HERITAGE Newsletter of the Missouri Parks Association Post Office Box 30036, Columbia, MO 65205 Volume 34, No. 1 May, 2016 Susan Flader, Editor Parks Dodge Bullets MPA anticipated a rocky road in only the required 24 hours in ad- responded to alerts to write or call this year's legislative session owing vance, if that, and it is not always their own representatives about park to the furor over Gov. Nixon's unilat- clear which bills will be heard or if issues. eral creation of new state parks with hearings will be continued or re- The bills that garnered the most limited legislative consultation (see scheduled, so MPA's small corps of public attention, not only from sister Heritage, December 2015). It was volunteers—all of whom lead busy organizations but also in the media, very rough, up to the very end. But lives—found it challenging to keep were a bill allowing ATV use on the in the end, cooler heads prevailed, track of what was happening. Katy Trail by disabled people or and Missouri's state parks managed But we managed to have mem- those over age 55 (HB 2047) and to dodge the bullets coming their bers speak up for the park system bills mandating sale of lands ac- way. and talk with legislators at most quired for a new state park along the With a dozen or more bills hearings and during several citizen Eleven Point National Scenic River aimed at teaching state parks (or the lobby days, often assisted by mem- in Oregon County (three bills, in- governor) a lesson, plus cuts from bers of other conservation organiza- cluding HB 2187). The prospect of three different budget bills pertaining tions, such as the Missouri Coalition ATVs on the Katy Trail raised a fire- to parks, legislative hearings and for the Environment, Audubon Mis- storm of opposition from trail users, votes came at a dizzying pace in an souri, the Nature Conservancy, and especially after they realized those array of different committees in both the Sierra Club. And numerous with disabilities were already al- houses. Hearings are often scheduled members of MPA and other groups lowed to use battery or electric- powered vehicles and there are spe- cial tram tours available for the eld- Parks and Soils Tax Vote on November Ballot erly. Governor Nixon announced Monday, May 9, along the Katy Trail The provision for sale of the in St. Charles that the mandatory ten-year vote to renew the State Eleven Point parklands had a much Parks, Soil and Water Sales Tax will be on the general election ballot longer life, to the very last day. As it November 8. He had the option of placing it on an earlier ballot, but languished on the Senate informal chose the election with the largest number of voters. calendar, the sponsor, Rep. Robert Ross (R-Texas County), doggedly In each of the three most recent renewals—1988, 1996, and 2006— amended it to several Senate bills, Missourians voted more than two to one in favor of renewing the tax, including SB 682, which initially and we hope for a similar showing provided for public notification and this year. But with the turmoil over hearings in the counties affected by parks in the last two legislative ses- any proposed purchases of land by sions, some of which has been re- the state, and SB 986, relating to flected in the news media, the Citi- conveyance of state lands. But SB zens Committee for Soil, Water, and 682 died on the House calendar the State Parks will be ramping up the last day, and the Senate refused to usual campaign to educate the voters concur in the Ross amendment to SB and encourage support. All of us can 986, forcing the bill to a conference l to r: MPA President Steve Nagle, help. For more information, visit: State Parks Director Bill Bryan, Si- committee where the amendment https://soilwaterparks.com/ and was stripped out before the bill was erra Club Missouri Chapter Director watch for more information in the John Hickey and Governor Jay Nixon finally passed only a half hour before next issue of Heritage. at the announcement. the end of the session. (See "Bullets" on Page 5) Page 2 The Missouri Parks Association President’s Message by Steve Nagle: Seniors to Parks — One Year Later What a difference a year makes! Harkening back to our July 2015 Heritage, I announced a new program being de- signed to provide better access to state park experi- ences for senior citizens. The Seniors to Parks pro- gram, made possible by a bequest from Ben and Bet- tie Breeding of Kansas City, was launched last summer and has been met with overwhelming suc- cess and popularity! Our dedicated state park staff have done an identify the Breeding Fund and MPA as Seniors outstanding job