Bangert Slough. Emergent wetland with narrow water channel.
by Don Corrigan
A tour of the site for the multi-million dollar Riverpointe Development in St. Charles over the Memorial Day weekend had some Sierra Club members singing Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.”
Nature is being decimated to make room for another entertainment and retail district, south of the St. Charles Historic District and along the Missouri River. The project has stirred up opposition from a number of environmental and outdoor groups
Scott George, a naturalist and biologist with Environmental Science Consulting, led the tour. He took pains to document the carnage in the floodplain area, destruction which elicited much head-shaking.
Complaints also came from bicyclists and hikers along nearby Katy Trail. They said the trail has been stripped of trees from the I-70 bridge onward to the St. Charles Arena, which has made for extremely hot travel.
Bangert Slough – Middle Pool after clear-cut.
In addition to losing shade, Katy Trail users lamented the eyesore visuals now surrounding them. Once the development is in place, they asked about safety as shoppers and condo owners drive over what’s left of the trail.
Crossing the Katy and traversing a path into Bangert Island, there was a chaos of rip rock and shale, giant trees clearcut into tangled messes, a stagnant slough practically devoid of water, and wildlife looking for refuge.
George showed before-and-after shots of the slough to hikers. Historical maps show over 90% of the Missouri River wetlands have been filled in the St. Charles area. Environmentalists are now trying to preserve one small, but significant remnant.
“The development proposal fills in most of the existing Bangert Slough,” said George. “Water would be directed to a series of lined detention basins, with controlled water levels via pumps. The engineered system will extend up to 600-feet into the wildlife area.
“Destroying the existing wetland soils and hydrology creates numerous problems and cannot be considered leaving “it in a natural state,’ as mandated by the deed restriction,” George added.
Stripping the forest canopy along Bangert Slough has already drastically altered the ecology. The lost tree buffer once filtered out storm water pollutants and slowed flood-water velocities. It also had provided habitat to a wide range of wildlife, especially birds.
“Good grief,” declared George. “The importance of tree buffers to wetland ecology has been known for a long time. Future residents here may have preferred an intact natural area with birds and wildlife, compared to a string of engineered detention basins.
“One flood event could drastically alter the engineered system with sediment fill, erosion, woody debris and more,” George added. He said floodplain loss will inevitably result in increased damage to property when the Missouri River floods. Taxpayers will be on the hook.
“Any additional floodplain filling and removal of native vegetation is going to increase local flooding,” said George. “The forested wetlands, which slow flood velocities and transpire tons of water, will be filled. It’s death by a thousand cuts.”
The St. Louis Audubon Society has gone on record with detailed complaints about alterations to the Bangert Island area, which runs from south of the Interstate 70, along the Missouri River, to just north of the St. Charles Arena.
Among the Audubon objections:
• The Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area is located within an area of the Missouri River watershed that has been under developmental assault for years and the proposed changes exacerbate the risks to the river ecology, flood control, and wildlife.
• The relocation of the Bangert Slough and the construction of two permanent, recreation lakes would significantly alter natural wetlands; impacting native plant communities, soils, and groundwater. This contradicts the many efforts to remediate the effects of decades of mismanagement of the Missouri River watershed.
• Development application notes a purpose “to create a publicly accessible green space, providing wide vistas, containing a prominent central water feature.” But wide vistas are already present through much of the regional watershed; and the Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area is already accessible through numerous hiking and biking trails.
• The application’s statement that “impact areas are unavoidable due the desired open space need for the proposed development” ignores the fact that there is no demonstrated need for open space of this type.
• While the Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area is deeded to remain in a natural state, the proposed development will significantly result in a “developed / engineered state.” The natural result of this is further constriction of the Missouri River, with potentially future expensive flood-control projects needed.
Proponents Hype Biz Growth
Proponents of the development say that the project will create 4,000 jobs and stimulate approximately $1.5 billion in growth for the region. Shoppers will enjoy new retail outlets, entertainment venues and access to island and river vistas.
Scott George and other critics said that retail business owners in the Old Town area of St. Charles are not pleased by the prospect of additional competition to their immediate south. They argue there is already commercial overdevelopment in the area.
Critics note the closing of The Mills shopping mall and other major retail malls in the St. Louis region. They ask if consumers really need additional store outlets in a proposed St. Charles’ Riverpointe that could reduce foot traffic in Old Town St. Charles.
Commercial and economic concerns aside, environmentalists and naturalists see other overriding concerns that involve loss of habitat for river fish and fowl.
“With the Bangert Island impact, we’re looking at an ecological significant site to be destroyed for a ‘better view’ for shoppers,” said George. “St. Charles should be thinking of eco-tourism, not promoting rock fill and more pavement.
(For more information about upcoming Bagert Island tours, contact Scott George at: sgeorge3806@gmail.com. For more information about wetlands lost in Missouri, check out “Environmental Missouri” by Don Corrigan.)
Environmental Echo 
The entire subject area along the Missouri River is and has been a mess for many years. Yes, nature grows trees and birds lay eggs but the “island” has become a jungle and an eyesore and useable and beneficial to very few people. And, reality speaking, it’s in the middle of a highly developed metropolitan area. Our residential and economic infrastructure must progress and grow, otherwise, it will decline and we will lose the ability and will to manage our rivers and parks. It would be good to avoid ending up like the Mississippi River north of St. Louis.
The complaints I read in the article, above, are temporary situations. The development will restore the “island” to fit the definition of island; it will clear the jungle mess, landscape the shoreline and island to be beautiful and more likely to become a benefit to wildlife and provide on-going care and upkeep of the
area. This is called “civilization” and such developments do a good job, these days, of integrating people, development and nature. The Katy Trail section will be beautiful, tree-lined and mesh with nature. Understanding growth is needed for a strong and vital economy and lifestyle, if the project is developed as proposed I believe the number of visitors will increase sufficiently to support the new stores and restaurants. St. Louis Mills is not a comparison as it was a bad design, bad location and demographically dysfunctional from the beginning. Few thought it was a good idea while most look forward to Riverpointe. The Page Avenue Extension, resisted for 20+ years by environmentalist, has resulted in a beautiful route through the river valley with none of the repercussions that were threatened. Wildlife is flourishing in that area. I live on the edge of the quarry west of the Family Arena. I have never seen so much wildlife, thriving, in a residential area before as we have many deer, coyotes, owls, hawks, falcons and a variety of other creatures all around us – and their numbers seem to be increasing.
Cleaning up and developing the Missouri River stretch between I-70 and Family Arena is a positive for both our citizens and nature. Keeping that stretch in a primitive state benefits only the small segment of our society that choose to jog and ride their bicycles. Most of us don’t do that and it seems a waste and rather unfair for this large and potentially beautiful stretch of land to be reserved for only a few under the guise of “nature”. This important area needs to be opened up to everyone. Wildlife will adjust and flourish in that area.
I know there are “big politics” and “big money” behind such developments and their tactics aren’t always the best. But we have many checks and balances, much oversight and awareness of all the factors, including wildlife and nature, and I think this results and will continue to result in human progress that benefits humans as well as nature.
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