MRBO has successfully contributed to conservation efforts throughout the state of Missouri for over a decade to date. Below is the framework for the strategic plan our organization will adopt into its next decade. This framework will help shape activities, goals, and funding initiatives for the future. To see how we are meeting these goals, click here. To find out more about our work, click on the links in the dropdown under what “What We Do” in the menu at the top of this and every page!
Core Values: MRBO states five values and philosophies that pervade all areas of the organization’s work. They are:
- Robust data and scientific integrity
- Time- and cost-efficiency and use of technological innovations
- Fostering the formation of partnerships
- Embracing and encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Empowering and providing opportunities for young people
Below are the four overarching categories in which we intend to focus our strategic framework, presented in no particular order. While many of our existing activities fit in to this framework, there is room for considerable expansion!
Vision: MRBO contributes to the conservation and continual improvement of the highest-quality habitats possible for birds and other wildlife.
Goals:
- Improve public and private habitat management quality
- Support increases in the occurrence and functionality of intact natural systems (e.g. watersheds, floodplains, grassland complexes)
- Encourage/facilitate enrollment of private acreage into conservation programs
- Decrease environmental pollutants (i.e. chemicals, plastics, emissions and other waste)
Vision: MRBO contributes to the improvement of local and regional food systems, which are integral to wildlife and natural resource conservation, and to providing people with quality food.
Goals:
- Promote an agricultural system that is fair to both people and wildlife and that results in natural resource conservation
- Encourage people to choose food based on ecological conservation
- Promote local, bird-friendly food systems
- Work to make local, sustainably produced food available to as many people as possible
Vision: MRBO works to build communities that provide the things birds need:
- Food and water
- Shelter
- Safe Passage
- Places to Raise Young
Goals:
- Reduce avian window collisions
- Proliferate the use of native plants in homes, schools, and all public places
- Reduce chemical use in home yards and public places
- Support initiatives to reduce populations of outdoor cats
- Promote/support the reduction of waste in communities, particularly single-use plastics
Vision: MRBO provides opportunities for people to experience, enjoy, and understand the natural world, fostering awareness of the need for conservation action.
Goals:
- Increase the amount of time spent outdoors by people of all ages and demographics
- Foster enjoyment of all parts of the natural world
- Increase understanding of basic ecology and ecological connections, including humans as part of nature
- Provide opportunities for volunteerism, internships, community engagement, and other involvement in MRBO’s work
