Locust Creek - The Main Artery to the Park's Vital Circulatory System

Locust Creek - The Main Artery to the Park's Vital Circulatory System. . , Water is the lifeblood of natural wetlands. The life of the wetlands at Pershing State Park depends upon Locust Creek, which flows under this bridge. Think of the water in this creek as the blood in your body's own circulatory system. Just as in a circulatory system, the water that enters the creek's watershed nourishes the plants and animals in the wetlands. The amount of water and its quality determine the health and diversity of the park's natural ecosystems., The Watershed , Key to a Healthy Park , Today, this once-clear water is often loaded with sediment. More than 4.6 million tons of soil erode annually from uplands in the Locust Creek watershed. More than one million tons enter the streams as sediment. Pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers applied to fields upstream filter through the soil and eventually enter the stream., Locust Creek has been channelized north of the park boundary. This channelized stream serves as a raceway for floodwaters, which abruptly slow down once they reach the stream meanders in the park. As a result, large amounts of sediment, containing agricultural chemical residues, are smothering many of the natural communities in the park, especially at the north end. , The Negative Results of an Unhealthy Watershed , What we eat determines the health of our body. Likewise, what goes into the stream or on the land above the park determines the health of the park's natural ecosystems., What Can Be Done to Help? , Because the health of the wetlands is determined by so many factors outside the park, the challenge of protecting its natural assets is shared by everyone living in the watershed community. This boardwalk was designed to help everyone understand and appreciate the park's natural wetlands, and increase awareness of the problems it faces., There are ways to combat these problems. Programs are available to help reduce soil erosion and protect stream quality. For information or assistance, contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District or the Soil Conservation Program within the Missouri Department of Natural Resources., (map caption:), Locust Creek is the main artery that brings life-sustaining water to the park, and its quality is important. The original high quality of the area's water is apparent from a description of the nearby Grand River by explorer Edwin James in 1820: "Its waters are transparent, except in times of high flood."