| Weldon Spring Conservation Area | |
|---|---|
| Type | State Conservation Area |
| Location | Boone Township, St. Charles County, Missouri, USA |
| Area | 8,398.49 acres (33.9875 km2) |
| Created | 1978 |
| Operated by | Missouri Department of Conservation |
| Status | Open all year |
The Weldon Spring Conservation Area, is a 8,398-acre (33.99 km2) conservation area that is owned and managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Located in St. Charles County, Missouri [1] The area borders the Missouri river. The M.K.T. Trail and Katy Trail State Park, runs through the Conservation area, but are not considered part of the CA.
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The area was named for John Weldon, who immigrated to the area in 1796. He acquired a 425-acre (1.72 km2) Spanish Land Grant.
During WWII The U.S. Government acquired the land in order to build a munitions plant.
The area was given to the University of Missouri in 1948.
The Missouri Department of Conservation started acquiring land for the Conservation area in 1978.[1]
The CA has an area of 8.398.49. The area has numerous limestone cliffs overlooking the Missouri River.[1]
The area provides a wide variety of recreational activities.
There are several small lakes and streams as well as the Missouri river; which provide fishing opportunities in the CA.[1]
There are 29.5 miles (47.5 km) of hiking trails in the CA. This does not include the M.K.T. Trail, which is part of the state park system.[1]
The area is part of a superfund site, and is currently being decontaminated. TNT and Uranium processing were done on this site.[2]
Portions of the Conservation Area were used by the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works. Old bunkers for the storage of TNT dot the area.[3]