U.S. Forest Service

Happy National Police Week. If you see a Forest Service law enforcement officers out in the field, give them a waive hello. They do a great job educating people about the rules and regulations (and why we have them), enforcing the regulations that protect the Forest ecosystems, and assisting the public in a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations.

WSRs must flow freely. Protecting the "free-flowing" nature of the Eleven Point Wild and Scnic River (WSR) is an important aspect of its designation as a WSR, along with ensuring its waters remain clean and its outstandingly remarkable values are protected; so what is the definition of "free-flowing" as it applies to a Wild and Scenic River? According to Rivers.gov, Section 16(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act defines free-flowing as "existing or flowing in a natural condi...tion without: impoundment, diversion, straightening, rip-rapping, or other modification of the waterway. The existence, however, of low dams, diversion works and other minor structures at the time any river is proposed for inclusion: Provided, that this shall not be construed to authorize, intend, or encourage future construction of such structures in components of the national wild and scenic rivers system." The existence of small dams, diversion works, or other minor in-channel structures shall not automatically disqualify a river as a potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Congress did not intend all rivers to be "naturally flowing," i.e., flowing without any manmade up- or downstream manipulation. The presence of impoundments above and/or below the segment (including those which may regulate flow within the segment), and existing minor dams or diversion structures within the study area, do not necessarily render a river segment ineligible. There are segments in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System that are downstream from major dams or are located between dams. Information from https://www.rivers.gov/info/q-and-a-answers.cfm?id=16 Photo: Spring branch from Greer Springs, which feeds into the free-flowing Eleven Point Wild and Scenic River.

Hiring temp fire jobs for multiple locations across the Forest Helitack (GS-5 in Rolla, MO) 21-TEMPF5-R9-0200-5DH https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/600355600... Fire Suppression (GS-3/4/5 at multiple Forest locations) 21-TEMPF5-R9-3867-3DH https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/600357900 21-TEMPF5-R9-3868-4DH https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/600358400 21-TEMPF5-R9-3869R-5DH https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/600553900

ACW RANGER DISTRICT RECREATION UPDATES: After a busy spring fire season, Forest Service personnel are catching up and preparing for a busy recreation season. Firefighters continue to repair control lines used to hold recent wildfires and prescribed burns. Other Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs (ACW) Ranger District employees are utilizing this time to catch up on normal business and record-keeping from the busy spring fire season as well. The Forest expects to send crews to the ...Continue reading

The Eleven Point National Scenic River was established in 1968 as a 44 mile scenic river, free of impoundments with a largely undeveloped shoreline and watershed. This portion of the river between Thomasville, Missouri and the Highway 142 bridge is near Gatewood, Missouri. It became one of the 8 initial units of the National Wild and Scenic River system in 1968. Its free-flowing nature, its clean water, and its outstandingly remarkable values are the three things that must be maintained for a Wild and Scenic River to remain Wild and Scenic

Help stop these invasive fish -- if caught, do not return to water and report to MDC: https://mdc.mo.gov//mdc-asks-anglers-help-stop-invasive-ro

Interested in learning more about different hunting methods -- MDC offers virtual classes, like this one:

