Missourians Making a Difference: Interview with Stephen Bybee
Throughout Missouri, many individuals are making significant progress in the early detection and control of invasive plants. MoIP is pleased to highlight their efforts.
Missouri Conservation Corps Project Director Stephen Bybee took time out of his busy schedule to describe his work. Enjoy!
When was Missouri Conservation Corps founded, and what is its mission?
Since 2021, Missouri Conservation Corps (MCC) has been organizing and hosting volunteer workdays and environmental education events in Kiwanis Park and other local parks and green spaces in Columbia, Missouri. MCC engages community volunteers to remove invasive honeysuckle and to restore native species. MCC acquired its 501c3 nonprofit status in December 2022.
Our mission is to engage citizens in meaningful service, environmental stewardship, and leadership development to reduce climate impacts.
What are your primary responsibilities with MCC?
As the project director, since our unofficial start in 2021, I have collaborated with MCC board members to guide the organization through the process of achieving 501(c)(3) status and developing a funding arrangement with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), with much help from MDC Community Forester Ann Koenig. I organize dozens of volunteer work days annually to remove invasive plants and plant natives, as well as arrange and conduct educational programming on the importance of this work to the community. When I plan events, it is with the intent to engage the community and collaborate with other organizations whenever possible. I am always looking for synergistic opportunities.
What is your professional background?
I have worked in several different fields, ranging from volunteerism to coffee roasting, from photography and media analysis to volunteer management. My first “job” after college was a volunteer position with the Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado. My volunteer management skills have been sharpened by serving as a volunteer coordinator for the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, and by volunteering my own time and energy for many different organizations in and around Columbia. My background in native plants, invasive species, and natural resources is self-taught and has been honed by volunteering for groups like Columbia Treekeepers, Missouri Native Plant Society, and Russell Elementary Outdoor Classroom Committee.
What are some of the invasive plant control projects you have led over the years? Why are they important? What has been the impact?
Since 2021, MCC has led more than 100 volunteer activities in Columbia’s Kiwanis Park, Garth Nature Area, Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary, MKT Trail, and at the Arrow Rock State Historic Site. We have effectively cleared more than 15 unruly acres of invasive honeysuckle from the 20 acres of Kiwanis Park. The honeysuckle sprouts that appear each year are very easy to manage, requiring only hand pulling. These events are important because they remove invasive species from our parks and green spaces, making way for native plant restoration in these spaces that in turn supports insects, songbirds, and other animals, and they bring community members together outdoors to work toward a common goal: Restoring native habitat and benefiting Columbia’s parks and other green spaces, while getting acquainted with members of the community. Our projects are as much about community building and community engagement as they are about habitat restoration.
How do you prioritize invasive plant work? With whom do you partner?
We prioritize it by making it the focus of our volunteer events. Ninety percent of our 40 to 45 volunteer work events in Columbia each year are focused on invasive species removal. The remainder are involved with tree planting, creek cleanups, litter removal, and environmental education. Our partners include MDC, Columbia Parks and Recreation, Volunteer Columbia, Mid-Missouri Sierra Club, Missouri Master Naturalists, Missouri River Bird Observatory, University of Missouri College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Missouri Stream Team, Missouri River Relief, Como Trail Association, Green Belt Land Trust, Columbia Audubon Society, AmeriCorps VISTA, City of Columbia Office of Sustainability, City of Columbia Tree Board, and many others.
Please share one of your favorite invasive plant success stories.
One example of our success in Columbia’s Kiwanis Park is the apparent resurgence of native plants in the west and central portions of the park. In less than two years after our first cutting and removal activity on the west side of Kiwanis Park, we began to see native spring wildflowers and ephemerals returning to the forest floor. In an area that was once dominated and heavily shaded by invasive honeysuckle, we can now see violets, wild ginger, toothwort, trout lily, and wild sweet William in the early spring months. The important lesson here is that these native plants returned without seeding or planting…they were just waiting for the thick cover of honeysuckle to be removed.
How can individuals and groups become involved with MCC?
We post an events calendar on our website, missouriconservationcorps.org, and we share this calendar with partners like Missouri Master Naturalists, Volunteer Columbia, Missouri Stream Team, Mid-Missouri Sierra Club, and MDC. We also produce a monthly email newsletter with information on our events and habitat work in the community. All of our events are free and open to the public, and MCC supplies the tools, training, and gloves for our events.
