Rare plants of the Ozark Plateau: a field identification guide

Critics have said that we Americans have despoiled our land, wasted our natural resources, polluted our water and air, leveled our forests, and decimated our wild plants and animals. However, as a nation, we have made much progress in recognizing our mistakes and inadequacies and are taking steps to correct them. Among these steps, and related to this publication, are the Missouri Threatened and Endangered Species Act of 1972, the National Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. At first these laws pertained primarily to animal species, but they have since been applied to plant species. Interest in rare, unique, threatened, and endangered plant species has greatly intensified over the past five years. This interest will undoubtedly increase in the Ozark Plateau area as both the activities of the conservation and preservation organizations, and the funding of the Missouri Department of Conservation provided through the Design for Conservation Program increase. The current policy and management direction of the U.S. Forest Service's Mark Twain National Forest and the Columbia, Missouri Unit of the North Central Forest Experiment Station promise to complement these efforts and interests.