GREER SPRINGS MEASURE IS A WORTHY COMPROMISE

After several years of controversy and haggling, the bottom line on Greer Spring remains this: it is worth disagreeing about ... and ultimately worth agreeing about. And the deal that is made to protect the land and make its wonders available to mankind should be done right. We are pleased federal lawmakers, the landowner involved and other private interests have reached an agreement that will satisfy these requirements.

Many people who will read this have never seen Greer Spring or the peaceful property that surrounds it. For some, it is merely a controversy that never approaches resolution, an environmental issue vague and lost in rhetoric. However, it is important to understand this: Greer Spring is as majestic as land in Missouri gets. It is the second largest spring in the state, located in Oregon County, and feeds the picturesque Eleven Point River. The 6,900 acres proposed for purchase by the federal government is nothing short of breathtaking.

How could such a bucolic locale create discord? The argument plays itself out in a variety of ways, but it has to do with the philosophical gap between conservation and preservation. U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, in whose district Greer Spring is located and who fashioned the compromise introduced in Congress Tuesday, has long espoused a doctrine of careful stewardship of resources, making use of what nature has provided while protecting the land for future generations. Environmental groups support stricter limitations on the tract, proposing inaccessibility for all timber and recreational uses.

Emerson rightfully balked at such restrictions, which was in turn a sticking point in negotiations for government purchase of the tract. People in Oregon County, who have more reasons to protect the land than outside environmental groups, could use the jobs afforded by timbering and tourism. Greer Spring and 2,400 acres surrounding it will be part of the National Scenic River Corridor and untouchable to commercial interests. According to the legislation, the additional 4,500 acres will have public access along two existing roads, have hunting and fishing opportunities and have limited timbering. Mining will be prohibited.

The Missouri congressional delegation has lined up behind this compromise, and there is no reason to believe the $3.6 million purchase by the U.S. Forest Service will not be approved. (Landowner Leo Drey and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation should also be credited for pledging $500,000 each to make the purchase possible.) Congress should move ahead quickly with the Greer Spring measure. The land can be used and protected for posterity ... the two goals aren't mutually exclusive.