JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Low water levels on the Missouri River could be bad news for barge operators and farmers, but the Conservation Department is promoting the situation as a rare recreational opportunity.

Lower water means better fishing and more opportunities for picnicking, camping and treasure-hunting on sandbars that typically are submerged.

"The Missouri River is a tremendous recreation area," said Dan Witter, chief of policy coordination for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "It is most accessible and inviting when the water is low, exposing loads of sand bars, islands and sandy banks where people can get out and enjoy it."

Since falling to a record 5 feet below normal at Kansas City in January, the river rose to only slightly below normal by late February. But Witter said lighter-than-usual snow in the Great Plains and northern Rocky Mountains means the river could remain below normal for some time.

Lower water levels expose the tops of rock dikes and other obstructions. That makes it easier and safer to go boating, Witter said. A low river also is more inviting because the current is not as swift and floating debris is scarce.

Boaters could find a wealth of sandy beaches instead of the steep mud banks that border the river during higher water levels. Gradually sloping beaches and nearby shallow water off the main channel are perfect for camping, picnicking and family fishing trips, Witter said.

Low water also enhances fishing for flathead, channel and blue catfish, drum and other river species.

Beachcombing, normally not associated with Midwestern states, is a little-known opportunity on the Missouri River.

About a month ago, an O'Fallon resident discovered a 10,000-year-old skull of an extinct bison on a sand bar in St. Charles County.

Collecting artifacts is legal as long as they no longer are in their original locations, said Brant Vollman, an archaeologist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Anything washed onto a sandbar is fair game.

However, he said, human remains and intact archaeological sites, such as Indian mounds and buried shipwrecks, must not be disturbed, and should be reported immediately.

Trespassing is another issue that beachcombers should consider. Chris Wickern, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Kansas City, said the property of landowners adjacent to the river extends to the ordinary low-water mark of the river -- typically where the riverside vegetation ends.

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On the Net:

Conservation Department: http://www.missouriconservation.org