Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area

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Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area
USA Missouri location map.svg
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Location in Missouri
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Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area (the United States)
Location Boone, Missouri, United States
Coordinates 39°4′0.17″N92°18′8.05″W / 39.0667139°N 92.3022361°W / 39.0667139; -92.3022361 Coordinates: 39°4′0.17″N92°18′8.05″W / 39.0667139°N 92.3022361°W / 39.0667139; -92.3022361
Area2,199.6 acres (8.901 km2)
Governing body Missouri Department of Conservation
Website Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area

Rock Fork Lakes Conservation Area is a nature preserve and former strip mine in Boone County, Missouri. Located north of Columbia, Missouri adjacent to Finger Lakes State Park it is over 2000 acres of lakes, wetlands, forest, and prairie. Much of the land is severely degraded from strip mining by the Peabody Coal Company from 1963-1972. The land was acquired by the Missouri Department of Conservation in 1979. An unstaffed shooting range is open to the public and was renovated in 2014. [1] The 50-acre Rocky Fork Lake has a boat ramp and is used for fishing. [2] [3] It is named after Rocky Fork Creek.

Boone County, Missouri County in the United States

Boone County is a county in the U.S. state of Missouri. Centrally located in Mid-Missouri, it is home to Columbia, Missouri's fourth largest city and location of the University of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 162,642; a 2017 estimate put the population at 178,271, making it the state's seventh-most populous county. The county was organized November 16, 1820 and named for the recently deceased Daniel Boone, whose kin largely populated the Boonslick area, having arrived in the 1810s on the Boone's Lick Road. Boone County comprises the Columbia Metropolitan Area. The towns of Ashland and Centralia are the second and third most populous towns in the county.

Columbia, Missouri College town in the U.S state of Missouri

Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth most-populous and fastest growing city, with an estimated 123,180 residents in 2018.

Finger Lakes State Park

Finger Lakes State Park is a public recreation area consisting of 1,128 acres (456 ha) in Boone County near the city of Columbia, Missouri. The state park is unusual in that the site was reclaimed after having been strip mined for coal. It is one of two state parks in Missouri used for off-road vehicles. The history of the other, St. Joe State Park, is also connected with mining. It is adjacent to Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area.

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See also

Three Creeks Conservation Area

Three Creeks Conservation Area is a nature preserve in Boone County, Missouri. It's rugged Ozark terrain has many karst features including, caves, springs, and sinkholes. It is just south of Columbia, Missouri and the more well-known Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. The conservation area is named after the three streams which flow through it: Turkey Creek, Bass Creek, and Bonne Femme Creek. Its nearly 1500 acres are mostly forested and managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. There are numerous trails for hiking.

Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area

Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area is a nature preserve and wetland in Boone County, Missouri. Located mainly in the Missouri River floodplain southwest of Columbia, Missouri and managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the wetlands are a refugee for migrating birds and home to several breeding pairs of bald eagles. The area is named after these eagles and the tall bluffs along the eastern edge of the Missouri River floodplain. Perche Creek flows through the refuge. McBaine, Missouri is located at the north entrance to the area. The Katy Trail State Park traverses the area.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is a geological preserve and public recreation area encompassing 2,273 acres (920 ha), five miles (8.0 km) south of Columbia in Boone County, Missouri. The state park is noted for its excellent examples of karst landforms including the rock bridge, sinkholes, and an underground stream at the cave known as Devil's Icebox. The rock bridge was created by the collapse of a section of a cave which resulted in a small arch of rock being left to form a natural bridge over the creek.

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References

  1. Howland, Jack (October 10, 2014). "Rocky Fork Lakes shooting range debuts extensive renovations". Columbia Missourian . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  2. "Rocky Fork Lakes CA" (PDF). Missouri Department of Conservation . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. Ma, Ming (December 13, 2016). "MDC announces temporary closures at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area". KOMU-TV . Retrieved July 23, 2019.