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St. Charles, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to know what Missourians think about its nearly 1,000 conservation areas around the state. MDC is in the multi-year process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments. The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County is among the areas under review.
MDC is inviting public comment at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area to aid staff in developing a 10-year management plan for the area. Interested persons or groups are invited to bring their ideas to an open house, Tuesday, Oct. 14 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., including recreational users, neighboring landowners, conservation groups, elected officials and government agencies. The public is also invited to share ideas online now through Oct. 31 at mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.
The open house will take place on the area at the MDC St. Louis Regional Office located at 2360 Highway D in St. Charles. To reach August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area from Interstate 64, take Highway 94 south to Route D in St. Charles County. Then travel west 1.5 miles to the area. More information about the open house is available by calling 636-441-4554.
MDC staff will review comments as they develop a draft August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area management plan later this winter. The plan will be posted online this spring for an additional comment period, and will be available for viewing at mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. After considering all public comments, the final plan will be drafted, approved, and posted online.
The 6,987-acre August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area contains 3,000 acres of forest in addition to grassland, cropland, old fields, prairie, and wetlands.
Facilities/features include: boat rentals, picnic areas, pavilion, hiking trails, 43 fishing jetties, fishing docks, staffed firearms range, archery range, five viewing blinds, and a visitor center. The area also has 28 fishable lakes and ponds totaling 550 acres.
Conservation Area Management Plans focus on natural resource management and public use on conservation areas. The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. MDC will consider all ideas received and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife, and people.
Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into the area plan and on how to best incorporate them will be based on the property's purpose, its physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and state-wide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.
MDC conservation areas across the state cover almost one million public acres for the purpose of restoring and conserving forest, fish and wildlife resources, and for providing opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about these resources. Most Missourians are within a 30-minute drive of an MDC conservation area.
