Upcoming in St. Charles, Mo.
Bangert Island – A discussion on future development
Discussion hosted by Greenway Network
This month’s meeting will have multiple speakers discussing future plans effecting the 160 acre Louis H. Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area and the Katy Trail State Park located on the banks of the Missouri River. NOTE: This month our meeting is on the THIRD WEDNESDAY. In January we will return to the second Wednesday of each month.
A view of the sandbars along the Bangert Island Wildlife Area on the Missouri River upstream of downtown St. Charles. photo courtesy of Bike Stop Cafe.
Special Discussion hosted by Greenway Network
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
NOTE: This month our meeting is on the THIRD WEDNESDAY. In January we will return to the second Wednesday of each month.
6. p.m. Meet at Big A’s Restaurant
6:30 p.m. Discussion
At Big A’s Restaurant (in the back room)
308 N Main St. – St Charles, MO
(directions below)
All the Public is welcome to come, listen and share your thoughts!
This month’s meeting will have multiple speakers discussing future plans affecting the 160-acre Louis H. Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area and the Katy Trail State Park located on the banks of the Missouri River.
Map of the trails on Bangert Wildlife Area in St. Charles County. Courtesy of Gateway Off-Road Cyclists.
Louis H. Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area is a rich section of floodplain forest located on the west bank of the Missouri River in St. Charles, MO, just south (upstream) of the Ameristar Casino. A small bridge crosses a silted-in side channel allowing access from the Katy Trail for bikers and hikers to the occasionally flooded former island. The area is owned by the Mo. Dept. of Conservation and managed as a park by St. Charles County Parks.
On Tuesday, October 2nd, St. Charles City Council voted to purchase Bangert from the Dept. of Conservation. This opens up the possibility that the Corps of Engineers will recreate the island by excavating a side channel near the existing silted-in slough as part of their habitat mitigation project. This, in turn, could open up new waterfront property adjacent to downtown St. Charles, along the Katy Trail.
Greenway Network encourages all of the government agencies,elected representatives, civic organizations and our citizens to work together to develop a park and open space plan for this beautiful section of the Missouri River. The St. Charles Parks Eco-Park on the Missouri River in north St. Charles and the proposed 110 Acres Park nearby would be great examples of what can be done in our floodplains.
Directions
To Big A’s on the Riverfront, our host for the Speaker Series.
To get there from I-70
- Take I-70 to exit 229B – the 5th St. Exit
- Merge onto 5th St. headed north toward St. Charles.
- After about 1 mile, turn right on Monroe St.
- Turn left onto N. Main St.
- Big A’s will be on your right (308 N. Main St.) Additional parking is available in the rear.
- View on Google Maps.
Resources and Links
Dig deeper for more info on this topic –
- Bangert Wildlife Area info from MDC.
- “St. Charles council OK’s purchase of Bangert Island” – by Mark Schlinkmann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 8, 2014
- “Work together to develop section of river in St. Charles” – by Greg Poleski, Greenway Network, Oct. 16, 2014
- Trail info from Gateway Off-Road Cyclists.
- In 2009, a development plan for the area was created, dubbed “Harbor San Carlos”. Some aspects of the plan, such as a marina, do not appear to be possible because of the shallow water habitat requirements of the proposed Corps chute. But here’s a look back at some of those ideas:
- “$1.5 Billion project inches forward” – article by Kelsey Volkmann, St. Louis Business Journal, Nov. 9, 2009.
- A slideshow rendering of the development by the architecture firm hired by the city to design it.
- “St. Charles OKs talks on 300 acre Harbor San Carlos” – article by Mark Schlinkmann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nov. 4, 2009
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles
is hosted by these wonderful partners:
- Greenway Network
- Missouri River Relief
- Friends of Big Muddy
- Big Muddy Adventures
- Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
- Big A’s Restaurant
All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.
A special thank you to Greg Poleski of Greenway Network and Mike Clark of Big Muddy Adventures for making this happen!
