More than 50 acres of "high-quality forestland" in Cooper County are being added to the Lamine River Conservation Area.
The Missouri Conservation Commission approved the purchase Thursday during its regularly scheduled meeting.
"Acquisition of this property would provide additional outdoor opportunities for the public, including hunting, hiking, bird watching and nature viewing, in an underserved county," said Jennifer Battson Warren, deputy director of business and operations and chair of the Missouri Department of Conservation's realty committee.
In presenting the purchase proposal to the Conservation Commission, Warren said the 52-acre tract of land is entirely forested and has not been harvested in decades. The property is adjacent to the northeast boundary of Lamine River Conservation Area and would extend the edge of the conservation area to New Lebanon Drive.
"It is high-quality forestland and eases management and restoration of a limestone woodland glade complex, which is not common in Cooper County," Warren wrote in a statement to the News Tribune.
The state is buying the land from Mary Christine Angelo, who made a formal land-for-sale offer to the conservation agency on July 22, 2022. The commission unanimously approved closing on the negotiated contract Thursday. The purchase will be finalized when the title is granted to the commission.
Per department policy, neither the appraised nor purchase value of the property will be released until after the commission has the title.
Created in 1983, Lamine River Conservation Area is a 6,018-acre conservation site on the Cooper and Morgan county line. Its woodlands, grasslands, small glades and scattered ponds create a suitable environment for bird watching, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting and trapping, according to the department.