[2] The magazine focuses on educating the general public on issues pertaining to the conservation and management of Missouri’s natural resources.

The cost of its production and postage is supported by a portion of the statewide conservation sales tax.

[5] In July 1938 its first issue was published by the Missouri conservation commission it had 8 pages a section of the commissioner's in 1941 they had a short series called conservation briefs in January 1942 issue it had a ding darling cartoon on the cover and the spring and summer 1942 issue only had 4 pages then Autumn 1942 was the last phamlet issue before becoming monthly in 1943 In April 1943 the conservationist went from quarterly to monthly they added a content page and had a new feature called notes from the field this feature was about conservation agents at work.

[6] In 1944 a bimonthly feature called letters from readers which showed readers what they think about the magazine and it's features from 1943-1946 they had a feature that showed the conservation commission who served during WW2 years in Aug 1946 they moved the editorial to the inside front cover with the contents in June 1948 the cover honerd a famous conservationist aldo Leopold who died in spring of that year in Aug 1948 they did a change in the format in the letters and in December 1948 the cover had their former Commissioner E Sydney Stephens.

In November 1950 the conservationist changed there letters then in August 1951 they changed the inside front cover removed the contents feature and changed the letters again then in September 1951 they added a cartoon called consy coon and in August 1953 they changed the letters in the conservationist in January 1955 The conservationist went from a 2 column page to a 3 column page and in January 1956 consy's scrapbook appeared on the back cover of the conservationist and in march 1956 notes from the field last appeared and in June 1956 the Missouri's outdoor almanac appears on the conservationist it had quotes on stuff it replaced the old notes from the field and in July 1957 the cover format changed and in July 1958 Missouri's Wildlife trail appears on the conservationist In July 1962 the 25th anniversary issue of the conservationist in August 1964 the inside front cover changed its format added the contents feature back since its removal in August 1951 in May 1967 the contents feature changed its format in May 1968 a little booklet a prairie is forever was in the conservationist in July 1968 the conservationist turned 30 years old in January 1969 a feature that only lasted for a year was field notes and in may 1969 the cover changed its format.