NATURAL AREAS CONFERENCE
Pre-conference Trips
1. The Sunklands and Stegall Mountain
Natural Area: This physically strenuous trip
will introduce participants to the natural history and landscapes
of the Missouri Ozarks by foot and canoe. We will explore two
large Missouri NA's, one representing dolomite and karst features
and one representing igneous features, in a remote region of
the southeastern Ozarks. In the Sunklands NA, participants will
hike old trails through pine and oak woodlands, climb steep
hills and ledges off-trail, cross rocky creeks and near-vertical
dolomite glades, descend into a large, deep sinkhole complex,
and hike about 7 miles cross-country to a large, pristine spring,
whose branch enters the Current River. At the river, we will
board canoes and paddle about 5 miles to the take-out point.
This trip will last from dawn to dusk and maybe beyond. On day
two, we will explore the rhyolite glades, forests, and streams
of Stegall Mountain NA, starting near the top of Stegall Mountain
where we can view the landscape from a fire tower. Then, we
will hike about 2 miles on and off trail to a rhyolite shut-in
and waterfall. Lodging will be at the Missouri Conservation
Department's Presley Education Center on the Current River.
This field trip entails extensive, strenuous hiking, non-technical
climbing, and canoeing. Only sign up for this trip if you
are physically capable of hiking all day over rough terrain
with a back pack! Participants will need to arrange their own
transportation to the Jerry Presley Education Center near Eminence,
Missouri and then to St. Louis after the trip.
Maximum Number of People:10
Length: 2 1/2 days
Difficulty: Very difficult
Required Equipment: Day pack, water bottle, hiking boots,
compass, towel, rain gear
Cost: $125, includes 2 nights lodging at the presley
Education Center, 5 meals, transportation on site
Trip Leaders: Rick Thom (573-751-4115 ext. 3193); Karen
Reamer (573-751-4115 ext. 3192).
2. Ozark Ecosystems:
Experience and learn about a wide variety of native Ozark Ecosystems
and their management. This 3-day trip will travel a loop through
the diverse landscapes of the southeastern Missouri Ozarks.
Learn about the regional and landscape ecosystems we traverse.
Observe outstanding Ozarkian glades and savannas and the influence
of prescribed fire. Enjoy the beauty of Mini Sauk falls and
catch the sunset from Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point
in Missouri. Get your feet wet in the largest fen complex in
unglaciated North America at Grasshopper Hollow. See the crystal
clear spring water boil up at the Ozark's largest spring, Big
Spring. Marvel at the biogeographic oddity of an Ozark Sinkhole
Pond, Cupola Pond. And check out the outstanding formations
of an Ozarkian cave.
The trip will be led by knowledgeable ecologists and will provide
an opportunity to interact with local resource managers. We
will stay in charming and rustic cabins and tempt our pallets
with local Ozarkian food. Trip includes transportation, four
of seven meals, and refreshments.
Maximum Number of People: 20
Length: 3 days
Difficulty:Minimal
Required Equipment: Day pack, rain gear, sturdy shoes,
water bottle
Cost: $225, includes transportation from St. Louis and
on site, 2 nights lodging, 4 of 7 meals, refreshments
Trip Leaders: Tim Nigh (573-884-6791), Dough Ladd (314-968-1103)
3. Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem
Project Tour: Visit a comprehensive forest ecosystem
project in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks. Since 1990, research
scientists have been examining the impacts of forest management
practices in the Ozark forest. This unique, long-term, landscape
scale experiment, called the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem
Project (MOFEP), compares the effects of even-aged, uneven-aged,
and no timber harvest on a variety of ecosystem components.
You will visit MOFEP sites, interact with MOFEP scientists and
learn about other Ozark landscape studies, including fire management.
Spend two nights in Van Buren at the Rose Cliff Lodge perched
above the crystal clear, spring-fed Current River (Ozark National
Scenic Riverways). Also, visit spectacular natural areas including
Big Spring (one of the world's largest), Blue Spring, Stegall
Mountain (collared lizard restoration site), and Johnson's Shut-Ins
during peak fall color. Cost includes bus transportation from
St. Louis and on site, two nights lodging with continental breakfast,
three picnic lunches, and refreshments.
