Protecting the Current River

When our natural resources and protected recreational parks are threatened, it affects the surrounding wildlife and the basic human compulsion to escape to the outdoors, our natural element.

For many, a trip to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways allows us to reconnect with Missouri's natural beauty. It is the weekend trip we daydream of for weeks and reminisce about years later.

But some special interests are using our public land as a reckless personal playground, creating illegal access points and trails for ATVs as well as E. coli contamination from horse waste.

The 130 unmanaged dirt paths leading into the river, many of which are illegal, push sediment into the water, erode the once stable banks and kill vegetation. Such degradation affects up to 70 state-listed rare and endangered plant and animal species, as well as two federally endangered species.

I am calling upon the director of the National Park Service, Jonathan Jarvis, to implement a solid management plan to safeguard the Current River, one of the nation's 10 most endangered rivers, and its tributaries to ensure the ecosystem is protected and remain a place of serenity for locals and day trippers alike to cherish.

REBECCA M. SCHRANZ, St. Louis