VAN BUREN — Several months after the Mark Twain National Forest released a draft proposal with a recommendation to decommission the campground at the Watercress Recreation Area at Van Buren, officials continue to try to determine the best route going forward for the popular area.
In the spring, the U.S. Forest Service completed a Recreational Site Analysis (RSA) to determine how much use each of the Mark Twain’s 159 recreation areas receive. That information would be used to develop a draft Recreational Facility Strategy (RFS) to essentially guide operations of those areas for the next five years.
Following the big Current River flood in May of 2017, the Watercress area sustained a lot of damage, and three years later, much of it has yet to be repaired.
“Within our Recreation Facility Strategy (RFS), there was a bit of a sticker shock number that said we’d need $750,000 to restore Watercress back to where it was pre-2017 flood, and that was from an engineering study that was conducted,” said Mark Twain National Forest spokesman Cody Norris.
The RFS also said “one thing to consider is maybe getting rid of camping there in the future,” said Norris.
That proposal, made public in May, did not sit well with Carter County locals, who held a meeting Aug. 18 with Doniphan-Eleven Point District Ranger Matt Dillon.
At that meeting, Dillon told the 50 or so in attendance the Forest Service was hesitant to fund repairs because of the area’s location inside a flood plain and suggested a third party could maintain the area or it could be deeded to the City of Van Buren.
In the weeks since, the Forest Service held a public comment period, which closed in October.
The draft RFS, Norris said, should have been written in a better way and caused some confusion because of the way it was worded.
“We did a poor job (communicating). We let it go out to the public and let it get misconstrued,” Norris said. “I think it was poorly worded, so when people looked at it, they saw if we don’t get $750,000, we’re going to close all of Watercress.”
That was not the case, Norris said.
“We didn’t plan to close the whole site, and we never wanted to get rid of the boat launch or general day-use in the area,” Norris said. “It was really looking at it going ‘OK, is camping without these amenities the way we want to go, or do we just want to keep it as day-use only?’”
The initial sticker shock and misunderstanding, Norris said, probably “got people riled up.”
Enough residents made their opinions known that Missouri’s federal delegation — Sen. Josh Hawley, Sen. Roy Blunt and Rep. Jason Smith — drafted a letter Oct. 9 to Sherri Schwenke, forest supervisor for the Mark Twain National Forest.
In the letter, the three shared concerns about the Watercress proposal and how it would negatively impact residents.
“We have received hundreds of letters expressing concern with the proposed plans associated with the Watercress Recreation Area located in the Mark Twain National Forest. We share these concerns,” the letter said.
It continued, “The Watercress Recreation Area, located within the city limits of Van Buren, Missouri, is an indispensable public access point for the Current River. The site has a long-standing history of offering a variety of outdoor recreation uses, including camping, hiking trails, fishing, and wildlife for Missouri residents.
“It is our hope that the Forest Service will seriously consider these concerns regarding plans for the Watercress site and fully utilize all options to work with local interests to ensure this site continues to operate. Recreational sites, such as Watercress, are essential economic drivers for rural communities in Southern Missouri. They draw in tourists from around the country who then patronize local businesses. Loss of any part of this site would not just harm the local community’s ability to enjoy outdoor recreation, but also remove a critical piece of the local economy.”
Leona Stephens, Carter County clerk, said the Watercress Recreation Area is where she tends to send visitors.
“One of the best things about Watercress is it is in an area of the river where the current is very low and slow, so it’s a lot better for children versus what’s down under the bridge, where the city has its public area,” Stephens said. “Watercress is always where I send people that have children because it’s just a lot better placement on the river.”
Watercress has “always been a really nice, well-used park, and it really does need to be repaired,” Stephens added.
Stephens is unsure of statistics as far as the number of campers each year at Watercress, but none the less said it’s important to keep that option open.
“What is a lot compared to other areas,” she questioned. “For us, it is a lot. We are saturated here during the summer, and we need all of the locations we can get.”
Norris acknowledged “it’s tough when you’re trying to cut hundreds of thousands of dollars somewhere, and you put it all into a spreadsheet, and it gets down to the human level, and you’re interacting with people.”
The next step in the process, Norris said, “is reviewing the comments and feedback and deciding whether to accept the draft plan as is or amend it in some way. This is stage two of three or four moving forward, trying to get to a balanced recreation program.”
The Forest Service, Norris said, has “heard the public, and the ranger there is working with local community leaders. There’s still a strong component within the community that would like to see as much restored to that site as possible.”
Norris couldn’t say precisely when an update to the draft proposal would be completed, but said it should be done in the coming months., possibly before the end of the year.