Meramec Conservation Area consists of in southern Franklin County,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. It is located southeast of the town of Sullivan and bordered to the south by

Missouri Route 185 Route 185 is a highway in eastern Missouri. Its northern terminus is at Route 100 west of Washington; its southern terminus is at Route 8 in Potosi. A spur of Highway 185 goes into Meramec State Park and Meramec Conservation Area. Route de ...

and to the west by the

Meramec River The Meramec River (), sometimes spelled Maramec River, is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. "Location" while wandering Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. "Executive Summary" fr ...

and

Meramec State Park Meramec State Park is a public recreation area located near Sullivan, Missouri, about 60 miles from St. Louis, along the Meramec River. The park has diverse ecosystems such as hardwood forests and glades. There are over 40 caves located througho ...

. It is part of the Meramec Greenway, which is over of public land along the Meramec River. Most of the land that comprises the Meramec Conservation Area was acquired by the state between 1925 and 1930. A donation of was made in 1980 by Dorothy Hill in memory of Arthur Heyne. Historic sites in the area include the first state nursery, a

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

camp, Lone Hill fire lookout tower, as well as old mines. The area is hills that are mostly forested as well as a

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

rookery A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-forming seabirds, marine mammals (true seals and sea lions), and ev ...

. The Woodland Trail is a disabled-accessible trail along the river bottom that passes by Lone Hill Onyx Cave, one of six caves in the conservation area. There is also a CCC trail, Reedville Loop hiking trail, and multi-use trail open to hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Hunting, trapping, and fishing are permitted with permits and in season in most of the conservation area except for the wildlife refuge. As of December 31, 2012 all caves on public lands in Missouri, including those in Meramec Conservation Area, are closed to the general public due to

white nose syndrome White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease in North American bats which has resulted in the dramatic decrease of the bat population in the United States and Canada, reportedly killing millions as of 2018. The condition is named for a distincti ...

. File:Pond in Meramec CA.JPG, A pond in Meramec Conservation Area

References

{{Protected areas of Missouri Protected areas of Franklin County, Missouri Conservation Areas of Missouri Protected areas established in 1925 1925 establishments in Missouri