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Fall Floods, Winter Storms: Ozark Riverways, Park Site Areas Still In Recovery Mode

by Don Corrigan

Missouri nature lovers have been met by “Park Closed” signs at some of their favorite stomping grounds in the state.

After an extended period of drought in 2024, historic downpours in early November severely damaged some state and local parks, closed highways, and debilitated river access areas.

Some park sites are still closed because of the fall flooding or are still in recovery mode. January snow and ice storms have slowed some of these recovery efforts.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways experienced widespread flooding following significant rainfall that started on Nov. 3. The upper Current River reached historic levels. The Meramec River went on a rampage.

Heavy rains and flash floods hurt river site parks and also scoured riverbeds where endangered species like hellbenders do their breeding. Torrential rains and high water damaged stream beds where aquatic animals take cover.

Rainfall totals of 9 to 12 inches across Ozark watershed areas caused historic flooding from Montauk to Round Spring. At Akers, the river’s previous highest level was 26.08 feet, recorded in April 2017.

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Posted on January 24, 2025 in Home

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Missouri Prairie Foundation Accepting Proposals for Prairie Garden Grants Program Through January 24, 2025

Late summer color at the Wohlwend Elementary native plant garden, established with an MPF Prairie Garden Grant in 2023, by Dave Meschke.

The Missouri Prairie Foundation Prairie Garden Grants Program is accepting applications for 2025 grant awards through January 24, 2025. We invite you to share this opportunity widely to your networks.

Gardening and other conservation groups, parks, schools, and other entities in Missouri and immediately surrounding states are invited to submit proposals to MPF’s Prairie Garden Grants Program. In 2025, MPF would like to award several grants to help fund the establishment or improvement of prairie gardens or plantings using Midwest native plants. Grants will not exceed $800 each. Those with smaller projects are encouraged to apply as well. Matching funds are not required, but proposals with secured matching funds may be evaluated higher than others.Funding will be dispersed in February.

To read guidelines and apply, visit MPF’s Prairie Garden Grants page at https://moprairie.org/mission/grants/ 

The Missouri Prairie Foundation is a 59-year-old prairie conservation organization and land trust. In addition to its prairie conservation work, the Missouri Prairie Foundation also runs Grow Native!, a 23-year-old native plant marketing and education program, and administers the Missouri Invasive Plant Council. To learn more, visit www.moprairie.org or www.grownative.org, or call 636-303-7418.

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Posted on January 20, 2025 in Home, Local Events

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Casualties Increasing? Pedestrian Deaths Spark Debate On Traffic Safety Issues

A pedestrian was struck and killed on the evening of Dec. 14 on South Geyer Road near the signage entrance to Powder Valley Nature Center at Cragwold Road.

by Don Corrigan

A hike in human roadkill casualties in the St. Louis area at the end of 2024 is raising concerns. Pedestrians hit near the iconic Ted Drewes custard stand have led the St. Louis TV news for several years now.

Vehicles mowing over pedestrians elsewhere in the St. Louis region have received less media coverage. A hike in pedestrian deaths in the Webster-Kirkwood area at the end of 2024 is grabbing attention with the new year of 2025.

 

• A pedestrian, age 73, was struck and killed on Manchester Road in Des Peres on the evening of Dec. 7.

• A pedestrian, age 56, was struck and killed on South Geyer Road in Sunset Hills on the evening of Dec. 14.

• A pedestrian, age 79, was struck and killed near Manchester Road in Glendale on the evening of Dec. 27.

The recent spate of pedestrian deaths has sparked a debate on traffic safety issues in the letters pages of the Webster-Kirkwood Times. Although at times contentious, the discussions are focused on a common goal of reducing fatalities and injuries.

“From my study of these deaths, there are a number of common threads,” said Michael Carmody of Safer Streets for Kirkwood and St. Louis County. “These accidents happened at night and the lighting was poor. There were no visible crosswalks. Apparently, there were no witnesses.”

