Preservation

FoRB advocates to preserve the park and its’ valuable eco systems by educating the public and our elected officials about critical park issues like urban development, climate change and invasive species. We strive to illustrate how these issues affect the Park. Rock Bridge is an ecological gem that shares space with a growing community. The park is visited by over 1,000,000 visitors each year. It is vitally important that we all strive to protect and preserve this beautiful and valuable resource here in the Columbia community.

If your group or club would like to have a representative from Friends of Rock Bridge speak at one of your events, please email us at friendsofrockbridge@gmail.com.

Development Pressure on the Park

By far, the greatest threat to the park and its’ sensitive ecosystems, is development pressure from growth in and around the City of Columbia and Boone County. As the city and county grow, developers are looking at the farm fields surrounding this eco-sensitive 2,300-acre oasis as potential sites for new suburban neighborhoods. This kind of dense urban development next to the park and in the park’s watersheds like Bonne Femme, Gans and Clear Creek are an underlying driver of issues with water quality, invasive plants, and free-roaming pets impacting the park.

In the last 15 years, FoRB, our other park neighbors and park supporters have engaged and spoken out on the potential impacts of several developments surrounding the park. These include Parkside Estates in 2013, Canton Estates in 2020-21, and the Pierpont General Store. Our goal is to promote ecologically responsible development that minimizes its environmental impact on the park. FoRB monitors activity in the area and with your financial support, we speak out when we see that proposed development projects may have a negative impact on the park.

Global Climate Change

Slower moving, but no less threatening, global climate change will affect average temperatures and rainfall in central Missouri. These climatic changes will affect the kinds of plants and animals that can survive and thrive in the park in ways that are hard to predict. We seek to educate the public when possible, about this topic.

Invasive Plants

Many species of invasive plants are moving into the park from the surrounding areas. Invasive plants are “Non-Native” species imported to the area. Invasives do not have natural enemies or other control factors to keep them in check here in Missouri. Unchecked, these invasive plants will crowd out and eventually replace the native plants in the park. With native plants gone, the animals that have evolved to be dependent on them are at risk of disappearing as well.

Invasives prevalent in RBMSP include: Japanese Bush Honeysuckle Japanese Vine Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, California Privet, Wintercreeper, Bradford/Calary Pear, Burning Bush and Garlic Mustard.

FoRB organizes two stewardship days a year to remove invasive plants and we work to raise awareness of the impact these species have on the well-being of native plants and animals in the park.

Free-Roaming Pets

In general, close encounters between wildlife and pets end badly for either the wildlife or for the pet. Unleashed dogs can disrupt ground nesting birds and other wildlife, even if they don’t harm them. They can also affect park visitors by acting aggressively towards other leashed pets, children, and sometimes adults.

Outdoor cats in homes around the park, at least in the densities found in suburban neighborhoods, can injure and kill significant numbers of birds and small mammals.