MDC seeks public input for Hardin Conservation Area plan

Hardin, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to know what Missourians think about its nearly 1,000 conservation areas around the state. MDC is in the multi-year process of updating management plans for conservation areas and invites public comments. Draft plans for the Hardin Conservation Area in Ray County will be available for public comment in November.

To preview draft management plans and share comments online, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans.

The 239-acre Hardin Conservation Area offers hunting and fishing south of Hardin in Ray County. A portion of the area borders the Crooked River. Most of the area is forested, although there is also a 40-acre wetland. The 1993 flood created a scour hole in the Crooked River on the area.

Statewide, MDC conservation areas cover almost one million public acres for the purpose of restoring and conserving forest, fish and wildlife resources, and for providing opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about these resources. Most Missourians are within a 30-minute drive of an MDC conservation area.

Conservation Area Management Plans focus on natural resource management and public use on conservation areas. The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. MDC will consider all ideas received and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife, and people. Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into area plans and on how to best incorporate them will be based on the property’s purpose, its physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and state-wide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.