State Park Links
Long time park supporter Eleanor Mitter passes away
FoRB member Eleanor Mitter passed away on May 18th. Together with Meredith Donaldson, she helped develop and provide our signature Nature Detectives program, a summer program for pre-schoolers and their caregivers that shows them how to enjoy the outdoors together.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to Child Development Center at Columbia 1st First Baptist Church, or the American Cancer Society are suggested.
Rock Bridge Renewal a Success!
Our semi-annual Rock Bridge Renewal resulted in :
- Removing 1000+ honeysuckle plants
- clearing out 2 patches of wintercreeper
- 300 to 400 feet of old fencing
- picking up 7+ bags of litter
Parkside Development Request Withdrawn
Parkside was a ~60 unit subdivision proposed for property on the north east corner of the Park, alonside north east loops of Deer Run Trail. The plan has about ten times the density of current residential development bordering the park. In addition, individual properties run up against the park boundary (though the developer has added a berm between the back yards and the park).
The location of the subdivision relative to the park.
FoRB opposes this plan because it
- harms the ecological integrity of the park by changing stormwater runoff, and by the potential introduction of predatory cats and dogs and non-native, possibly invasive plants right next to the park;
- will interfere with the use of tools used to maintain a stable ecological community, like managed deer hunts and managed burns;
- will negatively affect the aesthetic experience of park visitors becaus of the close proximity of buildings, people and their activities; and
- it sets the stage for future development in the area, if this intensity of development is allowed here, there is no reason to deny it in other properties bordering the park.
The owner of the property requires it to be rezoned from agricultural to residential land by the city for the subdivision to be built. The rezoning request was rejected by the Planning and Zoning Commission by 8 to 0.
The development proposal was withdrawn as of May 30, 2013 - stay tuned for future developments
Council Agenda - http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/CMS/webcal/event.php?id=2240
Council Members -
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Council/Meet_The_Council/
About the Park
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is a 2,273-acre Missouri State Park with more than 15 miles of hiking and bicycling trails, an extensive cave system, an equestrian area and an orienteering course. The park was founded in 1967 and is named for the naturally occurring "rock bridge" due to the area's karst topography, and as a memorial to local child, Carol Stoerker, whose parents played a major role in raising funds to purchase the land for the park after her death in 1961.
The Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (FoRB) is a membership supported 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 to promote understanding, appreciation, enjoyment, and preservation of the natural and cultural resources of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and to aid in the protection of the park.
FoRB works with and supports Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, but it is a separate entity. Be sure and visit the state park homepage for Rock Bridge Memorial State Park for information on directions, map, hours, events, programs, special features and trails.
FoRB organizes community outreach to promote the park, stewardship activities to remove litter, old fencing and invasive plants, family oriented programs that complement park programs, fundraising for specific educational projects and representation of park concerns on local issues that affect the park.
Special from the 2010 Summer Nature Detectives Program
Special for March 2010: Superintendent Jim Gast's Photo Essay of the Gans Creek Wildlife Area
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June 2013
- June 2013 Newsletter: President's Column - Parkside withdrawn, fundraising for UPOP and Nature Detectives.Superintendent's News - State Park Yough Corps.Parkside withdrawn; Naturalist News - Measuring success
- June 2013 Board Meeting: Monday, June 17, at 6:30 pm at the Park Office, Lower Level. Agenda items: Hickam Cabin, Solar Power at Rock Bridge Mills, Fundraising for UPOP and Nature Detectives
- Upcoming FoRB Events
- None scheduled at this time
- Upcoming Park Programs
- Read the State Park Funding Coalition's document on funding state park improvements
- Donate to state parks