bransonglobe.com LOCAL Petition wants Thomas Jefferson statue removed at University of Missouri COLUMBIA, MO. (AP) — Organizers of an online petition drive to have a statue of Thomas Jefferson removed from the University of Missouri’s campus in Columbia had a “very constructive” meeting with the university system’s president on Thursday, a school spokesman said. UM System President and interim University of Missouri Chancellor Mun Choi met in private with the petition organizers. University spokesman Christian Basi said he would release details from the meeting at a later time. The petition had garnered more than 3,250 signatures by Thursday afternoon. One of the organizers of the petition campaign, Roman Leaphart, a sophomore from Kansas City, said previously he objected to the statue because Jefferson owned slaves and fathered children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings. Leaphart, who is black, said he was also motivated by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported. Students also petitioned to have the statue removed in 2015, when the campus was roiled by protests by people upset with the university’s treatment of minorities but that petition did not gain traction. MDC announces addition to Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie By Bill Graham El Dorado Springs, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has added a 320-acre grassland tract to the Wah’KonTah Prairie Conservation Area in St. Clair County. This filled a gap between existing area tracts and provides the opportunity to manage contiguous native grassland on the northern boundary. MDC manages Wah’Kon-Tah for native prairie plant and wildlife species in partnership with area cattle ranchers who graze livestock on selected acres. “A concern we have is there is so much fragmentation in surviving native grasslands,” said Stasia Whitaker, MDC wildlife management biologist. “That’s contributed to grassland birds being among the fastest declining species in North America. Grassland birds are in dire need of our help and now. All prairie species on the area will benefit from this expansion.” A large portion of the 3,350acre Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area is owned by The Nature Conservancy of Missouri. Other portions are owned by MDC, which manages the entire area in partnership with the Conservancy. The area is north and east of El Dorado Springs. Visitors can hike, hunt, watch birds, study plants, and enjoy prairie vistas. Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie is a cornerstone of MDC’s Upper Osage Grasslands Priority Geography, a partnership that includes private partners and landowners. For more information on the Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area, visit https://short. mdc.mo.gov/Zwd. Private landowners can get help from MDC with grassland management practices that benefit prairie species and conservation ranching, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/property. June 14-16, 2020 • 9
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