Mark Twain National Forest

The Wilderness Act, passed 60 years ago, seeks to protect grand natural spaces in the U.S. to the highest level — including eight areas in Missouri. The Sierra Club will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act on Nov. 19 at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center.

Vince Keeler was appointed forest supervisor of the Mark Twain National Forest in July. The forest spans 1.5 million acres across central and southern Missouri.

Doe Run wants to mine more land underneath the Mark Twain National Forest in southeastern Missouri. But the company has been criticized by environmentalists for decades, and has also been involved in tax disputes with local school districts in recent years.

Prescribed burns are a yearly occurrence in Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest. Bennie Terrell, a longtime fuel specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, explains how he keeps the blazes in check.

The brown-headed nuthatch was extirpated from Missouri more than 100 years ago due to extensive logging of their habitat, short leaf pine forests.