ST. LOUIS, Missouri (First Alert 4) – Long before there were city parks, what is now St. Louis was home to many different types of wildflowers, plants and environments.
And a new plan from the City of St. Louis Forestry Department will give local parks a small area to highlight this lost terrain, returning some rarely used or difficult to navigate trails to their original habitat.
First Alert 4 was able to visit several of these sites – including a prairie habitat restoration in O’Fallon Park – to see how and why these areas were selected.
They may look rough to the casual observer, but forestry officials say that is precisely their goal.
By replanting these barren areas with natural flowers and grasses, maintenance effort is reduced, biodiversity is promoted and the landscape is made more attractive.
The Forest Service says these are special areas that will not be neglected or forgotten. Nor will they neglect or completely abandon routine maintenance of other areas of the parks – open spaces, fields and playgrounds.
In coordination with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, officials have designated these sites and intend to add more in the future.
Forest officials say these areas will provide more options for park visitors. The increased floral diversity will mean different insects will pass by, and the increased habitat will provide a home for birds and other animals.
All of these diverse options will hopefully provide birdwatchers, gardeners and insect enthusiasts with new areas to spend their time in city parks.
Avery Martinez covers water, agriculture and the environment for First Alert 4. He is also a member of the Report for America Corps. RFA places talented young journalists in newsrooms to report on under-reported issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of the GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up..
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