Meramec State Park is a popular attraction in east central
Missouri, just over 60 miles from
St. Louis. The park is situated along the
Meramec River, and features a geographic mix of mainly
limestone and
dolomite, and diverse ecosystems such as
hardwood forests,
glades and several
caves underneath the surface. In the late 1970's as part of the
Meramec Basin Project, a dam was to be erected by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the river in the park which would have flooded the park and imperiled many different species, including the endangered
Indiana bat. However, due to direct citizen action against the dam, the project was halted, marking an enormous victory for the environmentalist movement.
There are over 40 caves located throughout the park. The most famous is Fisher Cave, located near the campgrounds.
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