JASPER                       39 Wah-Sha-She Prairie

Wah-Sha-She Prairie Natural Area

A 160-acre area two miles north of Asbury in the SE1/4 of Section 31, T30N, R33W, Asbury 7.5 min. topographic map. Designated October 22, 1975.

Natural Features--A nearly level upland prairie over claypan soils (Cherokee silt loam) with high plant diversity in the Osage Plains Natural Division. A 10-acre pond and shallow marsh, although not natural features, attract reptiles and amphibians, as well as migrating shorebirds and waterfowl once common to native marshy prairies. This is the only claypan soil prairie on public land in the Osage Plains Natural Division. Wah-Sha-She means "Water People," a subdivision of the Osage Tribe. Wah-Sha-She Prairie Natural Area is owned by The Nature Conservancy and is leased to the Department of Conservation. It is a wildlife refuge. For further information contact the Wildlife District Supervisor, Southwest District Office, 2630 N. Mayfair, Springfield, MO 65803, phone 417/895-6880.

Ornate box turtle