The Missouri Wilderness Coalition has created a proposal for permanent legislative protection for seven "sensitive areas" on the Mark Twain National Forest.   We're bringing this to our members' attention since the MWA has formally endorsed the proposal along with many other organizations around Missouri.  This legislation is needed since the new Mark Twain Forest Plan only protects one of seven areas in Missouri.  A 1/7 on a homework assignment is a big fat F, as in FAIL.  This is a gigantic step.  It will become a hot issue soon.

Why?  The 2005 Mark Twain Forest service plan changed the protected status of Seven  “sensitive Areas.”  The 1985 plan had these areas designated as sensitive, giving them an extra level of protection; No timber harvesting, mining, road development or motorized intrusions.  The 2005 plan changed that.

A proposed salvage logging operation - precipitated by last spring’s tornado - in Lower Rock Creek and the recent flurry of ATV intrusions are prime examples of disruptive events in unprotected areas. I don’t own an ATV so I must be missing out on all the fun…  Through hard work the Coalition and others were able to put off the salvage operation.  According to Fredericktown District Ranger, Mike Weber, they can only postpone the scoping of the downed timber area for logging and burning if the Regional Office (directed out of Wisconsin) directs them to do so.  The status of motorized intrusions is still on the table, a sturdy table built for holding motorized vehicles, what a waste of my tax money!

The seven regions are:

¨      Smith Creek

¨      Swan Creek (to quote Tom Montgomery, “Once your have run Swan Creek everything else is just class IV “

¨      Big Spring

¨      Lower Rock Creek (venerable whitewater)

¨      North Fork

¨      Spring Creek

¨      Van East Mountain.

In total, it’s a mere 40,000 acres out of 1.2 million.

Our assignments are simple:  visit these places, learn about them, and be ready to support the effort to pass them as legally designated “sensitive areas,” once and for all. None of that includes me studying for classes, so I’m all in!  If you have not hiked into Lower Rock creek you are missing something.  It is a mere 20 minute drive and a short, beautiful walk from Silver Mines.

Other groups are meeting with the staff of their congressional delegation.  We are working on our strategy to alert our representatives and win support of Missourians across the state.  In order to pass a law we obviously need the support of our US Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill; therefore any letters from our members could make the difference between a yay and a nay.  Jo Ann Emerson is key as five of these areas are in her district.  Her district by the way, seems to be everywhere in Missouri our Whitewater club tends to gather, you know like around the twisty tree at the put-in…

We need to spread the word about this proposal, visit and enjoy these areas, and support their preservation.  The legislative push should start to roll this summer.   Lets all DO SOMETHING!!  Okay, you pretend to be Harry Potter and we’ll call the new Mark Twain Wilderness Plan You-Know-Who…get it? Got it. Good.

Visit the Missouri Wilderness Coalition web site <www.mowild.com>