REFORM - The Missouri Department of Conservation is seeking input on its plan to manage Reform Conservation Area, according to MDC officials.
The public has until Oct. 31 to submit comments on the MDC's management plan.
Reform Conservation Area includes 6,726 acres in the southeast part of the county, near the Ameren nuclear plant. The MDC has leased the land from Ameren Missouri since 1975.
Every 15 years, the department revisits management plans for its conservation areas to address various needs and challenges.
The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri.
The MDC has developed a draft of a management plan for 2018-32, which can be viewed at bit.ly/2xYy4Fd.
MDC will consider all ideas and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife and people, officials said.
Reform Conservation Area includes four fishing ponds, 20 ponds without fish, wooded areas, glades and agricultural areas. The plan focuses on preserving and maintaining the various habitats and resources.
"Reform Conservation Area is managed to display areas of agricultural production and to promote diverse grasslands, glades, woodlands and forests," according to the plan's overview. "The protection of the area's existing soil, water, cultural, plant, and animal resources is the highest priority."
The management plan is divided into four major sections: terrestrial resource management, aquatic resource management, public use management and administrative considerations.
Items include curbing invasive species of plants on land and in the water. Rather than major changes, many have the goal of maintaining current conditions.
Perhaps the biggest single objective is establishing a riparian corridor of trees along streams in the conservation area. A riparian corridor is the strip of vegetation along either side of a stream. It serves functions like providing habitats and shelter for the stream's denizens and slowing erosion.
MDC proposes establishing 100 feet of riparian corridor on either side of all streams in the conservation area.
"(MDC will) plant native bottomland tree species or use natural regeneration along streams, where needed, to widen the existing riparian corridor to a more functional and protective width," the document states.
This project may rely on federal funds,.
Other goals include enticing the public to visit the conservation area by maintaining area signage and infrastructure, promoting uses of the land and updating area information in the online database and brochures.
Comments can be submitted at bit.ly/2fJDeLg.