Recreation Update: multi-month Closure of Audubon Trail for repairs The Federal Highways Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Mark Twain National Forest (Forest), will repair areas of the Audubon Trail that were damaged from flooding in 2017. The Audubon Trail is a 12-mile loop trail with two separate 6 mile-loops, one north and one south of Forest Road 2199. The terrain of the trail varies, with some sections relatively flat and others in steep hilly slopes. Much ...of the trail runs adjacent to streams, including several stream crossings. A record flood event in 2017 caused extensive damage to the trail. In June 2018, FHWA and the Forest assessed the damage and identified 47 sites on the trail with varying degrees of damage. The scope of the repairs will vary from site-to-site. Most work will involve restoring and stabilizing the trail. At two sites, FHWA proposes major trail realignment to prevent future water damage. In several locations, trail users have informally created side-trails to detour past damaged trail sites. FHWA may make these side-trails into the official trail with minor regrading and grubbing. To facilitate this repair work, the Audubon Trail and affected adjacent sections of Forest roads will be closed to the public from now through July 9. This closure will allow contract work to make these much-needed repairs and improvements. Specifically, the Forest Closure Order includes: - All of National Forest System Trail #056146, John J. Audubon Trail, excluding those sections of the trail that lie on or across National Forest System Road 2199. - National Forest System Road 2189 from the junction of National Forest System Road 2199 to its terminus at the John J. Audubon Trail #056146. - National Forest System Road 2160 from the Mark Twain National Forest boundary to its western terminus. - National Forest System Road 2176 from the junction of National Forest System Road 2199 to its terminus at the John J. Audubon Trail #056146. While this trail will be closed for several months, there are many other trails that can be enjoyed on Mark Twain National Forest. Visit our website for more information about recommended day-hiking and backpacking trails. - A list of Forest day-hiking trails can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mtnf/recreation/hiking/ - A list of Forest backpacking trails can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mtnf/recreation/hiking/ The closure order, which goes into effect Jan. 9, will be posted on the Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf.

Friday Fun Fact: William Henry Ashley was a real estate speculator, miner, politician, explorer, and businessman. He was born in Virginia, but moved to the Louisiana Territory in what would later become Missouri. Before the War of 1812 he mined saltpeter from a cave near the headwaters of the Current River. Ashley Creek, not far from Montauk State Park, is named after him and the cave is in that vicinity. In 1820 Ashley became Missouri’s first Lt. Governor. In the 1820s..., he and Andrew Henry, a bullet maker he knew from his mining days, started a fur trapping/trading/exploring service called the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and the men who responded to the adds to work for the company became known as Ashley’s 100 (think mountain men). They are credited with exploring a lot of the west and discovering South Pass in 1824. In 1825 Ashley discovered what is now known as Utah Lake, south of the Great Salt Lake. He called it Ashley Lake. In 1831 Ashley began serving in the House of Representatives on behalf of Missouri. He served 3 terms, but decided he’d rather try to become Missouri’s governor. He lost that race and decided to go into back into real estate speculation, as he’d been doing before and during the time he mined saltpeter. He died of pneumonia in 1838. Ashley, MO is named after him. In the western U.S. Ashley Falls (Utah) and Ashley Creek (Utah) and the Ashley National Forest (Utah/Wyoming) were named after him. - information for this fun fact gathered by Emily Ficker, (SSS, ACW RD) See more

Before you go hiking in a winter wonderland, stop to sign in at the trailhead! Using these sign in sheets is very helpful in tracking trail usage, and can be very valuable in locating people if any emergency situations arise. Thanks COMO Trail Association for this photo of the new box at the Moon Loop Trail (Barnes Chapel Trailhead).

Mark Twain National Forest, ACW Ranger District New Year’s Update: Smokey Bear made several appearances in local Christmas parades over the holidays. He wants everyone to know Forest Service firefighters continue preparation work for prescribed burning throughout the winterdoing everything they can to prevent wildfires. He also asks that everyone does their part by being fire safe. Also, this winter, construction of a new helibase on the Houston/Rolla/Cedar Creek Ranger Dist...rict has begun. This new base of operation for the Mark Twain National Forest’s helicopter and helitack crew will increase the Forest’s wildland firefighting readiness. Contractors have started work on site preparation and timber stand improvement on the Willow Springs unit. They will also be cutting cedar in the Garrison area of the Ava unit. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is testing deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Stone County. Over the past two years, three deer testing positive for CWD have been harvested by hunters near Table Rock Lake in Stone County. MDC is partnering with the US Forest Service on this sampling effort and will soon reach out to work with Stone County private landowners located in CWD core areas to see if they too would like to take part in these culling efforts. Winter culling operations are set to begin January 16 and will run through March 15. All deer culled will be tested for the disease and the processed meat from those deer in which CWD is not detected will be returned to the landowner or donated to the Share the Harvest program to help feed Missourians in need. To learn more about this CWD operation, join the virtual public meeting set for 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2021. Please email [email protected] for more information and a link to join the virtual meeting. The Ava office is cognizant of the impact of the Coronavirus and is taking precautions locally. Office staff are assisting visitors to the office outdoors, as much as possible, or by telephone. Access into the buildings is limited and a mask must be worn. The Ava and Cassville office will be closed New Year’s Day, January 1, and in recognition of Martin Luther King’s birthday, the offices will be closed January 18. If you have any questions regarding the listed activities, please feel free to call the Ava District Office at 417-683-4428.