Maximum Number of People: 30
Length: 3 days
Difficulty: Minimal
Required Equipment: Sturdy hiking boots, water bottle,
light jacket and/or rain gear
Cost:$200, includes transportation from St. Louis and
on site, 2 nights lodging with breakfast, 3 lunches, refreshments
Trip Leaders: Randy Jensen (573-663-7130), John Kabrick
(573-882-9880 ext. 3235)
4. Osage Plains Tallgrass Prairie
Tour: Enjoy fall on the prairies with the rich
colors of prairie grasses, asters, gentians, goldenrods, and
sunflowers. We will visit the largest publicly owned prairies
in Missouri (2000+ acres) and view large prairie vistas at Wah'Kon-Tah
Prairie and Prairie State Park. Participants will see the full
range of prairie natural community types found in the Osage
Plains Ecoregion including many prairies with 200+ vascular
plant species and several rare and endangered species. Participants
may also catch glimpses of bison, elk, northern harriers, and
greater prairie chickens utilizing their native habitat. Includes
van transportation from Lamar, Missouri, to prairie sites, expert
guides, and two field lunches. We will block motel rooms; participants
will be responsible for reserving their own rooms (nights of
October 14 and 15), and paying for two restaurant meals. On
Monday, participants will drive to St. Louis for the conference,
with the option of visiting additional prairies on the way.
Maximum Number of People: 25
Length: 2 1/2 days
Difficulty:Minimal
Required Equipment: Hiking and rain gear
Cost: $21, includes transportation on site, 2 lunches
Trip Leaders: Carol Davit (573-751-4115 ext. 3874),
Mike Leahy (573-884-6861 ext. 225)
5. St. Francois Mountain Natural
History Rendezvous: The St. Francois Mountains
comprise one of the largest exposed areas of explosive volcanic
rocks in the central United States. The volcanic strata of the
Taum Sauk area forms a broad circular depression, which has
been interpreted as the remnant of an ancient caldera. The St.
Francois Mountain Natural Area (7,228 acres), located in the
middle of this caldera, is the largest designated NA in Missouri.
It incorporates igneous glades, woodlands, forests, acid seeps,
and a high quality headwater stream faunal community, all representative
of the St. Francois Knobs and Basin Ecoregion of the Ozark Highlands.
It includes three state significant igneous glade/woodland complexes,
records for the imperiled (G2) Mead's Milkweed, several outstanding
geologic features (including Mina Sauk Falls, the Devil's Tollgate,
and the Devil's Wall), and a notable headwater stream, recognized
as an Outstanding State Resource Water.
Maximum Number of People: 20
Length: 2 1/2 days
Difficulty: Very difficult
Required Equipment: Tent, sleeping bag, rain gear, backpack
or day pack, other camping gear, water bottle
Cost: $30, includes transportation from St. Louis and
on site, 2 nights camping, 6 meals
Trip Leaders: Mike Currier (573-526-2990), Ken McCarty
(573-751-8660), Cheryl Seeger (573-368-2184)
6. Missouri Mines State Historic
Site: Travel 70 miles south of St. Louis by van
for a special tour of Missouri Mines State Historic Site at
Park Hills, Missouri. In Southeast Missouri - the premier lead
mining district of the world - mining began in 1720 and continues
to the present. This fascinating 25-acre state historic site
preserves the ruins of an early 20th Century mine-mill complex,
the heart of the Old Lead Belt subdistrict and surface hub for
a once extensive underground network of interconnected drifts
and giant room and pillar slopes served by a 260-mile subterranean
rail haulage system. The 20,000 sq ft powerhouse is being developed
into an interpretive center and museum, which will document
the role of mineral resources and the mining industry to Missouri,
and preserve the history, traditions, and material elements
of Missouri mining life and culture. Exhibits in place feature
mining history and practices in the Old Lead Belt. The museum
also boasts an exceptional gallery of mineral specimens from
all over the world, as well as exhibits featuring Missouri geology,
natural divisions, and mineral resources.
Maximum Number of People: 30
Length: 1 day, Monday, October 16
Difficulty: Minimal
Required Equipment: none
One-way Travel Time: 1 1/2 hours
Cost: $15, includes transportation, lunch
Trip Leaders: Art Hebrank (573-431-6226)
7. Cache River, LaRue-PIne Hills/
Otter POnd Research Natural Area: Spend a day
and a half exploring the Cache River State Natural Area and
LaRue Swamp in southern Illinois. Cache River is located in
southernmost Illinois within an ancient floodplain carved by
an Ohio River swollen with glacial floodwater. When the Ohio
River abandoned Cache Valley and adopted its present course,
it left the underfit Cache River to meander tortuously across
a vast wetland-rich floodplain. Among the outstanding natural
features found within the Cache River Wetlands are massive cypress
trees sporting buttresses exceeding 40' in circumference. Many
of these trees are more than 1000 years old, including one specimen
in Buttonland Swamp that has earned the title of "state
champion" because of its massive girth, towering height,
and widespread heavily-branched canopy.
Despite recent intensive efforts to convert low wetland along
the Cache River to cropland and pasture, the Cache River State
NA still contains some of the finest aquatic and terrestrial
natural communities remaining in Illinois. Wetlands within this
area are so important to migratory waterfowl and shorebirds,
they were collectively designated a "Wetland of International
Importance" by the RAMSCAR Convention in 1996. This distinction
is held by only 15 other wetlands in the United States.
