions to the cultural heritage of this region and to the history of North America. We honor them as we protect the ecological integrity of the lands in our care.

Learn more about the Osage Nation and tallgrass prairie in Missouri in this recent Missouri Prairie Journal article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IkWxBZqcRFb4UsW4m_TGhQnJ_8XJHTWR/view

10/08/2021

Want to know what we've been up to out at Prairie Fork? Go check out this month's update!

Prairie Fork Update: October 2021 Posted on October 8, 2021 in Education News, Management News, On The Blog0 Comments Prairie Fork Update: October 2021 The temperature is dropping, the trees are slowly changing colors, and it’s been busy around here lately! After an understandable lack of visitati...

03/09/2021

Hilda “Pat” Jones, BS, ‘50 soil science, (1925-2018), is believed to be the first woman to graduate from Mizzou with a soil science degree. She was a lifelong supporter of nature, outdoor spaces and conservation in Missouri. She and her husband, Edward “Ted” Jones, donated 711 acres in eastern Callaway County, which became Prairie Fork Conservation Area (PFCA). PFCA is operated as a teaching center by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the School of Natural Resources and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. As part of this $1.6 million gift, the Prairie Fork Trust was created to provide oversight and additional funding for activities related to natural resource education, restoration, management and research. PFCA hosts 5,000 students each year.

12/10/2020

Deer season is near its end for thousands of Missourians, but did you know that today’s abundant population at one time could only be imagined in the wildest dreams of the state’s hunters? Back in 1926, Missouri had only 564-recorded white-tailed deer, leading to hunting ban from 1925 to 1931, and later from 1938 to 1943. Restoration efforts began with the release of hundreds of deer in 1926 and redoubled in 1937. The population rebounded quickly, and today there’s an estimated 1.4 million deer in Missouri.

Pictured is a map from our Department of Conservation Collection identifying white-tailed deer populations in 1941.

07/03/2020

A wonderful program with a lot of opportunities for Juniors in High School through Juniors in College. Check out the video and pass it along. Deadline coming July 10th. This group has volunteered out at Prairie Fork for years and helps us maintain the outdoor classroom #2.