Knowing some bat facts can help dispel fears about these useful critters #Batweek

The Mark Twain National Forest’s Silviculturist Position (GS-0462-12) vacancy announcement on USAJobs has been extended through October 28th. Announcement 20-R9SVAUG-0905-732433G-CJ Link to announcement: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/580796900

It's Bat Week! Learn more about bats and their role in Missouri and around the world in this video from Wonders of Wildlife.

Want to learn more about how the project at Crane Lake is moving forward? Ranger Becky Ewing shares some information in this interview:

Bats are an integral part of their ecosystems, and us humans get to see many benefits from them. Watch the recorded webinar at this link to learn more:

Bat Week is quickly approaching. There will be people around the world celebrating these flying creatures. Learn more about events and how you can share knowledge about bats at https://batweek.org/educate/.

Road reconstruction activities will be taking place on National Forest System Road 2124 (road that leads to the Rock Pile Trailhead on the Potosi Fredericktown Ranger District) starting now and expected to continue into January; and a closure order for the road is in effect during this construction period. The implementation of this closure will serve to ensure the protection of persons who visit the Mark Twain Nation Forest while the proposed road construction is taking plac...e. The closure is to protect the health and safety of the public within the closure order area. CLOSURE ORDER NO. 09-05-21-01 - USDA Forest Service - Mark Twain National Forest National Forest System Road 2124 Closure. If you have more questions, please contact the Potosi Fredericktown Ranger District at (573) 438-5427. Closure order can be viewed online here: www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd831188.pdf. Closure Map can be viewed here: www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd831189.pdf See more

Expected windy and dry conditions for Saturday have brought many parts of the Forest under red flag warnings. Please choose not to have campfires or to keep them small when winds are gusting. Propane stoves are an excellent alternative in windy, dry conditions. https://www.weather.gov/media/sgf/sitreport/SitReport1.pdf

Getting ready for fall hunting on the Forest? Many people from Missouri and beyond are getting ready for their favorite way to enjoy fallhunting on their national forest lands. Mark Twain National Forest provides a million and a half acres for these activities. Hunting regulations for Missouri are set by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) in the Wildlife Code; and those rules govern hunting activities on the Forest as well. To learn more about the regulations f...Continue reading

In many Mark Twain NF counties, per the National Weather Service out of Springfield, MO (www.weather.gov/sgf/sitrep) - Elevated fire conditions today with breezy winds and very dry conditions. - Critical fire conditions Saturday with strong winds and very dry conditions.

The Springfield News Leader mapped out some great fall color drives that folks in the area can take, including a drive along the Glade Top Trail.

With the latest dry weather, it is important to be extremely careful with any brush or leaf burning, and do not burn if in a red flag area. This is also a good time to think about being Firewise. There are many things you can do to help make your home less susceptible to wildfires. This list from Minnesota DNR includes many no-cost and low-cost ways to start being more Firewise today: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/firewise/50things.html.

Need some motivation to take a quick drive to look at fall colors around the Forest? District Ranger Becky Ewing describes how beautiful the Forest is looking and suggests a nice route to drive: https://www.mymoinfo.com/fall-colors-looking-great-this-ye/

The proposed actions and preliminary alternatives for Crane Lake Dam are now out for final public review. We appreciate the continued engagement from the communities that use this recreation site. Public feedback was very important in reaching this stage of the project.