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Posted on January 19, 2025 in Home

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Victim of River Treachery: Steamboat Wreck, The Arabia, May Be Headed To St. Charles

By Don Corrigan

Mark Twain, an experienced steamboat captain, said rivers are not so glamorous as people often think. In fact, Twain insisted that rivers were treacherous – and not at all to be trusted.

While plying the Mississippi River, Twain saw many boats bottom out, get caught in snags, run aground in swift currents when attempting to round bends. More than 250 steamboats are estimated to have sunk on the Mississippi River during the 19th century.

Like the Mississippi, the Missouri River has had no loyalty to anything other than the whims of nature. It has changed course overnight and left ports high and dry. It has flooded farmland and destroyed an entire harvest.

More than 300 steamboats sank in the Missouri River in the 19th century, between Omaha, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri. The Missouri was known as a steamboat graveyard, and most of the boats sank after striking snags.

A steamboat wreck on the Missouri River that has become famous among Midwesterners is the sinking of the Arabia. Two riverboat authors from St. Louis found this out when they penned an account of river wrecks.

Vicki Berger Erwin and James Erwin, discovered the notoriety of the Arabia when researching and writing their 2020 book, “Steamboat Disasters of the Lower Missouri River.”

“The first question anyone asks when they hear we have written a book about steamboat disasters is: ‘Have you heard of the Arabia?’ We have,” said James Erwin.

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Posted on January 12, 2025 in Home, Opinion

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Powder Valley Nature Center: An Evening with Raptors Jan. 24

Photo: Courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

Bird buffs, falcon fanciers, and anyone enraptured by raptors is invited to meet the objects of their admiration during this year’s An Evening with Raptors event.

The annual An Evening with Raptors hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center will be held again this year on Friday, Jan. 24 from 7 – 9 p.m.  The event is free, open to all ages, and offers both in-person and virtual participation options.

Falconry is the art of training raptors—birds of prey like hawks and falcons—to capture wild game, so that bird and trainer essentially become hunting partners.  It’s an ancient sport that goes back thousands of years, and you can learn about it at An Evening with Raptors event.

“Several area falconers will gather to offer the rare chance to observe and learn about these fascinating feathered hunters,” said MDC Assistant Nature Center Manager, Robyn Parker.  “They will also explain how those interested can get started in this age-old sport themselves,” she added.

Powder Valley will open at 6 p.m. for this event.  Visitors can tour the exhibits and explore educational stations, including a biofacts table to learn about Missouri’s birds of prey. They can create a take-home bird of prey craft and also meet members of the Powder Valley naturalist team.

The main presentation will take place at 7 p.m. in the nature center’s auditorium.  Afterward, visitors can meet the falconers and see their live hunting partner birds up-close in the classrooms.  The falconers will display their falconry tools, hoods, and other equipment, and visitors will also have the chance to ask them questions.

Alternatively, participants may opt to attend just the main auditorium presentation virtually.

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Posted on January 5, 2025 in Home, Local Events

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Atomic City Update: STL Region Can’t Wake Up From Its Radioactive Nightmare

Groups like Just Moms have advocated for radiation warning signs along contaminated creeks and streams – signs similar to these warning residents to stay out of the West Lake Landfill area.

By Don Corrigan

St. Louis has been dubbed “Atomic City” by environmental organizations across the country. And, in 2024, the St. Louis region once again got the short end of a poisonous radioactive stick due to its U.S. atomic legacy.

The nation’s atomic bomb builders have used portions of St. Louis City and County, as well as St. Charles County, as guinea pigs and as sacrificial lambs, for nuclear weapons programs dating back to World War II.

As Environmental Echo has previously reported, there has been plenty of political posturing, plenty of statements from government agencies, and plenty of nothing getting done. It’s been going on for decades with the radioactive contamination left here from America’s atomic bomb program.

In 2024, there has been plenty of talk about more testing for radioactive contamination at new land sites, more talk about testing groundwater for contamination, more talk about testing backyards and physical structures.

