MDC seeks public input on Reform Conservation Area in Callaway County

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10/02/2017
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REFORM, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is in the multi-year process of updating Conservation Area Management Plans and is seeking public input on how conservation areas are important to Missourians.  A draft management plan for the Department’s Reform Conservation Area is available for public review through Oct. 31. To preview this draft management plan and share comments online, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans

Reform Conservation Area contains 6,726 acres in Callaway County. MDC manages this area to promote diverse grasslands, glades, woodlands, and forest, and for areas users to enjoy diverse outdoor recreational activities. Four fishing ponds are available for public use on the property.

Ameren Missouri owns the property which surrounds its Callaway Nuclear Power Plant and leases the acreage to MDC to provide quality recreational opportunities such as hiking, nature study, hunting, and fishing to citizens of Missouri.

Statewide, 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.

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 statewide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.