As we prepare to celebrate the centennial of our state parks system, let the Boy Scouts lead the way.
The efforts of about 200 Boy Scouts who volunteered at three Missouri state parks last weekend serves as an exemplary prelude to this weekend's kickoff of the centennial celebration of the parks system.
Saturday will begin an 18-month celebration of the state parks system's 100th anniversary. The observance will kick off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with the opening of a Capitol exhibit on the history of the park system and continue through April 2017.
"We've grown every decade for 100 years," said Bill Bryan, director of the parks division within the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "There have been changes, but we've always had growth."
The statewide system includes 88 state parks and historic sites, including Jefferson Landing State Historic Site, Katy Trail, Ha Ha Tonka and Lake of the Ozarks state parks.
During the celebration, the public will be invited to participate in an update of the 30-year-old study to identify obstacles and threats to the parks systems.
The observance also marks the return of the popular passport program, which encourages visitors to pick up a passport at their first stop and have it stamped during visits to the other 87 venues. Upon completion, each visitor to all the state's parks and historic sites receives a prize.
Three of those parks, including two in the Lake area, were beneficiaries of nearly 1,000 hours of volunteer work performed by Boy Scout during the recent Scout Service Day.
The day of service, now in its fourth year, "is a great opportunity for Scout units to do something that benefits the thousands of people who enjoy our state parks," said John Young, a Scout leader who worked with DNR to organize the event.
We commend the volunteer efforts by the young people who participated in Scout Service Day.
The celebration welcome Missourians to visit the state parks created and maintained for your enjoyment. And good stewardship asks each of us to leave the parks in an inviting condition for the next visitor.