by Yvonne Homeyer

ALERT! Weldon Spring forest in danger! A large tract of oak/history forest that includes Lost Valley Trail (near Busch Conservation Area) is slated by the Dept. of Conservation for numerous patches of clearcutting – 28 openings totaling 16 acres on a tract of land that is now unbroken canopy. This project necessarily entails miles of roads/paths leading to and from the 28 spaces that are to be clearcut. Although each clearcut is small (most under ½ acre), the effect of all these openings and the roads that have to be put in add up to extensive

FOREST DEFRAGMENTATION. The Dept. acknowledged that this is only the 2^nd time they have ever had a timber cut/sale in the St. Louis area. They also knowledged that other areas of the Weldon Spring tract will be slated for similar timber cuts in the future. On May 1, Dick Coles, Sue Gustafson, Jack Harris and I attended a lecture and site tour sponsored by the Dept. of Conservation to explain the project.

The Dept.’s reason for this plan (which also includes selective cutting and girdling of trees in addition to the clearcuts) is that this is an even-aged forest (second growth from the early 1900s) which needs to have patches opened up to the light so that young trees can get light and grow. However, as Leo and Kay Drey’s Pioneer Forest in the Ozarks proves, there are effective forest management techniques that can accomplish the same thing but with less harm to the land. Moreover, all these roads and openings benefit hunters by giving them access to an otherwise difficult terrain and making it easier to spot and shoot deer and turkey on the edges of the openings.

All money from the timber sale will go directly to the Dept. of Conservation, not the State treasury. The project will be contracted out to a private company. The Dept. has no control over where the timber goes, so it could end up feeding the chip mills that are operating in southern Missouri.

Why should we be concerned about forest fragmentation? Because the more edges, the more cowbirds. Songbirds, already on the decline from habitat loss and pesticide poisoning, are also in danger from cowbird predation. In a project such as this, forest fragmentation occurs not only from the patches of clearcuts, but also from the miles of roads that are needed to get equipment in and out of the forest. These roads will remain in place long after the timbercutting is done.

At the WGNSS Board Meeting on May 1, the Board members present expressed their concerns about this plan. We have time to voice our opinion. Please write a letter to: Mr. Michael Schroer, Busch Conservation Area, 2360 Hwy. D, St. Charles, Mo. 63304. It would also be helpful if you could let Yvonne Homeyer know of your letter.

WGNSS wrote a letter to the Corps of Engineers opposing he Gateway Racetrack petition to drain and fill 150+ acres of wetlands near I-70 & Hwy. 203 for paved parking (see last month’s report for details). We will keep you posted on the Corp’s decision when it is made. We also wrote the Corps of Engineers a letter of inquiry concerning the draining of a tract of wetlands at the same intersection but on the south side of I-70 (on your right as you approach the Hwy. 203 exit). There is an abandoned building on that site. We received a reply from the Corps stating that it is not involved since there is no filling taking place, only wetlands drainage, which a landowner can do lawfully. We will continue to monitor the site.

WGNSS’ Wildflower Garden project at the North County Recreation Area is coming along nicely under Kraig Paradise’s supervision. Planting will start in May. Our millet/milo food plot at Busch will be planted this month; Sue Gustafson is in charge of this project. David Rabenau is coordinating surveys of 4 new St. Louis County parks for birds, flowers and butterflies. Dianne Benjamin and Jim Malone continue to work on the Little Creve Coeur Lake mitigation project (related to the Page Ave. Freeway). Plotting of breeding birds at Busch will start in a few weeks – many volunteers have been assigned areas to check and report on. Please report all sightings of Bell’s Vireo, no matter where found, to Jim Ziebol. Last year Bell’s Vireo was not found on any of its former territories in Busch, probably due to the cutting of several fields where they had previously nested.