State Park Links
Pleas join us for the dedication of a Memorial to park founder Lew Stoerker, Saturday April 14, 2012 at 1:00 pm at the Devil's Icebox trailhead.
Lew Stoerker played a key role in founding the park after the death of his young daughter Carol in a car accident. Lew wanted some place where children could play safely in nature. Under his guidance a board of local community members raised funds to later matched by State Park funds to purchase the land for the park. Read more about the history of the park here
If you would like to know more about the dedication event, contact Friends' President Kevin Roberson at kwrcdr@aol.com
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is a 2,273-acre Missouri State Park with more than 15 miles of hiking and bicycling trails, an extensive cave system, an equestrian area and an orienteering course. The park was founded in 1967 and is named for the naturally occurring "rock bridge" due to the area's karst topography, and as a memorial to local child, Carol Stoerker, whose parents played a major role in raising funds to purchase the land for the park after her death in 1961.
The Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (FoRB) is a membership supported 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 to promote understanding, appreciation, enjoyment, and preservation of the natural and cultural resources of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and to aid in the protection of the park.
FoRB works with and supports Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, but it is a separate entity. Be sure and visit the state park homepage for Rock Bridge Memorial State Park for information on directions, map, hours, events, programs, special features and trails.
FoRB organizes community outreach to promote the park, stewardship activities to remove litter, old fencing and invasive plants, family oriented programs that complement park programs, fundraising for specific educational projects and representation of park concerns on local issues that affect the park.
Special from the 2010 Summer Nature Detectives Program
Special for March 2010: Superintendent Jim Gast's Photo Essay of the Gans Creek Wildlife Area
- March 2012
- March 2012 Newsletter: President's Column - Progress on Four Fronts; Superintendent's Column- What is Your Wish for the Park?; Naturalist's Column - Invasive Plants Threaten Future of Park
- March 2012 Board Meeting: Monday March 19, 6:30 pm at the park headquarters, 5901 S. 163.
- Nature Detectives: FoRB received a grant from the Conservation Federation of Missouri and a gift from the Optimists to help fund this year's Nature Detectives Program. Visit a news account here.
- Read the State Park Funding Coalition's document on funding state park improvements
- Donate to state parks