Never doubt that your phone calls, emails, and comments get listened to and have an effect.  Recently, the Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club issued an activist alert asking members to contact their state legislators to stop two bills that would have clawed back Missouri's newest State Park.  The park was purchased with Superfund settlement money, which the law allows.  The law allows the purchase of unspoiled land in addition to remediating polluted sites, in order to increase the total amount of unpolluted land.  Missouri has some areas that have been polluted by lead mining, and as part of the Superfund cleanup, those sites are being remediated. 

Additionally,  a specially appointed Board of Trustees made up of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and Missouri DNR decided to purchase some unspoiled land along the Eleven Point River and help this river recover from the pollution caused by too many cattle nearby.  Again, the law allows this, as remediation of polluted sites alone does not always add to the total preservation of the area as much as preserving additional unspoiled land.  But bills were introduced in the Missouri House and Senate to force the auction of this land and the cessation of plans for the new state park.

Partially in response to your phone calls, Missouri Sens. Jason Holsman, Scott Sifton, and Jill Schupp filibustered the Senate bill, and the call-in campaign helped persuade Gov. Nixon to promise to veto the bill if it passed.  So the new state park is going forward.  You can read about it and how you helped here! 

Also, your efforts helped the Land and Water Conservation Act to be permanently renewed in April 2016.  You can read about this important victory here! 

Thanks!  Keep those calls and letters coming (to your legislators!)