by Don Barnes
For over a quarter of a century, nature lovers pursuing a variety of outdoor activities have enjoyed the beauty and splendor of Missouri’s Ozark Trail. From backpacking the Blair Creek segment for its fields of wildflowers and bluff-top views of the Current River to hiking the Karkaghne segment on the way to the largest fen complex in North America at Grasshopper Hollow, the Trail has provided countless hours of pleasure for enthusiasts.
Trails such as the Ozark Trail don’t just appear with a wave of Mother Nature’s hand. It takes the vision, collaboration, and cooperation of countless individuals, organizations, and institutions to create and sustain a welcoming, accommodating, useful trail.
By most accounts, the initial vision for the Ozark Trail was to build a scenic and varied route through the Ozark Wilderness, stretching from Meramec State Park to either the Eleven Point River or Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.
Eventually the concept of a trans-Ozark trail from the St. Louis metropolitan area southwestward to the Arkansas border that would connect to the Ozark Highlands Trail was adopted.
The ultimate goal became to create a 700-mile through-trail similar to more widely known trails such as the Appalachian or the Colorado. It is estimated that 550 miles of through-trail have been completed thus far on the Ozark, with between 300 to 350 miles of it in Missouri.
The Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club was one of the original non-governmental organizations associated with the establishment and initial development of the Trail. Among other things, volunteers from the Chapter built roughly 60 miles of the original trail and have continued to maintain a 14-mile segment for over 20 years.
The Sierra Club, like many other groups that share an interest in the trail, are generally pleased with it and the fact that it has managed to not only survive but indeed continue to grow. After all, much of the construction and maintenance of what exists today has been accomplished by dedicated volunteers.
Sierra Club EMG Conservation Committee Recommendations to be presented to Ozark Trail Council
- Complete the Entire Length of the OT
- Create Urban Segments
- Designate a Defined Corridor
- Define a Trail Width
- Restore Natural Areas
- Protect Designated Wilderness
- Designate Hiking Only Sections
- Prohibit ATVs
- Oppose Races, Rallies, and Other Large Events
- Protect Against Vandalism and Trash Disposal
The Sierra Club is not alone in recognizing various concerns regarding the Trail’s future that have surfaced over the past couple of years. In fact, a number of organizations are gaining momentum in addressing them.
A common concern on everybody’s mind seems to be when will the trail be completed, which is inevitably followed with how and by whom?
There are a variety of entities involved with numerous aspects of the trail, from the Department of Natural Resources to the Sierra Club. But the recognized governing body for the Ozark Trail is the Ozark Trail Council.
The Council is comprised mainly of land stewards who own or manage the actual land the trail traverses. They meet a couple of times a year and generally have final say in what happens with existing trail.
It has been suggested by some that it should be the responsibility of the Ozark Trail Council to take the lead in implementing a plan to complete the trail. Whether that is truly the case or not will remain to be seen. But one thing is certain: whoever assumes the lead in completing the trail is going to need a strong volunteer force to accomplish it.
The Ozark Trail is lucky in that regard thanks to The Ozark Trail Association www.ozarktrail.com.This new, volunteer, non-profit group was founded in late 2002 and is a solid compliment to the Ozark Trail Council.
Rather than being composed of land owners and managers, such as the Council is, the Association is comprised of trail enthusiasts who want to contribute their resources to developing, maintaining, preserving, promoting, and protecting the rugged, natural beauty of the Ozark Trail.
Sierra Club and Ozark Trail Association volunteers conduct maintenance and construction along the Bushy Creek section of the Trail. Credit: Bob Gestel
A group of them approached the Ozark Trail Council with the idea and the Council backed the plan. According to John Roth, one of the original researchers and a founding member of The Ozark Trail Association who has bravely assumed the role of coordinating and overseeing trail construction and maintenance for the Association, providing resources for completing the missing segments of the trail is a high priority.
“People want to hike a through-trail. Our (The Ozark Trail Association) primary goal is to harness the volunteer spirit in the area and make it available to the trail and land stewards. We want to be there to provide assistance in the development of the trail, to assist with construction, maintenance, and layout.”
Mike Bollinger, chair of the EMG Conservation Committee, agreed with Roth and pointed out that the Ozark Chapter shares much common ground with the Ozark Trail Association, noting that several active individuals are members of both organizations.
“Many of our members treasure the opportunity to hike such a substantial contiguous trail in their own backyard, and we’re committed to seeing the trail completed. But we’re also concerned with how the trail will be constructed and maintained in the future. We must avoid a trail concept which attempts to please all users in all segments as it may result in widespread usage conflicts and decrease the value of the Ozark Trail to all.”
The Ozark Trail was the focus of EMG Conservation Committee discussions throughout the summer, and they developed and refined a list of Club recommendations that were endorsed by the Chapter Executive Committee at their September 7 meeting.
They plan on presenting the list to the Ozark Trail Council at the council’s next meeting, scheduled for October 25. (The location of the meeting is still being determined. Checkwww.ozarktrail.com for updates.)
“We’d really like to see Sierra Club members interested in the future of the trail at the Ozark Trail Council meeting in October,” Bollinger said. “It’s our opinion that the development now of clear goals and objectives by the Ozark Trail Council is the best hope to simultaneously enhance the current Trail and complete the future segments in accordance with the original vision of the Trail’s founders.”