Bollinger County, Mo., landowner Michael Zahner and his company, Zahner Management Company LLC, will pay a $105,000 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Zahner and his company filled in portions of streams to build two lakes on his property without obtaining…
By Shawna Bethell When I moved from open country to the lush Missouri landscape, I quickly became aware of the many species of birds living in the tangle of green behind my home. Pulled into the ebb and flow of their presence and their migrations, I became fascinated by the instinct that drives them, the…
After the publication of James Fork of the White, we acquired this brochure with the photo of Jim Owen holding up a stringer of bass. It is not dated but it refers to Bull Shoals as “one of the best fishing lakes in the United States.” It also states that Owen can arrange five- or…
With spring showers come ephemeral pools, puddles, water-filled ditches and the high-pitched musical trill of a mysterious creature that awakens at dusk. Warm nights in late March mark the beginning of what becomes a beautiful thunderous chorus familiar to many by May. What angelic creature do we have to thank for such an ethereal welcome…
Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) continues to reach new milestones in its goal of expanding access to electric vehicle charging stations in the Show-Me State. Within Missouri’s share of the Volkswagen Trust Fund, about $6 million was made available for EV charging infrastructure installations. One of the first steps was to identify areas of…
Guests can once again book the cabins at Big Lake State Park, thanks to the park team and Missouri State Parks northern construction crew. The cabins closed in March 2019, due to major flood damage. Once repairs to the levee, which protects the park from flooding, were completed in summer of 2021, park team members began…
By James Tager Late last month, Missouri’s House passed a budget that would strip all state funding for public libraries — $4.5 million in total. Republican lawmakers say they are doing this to retaliate against a lawsuit by Missouri librarians, who hope to see a new law against “explicit sexual material” in schools — in…
A lifetime commitment to the Riverways for Darrel Blackwell By William Terry VAN BUREN, Mo. — Ozark National Scenic Riverways is a special place. Indeed, it boasts the first two protected rivers in our nation and some of the most spectacular natural and cultural resources found anywhere. But some of the most precious resources are…
