Community Resources









Supporting Biodiversity Where We Live, Work and Play
Click on an area below to connect with local biodiversity resources. Innovate, collaborate and create healthy biodiverse places and spaces where people and nature thrive.

Homeowners

Your own backyard, whether an apartment balcony or a grassy expanse, can be a thriving micro-habitat for native plants and animals. If every St. Louisan made their little part of the world a bit more wildlife-friendly, the cumulative effect could be as if we created our own urban park!

Project profile

St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home program offers on-site assistance for small landowners in the St. Louis region to restore native animal and plant habitat.

Great read

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants (2007), by Douglas W. Tallamy

Tip

When planning your home landscape, think diversity! Large expanses of monoculture plantings can be subject to devastating disease and pest problems, and only offer resources for a limited number of species. Consider a variety of plants, especially those featuring flowers, seeds, and fruits over successive seasons, which will encourage a multitude of interesting garden visitors throughout the year.

Neighborhoods

Entire streets and neighborhoods can serve as critically important habitats for native trees and plants, migratory birds, pollinators, and even microorganisms in the soil. 

Project profile

The city of St. Louis' Sustainable Neighborhoods Grant Program awards grants to community organizations and individuals to complete projects that enhance a neighborhood's sustainability, livability, and overall quality of life.

Plant more trees!

Learn how at Forest ReLeaf of Missouri

Tip

Play with Google Earth and get a bird’s eye view of your neighborhood. How does your tree cover compare with others on your street, in your community, or across the region? Then connect with your neighbors about trees. Who has what? Where? Mapping your neighborhood’s trees can be a great project for people of all ages, and can also lead to a stronger sense of community.  

Non-profit Organizations

St. Louis boasts an impressive group of non-profit conservation organizations that specialize in niche ways – plants, birds, insects, prairies, wetlands, and more. Together, these groups serve as a network of support to help our shared region become a better place for humans and wildlife.

Project Profile

The Missouri Prairie Foundation's Grow Native! program works to protect and restore Missouri's native prairie biodiversity in the urban, suburban, and rural environments.

Get Involved!

Explore the links below to learn about local conservation organizations and how you can take part.

Forest Park Forever

Forest ReLeaf

Great Rivers Greenway

Heartlands Conservancy

Magnificent Missouri

The Nature Conservancy

Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region

Trailnet
 

Community Groups

Whether it’s a local hobbyist group, a garden club, a 4-H group, a scout troop, or a faith organization, our community is thriving with enthusiastic groups committed to making a difference.

Project profile

In their first year alone, Urban Harvest STL’s Downtown Community Garden project successfully grew over 1,000 pounds of food in St. Louis' urban core and demonstrated our capacity for more sustainable local food resources.

Expert Community Group

The Webster Groves Nature Study Society draws on the expertise of amateur naturalists to document biodiversity in our region.

Schools

 

From preschools to high schools, students, teachers, schools, and entire districts can play a major role in protecting and restoring urban biodiversity, while also deepening learners’ knowledge, appreciation, and stewardship of the natural world. 

Great Resources

Missouri Department of Conservation’s Discover Nature Schools program

Children & Nature Network’s Natural Teachers program 

Universities

Many of our region’s institutions of higher education are already blending the disciplines of urban ecology, urban planning, and sustainability into compelling courses, degrees, and future careers for their students.

Project Profile

Visit a sustainable urban eco-garden at Saint Louis Community College - Florissant Valley.

Degree Programs

Saint Louis University's Center for Sustainability offers graduate degrees that prepare students to develop innovative solutions to the major sustainability questions facing the world today.

Stlouisgreen.com provides a comprehensive list of degree programs in our region that blend biodiversity, business, and sustainability.

Researchers

While much is known about how basic natural ecosystems function, far less is known about how complex urban ecosystems function and how urban living is affecting the world’s biodiversity close to home and around the world. A great opportunity exists to blend the fields of natural sciences and social sciences to investigate 21st century questions about urban biodiversity.

Great read

Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life (2008), Stephen R. Kellert, Judith H. Heerwagen, and Martin L. Mador

Major Milestone

The Missouri Botanical Gardens recently completed the 3 volume Flora of Missouri, documenting for posterity 3,242 plants that can be found in Missouri, including over 2,000 native species. 

Become a citizen-scientist!

Help perform a species count by volunteering with the Academy of Science St. Louis’ BioBlitz program.

Businesses

Beyond beautifying a corporate campus with native landscaping, many companies are digging deeper given the positive links between biodiversity and bottom lines.

Project Profile

St. Louis-based Maritz corporation has made biodiversity a big part of their 174-acre corporate campus, which features native trees, wetlands, and even a bee-keeping area!

Learn More

You can learn more about the positive connection between biodiversity and business through the following links:

International Union for Conservation of Nature

The Business and Biodiversity Resource Centre

Government

Forward-thinking local, state, and federal government organizations are rethinking planning and developing policy and offering economic incentives that promote increased green space, thriving urban parks, and more efficient built landscapes.

Project Profile

OneSTL is a collaborative effort amongst local governments and private organizations that works towards the creation of a more prosperous and sustainable region.

Learn More

City of St. Louis Sustainability Plan

International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) - USA 

Utilities

Through smart management of our energy, water, and waste, utility companies can make a huge impact in the St. Louis region.

Project Profile

The St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District's Project Clear is a $4.3 billion initiative to improve inefficiencies in St. Louis' antiquated sewer infrastructure and wastewater management system. The result will be cleaner water and healthier watersheds for all living things in the St. Louis area.

Learn More

Learn about your local water quality at Missouri American Water

Visit Ameren's website to learn about energy saving incentives

A Community Initiative to Promote, Protect and Plan for Biodiversity Throughout the Greater St. Louis Region

BiodiverseCity     St. Louis recognizes our region's reliance on biodiversity, the variety of life, and natural systems. We depend on biodiversity, not only for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, but also for the basic health, livability and economic prosperity of our region. 

Great Read
Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors (2014)
by Carolyn Finney

In this thought-provoking book by University of California, Berkeley professor Carolyn Finney, the topic of who should and can have access to natural spaces is critically examined through the lens of environmental history, cultural and race studies, and geography. With an eye on the future, the author highlights the work of African Americans who are opening doors to greater participation in environmental and conservation concerns.
 
Let's Map It!
North Riverfront Trail

North Riverfront Trail on the Confluence Greenway
This 11-mile trail for biking, walking, and running follows the Mississippi River starting at Biddle Street and heading north, ending at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, part of the legendary Route 66. The trail passes through the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing in North Riverfront Park, the first nationally designated Underground Railroad site in Missouri. Learn more

May 9
12th Annual Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration
On Saturday, May 9th, this site will come to life with a free festival of music, food and drinks for purchase, historic reenactments, and fun for all ages. Along with Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, a team from BiodiverseCity St. Louis will engage attendees about urban green spaces and invite event-goers of all ages to personalize native wildflower seed packets for Mother’s Day.