Burningbird

St. Louis Post-Dispatch brought in its "All of you are embarrassing Missouri" spanking paddle, and it would seem all parties are going to behave. Nixon's office did issue a comment–it only received the investigative report on April 20th from the Highway Patrol. Now the Attorney General's office can proceed with facts in hand.

The Southeast Missourian is about the only site that actually covered Lt. Governor Kinder's visit. About the so-called Grand Masterplan:

Childers, in a letter sent Monday to Ameren, demanded the company immediately begin implementing a park master plan for redevelopment — something that Ameren contends goes beyond a mere restoration of the park. The plan, for example, includes a visitor center, a tourist overlook of the damaged area and relocated roads and camping facilities.

"We will restore the park to the original configuration without any settlement. But enhancements, that's when we think we need a settlement discussion," Voss said.

This is the first I've heard, at least, where the balking point is, and Ameren has a good point. It promised to repair the Shut-Ins after the breach, not invest in a whole new upgrade. As it is, there's been a great deal of disagreement about the Grand Plan. Yes, the public was given chances to comment on such, but commenting on the plan lasted only ten days and was more of a formality, rather than a true discussion. Now would be a good time to re-visit the "Grand Masterplan".

About the early opening:

The park reopened temporarily last summer partly so tourists could see the disaster area. But Ameren's plan for this summer could do more harm than good, said the department's deputy director, Kurt Schaefer.

"It would be the Griswold family vacation — people picnicking next to an aboveground sewage tank while it's being pumped out," Schaefer said. "You're talking about people who are going to have a bad experience and never come back there."

Now that is a very good point. It's also the first time we've had a chance to hear more of these details. More blog reaction here and here.

A lot of people acted silly with this, and used the DNR and this event to further political agendas. However, that counts little to the folks of Missouri when compared to a baseball player getting killed in a car accident. It's tragic when a young man is killed, but there's much about how this state is governed that is related to this story. It really is important news, but I guess it doesn't have that 'emotional' hook. Well, other than to people who love the park and the Ozarks.

I am sorry for the folks who love the area and Johnson's Shut-Ins, because it sounds like the rebuild plans are really mucking up both the park and the Ozarks trail. Hopefully over time, the park 'improvements' will eventually be truly improved and the Shut-Ins will once again be a jewel in Missouri's crown of wonders, and a delight to those who love her.

As for the personalities associated with this event, I guess as long as 'emotional' issues grab attention here in the "Show Me" state, the politicians needn't worry about being accountable for their actions.

I went to the Mingo National Reserve this week–the last bit of bottomland left in the delta region of Missouri's boot heel. It's full of cypress swamps, marshes, a river and a lake, and is an important breeding ground for migratory birds. If the sounds I heard were any indication, the number of species that inhabit the grounds must be enormous.

I walked one trail and the songs were so loud and diverse that I found myself spinning about, trying to identify even a few of the birds I heard. No matter where I went, my movement always triggered a rustle in bushes, leaves, or water. What was both tantalizing and frustrating is that I would only catch a glimpse of whatever moved: a black and white hint of a woodpecker wings, the shadow of a eagle overhead, a heron peaking out at me from the trees. Never, quite seeing the whole.

As I drove the auto tour–a rough twenty mile road open four months of the year– biting and stinging insects would immediately come in through the open windows whenever I stopped, which was frequently. When I started back up again, the insects were just as quickly gone–not before leaving a souvenir, or two. I didn't care, as it was a small price to pay to be surrounded by such mysteries.

I grew up in the Northwest, in a land full of white water rivers, huge open lakes, tall mountains, and vast fields. It is so unlike the small, secretive swamps and marshes unique to the south. There is no habitat that speaks to me more of being in the south than to walk in a cypress swamp, which is probably why I find them both compelling and disconcerting.

We rose from the depths of swamps such as these. They represent the last bit of 'original life', though the world's rush to make them useful is destroying most of them and their important cousin, the rain forest. The problem with the Mississippi delta is it's considered some of the richest farmland in the world. Deposits from the river overflowing its banks have built up a top soil that is literally feet deep in some places. However, with such richness is a price: the land is wet, boggy, swampy, and flooding is a natural part of the ecosystem.

Still, people persevered, and much of the original land where indians camped for over 12,000 years–to hunt and fish in the dense forests, the rich waters–is gone; replaced by neat hoed rows and small towns. Replaced until the Old 'Sip reminds us, from time to time, that we don't own the land on which we live.