WINONA, Mo. — Twin Pines Conservation Education Center is not the typical run of the mill conservation center.
Twin Pines is a facility that was intended to honor the logging history of the Ozarks, as well as be an educational tool for children to learn about the Ozarks.
“When this process all started, it was originally supposed to be a partnership between the forestry department and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), but there was a problem with the funding so it got turned over to the Department of Conservation,” said Skyler Bockman, manager of Twin Pines. 
The MDC thought it would be a perfect location for a rural nature center so that is what they went for.
The facility, located on Highway 60 in Winona, Mo., opened in 2008 to serve school groups, youth organizations and the general public by highlighting the unique and natural features of the Ozarks.
Twin Pines takes the Ozarks logging history and the importance of forests and puts it center stage to impress the strong connection all Missourians have with forests — past, present, and future.
“We have several activities and several things to do here at Twin Pines, such as hiking, fishing, archery, birdwatching, nature viewing, and special programs throughout the year,” said Bockman.
There are several different trails available to hike and walk. Twin Pines has right at three miles designed for walking.
There are four different trails in addition to a wheelchair accessible trail for visitors.
These include: Nature’s Way Trail is a 0.75 miles long; Story Trail is .22 miles long; Woodland Walk Trail is .83 miles long; Tree Trail is a half-mile long; and Milltown Trail is the wheelchair-accessible trail which is .14 miles long.
