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Join Living the Dream Outdoors Podcast host Bill Cooper and guest Donnie Conway, board member of the Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame. Donnie is also an accomplished trout fisherman and turkey hunter. Bill and Donnie discuss the winter Catch and Release Trout Season in the Missouri Trout Parks and trout fishing in both the Current River and Meramec River. In the second half the guys talk about one of their favorite subjects: hunting wild turkey gobblers. A few tall tales, calling tips and plans for the upcoming 2025 spring wild turkey season are all part of the fun on this week's Living the Dream Outdoors Podcast that you will not want to miss.
Join Living the Dream Outdoors Podcast hosts Bill Cooper and Hunter Hindman and Land Agent John Echele as they discuss fabulous Living the Dream Outdoor properties in Franklin and Washington Counties in Missouri, including a superb Meramec River property with over a mile of river frontage. In segment two, the guys discuss Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in deer and how landowners can slow the spread of this horrific disease through better pond management.
Zombie Road is a popular name given to a stretch of road located in Wildwood, Missouri, near St. Louis. The road is officially known as Lawler Ford Road, but it has gained a reputation for being haunted, hence the nickname "Zombie Road."The road runs alongside the Meramec River and winds through a heavily wooded area. It has a long history dating back to the 1860s when it was used as a railroad line to transport timber from the surrounding forests. Over time, the railroad tracks were removed, and the road became a popular spot for local residents to hike and explore.Legend has it that Zombie Road is haunted by various spirits and supernatural phenomena. Stories of ghostly apparitions, strange lights, disembodied voices, and eerie encounters have been circulating for years. Some people claim to have seen ghostly figures wandering along the road or felt an unsettling presence while visiting the area.Support the pod:www.patreon.com/monsterfuzzCheck out our merch:https://monster-fuzz.creator-spring.comEverything else!www.linktr.ee/monsterfuzz
From an extremely young age, Amanda Busse endured severe physical and sexual abuse, not only by her father, but also by her father's friends, who were all feared by much of the community as they were rumoured to control the local drug trade. After her mother passed, Amanda's father sold her to a 36 year old acquaintance of his, to be his wife. Amanda was 17 at the time. On November 15, 1997, a local woman was found brutally murdered in the Meramec River in MO. Amanda's father, husband, and 3 others were initially arrested and charged. Her father's charges were dropped and her husband received a life without parole sentence. It wasn't until 5 or 6 years later that Amanda's brother implicated her in the crime, as revenge for Amanda reporting him for molesting their young nieces. Amanda was convicted, and ultimately sentenced to 25 years in prison. Maggie talks to Amanda Busse, Mary Payne, Amanda's aunt, and Anne Geraghty-Rathert, Amanda's attorney. To learn more and get involved, visit: http://www.willowprojectstl.org/contact.html Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pickle Creek runs two miles through Ste. Genevieve County's sandstone valleys. It carries some of Missouri's cleanest water, but residents worry that could change if Nexgen Silica gets full approval to mine sandstone on a 249-acre plot of land along nearby Highway 32.They don't have to look very far to see the outcome they fear most. Ste. Genevieve sits near Missouri's Old Lead Belt, where mining lasted from the 1700s to 1972 and spanned nearby Washington, Madison and St. Francois counties.The industry produced nine million tons of lead and 250 million tons of hazardous mining waste.Decades later, some residents are still dealing with toxic waste left behind by lead mining.