Missouri Annual Report 2025

It can be easy to think about The Nature Conservancy’s work as, well, work. It is work, and it is extremely important that we do it well. TNC is taking on the complex challenges of biodiversity loss and climate impacts that are truly global in scale. That requires a serious, worldwide effort.

But nature rarely feels global in everyday life. I’ll bet that the experiences that made you care about the wildlife, water and air around you are grounded in a far smaller scale—maybe just a single hiking trail or even a single moment in the right place with the right people.

Those seemingly tiny corners of the landscape and fleeting bits of time stay with us in big ways. Among our staff, we have scientists, prescribed fire leaders, data gurus, aquatic engineers, HR experts and fundraising pros. For many, the path that brought them to TNC’s mission began with kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, camping and birdwatching. You protect what you love.

The total amount of time I spend hunting, fishing and poking around the woods in search of mushrooms is a sliver of my annual calendar, but those experiences have such power. Just a few hours wading through a small stream with my father earlier this year was enough to revive decades-old memories. I was a boy when he first took me there, and though it is now me taking him, the magic of the water, woods and time together feels just the same.

I hope you have places like that, no matter where they are or when you last visited. They compel us to see our work at the statewide, region-wide and even global scale for what it truly is—not some unknowable vastness, but a collection of millions of fishing holes, farm fields at dusk, climbing trees, family campsites, birdhouses and, if I look closely, at least one small stream with the inexhaustible power to make memories.

Thank you for supporting TNC’s work, both big and small.