Several groups, including the Missouri Coalition for the Environment and Friends of the Ozark Riverways, have made the case that the Current and Jack’s Fork rivers are anything but wild and that the management and enforcement practices on these rivers need to undergo radical and fundamental change.

One recent event in particular, in which 2 people were killed in a careless motorboat accident, seems to underscore the need to return to truly traditional river activities.

By “truly traditional” I am referring to those activities that can only take place on a river or in the surrounding natural areas. ATV riding, motor boating, and even horseback riding are all activities that can take place in other areas. For example, a closed quarry could be opened to ATV riders and there are numerous lakes in the Ozarks that are suitable for motor boating. The Riverways, however, are meant to be protected in their natural state. Any permitted activities should serve only to compliment this mission.

It is impossible to stress enough how important natural areas are not only for the health of our planet but to our own cultural heritage and society.

The ideology of “god put this here for us and I will now destroy it in his name” should be a mentality that died out long ago. Time and time again humans should have learned this lesson. Still, today you can hear the sounds and see the signs of “progress” throughout the Riverways; motors, tire treads, ruts, erosion, fecal contamination from horse manure, trash, overdeveloped access points, and the list goes on.

Isn’t it time we take the health of the planet and the few remaining wild and scenic areas seriously and take real measures to protect them? Isn’t it time we see the errors or our past ways and attempt to set right some of the mistakes we’ve made when determining what kind of relationship humans should have with the planet?

Eric Matthew Wilkinson

St. Louis