Rural Missouri - June 2022 - 19

by Zach Smith |
F
zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
or Matt Taylor, the magnetic draw of the lake is in
his blood. As a two-year-old he played on the bank
while his father fished. A decade or so later, Fellows
was where he developed a lifelong love of sailing.
" This lake is incredibly fickle, " he says, with a smile that
betrays deep admiration. " It has really weird wind, but if
you can learn to read the wind and sail this lake, you can
sail anywhere. "
The 860-acre lake was built by City Utilities of
Springfield in 1955 to provide
drinking water for the city of
Springfield. Almost 30 years
later, the Watershed Committee
of the Ozarks (WCO) was created
to monitor and safeguard the
water quality at Fellows. That
means there's no swimming,
windsurfing or fireworks allowed,
but the lake remains a chooseyour-own-adventure
playground
for outdoor lovers. Whether you
want a view of the water over
your handlebars, a chance at
landing a supersized walleye or a
lesson in trimming the mainsail
- you've got your pick at Fellows
Lake.
For Matt, the opportunity
to come back to the place that
gave him so much joy as a kid
couldn't be ignored. When he
joined WCO as the lake's operations
manager last year, he
already had firsthand knowledge of how the right introduction
to Fellows could turn a visitor into a lifelong advocate
for its future.
The lake's wide variety of activities make up more than
an outdoor wonderland for sailors, mountain bikers, anglers
and more; they're all important touchpoints for making
visitors aware of the importance of the watershed and
fit right into the WCO's mission of education and outreach.
" If you get a child excited about an activity and involved
in what you're trying to protect, they'll be passionate about
it, too, " Matt says. " We look for different ways to engage
youth and adults in outdoor recreation and sports so they
can learn to protect the resource. That's our jam. "
Since WCO took charge of recreation at the lake and the
surrounding 20-acre Miller Park in March 2021, momentum
gained around upgrading the infrastructure. A stateof-the-art
dock replaced the original wood planking. A new
Previous page from top: Hunting and fishing - particularly for
muskie stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation - offer
year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure at Fellows Lake. More
than 25 miles of the 37-mile loop encircling the lake draw mountain
bikers to the winding shores. Photo by Jim McCarty. Sailing enthusiasts
have flocked to the windy waves of Fellows since it was impounded in
1955. Photo courtesy WCO.
park store, kayak launches, restrooms and an interactive,
ADA-accessible playground are all on the horizon, with the
potential to construct additional accessible fishing piers
and boat launches, an observation platform and amphitheatre.
The
amenities serve a multitude of different user groups
who are introducing newcomers to the Ozarks and the
outdoors. Spring is a particularly busy time of year on the
water during May's muskie fishing workshop at Fellows
Lake - one of only five publicly accessible stocked lakes
in the state where anglers can try for the famed " fish of
10,000 casts. "
Another popular feature of the
" If you get a child excited
about an activity and
involved in what you're
trying to protect, they'll be
passionate about it, too. "
- Matt Taylor
Ops Manager, Fellows Lake
surrounding Miller Park is a multiuse,
singletrack trail circling
the lake which is nearing completion,
with 25 of the projected
35-mile course finished. A grand
opening for the trail - funded by
nonprofit Trailspring as part of
its Dirt66 project - is scheduled
for June 4 celebrating National
Trails Day. During the same
month, the lake plays host to
meetings and events for groups
ranging from the Greater Ozarks
Audubon Society to Empower:
Abilities to the Concrete Man
Triathlon. Added to this are sailing
regattas, a trio of moonlight
paddles and managed hunts that
occur throughout the fall and the
winter and provide something for
everyone's outdoor tastes or skillset.
All of it is located less than a
half hour's drive from Springfield.
" 'If you build it, they will come.' We built it; They're
coming, " Matt says. " If you like doing anything outside:
'Yes, we have that.' "
If you happen to lack the skills or the gear, WCO has
you covered. The park store rents fishing gear, kayaks,
canoes, sailboats and even motorboats (horsepower on the
lake is capped at 40) for bass fishing. Fellows Lake also
hosts American Canoe Association certification classes as
an official ACA Paddle Club. Matt, a founding member of
the Springfield Sailing Club, hopes to gain the U.S. Sailing
Association's certification for the lake by year's end.
" This resource allows us to introduce our community
to all the wonders of nature available right here in our own
backyard, " Matt says, " and engaging the beauty of all the
different natural wonders southwest Missouri offers. "
Springfield
Fellows Lake is located at 4200
Farm Road 66 north of Springfield.
The lake store is open from sunrise
to sunset, March 1 through Oct. 31.
For more information about recreation
opportunities and upcoming
events, visit watershedcommittee.
org/fellows-lake.
JUNE 2022 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 19
http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - June 2022

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