As we continue on this exciting journey of revitalizing this amazing gem of the Ozarks, we have come to some conclusions that have been apparent for years. There are many camps around the country that were opened in the 1960's that were simply intended for summer camp. This was great at the time...but slowly we have seen these camps fold under financial strains, urban areas encroaching on the properties, as well as just an inability to really keep up high quality facilities (even rustic ones) during 9 months of disuse & 3 months of heavy use year after year. Because of this, we know that Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy MUST find year-round uses of the property for it to not return to what it is currently. We realize some uses of the property may not be year-round by itself. By combining all of these will make it a great resource to the Ozarks & USA at large! Below is a quick list of the 5 viable areas we see making Graydon Springs a year round facility. What is your favorite of 5? Maybe that's where you can become involved!
Education
- Environmental Education Center
- for schools
- for public classes
- for Summer Camp focuses on Environmental Education/Sciences
- Training ground for aid workers destined for remote areas
- Training ground for volunteers of all kinds of areas
- Space for a ‘Seeds of Peace’ type camp- http://www.seedsofpeace.org/
Recreation
- Campground for public use from the trail
- Summer Camp
- Recreation - adventure training, races, orienteering
Ozarks Heritage
- Nature preserve
- Site for historic education- dealing with early settlements, 19th century medicine, early 20th century science
- A place for ‘train enthusiasts’ to gather
- Wildlife/Native American education
Sustainability
- “Lab” for green technology & techniques
- Agriculture - local, organic, gardens, possibly lease pasture land to other parties
- A teaching center for sustaniable agriculture techniques
Community
- Family Retreat Center - to foster healthy families, which prevents child abuse issues in Ozarks, etc
- Host music festivals
- partner with other organizations to find new uses for property
We had a fantastic meeting on Tuesday, October 19! Thank you to Becky, Laurie, Kristy & 2 newcomers - Mary & Melissa for a wonderful discussion! Thank you to Drury for allowing us to use a conference room. If you weren't able to attend, that's ok. Here are some highlights of the meeting. If you see a place to put your passion, talents, or skills to use, then step right up!
Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy Steering Committee
October 19. 2010 - Drury
Shared Powerpoint with a few extra attendees to explain purpose of GSOL. Open discussion. Thanks to Mary and Melissa for joining us!
Followup items/ideas:
- Need to establish as 501(c)3 - PRIORITY #1!! - Alexis is the lead. We need to review the criteria to establish this status and decide on basic organizational structure. We know it costs $500 to register - steering committee will front the money. Would like to get this status before end of year (ideally Nov) to take advantage of charitable giving in 4th quarter for 2010 tax deduction. Shooting for deadline: Submission by Nov 5th. Since we have no idea how long the IRS will take to process, we need to work quickly. Alexis - will start working on that while Kristy, Becky and Laurie start business plan. Divide and conquer!
- Registing for Historical/Environmental Protection/Preservation/Endowment/Register or whatever. We feel the historic "dual springs" or ferns near Drury Acre or the 1880s well houses might qualify for something. Ideas that Sierra Club "Clean Water Act" initiative might apply to the springs, Mo Dept of Conservation - ferns, EPA - something, Historic Groups, etc maybe too. James River Watershed has a group in Springfield - maybe they would know of a resource for our Springs. Also gather research on any Native American connection to the land. Elise is the lead on this. All of this info will be important to help share the significance of this land to potential donors :) Deadline: Something to share by Nov 16th meeting
- Kristy talked to Kevin Killian about some of this and Boys Ranch still wanting to use some pasture land for their horses. - we will use some of this info in drafting business plan ideas
- Contact Ozark Greenways - let them know what we are up to since we desire to promote & utilize the Frisco-Highline Trail traffic - Alexis.
- Camp Photo from Google Maps or Polk County Assessor - Kristy has. This will be useful in the business plan.
- Write basic business plan - just a few pages to start sharing ideas with potential board members, early donors - Becky, Laurie, Kristy. Shoot for deadline: November 5th.
Then we start the process of securing funding. Get ready! It's time to take this to the next level!!!!
Please let us know if you have any ideas, or other contacts who might be interested in joining the team!
