[lit-ideas] Re: Mark Twain National Forest
- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 23:17:43 EST
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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