“There is literally a Superfund site sitting in the middle of town that they capped off, but for decades it was just loose, blowing lead everywhere,” said Samantha Danieley, who grew up in Washington County and now lives in St. Francois County. The new mine has nothing to do with lead, but residents fear history could repeat itself. Lead mining and silica mining can both produce invisible dust that can harm a person's health if swallowed or inhaled once it's in the air. Brothers Larry and Patrick Kertz are lifelong residents of Ste. Genevieve. They remember riding motorcycles past the hills of mine waste 35 miles from home in the 1970s and 1980s. After living in the shadow of lead mining, Larry Kertz said he wants a better understanding of what will be left when the silica mine is no longer useful. “It could be a big ditch with a huge waste pile of silica sand that could blow out into the area,” he said. “They're not really addressing what's going to be done after the mine is over.”Other residents are worried about how the mine will impact the natural environment. “We want to raise our kids in this beautiful outdoorsy environment with farm life and all these things,” said Jillian Ditch Anslow, a mom to a 14-month-old daughter who started Operation Sand, an organization to oppose the silica mine earlier this year. “And now we have this potential threat to our children's health and development.”Lasting legacyThe fight over Nexgen's silica mine has rekindled a debate that has played out in communities across the country, where the lasting legacy of lead mining means residents regularly risk contact with the neurotoxin in their daily lives.Lead persists in the environment, including in water and soil where it can pose a threat to the health of people living nearby. After the mining ended in the Old Lead Belt, several large areas of mine waste, called chat dumps, were left behind in the region.A combination of years of blowing winds, runoff from rain and manual transportation by locals of waste materials have supercharged the toxin's reach. The Big River, a tributary of the Meramec River, also transported toxic mine waste downstream.“I remember growing up in Potosi and we would pick pieces of lead up off the ground,” Danieley said. Some of the piles left behind span upwards of 1,000 acres, said Jason Gunther, a project manager with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who oversees remediation work in Big River Mine Tailings Superfund site, including St. Francois County. “This material was also set above these towns, some of these piles were 300 feet above the neighboring towns,” Gunther said. “They would blow… Not just gravel-sized materials but also much finer materials.”He estimates the soil on 5,000 properties in St. Francois County has been contaminated by lead, although soil sampling isn't complete. Even if a sample comes back at 800 parts per million – double the concentration considered safe by the EPA for children to play in – it could be years before the soil is remediated because of the high number of properties testing with high concentrations. “It's not uncommon to see some that are above 2,000 parts per million,” Gunther said. Natural levels of lead in soil typically range from 50 to 400 parts per million, according to the EPA. Gunther expects soil remediation and pile stabilization work to continue beyond 2030.Meanwhile, locals have adapted to life under the toxic circumstances. Danieley said when her teenage children were younger, she worried about letting them play outside. Children can become poisoned from playing in contaminated soil when they get lead dust or paint chips or dust on their fingers then put their hands in their mouths. Danieley also worried about how the contaminated soil could impact local farming. “If you're out doing yard gardening, and you're digging through all this lead contaminated dust, you're getting that dust on your hands, you're possibly ingesting it,” she said. Mining isn't the only way lead can end up in soil, says Jeff Wenzel, bureau chief for the Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.Soil along busy roads can also be contaminated from before gasoline was unleaded and paint chips from old houses can taint soil in yards. But in Missouri in particular, lead mining contributed significantly to contaminated soil in some areas. “Lead mining has been in Missouri pretty much since since Missouri was a state even before Missouri was a state,” Wenzel said. Once lead makes it into soil, it can pose a major health hazard for people living nearby. Wenzel says that beyond the hand-to-mouth route, lead particles can also be breathed into the mouth then swallowed.Crops planted in tainted soil can also pose a threat. “Your root crops can have dirt or soil left on them, so you want to clean those really well,” Wenzel said. “We see uptake in plants, especially plants like kale. Things like green plants that can live multiple years or come back year after year especially can have a pretty high lead accumulation.”According to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level of lead, and even low levels of exposure has been shown to cause cognitive impairment in children.Research dating back decades has shown that children living near mining areas are more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than children who don't. Missouri's Old Lead Belt counties