Not as swamp as it once was
Country singer Toby Keith once famously sang, “I’m not as good as I once was.” Were someone to parody that song on behalf of Hornersville Swamp Conservation Area (CA), it would likely include the confession that the area is “not as swamp as it once was.”
Hornersville Swamp CA, located on 3,381.5 acres in Dunklin County, stands as one of the Bootheel’s largest remnant of bottomland forest. However, its flat and poorly drained landscape includes remnant stream channels, backwater sloughs, and shallow depressions that retain up to 2 feet of water after seasonal rains, contributing to areas that are truly a swamp, said Ross Glenn, Mississippi Lowland District supervisor.
Sitting on the Missouri-Arkansas border, the area serves as a cap to Arkansas’ Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Combined, the two attract large populations of waterfowl and woodland bird species, drawing hunters, anglers, birders, and more, he said.
“When talking to area users and answering questions about the area, it is not uncommon to hear stories about successful waterfowl hunts, the big buck that got away, a successful swamp rabbit hunt, or unique bird that has recently been spotted on the area.” Glenn said.
This Issue's Staff
Editor – Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor – Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer – Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer – Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Kate Morrow
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Artist – Matt Byrde
Circulation – Marcia Hale