News Release No. 407

CEREMONY MARKS OPENING OF NEW BOARDWALK
AT VAN METER STATE PARK

Volume 33-407

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 3, 2005 -- A ceremony on Oct. 15 will mark the opening of a new boardwalk trail at Van Meter State Park near Miami, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the small shelter house near the trailhead and the public is invited.

The .75 mile-Oumessourit Wetland Boardwalk Trail provides access to the 300-acre Oumessourit Natural Area. This area is a natural remnant of the Missouri River floodplain and features a freshwater marsh, fens, and bottomland and upland forests, which support common and rare plants and animals. The natural area is also associated with significant archaeological resources, including the former Missouri Indian village or Utz site.

During the ceremony, officials from the park and the department will explain the significance of the area's natural and historical resources. Refreshments will be served. Following the ceremony, interpreters will be stationed along the trail to explain the various features to visitors. Exhibits along the trail also provide information about the natural area.

The boardwalk trail was funded in part by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Wetland Protection Grant. Additional funding was provided by the Department of Natural Resources through the parks-and-soils sales tax.

The Oumessourit Natural Area is part of a statewide system of natural areas that preserve the state's most outstanding native landscapes. The name Oumessourit comes from the French spelling of the word used by the Illinois Indians for the inhabitants of this area. Missouri Indians lived in this area from the 1400s to the 1700s, and the name was passed on to the river, the territory and finally the state.

Van Meter State Park is located 12 miles northwest of Marshall on Highway 122 in Saline County. For more information about the event, contact the park directly at 660-886-7537 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit www.mostateparks.com.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.

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