Because of its geographic location, the Cache River Valley
contains a diversity of soils, bedrock, and landforms that are
in turn subjected to a wide range of climatic extremes. Within
the confines of southern Illinois, north meets south and east
meets west. Ecologists have identified four distinct ecological
regions that converge here: the Ozark Plateau, Interior Low
Plateau, Coastal Plain, and Mississippi River Alluvial Plain.
The result of this hodgepodge of ecological factors is a collage
of natural communities, each with its own unique assemblage
of physical attributes and plant and animal species.
It should come as no surprise that concerned environmentalists
have rallied to protect wildlife and wild places in the Cache
River watershed. The National Park Service has established both
Buttonland Swamp and Heron Pond as National Natural Landmarks.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has identified
two Nature Preserves here (Section 8 Woods, Heron Pond - Little
Black Slough), and registered 9,300 acres in the Land and Water
Reserve Program. All of these designations assure that management
of this site will emphasize preservation of the areas pre-disturbance
natural character.
Comprised of three distinct management units, the Little Black
Slough Management Unit, Lower Cache River Swamps MU, and Glass
Hill MU, the Cache River State NA encompasses 11,768 acres in
Johnson and Pulaski Counties.
The Little Black Slough Unit surrounds the Upper Cache River
north of the Cypress-Dongola blacktop. Nestled deep within the
shadowy bottomland forests of this unit lies Heron Pond, a shallow
wetland dominated by cypress and tupelo. A boardwalk winds its
way into the secluded depths of this forested swamp, providing
visitors a chance to step back in time and gaze upon wetland
and aquatic ecosystems that have remained relatively undisturbed
for thousands of years. During the growing season, massive gray-brown
cypress trunks arise from a floating carpet of brilliant emerald
duckweed. These massive living pillars of wood extend high over
the swamp before disappearing into a shadow-filled canopy. Here,
seldom seen but often heard bird-voice tree frogs haunt the
leafy branches of tall cypress trees, their melodious calls
considered by many to be the most beautiful of all the frog
voices. Above and below the waters surface, birds, mammals,
reptiles, amphibians, and insects interact in a symphony of
survival.
Overlooking the swamps are the low ridges of the Lesser Shawnee
Hills. At the base of these hills, bottomland hardwood forests
dominated by overcup oak, pin oak, cherrybark oak, and sweetgum
give way to red oak, white oak, and shagbark hickory. Barrens
occur on the highest ridgetops where soils are thin and bedrock
is exposed. These sites are dominated by small post oak and
blackjack oak trees scattered about open expanses of land dominated
by grasses and forbs more commonly encountered on dry prairies.
South of the Cypress-Dongola Blacktop, the Lower Cache River
Swamps spread across a broad, flat floodplain between the towns
of Karnak and Ullin. The swamps here are a mosaic of permanent
deep open water interrupted here and there by thick buttressed
cypress trees that were old a thousand years ago. Younger even-aged
stands of cypress and tupelo trees and limby thickets of buttonbush
occur in areas of shallow water. Visitors can experience this
lost world while paddling a canoe through 6 miles of trails
that meander through river channels, swamps and ponds in a portion
of the Lower Cache River known as Buttonland Swamp.
The Glass Hill Management Unit occurs just about 3 miles north
of Buttonland Swamp near the town of Cypress. An outstanding
example of a rare landform called a sandstone knob occurs on
this site. All around and on top of this inaccessible knob is
relatively undisturbed upland forest dominated by chinkapin
oak, red oak, white oak, shagbark hickory, and pignut hickory.
LaRue Pine Hills is a very popular destination for hikers, birdwatchers,
naturalists, hunters, and anglers. It is most recognized for
its rugged topography and massive exposures of limestone bedrock
that form sheer bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River floodplain.
These bluffs rise 350' above thousands of acres of bottomland
hardwood forest and a 1,200 acre wetland complex that contains
deepwater sloughs and ponds, herbaceous marshes, shrub swamps,
and forested swamps. Pine Hills-LaRue Swamp occurs at the junction
of two ecological divisions, the Ozark and the Lower Mississippi
River Bottomlands Divisions, and contains over 4,000 acres of
upland and floodplain forest, limestone barrens, and wetlands.
Forty-three percent of the state's flora occur within this site.
Because of its natural character, portions of the area have
been designated a National Natural Landmark, Nature Preserve,
and Federal Research NA. Numerous uncommon, rare, threatened
and/or endangered species occur on this site, and its diverse
herpetofaunal component is unmatched throughout the state.
Maximum Number of People: 15
Length:1 1/2 days
Difficulty: Minimal
Required Equipment: Hiking boots and clothing, day pack,
water bottle
Cost: None, participants are responsible for transportation
to and on site, and all meals; hotel information provided later.
Trip Leaders: Mark Guetersloh (618-634-2545), Scott
Ballard (618-993-7023), Beth Shimp (618-253-7114)
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