In 2024, there also has been plenty of talk about posting more “Danger Signs” at creeks and streams. Kids have been playing and hiking along contaminated waterways – without even the “Band Aid” of warning signs – for several generations.

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Posted on January 5, 2025 in Environment, Home, Opinion

Polar Bear Nightmare? More Record-Breaking Warmth In St. Louis In Year 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024 | Leave a comment

by Don Corrigan

When St. Louis saw its first fall freeze Nov. 26, residents thought the winter season had finally arrived. However, temperatures below 32 degrees have been scarce since Thanksgiving, and 2024 may be the hottest year ever.

Nationally, 2024 will be the hottest year in America since record-keeping began. The Year 2023 was recorded as hottest previously. Climate change is at work, according to scientists, and 2025 also is shaping up to be hot, hot, hot.

Jared Rennie, a research meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told NPR after Christmas this year that records for heat have been falling left and right.

“The last 10 years, most if not all of them are in the Top 10 as hottest,” Rennie noted. “So, we’re all pretty much clustered – all the recent years are pretty much clustered as the warmest on record.”

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Posted in Environment, Home, Opinion

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Happy Birthday To Us! Environmental Echo Eyes Its Future On 10-Year Anniversary

How many blogs last 10 years? Or even one year?

Statistics show the average life of a blog is less than two years. There are literally hundreds of millions of abandoned blogs on the worldwide web. In 2023, there were 600 million active blogs worldwide.

If each of those blogs had as many hits as EE has had over its 10 years, we would be talking 36,000,000,000,000 hits. Environmental Echo is happy to report it will celebrate 10 years this October! Hurray for us! The blog started as a class project in an environmental communications class at Webster University in October 2014.

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Posted on December 29, 2024 in Home, Opinion, Outdoor/Nature

Montauk State Park Remains Closed Due to Flood Cleanup

Posted on December 23, 2024 | Leave a comment

Montauk State Park will be closed to guests until at least Feb. 21, 2025. Park crews are actively assessing safety concerns and addressing damage to park infrastructure caused by early November flooding. The extent of the destruction and the work required to reopen the park is substantial.

While the park remains closed to the public, the Missouri Department of Conservation announced that winter catch-and-release trout season at Montauk State Park has also been cancelled. Winter catch-and-release trout season remains open at Roaring River and Bennett Spring state parks and Maramec Spring Park.

When heavy equipment use is complete, opportunities for volunteer cleanup efforts may become available. If you are interested in helping, please email dspvolunteercoordinator@dnr.mo.gov. Montauk State Park is located at 345 State Road 6670 in Salem.

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Missouri House Resolution: Environmental Editor Recognized For Books Published

Posted on December 14, 2024 | Leave a comment

State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-98th District, presented journalist Don Corrigan with a Missouri House Resolution recognizing his recent work as an author of pop culture books, all with an environmental component.

Author Don Corrigan of Environmental Echo was recognized at a Dec. 12 lunch event with a Missouri House Resolution recognizing his recent work as a writer of pop culture books – all with an environmental component.

Corrigan, who is journalism faculty emeritus at Webster University, was joined for the award presentation by teaching colleagues: Kit Jenkins, public relations; Barry Hufker, audio studies; Van McElwee, video studies; Art Silverblatt, media literacy studies; Kathy Corley, film studies.

Corrigan received the House Resolution from Missouri Rep. Deb Lavender, who represents the 98th District. The official recognition was signed by House Speaker Dean Plocher of Des Peres, who recorded its adoption on Nov. 8.

Rep. Lavender noted that Corrigan has served more than four full decades as newspaper editor of the Webster-Kirkwood Times; and as a professor of journalism for four decades at Webster University.

“Corrigan appears to have chosen a third career now as a prolific author of books and as a presenter and regular contributor to the national Popular Culture Association,” Lavender said.

“He has published five books in five years, including Amazing Webster Groves, which celebrates the town where he was editor-in-chief of the local newspaper for 40 years” Lavender added.

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Posted in Home