ShareThis Saturday, September 24, is National Public Lands Day as well as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Many federal land managing agencies, such as national parks and monuments and US Forest Service forests celebrate with admission free days, and special events.

An area roundup follows:
National parks: Riverways does not charge an entry fee anytime. [...]

ShareNoblett Lake Temporarily Closed, Effective August 31, 2011
AVA, Missouri – Mark Twain National Forest is temporarily closing Noblett Lake to the public, effective August 31, 2011.
Law enforcement investigators are looking into the discovery August 17, 2011 of loss of all the water at Noblett Lake, located south of Willow Springs, Missouri in Douglas County.

ShareThe 9th Missouri Confederate Sharpshooters reenactors take their Missouri history seriously.
Traveler Extra by Jo Schaper
Just ask Mrs. Helen Wright, originally of Leasburg, now living in Cuba. I’ve never met Mrs. Wright, (hence, no photographs) but she must be a powerhouse. As the 74-year-old co-chair of the Battle of Leasburg, all roads seemed to lead [...]

Shareark Twain National Forest law enforcement investigators are looking into the August 17, 2011 discovery of loss of water at Noblett Lake, located south of Willow Springs, Missouri.
Mark Twain National Forest Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs District Ranger Jenny Farenbaugh said the lake flow gate will remain open so fish can survive and move down stream to [...]

Share Mark Twain National Forest has partnered with Kinsail Corporation for on-line purchasing of permits and passes available for forest visitors.
ATV/motorcyle and mountain bike permits for riding at Chadwick and Sutton Bluff ATV and Motorcycle area are now available online at http://www.marktwainpermits.com/. The $7.00 daily permits can be purchased and printed on your home [...]

ShareMark Twain National Forest June 10-12, 2011 will offer two days of free day use and two free nights of camping at eight Missouri campgrounds.
Free camping is being offered in unreserved campsites both Friday and Saturday nights, June 10-11, 2011, and free day use is being offered at unreserved sites Saturday and [...]

ShareHere’s some good news for fans of Marble Creek Campground. A Perryville couple, James and Doris Rehkop, have been awarded five-year concessionaire contracts to manage Marble Creek Campground and Silver Mines Campgrounds, both on Mark Twain National Forest’s Potosi-Fredericktown Ranger District.
For the past four years, Marble Creek was managed by Friends of Marble Creek Campground, [...]

Share(Sidebar story to Mark Twain National Forest Seeks Concessionaires. From our March print issue.)
by Jo Schaper
Each of the 14 campgrounds under concession consideration has different stories. Two of the campgrounds included of particular interest to readers are Marble Creek and Markham Springs.
Marble Creek was threatened with closure in 2007 when Bob Sliger [...]

Share(Special from our March Print Traveler. If you like these sorts of in-depth stories: Please Subscribe! Subscriptions are the engine that make these stories possible.)
By Jo Schaper
Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is seeking to more than quadruple the number of concessionaires providing service in popular campgrounds across southern Missouri this year.
“We’re [...]

ShareThe Missouri Department of Conservation has experienced enormous successes in the past and many of these successes resulted from a constant and secure flow of funding. The funding flows from a perpetual sales tax approved decades ago.
This structure has allowed the department to achieve significant accomplishments in the past, and that is the problem, [...]