By KBIA
Columbia, MO – Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest is one of the nation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, not for its trees but for its buildings.
The National Trust says 70 buildings, including ranger stations and guard towers, are threatened in part because a master plan that focuses on new buildings instead of preserving old ones.
"We've been working with the National Trust for a couple of years now and understand their concern about some of the buildings," said Mark Twain spokeswoman Charlotte Wiggins. "So yes, we knew the listing was coming; we didn't know what was going to be listed on the list because that's their decision, not ours."
The Trust says one solution is to convert old buildings into cabins for renting.
The Mark Twain Forest covers a million and a half acres in 29 Missouri counties.