Conor Watkins' Ozark Mountain Experience
Article 66
By Conor Watkins

The John Audubon Regional Nature And Art Center
-A Retreat In The City Limits of Rolla

Winter ice coats the trees at the John Audubon Nature And Art Center.
Towering short leaf pines planted in 1937 are visible in the right half of the photo.

The Ozark Rivers Chapter of the Audubon Society was started in 1975 to promote education relating to birds and habitat conservation/restoration.  This chapter has worked to build trails, host educational programs for the public, work with stream teams, and other issues important to wildlife habitat.  Most recently, the Ozark Rivers Chapter purchased approximately 60 acres of land for use as a nature center just north of Interstate 44 within Rolla city limits.

Although the groundwork to acquire the land on which the nature center is located was started during 2001, the land purchase finalized on Sept 9, 2002.  Funding to buy the land was made possible by generous citizens from the surrounding area.  Although the nature center is far from completed, much work has been done on the area.  Extensive dumping has occurred on the isolated property throughout the years, allowing hundreds of tires and other miscellaneous rubbish to accumulate.  Various workdays have been conducted to help remove this garbage, as old tires do an excellent job of holding rainwater.  Water filled tires serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which carry the West Nile Virus.  Since one of the main goals of the Audubon Society is to restore habitat for birds, which are susceptible to West Nile, tire removal has been a top priority.

Future goals include the establishment of 5 looping hiking trails covering a total of four miles.  A parking area, restrooms, informational kiosk, foot bridges, eight to fifteen artist easels, benches, and signs will be built at the site.  Trails will adhere to guidelines established in the USFS Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook and the Appalachian Trail Design, Construction, And Maintenance Manual.  Trail slopes will vary between 5-12% and switchbacks will be used to provide for easier hiking and erosion control where necessary.  A trail brochure is also in the works.

This map shows proposed trails within the nature center.

Each looping trail will take the visitor to one of five ecosystems present within the park.  These natural areas include a savanna, riparian zone, prairie, upland deciduous and conifer forest, and a dolomite glade.  Much of the vegetation in the area is native with the exception of invasive species such as eastern red cedar, which have taken over since man introduced fire control to the Rolla area.  The restoration of all ecosystems may take up to ten or more years.

Invasive species including eastern red cedar have taken over certain areas since
man introduced fire control.

Upon visiting the site, it was discovered that the area is quite unique for its relatively small size, as it includes springs, streams, uplands, all containing a nice stand of relatively undisturbed forest.  The forest contains short leaf pines, oaks, and other deciduous trees.  The land resembles much of the Ozarks before settlers developed and attempted to farm the slopes.

The area contains a large sandstone filled sink, or paleokarst feature, so common to the Ozarks (see http://web.umr.edu/~cwatkin/cwome/article60-62combined.htm for more information on filled sinks).  The sandstone filling of this sink is more resistant than the surrounding Jefferson City dolomite, which allowed it to become a topographic high as the dolomite weathered away.  This structure is similar to Blossom Rock at Lane Spring, except much larger.  Its top is broad and gently sloping, which has allowed trees and other vegetation to take root unlike at Blossom Rock where the structure is more exposed to the viewer.  Steep sandstone edges and strange, irregular, and out of place sandstone pieces indicate what is below. The rock present doesn’t quite resemble any widespread Ozark rock formations nearby.  This exposure is briefly mentioned on page 49 of Wallace Lee’s 1913 “Geology of the Rolla Quadrangle.”

Unusual sandstone boulders are present throughout the filled sink area at
the nature center.

Miners came to the area in 1913 to prospect for iron this sink structure, as Ozark sink structures commonly contain metallic sulfide ores.  Maramec Spring Park contains one example.  Two exploratory pits and some drill holes were excavated but not economical deposits of ore were found and the project was abandoned.  A five foot long percussive drill bit was left behind and recently discovered by Audubon Society work crews.

Shallow prospecting pits excavated into the sandstone filling of the sink revealed
no economical iron deposits.
Additional Pictures 1 & 2

As with much of the Ozarks, this property has a unique history.  In 1853, the U.S. Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act, which encouraged westward expansion of rail lines to create transcontinental railways.  One stipulation of the act gave railroads land near their tracks based on the miles of line laid.  Railroads were free to do whatever they wanted with this land.  It was usually sold to settlers to help pay for the railway.  The South Pacific Railroad was proposed in 1869 and was to come through the Rolla area.  Some of the land on the west side of Vichy Rd. was later subdivided and sold to create what became known as the Railway Addition of Rolla.

A man named Bill Jensen and his Wife Emma purchased much of the property.  Bill was a highly respected Physics Professor at the Missouri School of Mines (now UMR).  During the great Depression, their son, James, worked on farms and later joined the CCC.  He came back from the CCC to attend college but soon left to fight WWII in Europe.  Bill planted 300 short leaf pine saplings on the property in 1937.  Today these trees tower over the forest.

James later worked at the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Rolla.  During the 1950’s through 1960’s, a small portion of the land was used as a dump for the Bureau of Mines.  Slag, a high pressure air hose for a furnace, bottles, and other interesting discards are still on the site today.  James Jensen still lives along Vichy Road but he decided to donate 7.4 acres to the park in memory of his parents, as he realized the beauty of the land and wanted it preserved.

The land is now in the hands of the Ozark Rivers Chapter of the Audubon Society.  Their mission statement reads as follows… “The mission of the Ozark Rivers Chapter of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore the Ozarks ecosystem by focusing on birds, while emphasizing habitat preservation and restoration, though education, conservation, art, public awareness, and advocacy on the behalf of all.”  It seems the new nature center fits this mission perfectly.

The Ozark River Chapter of the Audubon Society represents Phelps, Pulaski, Crawford, Dent, Maries, Shannon, and Texas County.  Since the nature center is still a long way from completion, the group is always looking for help from those with some free time.  This includes student groups looking to complete a service projects, or anyone else who wants to help serve a good cause.  For more information on the chapter and how to volunteer, see http://www.rollanet.org/~audubon or e-mail the President, Mike Doyen, at mdoyen@yahoo.com.

The new nature center is located in Rolla just north of Interstate 44 near Fraternity Row.  To get there, take 14th St. (Hwy E) north of I-44 and turn right immediately after crossing the highway onto White Columns Dr.  Follow past the Kappa Sigma Fraternity house and turn right on Meriwether Rd.  Meriwether Rd. dead ends into the parking area for the center.