aren't the only former mining regions devastated by the impacts of the industry long after it ended. Galena, Kansas, is part of the Tri-State Mining District that spanned parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri until the 1970s. The rural town of less than 3,000 people was named after the lead ore known as galena after it was found there in the late 1800s.In the same county in Treece, Kansas, the Picher Lead Company of Joplin, Missouri, discovered lead and zinc underground in 1914, according to a 2012 article published in The New York Times. By the 1920s, the site was the largest producer of zinc and lead in the country and by 1981 the EPA ranked Treece as the most contaminated area in the country. Today, it's a ghost town, bought out by the federal agency.Waste from zinc and lead mining covered 4,000 acres in Cherokee County when the mining ended.The EPA is still taking remedial action on the site and conducting investigative work on nearby watersheds. Silica health risksIn Ste. Genevieve, Anslow wants to keep her town from becoming a case study for how silica mining impacts human health.Silica mining typically relies on open pit or dredging mining methods. The process can generate dust-sized particles invisible to the naked eye that can be inhaled and reach the lungs. Over time, extended exposure is associated with silicosis, lung cancer or chronic bronchitis. People working directly with silica dust are most at risk for developing medical lung conditions, said Bobby Shah, a pulmonologist with St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri. “We definitely have known for decades that silica itself is harmful to the lungs,” Shah said. “Patients across that spectrum of acute, chronic or accelerated [silicosis], can develop scarring in their lungs, the term that is commonly used as fibrosis,” Shah said, “and they can quickly and then from there on, develop even more respiratory symptoms.”Shah said there's not enough data to know what risk silica particles pose to the general population surrounding a mining site, but people who smoke are more likely to develop medical conditions related to exposure. “I don't want my daughter to be where it's like, okay, ‘Let's come and sample and let's monitor the children's health in Ste. Genevieve County,'” Anslow said. Mitigation processes will help limit the mine's impact on residents' health, said Clark Bollinger, Nexgen's general manager.“Certainly the dust will not be an issue,” he said. “The noise – we've got ideas and things in place to help mitigate some of the noise for the local residents.”Bollinger said the site contains enough reserves for around 50 years of mining and that there's a plan in place to restore the area and ensure it's safe after the mining ends by installing a large lake. He also said the mine will have minimal or no impact on nearby Hawn State Park or the local watershed and aquifer. Missouri Parks Association executive director Kendra Varns Wallis said it's not yet possible to know for sure how the mine could impact local water sources and wildlife and expressed concern about its proximity to Hickory Canyons Natural Area. “There couldn't be a worse place to put it, honestly,” Wallis said. As Ste. Genevieve residents fight against the mine, Nexgen remains far from breaking ground. Some of Anslow's work with Operation Sand paid off when county commissioners and the county health department passed an ordinance prohibiting new mines from opening within a half-a-mile of schools, towns, churches and public wells.Nexgen has filed a suit asking a judge to strike down the ordinance. In July, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Land Reclamation Program granted the company one of three permits required to operate the mine. The company m
Next Sunday will be an exciting day at Genesis as we celebrate baptisms in the Meramec River. My guess is that almost everyone here has some opinion about what baptism is and how it is administered. And for the most part, those opinions were probably shaped by the faith tradition of your family. Baptism is a big deal in the Christian story and the narrative in Acts. Jesus Himself was baptized by his cousin John and He commanded His disciples to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Throughout Acts we see people believe and Luke is careful to show us that they are then baptized in obedience to Jesus’ commands and as a demonstration of this new faith. This morning in our journey through Acts, we are going to pause and take a look at the practice and importance of baptism, and even invite some of you to join us in the river next week to make your public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ.
