DNR
Home PageJohnson’s Shut-Ins Fen Natural Area
This fen has been designated a Missouri Natural Area because it is one of the best remaining examples of this natural community in Missouri. Fens are one of the rarest communities in Missouri. These boggy areas are like a combination of marsh and spring and are fed by groundwater. Many of Missouri’s rarest plants, such as cowbane and meadow phlox, are found in fens. Survivors from the ice age, these plants still survive here because of the cool water that comes from many small springs.
Effects of the Reservoir Break
When more than one billion gallons of water rushed through this area, it carried with it suspended boulders, gravel, sand, uprooted trees, sediment and other debris. As the flood passed through the fen, soil was scoured away and most of the trees in the fen were ripped out of the ground. Some parts of the fen had 3 feet of sandy sediment dumped on top. Masses of whole and broken trees were jammed in 15-foot tall piles around the trees that were left.
Restoration Efforts
Soil biologists and wetland ecologists quickly examined the area to determine the best ways to restore it. The most important thing was to uncover the remaining plants before spring “greenup.” Otherwise, these plants might die, buried under the sediment and debris.
More than 1,150 truckloads of sediment and tree debris were removed with specialized heavy equipment working on wooden or mulch pads so they would not rut or compress the soil. Most of the sediment was removed with a large industrial vacuum. In particularly delicate areas, the sediment was removed by hand using rake, shovel and wheelbarrow. This was one of the first big recovery efforts, and the green fen plants growing before you are our first signs of success.
