Wetlands in the McBaine Bottoms - Hindman Junction, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 53.443 W 092° 27.016
15S E 547675 N 4304793
Marker on the Hindman Junction Trailhead stand.
Waymark Code: WM16W3D
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/15/2022
Views: 0
County of park: Boone County
Location of trailhead: Gravel county road, Katy Trail State Park, Hindman Junction
Site erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources & City of Columbia
Marker Text:
WETLAND IN THE MCBAINE BOTTOMS
OF THE MISSOURI RIVER
In the late 1980s the City of Columbian and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) began planning near the Village of McBaine.
MDC's project, Eagle Bluffs Conservation area, provides valuable wetlands for fish and wildlife habitat and public recreation. Columbia's project innovatively treats wastewater generated in the city. From the start, the two agencies worked together to build a modern wetland system that serves the people and wildlife.
Columbia's wetlands "polish" treated wastewater and significantly reduced nutrients and pollutants. So successful are the wetlands that they've been increased, totaling about 130 surface acres of water. These cattail marshes provide habitat for a variety of resident and migratory birds and other wildlife that depend upon wetlands.
Next, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area uses the polished wastewater along with water pumped from the Missouri River to manage nearly 1600 acres of wetlands. Though different from the City's wetlands in size and purpose, the biological processes at work in the Eagle Bluff's marshes naturally polish the water even further. The National Audubon Society lists Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area as one of the premier birding sites in Missouri. In addition to the more common water fowl seen during the spring and fall, American White Pelicans, American Avocets, Glossy Ibis and a variety of shore birds can consistently be seen during the spring migration. Bald Eagles often congregate at Eagle Bluffs during the late winter and early spring and a nesting pair of eagles has produced young here annually since 2003.
Nearly a dozen governmental agencies and numerous private organizations cooperated in the planning and funding of Eagle Bluffs. These wetlands testify to what can be accomplished when people work together to solve old problems in new ways. And these wetlands are rich sources of renewal - renewal of water essential for life, and renewal of our conservation commitment as we thrill to the sight of wildlife in the wetlands.