administering the program, expanding sponsors. visit the from the original start-up concept based on MPA’s suc- plaza at cessful Urban Populations Outreach Program (UPOP) In other news, our MPA membership Lewis & for urban youth. This year the program is projected to continues to increase—the report for April Clark State provide 80 senior citizens from community centers and 2016 shows 3,230 members. As we con- Park. retirement communities in the Kansas City area with tinue to grow and offer programs such as outings to Weston Bend and Wallace State Parks, Bat- Seniors to Parks, UPOP, Poets in the Parks, our new tle of Lexington and Confederate Memorial State His- park book, and of course our unceasing advocacy ef- toric Sites, the Missouri State Museum, and an over- forts—all featured in this issue—we can anticipate night in a group camp at Mark Twain State Park. Six even more support and appreciation for our wonderful half-day Katy Trail tours via tram for a total of 150 state parks and historic sites. seniors will depart from Hermann, Boonville, and Se- dalia during the fall color season. And 125 seniors in the St. Louis metro area affiliated with assisted living or Urban Impact centers will be able to visit Washing- ton, Route 66, or Confluence Point State Deb Schnack sells Parks or First Missouri State Capitol or and Susan Flader Scott Joplin House State Historic Sites. and photographer These proposals for spring, summer, Oliver Schuchard and fall 2016 and other programs involv- sign books at the ing parks in other parts of the state, such official launch party for the new as Lake Wappapello, Prairie, and Knob state park book in Noster State Parks were whole- heartedly Columbia Feb 1. approved by the MPA board in April. The following Also exciting was the approval to pur- day, MPA and chase a “Seniors in Parks Tram.” The Missouri Life distributed copies of the book to all state legislators, and passenger tram is designed for easy during March and April more than 860 copies of the book were shipped to transport around the state behind any high school and public libraries throughout Missouri, made possible by authorized state park truck. This is a con- special donations from the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the L-A- forming activity because the Breeding D Foundation, the Missouri State Park Foundation, MPA, Missouri Life, Fund goal is "to provide support for the and Scholastic, Inc. The book is available for purchase from MPA at spe- cial events around the state, at most state park visitor centers, many book- transportation, assistance and supervision stores, and from publishers' websites: www.missourilife.com of our Missouri seniors and disabled for and http.parks.missouri.org (special price for MPA members). day and overnight trips." The tram will Page 3 The Missouri Parks Association UPOP Going Strong for 16 Years by Shirley Wolverson, MPA UPOP Chair “Imitation is the sincerest form Each UPOP, being unique in popu- practice of science and the arts to of flattery.” MPA's Urban Popula- lation, natural history, nearby parks, interpret and reflect on their experi- tions Outreach Project (UPOP) and organization, has developed its ences through creation of personal was founded in 2000 by Mary Ab- own program: portfolios of their writings and art. bott of Kansas City, a longtime Kansas City: Undergirded by Joplin has an amazing resource MPA director and president. She annual grants from the R.A. Long in the Wildcat Glades Conservation saw a great need for inner-city Foundation since 2010, the partner- & Audubon Center. The year 2016 youth to experience the wonders of ship of Kansas City UPOP with will be a special challenge following the outdoors and a sense of history Missouri State Parks and the Dis- last December’s floods, which im- through up-close-and-personal ac- covery Center has now begun to pacted a large portion of the prop- tivities in nearby state parks. develop a year-round program. erty; however, plans to bring 100- Abbott worked with the MPA More than 300 youths and 150 fam- 150 area youths from Boys and board, state park staff, and a local ily members participated last year in Girls Clubs to Wildcat Glades and coordinator she identified—initially events at Knob Noster, Lewis and Prairie State Park are in the works. Nan Leiter and for the next six years Clark, and Wallace State Parks as Past years have also included trips Shalonn "Kiki" Curls, now a Mis- well as Battle of Lexington State to Roaring River State Park. souri state senator and still an enthu- Historic Site. Columbia’s UPOP from the start siastic UPOP advocate—to design, In St.