What is the Ozark National Scenic Riverways?

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Photo courtesy National Park Service

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is Missouri's largest and most natural National Park, located in the state's Ozark region along the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. The 80,000 acres of the ONSR encompass 134 miles of these two streams, and much of the adjoining forested landscape. Natural springs are found throughout the ONSR, providing sixty percent of the rivers' flow. Big Spring, one of the largest springs in the U.S., has an average flow of 276 million gallons of water per day. In addition, some of the 300 recorded caves within the ONSR offer critical habitat to endangered Indiana and gray bats. Congress created the ONSR on August 24, 1964, through enactment of Public Law 88-492. The law specifies that the purposes of the Park are "conserving and interpreting unique scenic and other natural values and objects of historic interest, including preservation of portions of the Current River and the Jacks Fork River in Missouri as free-flowing streams, preservation of springs and caves, management of wildlife, and provisions for use and enjoyment of the outdoor recreation resources thereof by the people of the United States."

The argument for the creation of the ONSR can be traced to the 1930s, and controversial proposals for dams on the Current and Jacks Fork. Other proposals for dams in the 1950s led to a coalition of naturalists, environmentalists, and sportsmen and women dedicated to river preservation that eventually succeeded in gaining federal protection for the area.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Photo Courtesy of National Park Service

Current Threats

The ONSR is threatened by overuse and abuse by some visitors, as well as the unwillingness of the National Park Service to enforce key policies related to resource protection. Major ongoing problems in the Park include: rampant vehicular access and abuse, uncontrolled use from trail ride conventions, scenic easement violations, a severe decline in the quality of the recreational experience for visitors, failure to enforce park regulations, and an overall administrative atmosphere that has not been consistent with National Park System standards.

Most recently, the Missouri Department of Transportation has proposed widening and straightening the two miles of Highway 17 that bisect the ONSR, including the bridge crossing over the Jacks Fork River. The asserted purpose of the project is to replace the Highway 17 bridge, yet it would go far beyond simply replacing this bridge. MoDOT has proposed an excessively wide right of way, the straightening of two miles of road, and the creation of deep road cuts and the filling of valleys. This heavily engineered project would forever change the beautiful landscape of the area, which is known as Buck Hollow.