Places to Go: Charlie Heath Memorial CA

Charlie Heath Memorial CA

The way things work out

The family of Charlie Heath donated 120 acres in northeast Missouri’s Clark County in 1975 with one request — build a lake. Subsequently merged with the adjacent Clark State Forest and bolstered by other acquisitions, Charlie Heath Memorial Conservation Area (CA) grew to more than 1,600 acres with multiuse trails, wetlands, and forests — but no lake.

Geological sampling determined the donated property to be unsuitable for a lake, but eventually a 108-acre lake was built on nearby property that became Fox Valley Lake CA. So, instead of boating, fishing, and all things aquatic, visitors to Heath Memorial CA are more likely to be about all things equestrian, according to Wildlife Biologist Matthew Schwend.

“It’s a pretty popular horse trail and hiking trail,” Schwend said of the area’s 6.3-mile multiuse trail. “I have a lot of horse trails in my district, and that’s one of the ones that gets used pretty frequently.”

With nearly 90 percent of the area forested, including almost 6 miles of stream frontage along the Fox River and Burnt Shirt Branch, Heath Memorial CA provides habitat for many migratory and breeding forest birds, contributing to its designation as a National Audubon Society important bird area.