News Release No. 447

SCHOOL KIDS JOIN MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON PARK RESTORATION INITIATIVE

Volume 33-447

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 26, 2005 -- More than 100 students from three St. Louis schools will join the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Nov. 1-3 to help with the restoration of one of Missouri's newest state parks.

The goal of the restoration at the Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones-Confluence Point State Park, located at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in West Alton, is to create a natural floodplain reminiscent of what explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark might have witnessed in the area more than 200 years ago.

The restoration project includes the planting of 900 trees representing three species native to the area. Students will plant trees throughout the three days. Staff from the department's Division of State Parks will plant any remaining trees.

Fifth-grade students from Loyota Academy, an all boys school in midtown St. Louis, will begin the project on Nov. 1, followed by Mark Twain School, located in North County, on Nov. 2, and New City School, located near Forest Park, finishing the project on Nov. 3. Upon arrival to the park, the students will learn about the importance of bottomland forests, rivers and watersheds. Following the educational component, the student's will experience the hands-on, hard work involved in the success of the restoration project by planting trees. The students will have a hand in a restorative initiative that will be there for many years to come and can look forward to visiting the park as adults to see the trees they planted and the overall result of their hard work.

The tree-planting project is one of the steps being taken in the restoration project for the 1,118-acre park. Pin oak, swamp white oak and pecan trees will be planted on high areas of the park that do not flood so much. Other, low-lying areas of the park will be allowed to regenerate naturally to willows and cottonwoods, while bottomland prairie will be planted in flat areas with heavy clay soil. Eventually, the park will be restored to a mix of forests, prairies and wetlands, much of what existed in the confluence region at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones-Confluence Point State Park is located at 1005 Riverlands Way in West Alton in St. Charles County. For more information about events at the park, contact the park directly at 636-899-1135 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 about state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of upcoming meetings and events in the state park system, visit the online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.

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Editor's Note: The students should arrive after 9 a.m. each day and be there through mid-day. The educational component will be held first, followed by the actual tree planting.