Weldon Spring Conservation Area
Encyclopedia
The Weldon Spring Conservation Area, is a 8398 acres (34 km²) conservation area that is owned and managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation
. Located in St. Charles County, Missouri The area borders the Missouri river. The M.K.T. Trail
and Katy Trail State Park
, runs through the Conservation area, but are not considered part of the CA.
During WWII The U.S. Government acquired the land in order to build a munitions plant.
The area was given to the University of Missouri in 1948.
The Missouri Department of Conservation started acquiring land for the Conservation area in 1978.
cliffs overlooking the Missouri River
.
, which is part of the state park system.
site, and is currently being decontaminated. TNT and Uranium
processing were done on this site.
. Old bunkers for the storage of TNT dot the area.
Missouri Department of Conservation
The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Conservation Commission were created by Article IV Sections 40-42 of the Missouri Constitution, which were adopted by the voters of the state in 1936 as Amendment 4 to the constitution...
. Located in St. Charles County, Missouri The area borders the Missouri river. The M.K.T. Trail
M.K.T. Trail
The M.K.T. Trail is a recreational rail trail in Columbia, Missouri, that runs nine miles in the right-of-way of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Developed from 1982 onward, it is a spur of the longest rail-trail in the United States, the Katy Trail...
and Katy Trail State Park
Katy Trail State Park
The Katy Trail State Park is a recreation rail trail that runs in the right-of-way of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The nickname "Katy" comes from the phonetic pronunciation of 'KT' in the railroad's abbreviated name, MKT. The trail, widely known as the Katy Trail, is a Missouri...
, runs through the Conservation area, but are not considered part of the CA.
History
The area was named for John Weldon, who immigrated to the area in 1796. He acquired a 425 acres (1.7 km²) Spanish Land Grant.During WWII The U.S. Government acquired the land in order to build a munitions plant.
The area was given to the University of Missouri in 1948.
The Missouri Department of Conservation started acquiring land for the Conservation area in 1978.
Geography
The CA has an area of 8.398.49. The area has numerous limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs overlooking the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
.
Fishing
There are several small lakes and streams as well as the Missouri river; which provide fishing opportunities in the CA.Hiking
There are 29.5 miles (47.5 km) of hiking trails in the CA. This does not include the M.K.T. TrailM.K.T. Trail
The M.K.T. Trail is a recreational rail trail in Columbia, Missouri, that runs nine miles in the right-of-way of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Developed from 1982 onward, it is a spur of the longest rail-trail in the United States, the Katy Trail...
, which is part of the state park system.
- Lewis Trail - 8.2 miles (13.2 km)
- Clark Trail - 5.3 miles (8.5 km)
- Lost Valley Trail - 10 miles (16.1 km)
- Hamburg Trail - 6 miles (9.7 km)
Environmental Issues
The area is part of a superfundSuperfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site, and is currently being decontaminated. TNT and Uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
processing were done on this site.
Military Use
Portions of the Conservation Area were used by the Weldon Spring Ordnance WorksWeldon Spring Ordnance Works
Weldon Spring Ordnance Works was a U.S. Government-owned, contractor-operated facility in St. Charles County, Missouri, 55 km west of St. Louis. The site was originally operated by the Atlas Powder Company during World War II from 1941 to 1945 to produce explosives. The Atomic Energy...
. Old bunkers for the storage of TNT dot the area.