Environmental Echo

A special event at St. Louis County’s Meramec Valley Library in Fenton at 6:30 p.m., July 22, will emphasize how residents can protect the natural wonders of our state parks.

The event will feature outdoor writers and speakers and a slide show on some of the state’s beloved natural wonders. These sites are sometimes “loved too much” by visitors, and they are increasingly suffering costly damage from severe weather.

Among the speakers at the July 22 meeting will be Michael Meredith, a Missouri Master Naturalist with over 5,000 hours of volunteer service. He also is a member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s Executive Committee.

Additionally, Meredith is an OpenSpace STL Community Stewardship Ambassador for the Mallard Lake portion of Creve Coeur Lake Park, and also serves on the St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

His wife Sue is a past 3-term member of the Missouri statehouse.

Outdoor writer Don Corrigan, author of two guidebooks to Missouri‘s natural wonders, also will provide insights on the state’s wonders to be found in parks and special places.

Corrigan’s new 2026 book, Scenic Missouri, caters to hikers and bikers, poets and philosophers, tree huggers and flower children. They will all take delight in the guide by writer Corrigan and outdoor photographer Diana Linsley.

The OpenSpace Council, Aududon Society, and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment are all asking state residents to take a good look at Amendment 1 which has been placed on the Aug. 4 ballot. It is a key piece of protection for our state parks and related outdoor areas.

Please see the information (below) accompanying this article that is provided by the Missouri Parks Association:

Remember to VOTE. As many of you know, Amendment 1 has been placed on the August 4 ballot. The future of Missouri’s State Parks, Soil & Water Sales Tax will be decided by voters in less than a month. Missouri Amendment 1 on the upcoming primary election ballot asks voters whether to renew the state’s existing 0.1% sales and use tax to fund state parks, historic sites, and soil and water conservation efforts.

The ballot question reads, “Shall Missouri continue for 10 years the one-tenth of one percent sales/use tax that is used for soil and water conservation and for state parks and historic sites, and resubmit this tax to the voters for approval in 10 years?” The measure allows continued collection of the existing sales and use tax, which generates revenue of approximately $140 million annually. It is important to note, the amendment does not create a new tax if approved, but rather maintains the long-established 0.001% tax that is up for renewal every 10 years.

Looking for some cool summer fun? Onondaga Cave State Park has planned some special events throughout the summer, in addition to the normal cave tours.

Saturday, July 11, at 10 a.m. – Cathedral Cave Off-Trail Tour.
These tours are perfect for beginning cavers who want a more intense cave experience, one that goes beyond the lighted tour with rails and trails. Each tour is led by an experienced guide who will provide general instructions and share information about the cave’s biology, geology and history. During the tour, participants will climb, crawl and get a little muddy, spending four to five hours in the cave and some additional time outside the cave. Each tour is limited to 15 people aged 13 and up. Paid registration is required. The fee is $75 per adult and $55 per youth. All interested guests will be asked some questions to determine whether they are able to complete the tour, and they will be shown a video of what to expect inside the cave. After registering at 573-522-3760, they will receive a list of items to bring. Caving helmets will be provided.

Sunday, July 12, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. – Onondaga Cave Photo Tours.
Step beyond the standard tour and take your time documenting the intricate details of Onondaga Cave. The cave’s newly upgraded lighting system highlights the stunning textures and colors of the cavern. Bring your tripod or handheld camera and join a guide for a slow-paced journey designed specifically for those behind the lens. These tours are sponsored by the Onondaga Friends Association. Please visit their website to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are $23 apiece.

Saturday, July 18 at 9 p.m. (Rain date: July 25) – Starry Sky Night.
Join astronomy enthusiast Joe Parish in the visitor center parking lot to view the cosmos with a high-powered telescope. Although a telescope will be provided, visitors are welcome to bring viewing devices of their own.
The primary source of funding for the state park system is half of the dedicated constitutional tax of one-tenth-of-one-percent Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax. The tax provides about three-fourths of the division’s budget for operation and development of state parks. All additional funding for Missouri’s Division of State Parks comes from revenues generated in the state park system and some federal funds.

For detailed information on any of these activities, please visit mostateparks.com. For more information on state parks and historic site events, visit mostateparks.com/events. The Division of State Parks is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Don Corrigan, author of Scenic Natural Wonders Missouri, said the state is blessed with very diverse flora and fauna – and people for that matter!

The Missouri scribe said, “a lot gets written about how politically divided we are in Missouri going all the way back to the Civil War. But one thing that we ought to all agree on is that our natural treasures need to be protected.

“We have many wonderful naturalists and teachers in the state spreading that message, Corrigan added. “That’s why this book is dedicated to teachers who are spreading good words about a lovely world out there in the hills and wetlands of Missouri.”

Corrigan made his remarks at Peers Store along the Katy Trail. See coverage of the event in the Washington Missourian (below).

Pictured: Utahraptor. Photo courtesy of Billings Productions, Inc.

The Saint Louis Zoo will transport guests millions of years back in time starting Friday, June 19, at Dinoroarus (DIE-noh-ROAR-us), a returning, temporary attraction for all-ages. The walk-through experience will feature 20 animatronic dinosaurs and sculptures that will move, roar, spit and chomp their way through the Zoo’s Historic Hill, in the valley below the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium.

The collection spans the Late Triassic through the Late Cretaceous periods, representing more than 200 million years of prehistoric life that shares surprising connections with animals today. Guests will discover the latest science-backed dino facts, explore theories on mass extinction and learn practical ways to protect today’s animals from the same fate.

Together, the figures feature more than 130 individual animated movements — from independently moving eyes, arms and tails to full-body sways and water effects.

“Dinoroarus is about fun and wonder, but it’s also a reminder that no species is guaranteed a future,” said Michael Macek, Saint Louis Zoo Executive Director. “Extinction has happened before on a massive scale, and the choices we make today will determine which animals that future generations will get to know. Dinoroarus brings that lesson to life.”

New and returning highlights include: 

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2026 marks the 150th anniversary of Mark Twain’s timeless masterpiece, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” To celebrate, Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site invites the public to view its most prized artifact: the original, handwritten manuscript.

The manuscript went on display beginning Memorial Day weekend and will be available for a limited time.

Publishing drama
Described by Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, as “simply a hymn, put into prose form to give it a worldly air,” the novel had a tumultuous journey to print. To overcome international copyright piracy, Twain had his agent hand-deliver a manuscript to British publishers Chatto and Windus, who released the first, unillustrated edition June 9, 1876.

Delays pushed the American edition back to Dec. 8, 1876. In the interim, Canadian publishers pirated the English text, flooding the U.S. market with cheap copies, costing Twain an estimated $10,000 in lost royalties (the equivalent of about $311,000 today).

The manuscript’s journey to Missouri
The original British manuscript was tracked down by Kansas City book dealer Frank Glenn, who purchased it from the agent’s heirs in London in 1937. It was dedicated at the Missouri State Capitol in 1951 before transferring to its permanent home in Florida, Missouri, for the grand opening of Mark Twain Birthplace Memorial Shrine in June 1960.

Restored and digitized by the Missouri Secretary of State’s office in 2022, the highly light-sensitive manuscript requires strict preservation. It is kept in temperature-controlled darkness for 10 months of the year and is displayed at a low ambient light intensity of 50 lux or less for no more than two months annually.

150th anniversary highlights
Throughout the 150th anniversary year, visitors to the park can experience:

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