The National Park Service has issued a press release announcing two public “open house” meetings “to give interested individuals and organizations an opportunity to learn about and comment on preliminary alternatives for the future management of the Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse (Jefferson National Expansion Memorial).” The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 5-8 p.m., in the Trolley Room of the Dennis and Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center (the historic Lindell Pavilion) in Forest Park; and Tuesday, July 1, 3-6:30 p.m., in the Old Courthouse, 11 North Fourth Street. You can read the rest of the press release HERE.

The Open Space Council has been actively involved in following and pursuing information regarding the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial ever since rumors and reports of possible changes in the management of the Memorial came to the surface. We will continue to keep a close eye on this issue, as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a valuable and important open space in downtown St. Louis. We encourage everyone to attend one of these meetings and make your voice heard.

In 1965, The Open Space Council was founded with the specific purpose of protecting lands of conservation interest. Many things have changed since 1965, and the field of land conservation has grown considerably. In order to continue to be an effective advocate for natural resources, we at the Open Space Council must continually educate ourselves on all the available tools out there for the protection of land. To that end, the entire staff of the Open Space Council recently attended a 4-day Land Trust Toolbox workshop hosted by the Land Trust Alliance at Pere Marquette State Park. The workshop was a thorough overview of some of the most important and basic elements of land protection such as negotiating a conservation deal, easement monitoring, and tax issues. In addition to our individual efforts, the Open Space Council is currently partnering with land trusts and other conservation organizations in Missouri to form a state-wide land trust coalition to share information and resources so that we can all grow in effectiveness together.

Local musicians have volunteered their time and talent for a new CD to benefit conservation efforts in the Meramec River Watershed. Members of the Folk School of St. Louis and Augusta Bottoms have created original music and lyrics inspired by their time on the Meramec River. The CD will be ready just in time for the world premier of the new documentary, Meramec River: Miracles and Milestones. Some of the music from the CD will be featured in the documentary, and on stage for the premier at the Sheldon Concert Hall. CDs will be available for purchase at the premier and following as a fundraiser.

We aren’t even into flood season yet, and the Meramec River has experienced one of the worst floods in recorded history. Thankfully, the water did not crest as high as was predicted, but thousands of people and miles of landscape were still affected by the rising waters. Now that the water is receding, we will be assessing the situation along the Meramec and looking for ways that we can help restore any areas that have been negatively affected. Our biggest cleanup event on the Meramec River, Operation Clean Stream, scheduled for August 23rd, will be especially important as the floodwaters are sure to have washed trash and debris into the waterway.

In the wake of this latest flooding of the Meramec, issues of new levees and flood control have once again come to the forefront. It is important to remember the role of greenways, buffers and open space in flood control. Without adequate open space to absorb floods, instead streets, homes and businesses are inundated as the water has no where else to go. The Open Space Council has renewed our commitment to work with individuals and with communities to conserve open space and work for a cleaner, safer Meramec River that all Missouri citizens can appreciate and enjoy.

To address the rising demands for energy, dozens of new coal power plants have been proposed throughout the country. Yet other factors such as the rising cost of coal, possible CO2 emission controls from Congress, and disapproval from citizens have caused the construction of 63 proposed coal plants to be abandoned in the last four years. The latest of these coal plants to be stopped was here in Missouri, 50 miles east of Excelsior Springs.

Nancy Southworth, a spokeswoman for AECI, told the Carroll County Commission on Monday that the cooperative had two main concerns: The cost to build the plant had increased from just under $1 billion to $1.7 billion, and regulations for costly carbon dioxide controls are being considered by Congress.

“This will force us to find other sources of generation,” she said. “We are looking at gas, energy efficiency, renewables, and we will look at nuclear. All of those are part of the mix.”

Read the whole story here.

According to two recent studies, both published recently in Science, increased production and use of biofuels created from crops such as corn and soybeans may actually produce greater carbon emissions than burning fossil fuels. The conversion of open space and forest land to farmland will actually create a carbon-deficit due to the loss of carbon storage and sequestration that comes from clearing the land.

Get the full story here.

Conservation Lobby Day 2008
Show Me Clean…Show Me Green

State Capitol
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Would like to learn more about the environmental issues facing Missouri’s legislature in 2008? Would you like to learn what you can do to make a difference.

Join the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Votes Conservation and the Sierra Club for Conservation Lobby Day in Jefferson City. Carpools are leaving from several different locations.

For more information and to sign up, click here!

One of our goals for 2008 at The Open Space Council is to improve communication with our members, partners, volunteers and the public that we serve here in the St. Louis region. We have come to realize that a dynamic and informative website is a necessary part of continuing to grow as an organization that connects with the community that it serves. Look for these added features to OSC’s website:

• *Weekly blog posts from OSC Staff and guest bloggers on topics relevant to OSC’s mission to conserve land and water resources
• *Event Calendar to keep you informed of ways you can get involved
• *The ability to make online donations or register to be an OSC member
• *Interactive features like the ability to comment on blogs, polls and surveys (coming soon!)
• *A redesigned Operation Clean Stream page with all the information you need to volunteer (coming soon!)

If you have any ideas that would improve our website, or if you notice any problems, please send me an email. We are excited for new projects in 2008 and we hope you will come along with us for the ride!

Amy Butz
OSC Executive Assistant