Collaboration is one of Lincoln University of Missouri's (LU) greatest strengths. Lincoln works with small farmers, educators, youth programs, non-profit organizations, other universities, businesses, government agencies and more - all to elevate agricultural production and strengthen communities.

Lincoln's ongoing collaboration with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is a prime example of the power of these partnerships - bringing together education and ecological stewardship to support both people and the environment.

Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, who leads Lincoln University Cooperative Extension's (LUCE) Native and Specialty Crops Program (NSCP), has worked frequently with MDC in the past and continues to do so today.

"They're a great resource for us," Navarrete-Tindall said. "They have everything, whether it's native plants or native animals. That's why it's so important to me to work with MDC - they connect the dots. They have resources we can use to teach people that we're all a part of this."

One of Navarrete-Tindall's biggest partnerships with MDC has been the Native Plant Academy. Funded by an MDC grant, the Native Plant Academy is a multi-class series intended to educate community members about native plants. Joined by MDC and GrowNative! representatives and other NSCP staff, Navarrete-Tindall uses the program to teach people how to use native plants for food, support pollinators and wildlife, make natural dyes and integrate native plants into landscaping.

As part of the academy, which began in 2022, they also prepared and established an inner-city garden in Kansas City, which is now maintained by the not-for-profit corporation Westside Housing with the guidance of NSCP staff.

The opportunity to teach people how to integrate native plants into landscaping was especially significant for Navarrete-Tindall. She explained that landscaping is one of the biggest challenges she faces regarding conservation.

Many landscapers seek "perfection," she said, favoring tidy, manicured lawns with little plant diversity. Meanwhile, native plants need less water, require no fertilizer, are good for soil health and attract pollinators.

Fortunately, with support from LU leadership and programs made possible by MDC, progress is being made.

"For me, MDC represents everything that I believe in," Navarrete-Tindall said. "They not only work with plants and animals, but they reach out to communities. They have programs for everyone. They work constantly across the state. They're great partners."

She added she works especially close with MDC's Ginger Miller, conservation educator, as well as Danielle Fox and Frank Nelson, community conservation planner and wetland coordinator, respectively.

In addition to hands-on initiatives within communities, MDC has invited Navarrete-Tindall to several events to share her knowledge with other partners and MDC staff.

In October, she attended MDC's 2025 Partners Roundtable as a plenary speaker. The annual event is meant to build and strengthen the partnerships driving conservation efforts in Missouri. Navarrete-Tindall spoke about how growing native plants can help connect people with nature. She was invited to speak again in December 2025 at an MDC Community Conservation Forum in St. Louis.

Navarrete-Tindall said attending and speaking at these events helps spread awareness about Lincoln University and the work it does.

She added that the road goes both ways, and she frequently invites MDC specialists to LU's campus for events and tours.

"I think they contacted me [for the roundtable] because several MDC people have come to the FINCA EcoFarm. It's a place that people don't know about and when they find it, I always get very positive opinions," Navarrete-Tindall said. "They're always impressed and surprised by how much we've grown on just over an acre of land. It gives them ideas on how to grow native plants in their own yards or farms and share that information with others."

Lincoln's collaboration with MDC doesn't end with the Native and Specialty Crops Program. Researchers and Extension specialists from across LUCE's programs - including Aquaculture, Small Ruminants and Forestry/Agroforestry - work with MDC in various ways.

Mohan Acharya, State Extension Specialist for LUCE's Small Ruminant Program, speaks at the Missouri Natural Resource Conference, organized and co-hosted by MDC.

Mohan Acharya, state extension specialist and researcher for LU's Small Ruminant program, regularly attends the MDC-organized Missouri Natural Resource Conference. Invited by the conference's organizing committee, Acharya discusses Lincoln's work with small ruminants and educates attendees on environmentally friendly small ruminant production.

In past years, he's spoken about silvopastoral sheep and goat production systems, using small ruminants to control invasive plants and how Lincoln implements the train-the-trainer approach to share information with farmers.

Acharya also uses MDC as a resource to aid his research. In support of a research project focusing on the control of meningeal worms (carried by snails and slugs) in sheep and goats, Acharya reached out to MDC's state malacologist for help identifying snail and slug species.

He said the malacologist offered to help and his research will begin, with their assistance, in March.

Isaac Hayford, assistant professor of forest management at LU, also enlisted the Department of Conservation's help with a research project.

While Hayford was still working toward his Ph.D., he conducted research examining the effects of silvicultural release treatments - silviculture being the practice of tending forests to promote growth and maintain species - on oak tree regeneration in bottomland hardwood forests. His project was funded by the Department of Conservation.

Now a faculty member at Lincoln with a Ph.D. in hand, Hayford wants to follow up on his research with a new project.

Hayford submitted his proposed project, titled "Long-term responses of oak reproduction to silvicultural release treatments and ecological interactions in bottomland hardwood forests in Northern Missouri," for MDC grant consideration.

Hayford explained that this work is important because oak regeneration has been a continuous challenge for forest managers over the years.

"We intend to provide comprehensive guidelines that forest managers can use to regenerate desired tree species and forest types," Hayford said.

With that in mind, he said he wants to make the results of his work easily shareable and accessible, avoiding overuse of technical terms, which may act as a hindrance.

"Other studies, people apply one treatment, publish their result and that's it. With this, we'll be able to develop strategic, comprehensive guidelines, and we are going to put our findings in simple terms that forest managers can understand and apply in the field," Hayford explained.

The project seeks nearly $400,000 in funding and would last for five years. Hayford expects to find out by mid-June whether his project will be approved in MDC's final budget.

Isaac Hayford, assistant professor of forest management, gathers data for an MDC-funded research project.

Hayford said he plans to use an MDC-managed site in northeastern Missouri to conduct his research - another benefit of partnering with the department. He added that MDC staff will also be available to help (with data collection, for example) if requested.

Whether it's sharing knowledge, guiding forest regeneration practices or teaching communities how to incorporate native plants into their landscapes, Lincoln University and MDC demonstrate that conservation is most effective when it's collaborative.

Conferences, research assistance and grant funding are only a taste of the various collaborations - past, present and future - between Lincoln and the Department of Conservation.

These partnerships strengthen communities, support environmental health and ensure all Missourians, from farmers to foresters to families, have the knowledge and tools to care for the land they depend on.

Click here to read about another collaboration between Lincoln and MDC.