It's Our Wild Nature

09/24/2026

Wanted to send an update about our tree watering campaign. Due to scheduling conflicts, we've moved our weekday efforts from Wednesdays to Tuesdays. We'll meet in the Sanctuary Tuesday mornings and evenings 7am to 10am and 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Keep an eye out on our website calendar for any updates!

09/24/2026

We had a great time at the Health in Nature Festival yesterday! Thanks to the Ridgeway Neighborhood Association, MDC, the city's Love Your Block program, and everyone else who put together such an amazing event. It was fantastic seeing our community coalesce around the benefits of nature! 🌳

09/09/2026

Hi everyone,

We recently planted a variety of native trees in the Sanctuary, and we need your help keeping them hydrated through the summer heat. We are launching a weekly watering campaign from now through November and would love extra hands.

We will be working to water the trees each Wednesday from now until November.

Morning Shift: 7-10am
Evening Shift: 5:30-7:30pm

If you're interested in volunteering, meet in the Sanctuary visiting area during one of the shifts above. Consider wearing long pants to avoid ticks/poison ivy and bring water to drink!

Additionally, keep an eye out on our website calendar, itsourwildnature.com/calendar for potential cancelations due to severe weather or unforseen circumstances. If we need to cancel for some reason, we will delete the event from the calendar.

Thanks for your help with this effort 😁

08/30/2026

Lots to celebrate in the Sanctuary yesterday! Not only did we find a large population of monarch caterpillars feeding on our milkweed, but we also had the privilege to celebrate two of our amazing volunteers' birthdays. Happy birthday to Steven and Sarah! 🦋

08/15/2026

Clearing sericea lespedeza in the Sanctuary this weekend 🦋🐝🐌

08/02/2026

Long time no see! Wanted to share some updates about all the great things that have been happening in the Sanctuary lately 🌻

It seems like the work of so many has really payed off. If you haven't seen it this season, the Sanctuary is full of life. It has been incredible to see all of the butterflies, tree hoppers, birds, and more that the native vegetation has been supporting.

We've also had new volunteers join, adding to the amazing mix of people working hard to restore and conserve our Sanctuary. Other volunteers have moved on to new adventures, like our friend Amelia, who is off to share her talents with the Peace Corps.

Additionally, we had the opportunity to host students participating in the Missouri Scholars Academy program this summer, bringing students into the Sanctuary to learn, listen, and illustrate the sounds and sights of nature.

Finally, if you've been in the Sanctuary lately, you may have noticed a lot of little cages throughout the land. We've planted over 20 native trees and shrubs near the lower trail to help restore the land back towards a woodland natural community, similar to what would have historically existed there.

We are beyond grateful for all the support and for our volunteers who are helping to keep the Sanctuary wild. If you want to get involved, don't hesitate to join us for a Saturday! You can find updates on our website, itsourwildnature.com 🍄

01/20/2026

FYI

12/26/2025

Merry Christmas from some Sanctuary friends! 🐦🎄

12/13/2025

Cold cold cold morning spreading seeds!! ❄️🌱

12/13/2025

We had a great time participating in this event! We cleaned for the St. Louis Zoo, and although they didn't win, it was great getting to contribute! Looking forward to next year 🫡

Wild Waterway Rescue has ended, and this year the traveling trophy goes to a new winner.

This year’s challenge took place over nine days, from November 1 to November 9.

Here are the 2025 WWR stats: 356 participated in 22 cleanup events for five zoos, who spent 923 hours (38.458 days) cleaning up litter, totaling 10.58 tons (21,151 lbs.) of trash.

Let us break that down per zoo/aquarium in ranking order -

1. Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium had 93 volunteers who spent 260 hours cleaning up, totaling 4.99 tons (9980 lbs.) of trash.

2. SEA LIFE Kansas City had 21 volunteers who spent 84 hours cleaning up, totaling 1.49 tons (2980 lbs.) of trash.

3. Dickerson Park Zoo had 81 volunteers who spent 256 hours cleaning up, totaling 1.38 tons (2760 lbs.) of trash.

4. Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium had 84 volunteers who spent 198 hours cleaning up, totaling 1.38 tons (2760 lbs.) of trash.

5. Saint Louis Zoo had 77 volunteers who spent 125 hours cleaning up, totaling 1.34 tons (2671 lbs.) of trash.