About Our Team
SOUTH CENTRAL OZARK COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
Administering the “Hands-on Karst and Watershed Education in the Ozarks” project grant is the South Central Ozark Council of Governments (SCOCOG), a 501(c)3 non-profit in Pomona, MO, which serves seven counties in south central Missouri: Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas, and Wright.
SCOCOG’s mission is to promote human resources, educational opportunities, and economic development in order to enhance the quality of life for the region’s inhabitants.
As both the Designated Economic Development District and the Regional Planning Commission for those seven counties, SCOCOG provides services to municipalities and counties in the region, including: comprehensive community planning assistance; public facility grant preparation; community survey analysis; grant administration for state and federally funded projects; and grant development services such as computerized mapping, desktop publishing, funding research, and local project community development.
Mary Ann Mutrux
Mary Ann is uniquely qualified to be the environmental education contracted consultant with SCOCOG for this karst and watershed education project. Mary Ann is a multiple award-winning Earth science educator with extensive teaching experience in karst topography, watersheds, water quality and environmental education. She spent her first decade of public-school teaching at Liberty Junior and Senior High in the Mountain View-Birch Tree School District (1985-1995 as Mrs. Carr). There she developed and taught “Ozark Geology” for high school students. This course explored the numerous geological features, hydrology, and water quality of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
For the following 16 years Mary Ann taught science at Willow Springs Middle School and High School. There she developed and taught a course called “Ozarkology” where students explored not only geology of the Ozarks but its ecology. As a per-course instructor for “Earth Science for Teachers” at Missouri State University-West Plains for seven semesters (between 2007-2016), she trained future public-school educators how to infuse hands-on science inside their classrooms and outside on their school grounds.
During her career she conducted over 20 workshops for teachers at state and regional conferences and during district professional development events. She was a DESE Interface Conference presenter seven different years. Five of those years she co-facilitated Project WET workshops. For ten years between 1996-2007 she helped coordinate and facilitate the week-long outdoor “Conservation Honors Camp” for high school seniors sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri-School of Natural Resources.
Mary Ann also has developed assorted curricula at the local, regional and state level that emphasize environmental awareness and stewardship. All her outstanding efforts over the years resulted in six awards given to her by two state agencies and other environmental and conservation groups between 1996-2008.
Today, besides coming out of retirement to serve as the environmental consultant and trainer for this project, she serves on two environmental advisory committees. Mary Ann enjoys time exploring nature with her grandchildren, family, and friends.
OZARKS RESOURCE CENTER
Denise Henderson Vaughn
Representing the Ozarks Resource Center for this project is award-winning journalist Denise Henderson Vaughn, who specializes in writing about the Ozarks’ forests and waters. Her stories about caves, springs, and groundwater pollution have appeared in the West Plains Daily Quill, St. Louis Post Dispatch, and Missouri Conservationist.
As director of the Ozarks Resource Center’s Karst Project, Denise has given numerous classroom presentations about karst, has created educational maps showing Ozark karst features, and her in-depth groundwater series that appeared in The Quill in 1998 was republished for use by Earth science teachers.
Denise directed ORC's two documentaries: “Karst in the Ozarks,” (2010, 18 minutes) and “Karst in Perry County,” (2020, 18 minutes), both of which were produced in cooperation with Somewhereinthewoods Productions.
In March 2022 the Missouri Speleological Survey, a statewide cave-mapping organization, presented Denise with a certificate of appreciation that recognizes her work to educate about and protect caves. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and conservation biology from the University of Missouri, and served two terms on the Mountain View – Birch Tree R-III school board.
During teacher field trips, Denise will tell about the karst locations visited, and she will assist with production of educational videos.
Brent Lidgard
Brent Lidgard, Karst in the Ozarks Project Manager, currently serves as South Central Solid Waste Management District Coordinator at SCOCOG.
Brent has over 25 years experience in solid waste management, recycling and community outreach. He has previously served on the solid waste district advisory committee for the South Central Ozarks region. He also assisted with establishing the household hazardous waste facility in West Plains.
SOMEWHEREINTHEWOODS PRODUCTIONS
Neil Rosenbaum
During the workshops and teacher field trips, videographer/editor Neil Rosenbaum will be filming, and from that will create a video to serve as a long-term educational resource on karst and watershed education in the Ozarks. The video will be available for free on this website, as well as available on Youtube.