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GOP bill would nix former Missouri governor's name from new state park

Jay Nixon State Park in Reynolds County.
Mo. Dept. of Natural Resources
Jay Nixon State Park in Reynolds County.

Jay Nixon received a nice parting gift from the Department of Natural Resources a few days before stepping down as governor: a new state park that bears his name.

But Jay Nixon State Park may soon have a new name if Republican lawmakers have their way.

The Missouri House Committee on Conservation and Natural Resources conducted a hearing Wednesday on House Bill 600, which would change the southeastern Missouri park's name to Proffitt Mountain State Park.

Bill sponsor Rep. Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi, told the committee he has no problem with naming something after the former Democratic governor. His objection, however, centers on the Nixon administration using federal funds designated for lead cleanup to instead buy up private land for new state parks.

Jay Nixon State Park in Reynolds County.
Credit Mo. Dept. of Natural Resources
Jay Nixon State Park in Reynolds County.

“The community was already upset with the (former) governor and the Department of Natural Resources for these actions, and they went ahead and they purchased this land,” he said. “They could have cared less about what the people of this area thought.”

Fitzwater also objected to naming a state park after someone who is still alive.

Nixon could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Department of Natural Resources closed Jay Nixon State Park last week because of "limited access, lack of facilities, and public safety concerns,” agency spokesman Tom Bastian said. He did not specify whether the closure is temporary or permanent.Land for the state park was purchased in 2015 with money received from a federal lawsuit settlement with American Smelting and Refining Company LLC, also known as ASARCO. The settlement’s primary purpose is to pay for cleaning up areas contaminated by decades of lead mining. 

No one testified against the bill Wednesday.

The Sierra Club of Missouri has defended the Nixon administration’s practice of using federal lead cleanup money for land purchases. As Carolyn Amparan with the Sierra Club told St. Louis Public Radio last year, “We believe that it is certainly within the bounds of the settlement agreement that this money be spent on acquiring new land to protect … there was a specific set-aside in the agreement that was designed to protect unspoiled land.”

Jay Nixon State Park is located in Reynolds County, bordering Taum Sauk State Park and a few miles hiking distance from Johnson’s Shut-ins State Park. There are no facilities, as it's designed to cater to hikers and backpackers and has access to the Ozark Trail.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.