Refuge at Peck Ranch Conservation Area to reopen

A little more than a month after flood damage forced a temporary closure, the refuge portion of the Peck Ranch Conservation Area is set to reopen to the public on August 15.

Road damage caused by flooding forced Missouri Department of Conservation staff to close the 11,500-acre refuge portion of the Peck Ranch Area. This included the elk viewing route. Access was still allowed to the approximately 12,000 acres outside the refuge. (The Peck Ranch Conservation Area encompasses more than 23,000 acres in Shannon and Carter counties.)

Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Biologist Preston Mabry, the manager of the Peck Area, said he appreciates the public’s patience during the repairs. Heavy rains led to high water levels which washed out portions of several roads on the area. Repairs have been completed on all roads in the refuge except for Service Road 3. Mabry expects work on that road to be completed within the next two weeks, weather permitting. Mabry also points out that Carter County Road P-159, which is in the southern part of Peck Ranch Conservation Area and is one of the routes leading into the refuge (it’s outside the refuge’s boundary), is open, but still being repaired by Missouri Department of Conservation staff.

The elk viewing route at Peck Ranch Conservation Area is open seven days per week during daylight hours. For more information, call the Peck Ranch Conservation Area, 573-323-4249 or the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Ozark Regional Office in West Plains, 417-256-7161. People can also get information about the Peck Ranch Area online at the "Atlas” feature of the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov.