Bluff Nature Trail:
Renovation of Bluff Nature Trail was funded in 2006 by a grant given to the Mingo Swamp Friends from a private, national foundation. Student volunteers and Mingo Swamp Friends worked together throughout the summer to halt trail erosion, replace trail material, and install benches and new directional signs. With the completion of the trail, visitors to the Refuge Visitor Center can now walk leisurely along scenic bluff overlooks and down the steep, heavily forested hillside to Rockhouse Cypress Marsh and Boardwalk Nature Trail. Future additions will include gravel along the lower trail, railing, and other safety features.
Hartz Pond Educational Trail:
Renovation of the Hartz Pond Educational Trail began the summer of 2007 as a joint task between Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Mingo Swamp Friends, and Sierra Osage of Popular Bluff. The project is aimed at restoring an educational trail that is utilized by schools for environmental education tours and the annual Ecology Days which attracts nearly 800 students annually. When completed, the trail will offer five to six teaching stations for students of all physical abilities along with a wetland educational pier for water quality studies. The anticipated completion date is the spring of 2008.
Sweets' Cabin Nature Trail - A Historic Project with a Future:
Renovation of the historic Sweets' Cabin and the connecting Sweets' Cabin Nature Trail is currently being proposed. Traversing the edge of the Ozark Hill Plateau, the one-mile loop trail winds through bottomland hardwood forest alongside Stanley Creek and the Mingo Wilderness Area to a Depression-era cabin. The trail is a favorite among local residents, anglers, and visitors with an interest in history and wilderness life-styles of the past.
Schoolhouse Wheelchair Accessible Hunting Trail - Upkeep:
Each fall as members are available, Mingo Friends assist the Refuge with the cleanup and upkeep of the Schoolhouse Wheelchair-Accessible Hunting Trial which consists of the repair of blinds, removal of poison ivy, and other maintenance needs. Volunteers are currently needed to continue this important project.
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