2023 Presenters
Presenters from our most recent symposium
Presenters from our most recent symposium
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Paul W. NelsonEcological Consultant
Past Affiliations: Mark Twain National Forest and Missouri State Parks (retired) Paul Nelson earned a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation and Biology from Missouri State University and an M.S. in Botany from Southern Illinois University. Paul 's career has encompassed multiple positions with the Missouri State Park System including Natural Areas Coordinator, Director of the Missouri Natural History Program, and Director of the Operations and Resource Management Program. Accomplishments during these positions include conducting a Natural Features Inventory, service on the Natural Areas Committee for 30 years, authorship of the Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri, and initiation of contracting and establishment of Missouri’s Natural Heritage Program. Paul wrote numerous natural area nominations, contracted natural history exhibits in new visitor centers, established woodland and glade prescribed burn programs in state parks, and integrated critical natural history responsibilities into state park statutes, policies, and operating plans. Retiring in 2002 from state parks, Paul went on to serve as Forest Ecologist at Mark Twain National Forest where he integrated ecological management into the revised Forest Management Plan and eliminated grazing on MTNF glades. Upon retirement, Paul became a consultant for the American Bird Conservancy completing a comprehensive glade map for
Missouri and Arkansas. He also completed botanical |
surveys for Shepherd of the Hills and Bryant Creek state parks, and recently a floristic and natural community study for the Ozark Underground Laboratory. Over the past 45 years, he provided botanical illustrations for 25 publications. Paul and his wife Linda now enjoy worldly travels and time with family and friends.
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Ted MacRae
Senior Research Entomologist & Fellow, Monsanto/Bayer (retired)
Ted MacRae began collecting insects as a child, received his B.S. in General Agriculture in 1979 and M.S. in Entomology in 1981 from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and enjoyed a 40-year career as a research entomologist before retiring in 2021. Ted spent the last 25 years of his career at Monsanto/Bayer, where he conducted laboratory and field research on soybean insects. However, despite his career as an agricultural entomologist, he has always been and continues to be an avid collector of insects and student of their natural history with an emphasis on beetles. He has collected extensively across the country and around the world and amassed one of the largest private insect collections in the state of Missouri. In addition to his research, which has resulted in the publication of nearly 200 peer-reviewed and popular articles on insect taxonomy and natural history, Ted has served in numerous editorial roles for several entomology journals for the past 20 years. He is currently in his 13th year as Managing Editor of The Pan-Pacific Entomologist—one of the nation’s oldest entomology journals.
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Frank Nelson
Wetland Systems Manager, Statewide Resource Management Branch, Missouri Department of Conservation
Frank Nelson has worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation for the past 20 years with various partners to help advance wetland conservation in Missouri. He has played different roles through strategic planning, research, working with wetland managers, renovating infrastructure, and communicating with the public. He now serves as the Wetland Systems Manager in Statewide Resource Management Branch and is working to conserve and promote the full spectrum of Missouri’s wetlands, their biodiversity, and the benefits these critical habitats provide people.
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Kyle Steele
Forest Ecologist, Mark Twain National Forest
Kyle Steele has 19 years of post-graduate experience in applied ecology, botany, and forest science. Although he has worked in numerous ecological regions of the country, a bulk of his time has been spent in the Ozarks. He has worked for various organizations, including the Missouri Department of Conservation, University of Missouri, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. For the past 7 years he has served as the program manager for the Ecology and Soils programs on the Mark Twain National Forest. He specializes in ecological classification and mapping, coordinates various ecological monitoring studies, and provides support for forest and restoration based management on the Mark Twain.
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Justin Thomas
Science Director, Naturecite and
Director, Institute Of Botanical Training In his current positions, Justin Thomas conducts ecological and taxonomic research and instructs plant identification workshops. He also serves as a scientific advisor to several conservation organizations. He is the co-author of the Ecological Checklist of Missouri Flora, the ultimate reference for floristic quality assessment in Missouri.
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Alexis Reifsteck
Graduate Student, Missouri State University
Alexis Reifsteck is currently a graduate student, formerly an undergraduate, at Missouri State University. She worked as a lab assistant in the Stream Ecology Lab on the Missouri State campus before undertaking the role of an undergraduate researcher. Her undergraduate research focused on bringing insight into American Water Willow in frequently disturbed streams and contributing to the understudied streams in and around the Ozark Highland ecoregion. She is not only deeply dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge on native plants but also highly enthusiastic about sharing her findings with others.
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