SPARE America's Wildlands

11 Point River Watershed, Missouri

The watershed of the Wild and Scenic 11 Point River encompasses some of the wildest lands in the state of Missouri: deep valleys, steep wooded hills, gushing springs and towering bluffs. The clear, spring-fed river is a favorite of canoeists and trout anglers throughout the Midwest.

The watershed's most prominent feature is a second-growth, 100-year-old forest, and recent documentation confirms that the area is home to the eastern cougar, once thought to be extirpated in the state.

Several years ago, the watershed was targeted for lead mining by the Doe Run Company. Sadly, the most polluting industry in Missouri wanted to conduct operations in the most environmentally sensitive and unspoiled area in the state.

After an extensive two-year-long Sierra Club education and organizing campaign, which generated tens of thousands of letters and scores of news and magazine articles, the Doe Run Company succumbed to public outcry and withdrew its application. Now the Ozark Chapter is taking the next step and asking Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt to permanently remove the 11 Point, Jack's Fork and Current river watersheds from access to mining.

Photo courtesy Tom Krazen

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