The sound of the chattering crowd almost drowned out the birds and bugs during the ribbon cutting at Ozark’s Garrison Springs Community Forest Tuesday morning.
The picturesque 9.7-acre park full of babbling streams in the middle of Ozark was once private property. It was part of an area settled by the Garrison family in the 1840s. In the 90s and early 2000s Ernest and Mary Lou Braswell owned and maintained the property and allowed the public to visit the springs and appreciate the still standing historic buildings.
In March 2021 Ozark purchased the land and began to improve it with a grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation Land Conservation Partnership and a Federal Forestry Grant, and collaboration from the James River Basin Partnership and a community group the Friends of Garrison Springs.
It’s been closed to the public since, as the city and its partners worked to improve the health of the forest by eliminating invasive species and carrying out prescribed burns. They also added an ADA trail through part of the property as well as a look out point.
Ozark Mayor Don Currence said the project was about preserving a special part of the city.
Mayor Currence described it as “a hidden treasure,” he said, “for the citizens of Ozark, it's something we can have for our families to enjoy for many years to come.”
And Ozarks Parks Director Hayden Ponsar celebrated the history of the park, pointing to the stream he said once supplied water to the Chadwick Flyer train’s steam engines. Ponsar said moving forward the city will hope to learn more about and build on all of the property’s history. He said they’d be intentional about community involvement as the park continues to develop.
"Having a plan for the future is going to be a critical thing," Ponsar explained, "that's something our team has worked to develop with the support of all city staff, from our Friends of Garrison group and other community stakeholders."
And the future of Garrison Springs is well outlined in that plan, which was developed by the city and the James River Basin Partnership and the Watershed Conservation Corps. It includes plans for an education center and continuing to develop trails on and into the park. It also makes suggestions like expanding the park if possible and purchasing and closing for preservation purposes the entrance to Garrison Cave, which is nearby on private property.
Missouri Department of Conversation Community and Private Lands Branch Chief Jason Jensen credits local Community Conservation Planner Ronda Burnett with helping the city fund and develop the project. Jensen said it's a unique park for the state, and an opportunity to preserve several springs and streams with space for native flora and fauna, but just as importantly Jensen said, "from a public health standpoint, whether we're talking about physical health or mental health, getting people outside so they can actually experience nature, that, I think is the biggest benefit (of) this property."
Find more information about the Garrison Springs Community Forest including a copy of the planning document at this link.