The Ozark Environment: A National Treasure

The Ozarks include much of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas and small portions of Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma.  The area consists of the Ozark Highlands to the north and the the Boston Mountains to the southwest.  The Boston Mountains are the highest and most rugged portion of the Ozarks.  A quarter billion years of years of erosion and weathering have resulted in a thoroughly dissected plateau with landform diversity ranging from rolling plains to deeply dissected hills and valleys.  Subterranean dissolution of carbonate bedrock has resulted in dominant karst features with many streams losing water to underground passages and others fed by springs and seepage, often from areas beyond the surface watershed.

The Ozarks are one of the oldest continually exposed landscapes on earth. The high, gently rolling plains once supported prairies, savannahs and open woodlands; the dissected hills and valleys supported oak and oak-pine woodlands and forest interspersed with glades, fens, springs, caves and cliffs harboring many unique species. Plants and animals have had over 200 million years to adapt to the rugged landscape or take refuge from continental climate change.  Geographic isolation, topographic relief, and karst geology have resulted in remarkable biodiversity in the Ozarks. Over 200 species are largely restricted to the Ozarks, of which approximately 160 species occur nowhere else in the world.  More than 100 fish species live in Ozarks streams, including 56 species and subspecies that are restricted to, or have very limited distribution outside of the Ozarks.  Overall, the Ozarks provide habitat for nearly two-thirds of the threatened and endangered species in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

The Ozarks harbor landscapes, caves, streams and species found nowhere else on Earth.  The biological diversity and richness is inextricably linked to the local culture and much of the economic activity in the Ozarks.  Hunting, fishing, canoeing, hiking, and other outdoor recreation opportunities draw millions of visitors to the Ozarks each year.  Forestry and other agricultural activities employ significant portions of Ozark residents.  The continued success of these activities and the communities that depend on them is in turn dependant on the quality of the resources.  However, the growing human population in the Ozarks has become dependent on reservoirs constructed on major rivers in the region and, in some cases, ground water for household and public water supply. Increased industrial and agricultural activities affect adequate water quantity; maintaining water quality is also a challenge.