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Since 2018, WCC has partnered with Bass Pro Shops to conduct habitat restoration and invasive species management at their world headquarters in Springfield.

The approximate 55-acre tract that WCC manages includes over fifteen acres of ponds, with the remaining landscape consisting of small plots of land (less than 5 acres) separated by the property’s road network.

Over this period,  approximately four acres of the property have been planted via seeding and plug installation of native warm-season grasses. Areas previously established with native vegetation for pollinator and wildlife habitat are monitored for invasive and undesirable plant encroachment. The ponds are monitored for undesirable aquatic plants to protect established shoreline native species for bank stabilization.

Invasive species pose a perpetual threat to the property due to the fragmented urban landscape present. In response, WCC implements integrated pest management strategies to actively minimize the impact of invasives. An integrated approach of several land practices allows native plants to acquire the proper site conditions for population growth and sustainability. This process benefits numerous aquatic and terrestrial animals, including a steady plant population of milkweed species (Asclepias spp.) that attract monarch caterpillars to the site annually.

Established native plant populations provide long-term benefits to landscapes, including less mowing, increased water infiltration, drought resistance, pollinator habitat, and increased soil health. Native plants can serve as a great alternative to turfgrass landscapes. Native plants are exceptional biofilters. Many plants can filter our large organic waste materials and compounds for surface runoff sources such as oil and gasoline. The chemical breakdown of these materials not only provides additional mineral resources for plant consumption but reduces the number of harmful contaminants entering surface water and groundwater. Due to the karst geological properties of the Ozarks, adequate pollutant interception and filtration is vital to maintaining healthy streams, and lakes, and achieving clean water for life.