General Watkins Conservation Area is located in Scott County, three miles southwest of Benton along Highway 61. The area is composed of 1,038 acres, which lies in a forested hill region of the country and is a remnant of a once extensively forested area.

This forest was purchased to provide public land in an area where there is very little public land. This area also allows the Department of Conservation to manage and protect special features associated with the area, to provide fishing opportunities, to promote sound forest management activities, and to manage and enhance wildlife habitat.

There are six bodies of water (lakes, ponds and clay borrow pits) totaling 28 acres on the area that provides fishing opportunities. Lookout Mountain Lake (10 acres) is the largest.

The two northern most ponds and the two clay borrow pits along Highway 61 offer good largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish angling. Special regulations pertaining to area waters are posted.

To meet safety specifications, the Department of Conservation is planning on draining Lookout Mountain Lake this fall or early winter. At this time the front and back side of the dam is too steep, there is no emergency spillway, the drain pipe is leaking, there is no principal spillway pipe, and there are water pipes, electric lines and telephone lines under the roadway on the dam.

After the lake dries (approximately one year) the dam will be repaired, the lake basin renovated and fish habitat structures will be installed. Largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish will be stocked in the fall of 1998. Plans are to open the lake to fishing in 2001.

General Watkins Conservation Area contains a variety of forest types and ecosystems. The composition of the forest more closely resembles Appalachian than Missouri woodlands.

A person visiting the area may view various forest management practices designed to improve wildlife habitat, maintain watershed quality and enhance tree growth, quality and species compositions. Beech, sweetgum, cucumber tree and tulip poplar are found here, along with more common tree species, such as white oak, maple, hickory and walnut.

Natural erosion has worn steep-sided canyons up to 50 feet deep through the area's loess soils. Loess soils are a fine-grained, yellowish-brown, extremely fertile loam deposited mainly by the wind. People walking near these canyons should be cautious.

Wildlife habitat management includes the creation of watering ponds and the manipulation of fields within the forest to provide added food sources. Wildlife found on the area is typical of species found on Missouri uplands. Included are deer, squirrels, rabbits, woodchuck and furbearers. Bird populations consists of turkey, quail, doves, hawks and songbirds.

Other recreational facilities include a one-mile graveled hiking trail traversing through scenic forests and a newly completed primitive camping area complete with barbecue grills and picnic tables. Camping is primitive, as no electric or water is available.

General Watkins Conservation Area is open daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Camping, hunting, fishing, dog training and launching and landing boats are permitted at any time when authorized. Hunting is permitted under statewide regulations. The area can be reached from Highway 61. Right now there is no access from Highway 74, but the Department is in the process of trying to obtain an access.

For more information or a brochure on General Watkins Conservation Area, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation at 290-5730.

~Brad Pobst is an aquatic services biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.