News Release No. 504

ASSESSMENT BEGINS ON DAMAGE
TO JOHNSON’S SHUT-INS STATE PARK

Volume 33-504

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO., DEC. 15, 2005 – A team from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has begun an assessment of damage to Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park near Lesterville following yesterday’s failure of the nearby Taum Sauk Reservoir. Water from the reservoir flooded the state park around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The park will remain closed until further notice.

Preliminary reports indicate the majority of the damage was in the area adjacent to the East Fork of the Black River, which flows through the park. Extensive damage was reported to the superintendent’s residence, the campground, the park’s water plant and the boardwalk to the shut-ins, the park’s signature natural feature. The park store and office were flooded but are still standing.

The team will evaluate the impact from the flooding to the park’s natural and cultural resources, the park’s structures and infrastructure and any environmental issues. Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers and Doug Eiken, director of the department’s Division of State Parks, are touring the site today and meeting with the assessment team. Staff members from the department’s divisions of State Parks, and Geology and Land Survey, and the Missouri Department of Conservation are also beginning work on a natural resource damages assessment to the area.

Today, Department of Natural Resources officials will meet with local officials and representatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates the Taum Sauk Reservoir.

Department officials also are continuing efforts to support the park superintendent and his family, who lost their home in the flood. Jerry and Lisa Toop’s three children remain hospitalized in St. Louis.

Once the assessment of the park is complete, the department will have a clearer picture on what must be done to repair the park and cleanup effort will begin. Campers who have made reservations in the campground have been notified that their reservations have been cancelled, and full refunds will be made.

People interested in the status of the state park are urged to visit the department’s Web site at www.mostateparks.com. Any updates on the status will be posted on the Web site as well as provided through the media.

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park is one of the state park system’s most popular state parks. With approximately 8,550 acres, the park draws nearly 250,000 visitors yearly. Much of the visitation is concentrated in the area along the East Fork of the Black River, which was where the flooding impact was most significant.

For more information about Missouri state parks, call the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or visit the Web site at www.mostateparks.com.

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