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Home PageBOY SCOUTS HELP RESTORE JOHNSON'S SHUT-INS STATE PARK
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MAY 17, 2007 -- The restoration of Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park near Lesterville recently got a helping hand -- in fact it got more than 800 helping hands.
Approximately 400 Boy Scouts and leaders did a volunteer service project at the park May 5 to help restore the park following the December 2005 breach the Taum Sauk Reservoir. The scouts, who were from the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, ranged in age from 11 to 18.
Boy Scouts in the St. Louis area have a long history of association with Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, often camping at the park and doing hikes in the area, especially the Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail. The "One Day of Service" volunteer project was organized by members of the Shawnee Lodge of the Order of the Arrow -- an honor society for scouts. Bruce Levitt, the advisor to the service project, said the effort was a way for the scouts to show their appreciation for using the park throughout the decades and to help others enjoy the park.
"When you take 400 scouts and calculate seven hours of service, that comes to a total of 2,800 hours of service, which is incredible. It is the largest one-day volunteer effort in the history of the state park system," said Doug Eiken, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of State Parks, which operates the park.
During the volunteer project, scouts were divided into groups with different assignments. Several groups were given the assignment of planting trees in five areas to establish a forest corridor along the banks of the East Fork of the Black River, which has been restored to address environmental problems associated with the breach. The 4,000 trees and shrubs, including sycamore, American elm, sumac and rough-leaved dogwood, will help stabilize the riverbanks.
Several other groups removed cottonwood sprouts in the park's fen, a wetland natural area that originally contained many rare plants. After the breach, several feet of sand and silt were removed from the fen so the native plants could re-establish themselves. Removing the cottonwood sprouts that had begun to grow in the fen will allow more light to help ground-layer wetland plants thrive before letting the new forest canopy develop.
Other work groups worked in the scour channel that was created by the water rushing down Proffit Mountain into the park. One group did a walk-through looking for any manmade hazards that might remain in the area. Another group picked up different sizes of rocks that will eventually be used in new park construction.
Other scouts assisted with several projects at nearby Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. Work included removing woody debris and resurfacing several trails with rock. Another group cut small trees in the park's glade to restore the glade environment and maintain the scenic views from the overlook.
Many of the scouts camped Friday and Saturday nights in the area of park where the Goggins Mountain trailhead currently is located. This is the area that will be the site of the park's new campground according to the park's redevelopment plan.
The Department of Natural Resources provided the scouts with the camping area, lunch and dinner on Saturday, transportation to and from work zones, and equipment such as shovels needed for the work. These items were partially funded by a $10,000 grant from Recreational Equipment Inc. to the Missouri State Parks Foundation.
"There is still much that needs to be done at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, but the work done by these scouts has been a great help. We also know that their assistance is a reflection of how much this state park means to the people who visit it, " Eiken said.
For more information on progress at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, visit the Web site at www.mostateparks.com.
