WHAT IS A NATURAL AREA?

Much of Missouri's original landscape no longer exists. But thanks to the Missouri Natural Areas System some examples of it are being preserved and protected. Natural areas are important benchmarks to evaluate environmental change and serve as reservoirs of the state biological diversity. Additionally, natural areas provide opportunities for scientific study as well as educational, cultural, and recreational uses. Through protection from development and by managing to preserve the natural characteristics of the areas, the best examples of natural communities are preserved. Natural areas often provide essential habitat for rare and endangered plants and animals.

The Missouri Natural Areas Committee is an interagency committee, consisting of representatives of the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, and the National Park Service which coordinate the classification, inventory, designation, and stewardship of natural areas in Missouri. Natural areas are owned by a variety of public agencies as well as private concerns.

The Mark Twain National Forest has a wide selection of natural areas, representing fens, sinkhole ponds, glades, forests and aquatic communities.

HADEN BALD NATURAL AREA

Haden Bald is an example of a dolomite bald, characteristic of the White River region. To understand what a bald is, one must first have an understanding of the glade community. Glades are rocky, barren openings on moderate to steep slopes. They are dominated by grasses and flowering plants, with sparse woody vegetation. As a result of erosion and resistance to weathering, the bedrock is partially or completely exposed and the soil depth is very shallow, from 0-15 inches. Dry conditions are common on glades during the summer, but soils may be seasonally saturated with water during spring, fall, and winter. A bald is a hilltop glade that is dominated by herbaceous vegetation. When viewed from a distance the hill looks "bald" - hence the name.

Native grasses such as Indian grass, little bluestem, poverty grass, and wild rye are predominant on Haden Bald, with a few eastern red cedars and smoke trees sprinkled about. The stark beauty of the bald is heightened by splashes of color provided by a variety of wildflowers throughout the growing season. Among them are blazing star, beard-tongue, yellow coneflower, Missouri primrose, lobelia, orange puccoon, and prairie dock. On the fringes of the bald, a post oak-black oak forest occurs. Other species in the forest include persimmon, dogwood and redbud. A unique species, the smoke tree, has long, feathery seed heads that resemble puffs of smoke in the spring and brilliant yellow-orange to red leaf color in the fall.

WILDLIFE AT HADEN BALD

The arid conditions on Haden Bald provide habitat for some species specialized for this desert-like setting. Perhaps the most interesting is the eastern collared lizard, known to some as the "mountain boomer." It is rarely seen in Missouri except on glades. This colorful animal can reach 14 inches in length and will bask on exposed rocks to absorb the warmth of the sun. If you interrupt its sunbath, it will rise up on its hind legs and dash under a rock or into a crevice.

Glade communities are home to some snakes, including the six-lined racerunner, eastern coachwhip (considered Missouri's fastest snake), flathead, Osage copperhead, and pygmy rattlesnake. Listen for the call of the eastern narrowmouth toad, sometimes heard on glades. It sounds like the "baaaa" of a lost lamb.

The Bachman's sparrow, endangered in Missouri, and the greater roadrunner, on the state watch list, might be spotted here. Invertebrates found on Haden Bald include the tarantula, lichen grasshopper, and the Missouri woodland swallowtail butterfly.

OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Owned and managed by USDA Forest Service, Mark Twain National Forest - Ava Ranger District.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS

Permission from the owner of the surrounding land is required to cross to Haden Bald. Stop at the Ava Ranger District office to obtain the land owner's name and phone number. Collection of plants and animals is prohibited.

ADDITIONAL NATURAL AREAS

You may wish to visit nearby natural areas on the same day. Listed below are both Mark Twain National Forest and Missouri Department of Conservation natural areas. For more information on a particular site, check ownership and contact the Forest Service District Ranger office or the Department of Conservation Wildlife District Supervisor in the location listed.

Caney Mountain------------------MDC-------Caney Mountain WA
Bryant Creek----------------------MDC-------West Plains, MO

SIZE, LOCATION, AND ACCESS

Forty acres in Ozark County. Portion of section 4, T24N, R16W, Smallett 7.5 topographical quadrangle. Access by permission only (see details under "special regulations"). From Ava take state highway 5 south to Highway A, follow signs for Glade Top Trail. Haden Bald is approximately 3 miles off highway A. Watch for the "bald" on your right.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Forest Supervisor
401 Fairgrounds Road
Rolla, MO 65401
(314) 364-4621 TTY

Ava Point District Ranger
P.O. Box 188
Ava, MO 65608
(417) 683-4428 TTY