Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District

Visitors to Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs District will find different landscapes, contrasting the typical oak-hickory forests of the Midwest. Open areas of native tall prairie grasses characterized by dry, shallow soils and limestone outcroppings are reminiscent of the historic pioneer trails to the Old West not far away. The unique blending of eastern forest and western desert habitats makes a home for such varied wildlife as the bald eagle and the roadrunner, armadillos and wild turkey, white-tailed deer and black bears.