Six state parks to close temporarily for managed deer hunts Dec. 12-13

Deer hunters will have an opportunity to harvest a whitetail deer in six Missouri state parks during managed deer hunts to alleviate deer overpopulations on Dec. 12-13. During the hunts, the parks will be closed to all visitors, except already approved deer hunters.  By law, state parks are established as wildlife refuges and hunting is not permitted except under special circumstances. These special hunts are being used as a resource management tool because the deer population is too large for the environment of the park and resources in the park are being damaged.

Managed hunts will be conducted Dec. 12-13 at the following parks:

• St. Joe State Park near Farmington
• Crowder State Park near Trenton
• Cuivre River State Park near Troy
• Pershing State Park near Brookfield
• Pomme de Terre State Park near Pittsburg
• St. Francois State Park near Bonne Terre

The hunts will be conducted following guidelines established by the Missouri Department of Conservation, which regulates hunting of wildlife in the state. Hunters who will be participating submitted special applications this summer for the Department of Conservation’s special managed hunts, which are held annually. Hunters were selected through a random computer drawing. Only those hunters who already have a special permit will be allowed to participate in the hunts. Missouri State Parks administers state parks and historic sites throughout Missouri. All other state parks and historic sites, other than the six mentioned above, will not be affected by the hunts and will remain open to the public. For more information on Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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Celebrate opening of new accessible fishing dock at Cuivre River State Park Oct. 29

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The public is invited to celebrate the opening of a new accessible fishing dock at Cuivre River State Park onWednesday, Oct. 29. Sponsored by Missouri State Parks, participants will have the opportunity to try their luck fishing in the 55-acre Lake Lincoln using the new, recently completed fishing dock. The project was made possible thanks to a generous donation by Toyota Bodine located in Troy, Mo.

At 2 p.m., visitors can attend a dedication ceremony that will be held at the park boat ramp, near the new fishing dock. At 2:30 p.m., visitors are encouraged to try their luck at fishing using the new dock. Park staff will be on hand to provide assistance. If you plan to fish, please make sure that you have a current fishing permit and your own equipment. This program is free of charge and open to the public.

Cuivre River State Park is located on Highway 147, just 3 miles east of the Troy/Highway 61 exit. For information about the event, call the park at 636‑528‑7247. For information about state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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Informational meeting scheduled at Cuivre River State Park Oct. 26

The public is invited to bring their ideas to an informational meeting on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Cuivre River State Park in Troy. The open house will be held at the Cuivre River Visitor’s Center at 6 p.m.

The meeting will include discussion of recent accomplishments at the park and projects completed by 2013 State Park Youth Corps workers. Park staff will discuss future plans and hold an informal question and answer session. Visitors are invited to share comments on the park and its facilities. This informational meeting is part of an ongoing effort by the Missouri State Parks to ensure that citizens have input on facilities and services offered in state parks and historic sites.

A visit to Cuivre River State Park is also a great opportunity to log miles as a part of the Governor’s 100 Missouri Miles Challenge. To celebrate Missouri’s distinction as the “Best Trails State” by American Trails and to encourage Missourians to enjoy the outdoors, Governor Jay Nixon and First Lady Georganne Nixon are inviting Missourians to join them in completing 100 Missouri Miles of outdoor physical activity by the end of the year.

For more information and to take the Challenge, visit 100MissouriMiles.com. Participants can also share adventures, post photos and learn about upcoming events by connecting with 100 Missouri Miles on Facebook and Twitter.

Cuivre River State Park is located 3 miles east of Troy on highway 47. Individuals requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements by calling the Cuivre River State Park directly at 636-528-7247. For information about state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Beach Closures in Missouri

Beaches at Watkins Mill State Park temporarily closed for water quality issues

For more information: 573-751-1010

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The swimming beach at Watkins Mill State Park, located northeast of Kansas City, has been temporarily closed for water quality issues, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The beach was closed Wednesday following the results of water samples taken Monday and will remain closed until subsequent sample results show the water at the beach has returned to Missouri State Parks and Department of Natural Resources standards. Samples will be taken again on Monday.

Lincoln Beach at Cuivre River State Park, located in Lincoln County northwest of St. Louis, reopened today after sample results met water quality standards.

The department samples the water at all designated beaches in the state park system weekly during the recreational season to determine suitability for swimming. The sample test results indicate a snap shot of the water quality taken at the beaches at a specific time; however, a single sample does not provide an overall sense of the water quality in the lake where the beach is located.

The beaches at two parks, Lewis and Clark State Park in Buchanan County and Trail of Tears State Park, Cape Girardeau County, remain closed for maintenance unrelated to water quality. Visit mostateparks.com for additional information.

Visitors to Missouri State Parks are able to sign up to receive free electronic notices about the status of state park beaches by visiting the department’s website at http://bit.ly/HlSnaG. In addition, visitors may continue to check the state park beach status on the department’s website at http://bit.ly/MoStateParksBeachStatus as well as mostateparks.com.

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Planned openings of Lake of the Ozarks, Cuivre River state parks’ swimming beaches postponed

Hermitage Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park temporarily closed

              JEFFERSON CITY, MO., MAY 25, 2011 – The planned openings of three Missouri State Parks swim beaches have been temporarily postponed and a fourth beach has been temporarily closed to the public following recent water samples that indicated elevated bacteria levels.

 The openings of the two swimming beaches at Lake of the Ozarks State Park and the beach at Cuivre River State Park, scheduled for this weekend, have been postponed. Hermitage Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park, which opened last weekend, has been temporarily closed.  However, the Pittsburg Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park remains open. Two boat ramps at Pomme de Terre State Park are currently closed due to high water levels.  Visitors may check with the park or the website for additional information on current closings.

The water at all designated beaches in the state park system is sampled weekly during the recreation season by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to determine suitability for swimming. Water samples are taken to check for E. coli, a common indicator species for bacteria. Samples taken Monday at the parks listed above indicated bacteria levels higher than those recommended for waters used for swimming.

            Higher bacteria levels are often associated with heavy rains that result in runoff from adjacent lands. Once tests indicate the bacteria levels are within the standard suitable for swimming, the beach will reopen.  All other facilities at these parks remain open and available to the public.

Information about current status of beaches is available on the website at http://bit.ly/MoStateParksBeachStatus as well as mostateparks.com. Signs indicating the status of the beaches are posted at the beaches as well.

            For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites and swimming beaches, visit mostateparks.com.