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A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
St. Louis, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to know what Missourians think about its nearly 1,000 conservation areas around the state. MDC is in the multi-year process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments.
10 river accesses in the southern part of MDC's St. Louis region are among those currently under review. MDC is inviting public comment to aid staff in developing 15-year management plans for each of the accesses listed below.
Interested persons or groups—including recreational users, neighboring landowners, conservation groups, elected officials and government agencies—are invited to view the proposed management plans at mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. Each plan includes a link for supplying comments and input.
The plans will remain available for public comment during the month of September. The public comment period will close Sept. 30.
The accesses under review are:
The St. Louis Region Southern Small River Accesses are managed by MDC to provide access to the Meramec, Bourbeuse and Big Rivers; protect stream bank integrity; and provide compatible public recreational opportunities. The goal is a natural landscape that protects the natural resources, while providing compatible recreational opportunities for the public.
Conservation Area Management Plans focus on natural resource management and public use on conservation areas. The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. MDC will consider all ideas received and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife, and people.
Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into area plans and on how to best incorporate them will be based on the property's purpose, its physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and state-wide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.
MDC conservation areas cover almost one million public acres for the purpose of restoring and conserving forest, fish and wildlife resources, and for providing opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about these resources. Most Missourians are within a 30-minute drive of an MDC conservation area.
