WEST ALTON, MO – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 29, at 10 a.m. for a new greenhouse at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, Missouri.
The Riverlands Greenhouse will grow thousands of native plants annually to support prairie and pollinator habitat enhancement and restoration as well as outreach and education programs in the greater St. Louis and Confluence region.
Through collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and partners such as the Audubon Center at Riverlands, St. Louis Wild Ones, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Riverlands Greenhouse will be utilized to increase native habitat and for outreach and education programs centered around habitat management, native landscaping, and pollinator conservation.
These programs will engage people of all ages as well as land managers to promote native habitat for pollinators.
Furthermore, the greenhouse will be supported by the community through local volunteers and partners that will help propagate and grow native plants, maintain native demonstration gardens, and develop educational materials for the public.
“Partnerships will be the cornerstone of this project,” said Insiyaa Ahmed, a Forester with the Rivers Project Environmental Stewardship Team. “Without the support of our partners, we would not be able to take this project and turn it into something that can make a regional impact, for people and wildlife alike.”
The Rivers Project is also initiating the Great Rivers Pollinator Habitat Partnership to support organizations involved with pollinator conservation in the Greater St. Louis and Confluence area. Through collaboration, this partnership will help bring together local, non-profit, state, and federal organizations working towards our shared mission.
“While this new initiative is still developing, we look forward to the opportunities presented by this greenhouse, and to the partnerships that we are striving to create and strengthen,” said Ahmed. “We encourage anyone with an interest in native plants, habitat management, and pollinators to come out for the ribbon cutting!”
Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, there will be open tours of the greenhouse until 11am. The public will be welcomed to ask questions and explore the trails surrounding the Audubon Center at Riverlands.
The Rivers Project Office and its Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located at 301 Riverlands Way in West Alton, Missouri.
For more information, please contact the Rivers Project Office at 636-899-2600.
