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. [...]

ShareCurrent River: Cedar Grove open, but portage at Cedar Grove low water bridge is now required after an incident on Monday.
Two Rivers and Sinkin Creek Accesses still closed. Lower Current still closed except for Headquarters visitor contact station and Big Spring Lodge, its walkway and parking lot.” That’s a direct quote. It sounds [...]

ShareRain lets up, sun shines for school field day devoted to water and water quality
By Jo Schaper
After one of the wettest weeks on record in the Shannon and Reynolds County Ozarks, with some students missing two days of school due to flooded roads, Mother Nature put on her finest spring attire for the National Park [...]

ShareThe effort to declare 13 Ozark counties as a Natural Heritage Area is over.
by Jo Schaper
In a news release issued late on March 13, Ozarks Preservation, Inc., a project of The West Plains Council on the Arts, and the Council itself announced that efforts to create an Ozark National Heritage Region (NHA) [...]

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Traveler doesn’t have an official position on redesigning the Arch grounds, but Jo does.
Although I’m older than the monument (just barely) my grandfather was working for Bi-State Development Corporation (now Metro, the people who run the trams) when it was finished in 1965, so it was a big weekly dinner table discussion.
“Well, we [...]

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It may be in the middle of St. Louis, but the Arch is probably the most recognizable landmark in Missouri. A few days ago on August 17, the National Park Service released the five finalist designs to revamp the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. They are available for view online at http://www.cityarchrivercompetition.org/
So why does the Arch [...]

ShareBy Jo Schaper
“Without bloodshed,” was one person’s answer to what he wanted to get out of the recent workshop of varied stakeholders to discuss the proposed alternatives in the new Ozark National Scenic Riverways General Management Plan.
That’s according to Doug Warren, Reynolds County Commissioner, who attended as a representative of the Current River Smallmouth Association. [...]