County of site: Carter County
Location of site: Big Spring, Current River, Van Buren
"The spring run of Big Spring provides cool water that feeds the Current River. Within the spring run, characteristic Ozark fishes include the Ozark sculpin and the bleeding shiner. Star duckweed, a plant species restricted to springs, occurs in the spring branch along with a variety of other plant species characteristic of springs including water starwort." ~ Missouri Department of Conservation
"The park service promotes the Current River as one of the midwest's best float streams, in part due to the contributions of some of the nation's largest springs. The headwaters of the Current River begin at the confluence of Pigeon Creek and Montauk Springs in Montauk State Park. Other notable springs along its course include Welch Spring, Cave Spring, Pulltite Spring, Round Spring, Fire Hydrant Spring, Ebb and Flow Spring, Blue Spring, Big Spring, and Gravel Spring. The park contains the United States' largest concentration of first magnitude springs (which are defined as having average flow of more than 100 cu ft/s (2.8 m3/s)) in dolomite rock. The only comparable spring collections are the limestone springs of North Florida near Gainesville and the igneous-based springs of Idaho's Snake River." ~ Wikipedia
"Welcome to Ozark National Scenic Riverways
"Ozark National Scenic Riverways was created by an Act of Congress on August 27, 1964, to protect 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers in the Ozark Highlands of southeastern Missouri. Ozark NSR was the nation's first "scenic riverways" - a forerunner to the Wild and Scenic River Act by four years.The clean, clear waters of the two beautiful rivers provide excellent opportunities for johnboating, canoeing, swimming, fishing, tubing, hiking and bird watching. Hunting is also allowed within the Riverways' boundaries, except around developed areas. The landscape is predominantly rural with oakpine forests and occasional open fields.
"The southeast Missouri Ozarks are typified by narrow steep-sided hollows, numerous streams, and bluffs. Much of the area is underlain by soluble dolomite, giving rise to sinkholes, caves and springs of classical Karst topography.
"There are over 300 recorded caves within the boundaries. Several caves have been identified as having critical habitat for the endangered Indiana and Gray bats. Some caves are gated or signed to protect bat habitat.
"Over sixty percent of the rivers' flow comes from seven major and hundreds of other smaller springs of various sizes within the park. Big Spring, one of the largest springs in the United States, has an average flow of 276 million gallons of water per day. The maximum recorded flow in one day was 840 million gallons in June 1928.
"There are 112 species of fish, 197 species of birds, and 58 species of mammals found in the park. There are also 26 species of amphibians and 46 species of reptiles found in the park area, including four venomous snakes. The park is home to approximately 1,000 plant species.
"Summers are hot and humid. Ticks, mosquitoes and gnats are the most prevalent insect problems. The area is subject to severe thunderstorms, torrential rains, and flooding at any time of the year. Winters are generally cool with variable precipitation.
About 1.5 million people a year visit Ozark NSR. Visitation is heaviest during the summer months, especially during weekends and holidays.
"The rivers are considered to be Class 1 streams. Class 1 is the least difficult of the classifications" ~ National Park Servie