EDITORIAL: Building on the legacy of earlier generations

Jul. 1—Sunday is our day to be thankful, and that includes being thankful for the work of earlier conservationists who challenged us to save the best rivers, protect and restore endangered wildlife, and set aside places to remain forever wild. One of our heroes is Harold Alexander, called the Aldo Leopold of Arkansas, who was one of the first to begin raising the alarm nearly 80 years ago about all that was being lost.

Tom Foti, another renowned Arkansas conservationist, told us not long ago that Alexander "is the godfather of conservation in Arkansas, going back really to the 1940s ..."

We've always thought it each generation's job to build on that legacy.

One Arkansas Congressman is doing just that. U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican, has introduced a bill that will add 2,215 acres to the existing Flatside Wilderness in Arkansas' Ouachita Mountains.

This is the second time he has worked to expand the wilderness; in 2019 he pushed through legislation to add 600 acres, bringing it to more than 10,000 acres.

The Ozark Society noted: "This is a big win for us."

Other supporters include Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Wilderness Society and more.

More good news

Speaking of building on the legacy of others ...

Last week, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced Missouri's 93rd state park.

The 47.5-mile Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail will become the Rock Island Trail State Park. While that stretch from Windsor to Pleasant Hill has been open for a few years, another 156 miles will be under development (currently closed to the public).

This is real win for Missouri.

It doesn't end there ...

Not all conservation depends on state and federal lawmakers and agencies. Groups such as the Nature Conservancy have done Herculean work protecting habitat and threatened places.

Last year, the work of the Nature Conservancy chapter in Missouri "was one for the books," including the purchase of 612 acres along Roubidoux Creek in Pulaski County. This is a tributary to the Gasconade River and "provides an opportunity to protect approximately two miles of riparian corridor and hundreds of acres of forest in the Roubidoux Creek watershed ... It even includes a cave adjacent to the Great Spirit Cave, a crucial spot for bats."

Also acquired was 270 acres adjacent to the Little Blue River near Kansas City and 169 acres near Columbia. "It has about a mile of Missouri River frontage, and we plan to conduct a high-quality restoration of natural habitats across the property."

We can continue to build on the conservation legacies of earlier generations by supporting candidates who understand the value of protecting water, wildlife and wilderness, and joining organizations like the Nature Conservancy and the Ozark Society.