Open Space Council STL

Please join us for the 47th Annual meeting of the Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region and enjoy friends, great food, music, and the presentation of well-earned awards. 

Our second event of this spring Operation Wild Lands season took place this past Sat., March 31^st at Cliff Cave County Park in Oakville.  Working along with St. Louis County Parks, the Gateway Off-Road Cyclists, and some AmeriCorps volunteers, we were able to build a new section of trail in the park that can be enjoyed by hikers and bikers alike!  About 45 volunteers of all ages participated in the event, including students from Oakville Middle and Parkway West High.

Our first event of 2012 took place Saturday, March 10^th at Central Park in Chesterfield for the removal of the invasive plant species, Bush Honeysuckle, and replacing it with native tree species.  The event included 40 volunteers of all ages including Cub Scout Pack 387, Girl Scout Daisy Troop 4958, and Washington University’s Alpha Phi Omega (a service group).  The day began with Danielle giving a brief description to the volunteers about OCS’s mission and work, as well as OWLs' objective, and the difference between invasive and native species.

The volunteers were then divided into two groups.  The younger scouts, their parents, and troop leaders dug holes and planted about 30 native tree species.  Some of the native species included, PawPaw (Asimina triloba), Leatherwood (Dirca palustris), and American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana).  The second group of older volunteers used larger tools to remove the invasive Bush Honeysuckle.  They cleared a dense patch of Honeysuckle approximately 100 ft.² x 5 ft. tall.  Overall the event was successful and if you are interested in the progress that was made, check out our Facebook page to view photos of this event. 

Each year, the Open Space Council accepts nominations for The William C. Schock Clean Water Conservancy Award and the Open Space Council Land Conservancy Award.  Awarded annually, these awards are given to individuals, companies, corporations, or organizations that have made a significant contribution to the health and quality of the clean water resources and conservancy of open space in the St. Louis Region. 

Past awards have gone to The Missouri Stream Team Program, The Monsanto Fund, Missouri River Relief, and Missouri American Water for their clean water stewardship and dedication to preservation of open spaces in our community.  This year’s awards will be presented at the Open Space Council’s Annual Meeting to be held on June 7, 2012 in St. Louis.

St. Louis County Parks are no longer at risk of being closed, for now at least, but the Parks Dept. will be facing some layoffs.  The fight is not over just yet.  SAVE OUR PARKS bumper stickers and yard signs are now available at our office!  Give us a call at 636-451-6090 to let us know you're stopping by.  Our office is located at 135 W. Monroe Ave. in Kirkwood.

Our fourth Operation Wild Lands (OWLs) event was held last weekend, and we removed Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica L.) from Queeny Park in Ballwin.

Our second Operation Wild Lands (OWLs) event was held last weekend, and we removed Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica L.) and litter from Rock Hollow Trail in Wildwood.