[lit-ideas] Re: Mark Twain National Forest
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 20:30:45 -0800
Marlena,
I do hope your forests are preserved and that no more land is sold. I enjoy
hiking and retired to the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains for that
very reason. However, I don't enjoy driving long distances; so I'm not
likely to make it to Missouri, but thanks for the offer.
Lawrence
_____
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 8:18 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Mark Twain National Forest
Hi, Lawrence,
Thanks for your post.
From the St. Louis Post:
"A map of the land proposed for sale will be published Feb. 28, Gill said.
Preliminary data suggest that at least 20 Missouri counties have more than
100 acres that could be sold. Most of the parcels are in southeast Missouri.
The largest tract, 268 acres, is in Stone County, in the southwestern part
of the state."
The big key in Missouri is that the land of the Mark Twain National Forest
is scattered in many of our counties--they didn't start collecting it until
so much of it was separated by private land. Still, having pieces of it not
TOO far way is nice for those of us who live in suburbia--we can get to the
middle of nowhere without it taking forever--or costing a fortune
I think Julie can correct me if I'm mistaken (she lives in Missouri, too),
but there are simply not too many places left in our state which really are
'isolated' ...
These acres being considered 'isolated' -- Some of them--are located in a
little town called Guthrie, MO--which is about 15 miles from the state
capitol, 15-20 miles from Columbia, MO and about 15 miles from Fulton,
MO--where the Churchill Memorial is... It's also not far from where I grew
up--I know people who live there.
Yes, there are farms around that area--but it is in a triangular spot of
three medium sized (kind of sort of large for Missouri <g>) and pretty
central in the middle from St Louis and Kansas City...
Part of my son's scout troop went hiking in that land during their
Thanksgiving Break--
We used to do that when I was in high school...I have great memories of
doing that.
From where we are, it's closer to us than Southern Missouri--though even to
go there, it's only about three to four hours.
To get to Southern Missouri from here--Most of the roads have
double-lanes--and then you get off of that state highway and drive maybe
about 10-20 more miles to get the State Forest ... The area where we go
canoeing (Ozark River--not a fast one but it's pretty) was extremely
busy--but a short distance away, you could go deep into the heart of a real
forest. On the way, though, lots of developments (lots of retirement
happening in Missouri--), small towns one after the other, etc. Missouri
has a lot of tourism and recreation--it's not near as dramatic as in our
Western States, but it is pretty sweet and we treasure what we do have...
Today a member of my staff was training a new branch person--who recently
moved to the Kansas City area from a little town called Republic, MO--down
in Southern Missouri. Not long ago, it *might* have been considered
isolated--she told us it now had a Lowe's in it.
The interesting thing is that *both* our senators -- even the one who rubber
stamps everything Bush does [which may cost him the upcoming election,
actually, since people are pretty frustrated with his policies right now]
are not in favor of what is being done.
Sure--call it isolated--there are not that many people who live in a
National Forest--but the areas in Missouri where it is located are very much
a part of our recreational areas that we visit ALOT.
Missouri is simply not that large--and it's population is growing steadily.
Even 'the Bootheel' and the Ozark area (mostly rural) are not isolated any
longer [we were talking today with a new employee at one of our branches who
came up from a little town called Republic, MO which *used* to be one of
those isolated and hard to manage areas--she said it even has a Lowe's.
Another friend of mine is in another of those isolated areas--he works for a
computer company and is able to work out of his home--and he does it in
Southern Missouri--was here not long ago and telling us of the businesses
that are in HIS small area.
Come visit our Mark Twain National Forest and I'll take you around! Besides
the canoeing and hiking-
From the GORP (outdoor recreation and parks website):
Missouri may have only one national forest, but what it lacks in quantity it
makes up for in quality. Mark Twain National Forest is a land of limestone
mountains of surprising steepness, clear-rushing streams perfect for
canoeing, and a diversity of plant life as remarkable as it is endlessly
interesting.
Wildflowers and wildlife is plentiful, making the forest popular with
hunters, trappers, fishers, and wildlife photographers and observers. Hikers
can pick and choose trails from one of the country's richest trail systems.
Lying mostly in the Ozark Plateau, Mark Twain is 1.5 million acres of
forested area that was once given up for dead after timbering operations
denuded these hills by the turn of the century. Careful stewardship has
brought the forest back to life, and the forest now holds some of the
Midwest's wildest, most remote land. In all, seven federally designated
wilderness areas cover 63,000 acres of the forest, including Bell Mountain
Wilderness in the St. Francois Mountains, one of the oldest landmasses in
North America.
Hike till You Drop
The short, sharp Ozark Mountains pack a surprising wallop, but the hardest
part of hiking in these hills is deciding which trail to take. Mark Twain
presents a tempting array of 742 miles of trail, including nationally
renowned gems like the 24-mile Berryman Trail, the 22-mile Ridge Runner
Trail, and the five-mile Crane Lake Trail in the Fredericktown Ranger
District. All three are classified as National Recreation Trails. Then
there's the 500-plus mile Ozark Trail, a sizable portion of which courses
through the forest. If you're inclined, hop on and keep going.
Come visit--bring the dogs.
Best,
Marlena in Missouri
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