By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A conservation group wants to establish a 55,000 acre national wildlife refuge in eastern St. Charles County.
The St. Louis-based Great Rivers Habitat Alliance would preserve land stretching between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and halt flood plain development in one of the fastest-growing regions of the state.
The proposal targets rich river bottomland in eastern St. Charles County that is home to ducks, bald eagles and generations of farmers. It has supporters.
But the proposal faces many hurdles, including landowner concerns, a fight for congressional funding and the opposition of some St. Charles County officials who see the flood plain area as ripe for economic development.