Getting Into Nature

SPECIAL BULLETIN: All those interested in the future of the Creve Coeur Park area should mark Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., on their calendar. That’s when the Maryland Heights City Planning and Zoning Commission will take up a rezoning move that could spell the end of the nature haven and wetlands area just west of the popular county park. In nature’s place, will come bulldozers ready to pave the way for strip malls and big box stores such as Wal-Mart.

Creve Coeur Park has long been a favorite site for sailors, rowers, hikers and bikers. The area will be forever changed if new zoning is enacted, changing the area from NU (non-urban) to MXD (mixed use). Wetlands which have served as a relief area for the flooding of the Missouri River will be used foolishly for commercial developments that will inevitably go under water some time in the next 10 years after a “500-year flood.”
Outdoors enthusiasts and environmentalists may want to joint the Maryland Heights Residents for Responsible Growth on Tuesday evening in the battle to save one of the few wetlands areas left in Missouri.In an August meeting on the development plans, more than 200 people showed up – most opposed to the development.

This is not just a West County issue. This is a battle that should have nature and outdoor advocates across the St. Louis region united and raising their voices. For more information, check out www.savecrevecoeur.com

1) We don’t need more building in a flood plain.

2) We have enough strip malls in Chesterfield’s flood plain.

3) Destruction of this wildlife habitat is unconscionable

4) Traffic congestion on Dorsett and I-364 will suck.

5) Rowers and sailors in lake area deserve better.

6) Hikers and bikers in lake area deserve better.

7) Build more park trails, not more mall pavement.

8) Save the last 5 percent of Missouri’s wetlands.

9) Keep Westport Plaza going; leave this area alone.

10) Nature spots are necessary for human sanity.

Kim Cuddeback and Glenn Changar

Many of us, including myself, cherish our time spent at Creve Coeur Park. Whether it is meandering around the lake on a squeaky yellow bike, admiring the skill and grace of the Saint Louis Rowing Club from atop the footbridge, staking out nesting waterfowl from a kayak or enjoying a sunset from the lake’s eastern shore… we all share memories of one of our county’s finest nature spots.

So you can imagine my dismay when I stumbled across the news that developers and city officials in Maryland Heights have plans to commercialize the very land where hundreds of birds and other species make their homes, not to mention one of the few natural treasures of our county where hikers, bikers, birders, rowers, sailors and anglers can escape from the rigors of daily life.

KIM CUDDEBACK says: “I grew up in Maryland Heights, and natural preservation is important to me. We are losing all our open space and wetlands. To lose such a massive part of it is disgusting.”

GLENN CHANGAR says: “We are not only concerned about the loss of this rare unspoiled land next to the largest natural lake in Missouri, but also of the additional problems that go along with it: increased traffic, destruction of wildlife habitat… Creve Coeur Lake is the jewel of Maryland Heights. We treasure it and do not want to see the area surrounding it destroyed in the name of progress.”

For More Information on the battle to protect the area known as Howard Bend at Creve Coeur Park go to: www.savecrevecoeur.com

DO WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER ONE OF THESE??

What do you think?  Should the wetlands area west of Creve Coeur Lake be left alone by developers? Or do you think we need more retail and office space to be built on this floodplain?

ALSO, We would love to hear your favorite Creve Couer Park stories? What do you think is the most scenic vantage point in the Creve Coeur Park Area -

- Waterfall at Southeast Access Area?

- Biking/Hiking Path along West Lake Shore?

- Sailing/Rowing Coves?

- Birding Area Southwest of Lake?

- The Canal and Mallard Lake portion?

- Bridge overlook near the boathouse?

- Other?

* PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS BELOW *

You don’t have to live on the banks of the so-called “River Despair” to take an interest in the fate of the Father of Waters, the River des Peres.

When French priests settled on its banks in 1700, they found it to be a gentle, natural stream with diverse flora and fauna.Today, residents using I-44 to cross from Shrewsbury to St. Louis over this waterway pay little attention to it, unless it’s brewing up a stench. So, what happened?

Can the River des Peres ever be restored to a semblance of its former glory? Those are the kinds of questions being asked by members of the River des Peres Watershed Coalition. And they are doing something to address those questions.

Many communities across America have revitalized their urban streams. Does St. Louis have the will and energy to do it for the River des Peres? What do you think?

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS.

1.    It’s a toxic eyesore.

2.    In stormy weather, it becomes an open sewer.

3.    It is used too often as a liquid trash dump.

4.    It raises a stink to shame the nostrils.

5.    It’s a safety hazard for children who play by the water.

6.    It could serve as a model for hydrology education.

7.    It could be a model recreation destination.

8.    It could be an urban haven for flora and fauna.

9.    It could be the region’s environmental miracle.

10.  It could be a source of pride for St. Louis.