Local News – Thursday May 7th, 2020

The City of Salem Annual Water Quality Report has been released and there were no violations that occurred for the calendar year 2019. All levels of contaminants found were lower than required by government regulations. If you would like to see the City of Salem Annual Water Quality Report, a copy can be found at the City of Salem Administration Building at 4th and Iron Streets, at the Water Department Office or at the KSMO Radio studios.

Beginning Saturday, May 9th, Ozark National Scenic Riverways will expand their access. Park concession operations and outfitters will be authorized to open for business at their discretion, as they are able to meet CDC guidelines. Some float concessions may opt to remain closed as they adapt their business practices to implement CDC guidelines to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Camping on gravel bars while engaging in multi-day floats and dispersed camping along the Ozark Trail while engaging in multi-day hikes will be allowed. The spring branch hiking trails at Big Spring and Alley Spring will reopen, as well as the staircase into Devils Well. Restrooms at many river access points and day use areas will continue to be open as they have been and park rangers are available to answer questions by phone at (573)-323-4236, from 8:00 in the morning until to 4:30 in the afternoon, seven days a week. With public health in mind, these facilities remain closed at this time. All campgrounds and designated campsites will remain closed but are expected to reopen on May 22nd, with the exception of group campsites. All picnic pavilions and group campsites will remain closed but are expected to reopen on June 5th. Restrooms and showers are expected to reopen May 22nd, although there will be short closures to accommodate rotations for cleaning and disinfecting in accordance with CDC guidelines. All visitor contact stations, including the Alley General Store and Van Buren Visitor Information Center will remain closed until further notice. While a number of areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased and services may be limited. When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders, including the guidance in the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan. If you wish, check out the Ozark National Scenic Riverways amazing virtual tours, images and kids activities at any time. These tours are perfect for people who are still home schooling or not traveling at this time. Check out https://www.nps.gov/ozar or visit @ozarkriverways on Facebook. For additional information, please call (573)-323-4236. Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on our website www.nps.gov and social media channels.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports it has completed its monitoring and testing efforts for the 2019-2020 chronic wasting disease surveillance year. From those efforts, MDC reports it has confirmed 46 new cases of the deadly deer disease. These new findings bring the total number of CWD cases in the state to 162. The Department of Conservation has tested more than 137,000 deer since the first cases of CWD were found in free-ranging deer in Missouri in 2012. The 46 new cases were found in the 11 different counties. They were three cases in Adair, six in Franklin, one in Jefferson, eight in Linn, eight in Macon, two in Oregon, two in Perry, one in Polk, ten in Ste Genevieve, two in Stone, and three in Taney County. Previously this season, the Department of Conservation confirmed 25 of the 46 new cases of CWD in Missouri from nearly 29,000 tissue samples collected from white-tailed deer and submitted for disease testing. Most of the tissue samples were taken from hunter-harvested deer.

The James Foundation has reopened Maramec Spring Park to a limited number of visitors (maximum of 250 people at one time) effective Monday. There will be no admission to enter the park and daily trout tags are currently waived until May 16th.The campground and bathrooms pavilions, museum, cleaning station, and café will remain closed. For more information, visit the Maramec Spring Park website at maramecspringpark.com/. Daily trout tags, along with a fishing permit, unless exempt, will be required beginning May 16th for fishing at all four trout parks including Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Montauk State Park near Salem, Roaring River State Park near Cassville, and Maramec Spring Park near St. James. MDC hatchery staff will resume stocking the parks on May 15th to provide angling opportunities prior to May 16th. State Parks will begin to reopen retail operations in parks leading up to May 16th. For more information, visit Missouri State Parks website at mostateparks.com/. Daily trout tags at Bennett Spring State Park, Montauk State Park, and Roaring River State Park are $4 for adults and $3 for those 15 years of age or younger. The daily limit at these three parks remains four trout per day. The pilot program at Maramec Spring Park remains in effect. The daily trout tag at Maramec Spring Park is $5 for adults and $3 for anglers 15 years of age and younger. The daily limit at Maramec Spring Park remains five trout per day.