A sign of clean, cold spring water and the Ozarks’ natural heritage
By Michelle Scherer, OLT Conservation Project Manager
Photo by Michelle Scherer
When I’m walking a property for a prospective conservation easement, to complete our inventory of its important natural attributes, I’m never certain
what I might find. On one Ozark property in the Huzzah Creek tributary of the Meramec River, in the cold of January, our team stumbled upon a spring at the base of a dolomite bluff, and we found watercress growing in the spring.
This finding was significant because the plant only thrives in the cold and relatively unpolluted waters like those that flow from the Ozark’s many springs. Its presence is a sign of a consistent clean water source, which speaks to the special and historic nature of the land.
For generations, Ozark settlers and Missouri’s indigenous peoples have foraged for watercress for its nutrient-rich food and medicinal properties(it has been known to prevent scurvy). These days, it might be regarded as a “super food.”
In fact, our landowner partners make a special trip to their spring, to forage the watercress for their salad, soup, and sandwiches.