The St. Charles County Parks Department is preparing for its annual round of prescribed burns throughout its park system.  Weather permitting, these controlled burns will begin in September 2011 and continue through April 2012 with fires occurring in park forests, woodlands, savannas, prairies and wetlands.

The Parks Department works closely with the National Weather Service to ensure weather conditions are safe for burning. Emergency personnel are also notified.

These burns are essential to the growth of the natural habitat within the St. Charles County Parks system.  They also eliminate invasive species, such as Japanese honeysuckle and bush honeysuckle.

You can contact that St. Charles County Parks Department through their website, http://parks.sccmo.org/parks/.

With rising floodwaters across the state, the Missouri Department of Transportation has a new tool to keep water off the roads and motorists safe. Big Bags are large sand bags that unfold like an accordion to create a 15-foot long, 3-foot high by 3-foot wide storage compartment for sand. One system of Big Bags takes the place of 500 sand bags.

“We used them for the first time in the southeast area when flood waters threatened many of our major roads, and now we’re using them on the west side of Route 65 between Carrollton and Waverly for a two-mile stretch,” said Beth Wright, MoDOT state maintenance engineer. “A new product like this can help us save time and keep traffic flowing for commerce and emergency access.”

A special event to help kids learn about wetlands in a fun and interactive way will be held Saturday, April 2.

Peanut the turtle visited the studio Wednesday to demonstrate what can hapopen when wildlife encounters trash.  She is a Red-Eared Slider.  When she was found as a young turtle, she had a plastic 6-pack ring around her middle and her shell formed around the ring, creating a peanut or figure-8 shape.

Kids Day will be held:

Saturday, April 2
10AM-3PM
Busch Conservation Area
Highway D, St. Charles

For more information, call 636-441-4554