Work begins on Schell-Osage Conservation Area
Apr. 26—A project that has been in the planning stages for years kicked off construction this week.
The Missouri Department of Conservation broke ground Monday on a $6.4 million pump station at the 8,635-acre Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon and St. Clair counties.
Schell-Osage is known for its wetlands and waterfowl hunting, but also has upland forest, prairie and restored grasslands. Popular activities include waterfowl, deer and turkey hunting, as well as fishing, birding and more.
Some of the goals outlined in the plan include continued management of the area for migrating waterfowl, which will involve filling managed wetland pools for the benefit of wildlife each fall.
More than 1,400 acres are seasonally flooded to provide habitat for waterfowl, shore birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife, according to MDC.
Other goals include restoration of wet bottomland prairie communities, minimizing and reducing the spread of invasive species, and managing grassland through the use of fire, herbicides and other tools.
Waterfowl hunting, deer hunting, bank fishing along the Osage River/Osage Arm of Truman Lake and fishing at Schell and Atkinson lakes remain some of the top public-use priorities,
In a statement, MDC said the pump station is the first phase of wetland and lake renovation and will improve the area's wetlands for a wide variety of waterfowl, shore birds and wading birds, and it will ultimately improve Schell Lake for fishing.
Representatives of Ducks Unlimited were at the groundbreaking, along with Mark McHenry, a conservation commissioner, and MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. Other key partners include the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative, Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, Greater Ozarks Audubon Society and Missouri Birding Society.
"Schell-Osage has been a great resource for many people," Pauley said in a statement. "This first phase involving the pump station in combination with the wetland and lake phases will help ensure that it continues to be a treasured resource into the future."
Some of the area's lowlands are in the upper end of Truman Lake, which means extreme weather and high water at the lake have caused repetitive and expensive flood damage to area levees.
The permanent concrete pump station will draw water from the Osage River arm of Truman Lake, replacing water drawn from Schell and Atkinson lakes as well as portable pumps in Truman Lake, which were less efficient, safe, and reliable. The pump station will give managers better control of wetland pools during autumn and spring waterfowl migrations, and it will reduce water level fluctuations in Schell and Atkinson lakes.
Project managers plan to have the pump station phase completed by the winter of 2025.
Construction will prompt closure of public access to wetland pools C, D, E and F. The A pool will likely remain open for self-registration and walk-in hunting this autumn. As the construction footprint expands for all three phases of the renovation, there may be closures of other areas.
In coming phases, a redesign and rebuild of wetland levees will be at angles more in line with natural hydrology. They will use natural high points as anchors and be built with natural contours less prone to damage from flowing floodwater.
The number of waterfowl hunting positions will be retained, and the new concrete hunting blinds will be built into mounds that will blend better into the landscape and can also function as habitat for wildlife.
MDC also said the Schell-Osage project is the final one in its Golden Anniversary Wetlands Initiative to improve the state's five oldest wetland management areas.
