Shaw Nature Reserve (a Division of Missouri Botanical Garden)
An operating division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve comprises 2,400 acres of natural Ozark landscape, including 1-1.2 miles of Meramec River frontage, containing a broadly diverse community of plants and animals. This property, located approximately 35 miles southwest of the City of St. Louis in Gray Summit, is an operating division of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
“The Reserve” strives to inspire responsible stewardship of the environment by providing a place for public enjoyment of our natural world, protecting and restoring natural habitats, and educating people of all ages about the importance of our environment.
The large size and significant biodiversity of The Reserve, combined with the significant scientific and educational resources of The Garden, offer a truly unique opportunity for reconnecting children with their natural surroundings.
Experiences For Children at Shaw Nature Reserve
The Reserve’s potential to provide experiences for children that could be both fun-filled and serve as educational opportunities to learn about the importance of plants and nature is exemplified by its 14 miles of hiking trails traversing a full array of natural habitats - from floodplain areas and adjacent riparian corridors to oak/hickory woodlands to dolomite glades to tall grass prairies and savannas to marshy wetlands.
A significant addition in 2008 to The Reserve was the Nature Explore Classroom - a unique outdoor attraction specially designed for children ages 3 through 8. This program is a national initiative, developed in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. The goal of Nature Explore Classrooms is to address the growing disconnect between children and nature. Different areas of the outdoor Classroom are devoted to nature art, making music with natural instruments, creative use of natural building materials, and other unstructured play / learning experiences.
In addition, the beautifully-landscaped 5-acre Whitmire Wildflower Garden contains hundreds of Missouri Native and other wildflowers species, grouped according to their natural habitats.
Also, the Dana Brown Overnight Center at The Reserve is a cluster of historic buildings dating back to the 1850’s and including four log cabins and a large post-and-beam-construction Assembly Building. This Center can accommodate up to 65 people and is used for various educational and nature enjoyment programs. for people of all ages.