A St. Louis Icon is under seige as environmentalists are concerned about the future of another. John Danforth and the Arch

The Missouri Coalition for the Enviroment is urging supporters to attend a meeting next week where the National Park Service will be taking suggestions about the future of the Arch grounds.

The coalition is particularly concerned about a push by former Senator Danforth to bring some of the Arch grounds under local control.

“While we support efforts to solve some of the problems at the site — like accessibility and its lack of connection to downtown St. Louis — we oppose any effort to remove park land from the National Park System,” reads a note from coalition director Kathleen Logan Smith. “Taking America’s treasured public lands away from the authority of the National Park Service is not the solution.”