By Olivia Garrett
Cedar Creek in Callaway County is at the northern edge of the Mark Twain National Forest’s territory.
For administrative purposes, the section is grouped in with the ranger station in Houston, Missouri, which is 2.5 hours south by car. With this distance in mind, along with aging facilities, the national forest’s administrators are rethinking how it will maintain recreation sites in the Cedar Creek area in the future.
“Cedar Creek is the farthest unit away from a ranger district — a 2.5-hour drive time,” recreation officer Tray Hall said. “Other districts only have maybe a two hour drive or less. Being able to commit to maintaining it really takes a drain on our resources.”
Hall detailed what the plan might mean for several spots near Fulton, including Dry Fork Campground, Pine Ridge Campground and Carrington Pits Picnic Site.
As explained in a Friday article, the USDA Forest Service (which administrates MTNF) is considering adding a host site to help maintain Dry Fork and Pine Ridge, while Carrington Pits is in danger of being decommissioned.
“When we looked at everything for our program moving forward, we were not sure we could maintain it the way we have been,” Hall said.
At Carrington Pits, located west of Fulton off of County Road 315 near Highway H, visitors can enjoy 4 picnic tables nestled in the pine trees, as well as fishing in 4 acres of water. The fishing area is accessible by two piers and a gravel boat ramp.
The area of shady pine trees doesn’t look much like the surrounding area — the trees were planted in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The forest service hopes to find a partner to help take care of tasks like mowing and trash collection sometime in the next year.
“It’s partially the aging facilities, but also too the distance to drive to even get down there to take care of it,” Hall said.
If that happens, the forest service will repair and replace the fishing piers and the walkway to them for $6,500.
“If not, in the long run, we’d decommission site,” Hall said. “We would fully pull out all the picnic tables and the fishing pier would have to be removed for safety reasons.”
The forest service would take out the restrooms and move them to service some other site. The road would be closed and access would be restricted to walk-in traffic.
“We’re having to rethink how we function up there — how to better take care of what we know are our best qualities,” Hall said.
Thirteen other sites in other parts of the forest are also being considered for decommissioning.
At one, the Watercress Campground in the Eleven Point Ranger District, the forest service has been able to partner with the City of Van Buren.
In other spots, the forest service plans to pull back by transforming campgrounds into picnic areas. Many of the areas being decommissioned are smaller spots like observation sites or trailheads where the forest hasn’t been doing much maintenance anyway, Hall said.
“By pulling out of Carrington, if that ends up happening, we’d be able to focus on the other areas,” Hall said.
If the worst is avoided and a partner is found, MTNF will also be able to shift resources to other efforts as well.
One other effort is a plan to introduce a host site to Dry Fork and Pine Ridge.
The Pine Ridge camp serves as a trailhead for the 36-mile Cedar Creek Trail and includes four picnic sites and 8 campsites. Dry Fork Campground is located at the equestrian trailhead with 8 primitive campsites that can accommodate RVs.
“They are unique because the two campgrounds are only about 6 miles apart,” Hall said.
Because of the close distance, it would be possible for one host, located at Pine Ridge, to help maintain both sites. The host would stay on site and help with mowing.
It will cost $6,750 to add a septic system, water line and gravel parking pad for a host. Another $200 will go towards replacing the information board roof.
“Having a host site generally helps deter any issues before they get started,” Hall said. “Having a host is a great solution for us to be able to have a presence.”
The campground projects will take place sometime in the next five years. It is also likely a campground fee will eventually be introduced.
Hall said he has heard from visitors sharing their love for the Cedar Creek area.
“It’s one that I know is appreciated,” he said.
In terms of funding for updates across Mark Twain National Forest, Hall mentioned the Great American Outdoors Act as a potential source. The act could provide billions over the next five years for maintenance of national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other federal lands. It was signed in August.
The proposed changes to Carrington Pits, Dry Fork and Pine Ridge are not yet final. Until Oct. 17, the public can share their feedback.
The full plan can be found at bit.ly/3mGgYmK.
Comments can be emailed to [email protected]. The public can also reach out to the Houston-Rolla-Cedar Creek Ranger District at 417-967-4194 to ask questions or provide comments related to the portions of the national forest near Fulton.