Summer is here so that means many people will be spending a lot more time out on the water, but do you know the proper water safety measures for your favorite local swimming hole? This week Heather shares a story of a close call from a recent trip to a couple of local State Parks here in Missouri and the girls discuss the few safety tips they know. But remember, we are not professionals, so be sure to research and educate yourself before you go have some fun in the sun. And don't forget to apply sunscreen and stay hydrated! Stay safe!TW/CW - Talk about drowning and water safetyEmail us at thegoethegirls@gmail.com or contact us on Facebook or Instagram.Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thegoethegirls/Twitter - https://twitter.com/GirlsGoetheInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/CJpT9-pBCja/?igshid=1rmjkwidat5tiDon't forget to hop over to Apple Podcasts to rate and review our podcast.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-goethe-girls/id1548890458 Heather's grief, manifesting, and healing Instagram - https://instagram.com/grief_manifesting_healing?utm_medium=copy_link
While Brandon Butler was in Nebraska turkey hunting Nathan "Shags" McLeod met up with Cardiac Mountain Outfitters owner and guide Damon Spurgeon for a 140 fish day of trout fishing on the Meramec River.Topics Discussed: Record breaking day fishing on the Meramec River; spring trout fishing; upper Current River; White River in Arkansas; Meramec being overlooked; techniques; pretentious fishing critiques; Brandon's turkey hunt; share the harvest success; mystery bait bucket and moreFor more info:https://www.facebook.com/CardiacMountainOutfittershttps://www.instagram.com/ozark_fly_away/Special Thanks To CZ-USA:https://cz-usa.com/Special Thanks To Hunting Works For Missouri:https://huntingworksformo.com/Special Thanks To Scenic Rivers Taxidermy:http://www.scenicriverstaxidermy.com/Special Thanks To Living The Dream Properties:https://livingthedreamland.com/Special Thanks To Mongo Attachments:https://www.mongoattachments.com/Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:https://www.facebook.com/DriftwoodOutdoors/https://www.instagram.com/driftwoodoutdoors/Email:info@driftwoodoutdoors.com
Hancock and Kelly are in tonight for Ryan Wrecker tonight. The Duo kick off the show discussing going floating on the Meramec River. Will the St. Louis area roll back reopening phases? We will find out tomorrow morning and the guys suspect the answer is yes. Up next, we discuss how contact tracing works and why it has failures.
The story of Times Beach is not a celebratory one that showcases Route 66. Instead, the story of Times Beach is one that not may people are familiar with, even 35 years later. Times Beach was a beach community along the Meramec River that hired the services of a local waste hauler, Russel Bliss, to spread used machinery oil over the dirt roads to keep the dust to a minimum. It would later be discovered that the recycled oil would contain one of the deadliest compounds known to man, dioxin. Listen in as host Anthony Arno talks with the final mayor of Times Beach, Marilyn Leistner, as she talks about her role of supervising the complete distruction of a community of 2000 residents and all personal property.
In 1967, the Meramec River had not yet flowed to the edge of a dam proposal controversy that would not end until 1981, but trash and debris from river users and "clubhouses" built along the Meramec's course was a problem that caught the attention of river lovers and enviro-advocates. Half a century ago, the first Operation Clean Stream began a concentrated process to clean up the Meramec. After FIFTY years, there is still a need for this annual river clean-up event, held the fourth weekend of August. However, hundreds of hours and thousands of volunteers have made a huge difference in the health of the entire Meramec watershed. Operation Clean Stream now works on the Meramec and its tributaries: Big, Courtois, Bourbeus and Huzzah rivers in the region of the Missouri Ozarks closest to the St. Louis region. This Earthworms conversation celebrates Operation Clean Stream's 50th anniversary, talking with Kat Dockery and Caitlin Zera, who are Executive Director and Office Manager for the Open Space Council and - with super kudos for dedication - to Larry Cain, who has volunteered for Operation Clean Stream for the past 30 years. Operation Clean Stream is a terrific opportunity to get out, get wet, and do some good work for river health and water quality in our region. Adults and kids can sign up for a cleanup shift on August 27 or 27. Your efforts will make history! Music: Washboard Suzie, performed live at KDHX by Zydeco Crawdaddies THANKS to Cody Pees, Earthworms engineer
Jo Shaper is the guest on this Environmental Echo podcast wth Don Corrigan. She gives listeners an explanation of where the TCE contamination in Meramec Caverns came from, the geology of the Sullivan area that makes remediation almost impossible, the issues faced by Missouri caving enthusiasts, and the possible effects of the TCE contamination as it enters the Meramec River. Photo courtesy Jo Schaper. (pictured is Jo Shaper and her husband.)
Associate Professor of Biology at Saint Louis University, Jason Knouft, talks with Don Corrigan about possible issues from raw sewage being pumped into the Meramec River because of the damaged Fenton Sewage Treatment Plant. Pictured: Jason Knouft. Produced by Holly Shanks. Music provided by House of Cowboy.