Monthly Archives: August 2017

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Archaeology Day celebrated Sept. 9 at Washington State Park

Aiming the ATLATL. Photo courtesy MDC.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources released information about an upcoming event at Washington State Park to celebrate Archaeology Day.

Visitors are invited to celebrate Archaeology Day 2017 with an event Sept. 9 at Washington State Park near De Soto. The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park’s Big River day-use area.

Demonstrations of flint knapping and atlatl throwing will be held throughout the day. Children’s activities will include making petroglyph necklaces, corn grinding and other crafts. Staff will lead a tour to the park’s petroglyph site at 2 p.m.

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Posted on August 30, 2017 in Local Events

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Local Event: Take Action to Protect Creve Coeur Lake Park

The Open Space Council for the  St. Louis Region has released information about a protest to protect Creve Coeur Lake Park. The event will be held Tuesday, August 29, 2017, at the County Government Building, 41 South Central Avenue in Clayton, MO 63105.

The protest will start outside the building at 5 p.m., and at 5:30 p.m., the protesters will move inside for the County Council meeting.

More information about the event can be found HERE.

The St. Louis Ice Center is under construction and 40 acres of the park have already been cleared. The work has been done without the necessary approval from the National Park Service as pointed out in this article by the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  Since then, legislation has been introduced calling for a halt to construction and a hold on any further advancement of this project until decision makers can review this project further.

Additional St. Louis Post-Dispatch article HERE.

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Posted on August 28, 2017 in Home, Local Events

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Catching Up With Heather Navarro: The Environment, The City of St. Louis, And Working For A Better Tomorrow

Pictured: Heather Navarro, Missouri Coalition for the Environment executive director and newly elected to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for the 28th Ward.

Heather Navarro shares information and insights into the CLEAN Missouri Initiative and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. She was also recently elected to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for the 28th Ward, which filled the seat formerly held by Mayor Lyda Krewson.

In this wide-ranging interview, Navarro talks about the importance of the City of St. Louis becoming sustainable and combating the effects of climate change, the idea of urban and rural areas working together, the safety of residents living near the radioactive waste in North County, and the measures that will be on the ballot for St. Louis City in 2018.

To hear the podcast interview with Navarro and Don Corrigan click on the audio below.

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Posted on August 23, 2017 in Environment, Home, Podcasts

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The American Burying Beetle: Back From The Dead?

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

The American burying beetle disappeared from Missouri decades ago. Once found in 35 states, the federally-endangered beetle is now struggling to hang on in less than seven. The dead flesh eating beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is the largest class of carrion beetles.

In 2012, MDC entered into a partnership with the St. Louis Zoo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Nature Conservancy (TNC) to bring the beetle back from extirpation within the Show-Me-State.

“It’s not every day you get to work with federally-endangered species.  It’s really exciting to have a role in the nation-wide conservation of this animal,” MDC’s St. Louis Regional Natural History Biologist Andrea Schuhmann said.

See more from the MDC update below.

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Posted on August 22, 2017 in Home, Outdoor/Nature

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Get Ready – The Historic 2017 Solar Eclipse Is Here!

Click on the Webster-Kirkwood Times eclipse image to read the article “Get Out & Enjoy The Solar Eclipse”

The 2017 solar eclipse is set to be a once-in-a-lifetime event! Several local watch events have been scheduled. Check out the article from the Webster-Kirkwood Times about where to find an event and a few eclipse tips. Find article HERE.

NASA’s website also has a large amount of interactive data to explore, such as eclipse path maps, eclipse history, and eclipse safety. Find the NASA Eclipse 101 information HERE.

 

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Posted on August 18, 2017 in Environment, Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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Local Environmentalists Oppose Easing Coal-fired Plant Wastewater Regulations

Local environmentalists, such as Nancy Luetzow of Kirkwood, are telling Environmental Protection Agency Head Scott Pruitt that they strongly oppose EPA’s rolling back existing and imminent wastewater regulations. The regulations restrict allowable ppm’s of heavy metals in industrial waste water and drinking water sources.

Please do not roll back new wastewater regulations for levels of heavy metals is the loud and clear message of all Missouri environmentalists.

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Posted on August 17, 2017 in Environment

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Forest Park: The Wild Spaces

Pictured: Jean Turney, education coordinator at Forest Park Forever. Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.

Nearly everyone in the St. Louis area knows about the great institutions in Forest Park, like the Saint Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science Center, and The Muny. However, many may not know about the natural wild spaces in Forest Park. From old growth forests, bird watching, fishing, nature walking trails, to outdoor learning and educational opportunities – it’s all there just waiting to be discovered.

Jean Turney, the education coordinator at Forest Park Forever, shares her insights of the wild spaces available to everyone who visits the park.

Click on the podcast interview below to hear Don Corrigan and Turney discuss the abundance of opportunities to explore nature in Forest Park.

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Posted on August 15, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature, Podcasts

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On The Wide Mizzourah!

Pictured: (Left to right) Robb Heineman, Clay Hartman, Kyle Hartman and Craig Hartman.

Wow! Was I proud to witness my nephews paddling into the St. Charles Landing. They were part of the flotilla that took on the “Wide Mizzourah” this week in the 340-mile endurance race across Missouri from Kansas City, known as Missouri River 340.

Read more below from Don Corrigan’s tale about his nephews and their river race tribulations before finally landing close to the Lewis and Clark statue in St. Charles.

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Posted on August 12, 2017 in Home, Outdoor/Nature

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St. Louis Historic Flooding: “Something Needs To Be Done”

Dave Stokes, director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, just outside the flood gate on Marshall Road in Valley Park. By Diana Linsley, South County Times.

Dave Stokes, the director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, said we’re in a lull before the next “water bomb” hits the region. Stokes said local leaders must address flood concerns after two major rain events since 2015 caused millions in damages to the area.

“Residents and businesses want some answers,” said Stokes. “They want some solutions. They built in areas that are not supposed to be in a floodplain, and yet they had several feet of Meramec River in their homes and businesses.

“When the first water bomb hit in late 2015, their reaction was, ‘Okay, we had a freak storm, we’ll deal with it,’” said Stokes. “Then another 500-year flood event happens this year and they are saying, ‘Something needs to be done. This is not normal.’”

Read more of the story and hear a podcast interview with David Stokes below.

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Posted on August 11, 2017 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature

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Flooding In St. Louis: When will We Learn From Our Mistakes?

Photo: Great Rivers Habitat Alliance

Are you concerned the historic flooding in the Fenton, Pacific, Eureka, Valley Park, Sunset Hills, and the St. Louis area will happen again? You should be. Flood plain development and levee construction are major issues that can no longer be ignored. Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA) is an organization focused on finding long-term solutions to the issues that continue to be ignored by local officials.

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance is an organization focused on finding long-term solutions to the issues that continue to be ignored by local officials. Residents and business owners are suffering consequences that are devastating people’s lives, livelihoods, and properties.

David Stokes, the executive director of GRHA, offers insights into what lessons are not being learned from repeated mistakes, the hardships, the choices local areas face, and a few common sense solutions.

Click below to hear the informative podcast interview with David Stokes.

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Posted on August 10, 2017 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature, Podcasts