It's no secret that 25 diverse environmental groups, ranging from the sportsmen-based Conservation Federation of Missouri to the urban Coalition for the Environment have endorsed a proposal for permanent wilderness status on nearly 50,000 federal acres of Southern Missouri, setting them off-limits to motorized use, road building and mining. The coordinating effort is called the Missouri Wilderness Coalition (MWC). The MWC is a working group, not an organization in itself.

"We're not asking for new restrictions," said Scott Merritt, spokesman for the MWC. "These areas have been managed conservatively for three decades, and we're just asking for that to continue." In 2005, a new Mark Twain Forest Plan removed Sensitive Area status from them. The MWC wants to see that restored permanently.

According to Merritt, none of the current uses of these areas would change under the proposal. The areas are currently closed to ATV traffic, and forest harvesting has been minimal and selective over that time. As far as he knows, there are no mining claims on any of the tracts. "Wilderness status would maintain the primitive hunting and fishing that goes on there now. I know every fall there are a group of hunters who camp on the edges of Lower Rock Creek for that reason - all that would go on as it has in the past."

Three of these tracts totaling approximately 23,000 acres lie in Southeast Missouri -- 3536 acres of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and 19,487 acres of the Mark Twain National Forest. This acreage is already government-owned.

The Lower Rock Creek tract (12,955 acres) and Van East Mountain (2020 acres) are just west of Fredericktown. The Big Spring tract (8048 acres) covers part of the old Big Spring State Park section of the Riverways, plus some Forest land to the west.

In order to draw boundaries for area maps, 146 private acres at Big Spring, 2075 acres at Lower Rock Creek, and 480 acres at Van East Mountain also end up within the lines. These are current in-holdings. They will not be taken or restricted against the will of the owner, and access to those properties will continue as they are now.

A Conservative Proposal

Merritt is originally from Boss, Missouri, where his grandfather lived and great grandfather founded the town. "I've got relatives in the forest industry in the area. These areas aren't harvested or mined now, and their withdrawal wouldn't affect the local economy. It's really a conservative proposal - keeping things as they are - and the local people appreciate that," he said.

At this writing, both U.S. Representatives Jo Ann Emerson and Roy Blunt, whose districts cover 6 of the 7 areas proposed statewide, are opposed to the proposal. A member of Congress is needed to introduce legislation. Public hearings would need to be conducted locally before any management changes are made. Emerson's office did not return a phone call on this topic.

Merritt disputes some of the public statements from Emerson's office regarding wilderness status limiting the ability of Mark Twain National Forest to manage the areas against fire or pests.

"We're looking forward to talking with Jo Ann about this," he said. "Somehow, she's been fed some skewed information. The Mark Twain will still have complete latitude to deal with forest fires, or other emergencies dealing with people's lives and property. They can bring in Bobcats, bulldozers and helicopters if needed. One of our current wildernesses has a prescribed burn plan. In twenty-five years, we've never had a big forest fire on any of the other Missouri wildernesses. And the Act talks about insects - it doesn't restrict the agency from dealing with them as it sees fit."

What Does the Act say?

If you're interested in this issue, either pro or con, read the law yourself. The Wilderness Act of 1964 is available online at wilderness.nps.gov/document/wildernessAct.pdf. It's short, and written in remarkable clear English. What you find may surprise you in its flexibility.

Designation as a wilderness area prohibits new permanent roads, operation of motor vehicles (motorboats and aircraft may be excepted if they were used prior to its designation) and mining. It does not require that a tract be roadless to begin with, only that those roads and tracks are unobtrusive, nor does it need to meet a 5000-acre minimum size, as long as the tract "is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition."

The Act says nothing about logging, except that "Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to be in interference with the purpose for which national forests are established as set forth in the Act of June 4, 1897." It specifically allows "such measures may be taken as may be necessary in the control of fire, insects, and diseases, subject to such conditions as the Secretary deems desirable."

Neither Lower Rock Creek nor Van East has geology suitable for commercial mining operations. Considering the furor which rises when deep mining is periodically proposed for the recharge area of Big Spring, chances that proposed wilderness there could be a viable mine site are slim at best.

Wilderness may (or may not) affect sportsmen.

Hunting, camping and fishing will continue to be permitted as they are. Horseback riding and horse packing are permitted in wilderness, according to Merritt.

"Hunting in a wilderness adds an extra challenge," he said. He added that with an official wilderness designation, more hikers, birders and other outdoors people would also be drawn to these areas, improving the economy of local towns as these visitors spent money locally.

He also has words of praise for the Mark Twain Forest. "There are plenty of good people working for them. They do an excellent job as forest managers on the wilderness we have now. I'm all for multiple use of the forest, and wilderness is one of those uses along with logging and mining. We're really not trying to change things. We're trying to keep things as they've been, and many of the local people understand that," he said.

For more information on the wilderness proposals, visit http://www.mowild.org, or contact a representative of one of the organizations listed there for a copy of a free handout called Wilderness in Missouri.

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