CONSERVATIONIST Vantage Point
July 2004 Volume 65, MISSOURIMISSOURI Issue 7 CONSERVATIONIST Vantage Point Behind the Scenes ave you ever wondered who takes care of all the facilities and infrastructure that are available to H you on conservation areas? Behind the scenes of the wonderful conservation programs and facilities you enjoy are many dedicated men and women playing a vital support role. These men and women are members of the staff of the Design & Development Section of the Conservation Department’s Administrative Services Division. They provide professional engineering, archi- tectural, and construction-maintenance services to the Department and the citizens of Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation owns or leases more than a thousand conservation areas located throughout the State. These areas contain nearly 500 miles of wetland levees, 75 shooting ranges, 500 boat launching ramps, 3,000 fishing lakes and ponds, 1,000 miles of roads, 2,500 parking lots, 3,000 buildings and other infrastructure, all of which must be maintained. Over the past few decades, the Department has focused on improving the conservation areas acquired as part of the “Design for Conservation” plan implemented with the passage of the 1/8th percent conservation sales Cliff White taxin 1976. The Department constructed nature centers, fishing lakes, wetlands, shooting ranges, fish hatcheries, electrical, and mechanical engineers, as well an archi- trails, river and lake public use access areas and associ- tect and drafting technicians, produce construction ated infrastructure so that that the public could make drawings of the design. better use of these areas. Also, the Conservation Department’s contract spe- In designing these public use facilities, the Department’s cialist and clerical staff have to prepare final contract Design & Development staff worked closely with resource documents for bidding, and contract supervisors would managers and biologists to acquire a good understanding ensure quality construction by the carpenters and heavy of the biological functions of a project.
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