Recreation

Hunter Lake is not going to be a beautiful, pristine, recreational lake. The very idea of Hunter Lake is that, in times of drought, it will be drained into the existing lake, creating acres of ugly mud flats or shallow areas. Its tiny watershed assures that, in times of drought, Hunter Lake will become an inefficient evaporation pool, losing much water it will be unable to recover.

In fact, building the dam may result in a net loss of recreational opportunities because the Horse Creek Valley, now owned by the City of Springfield, could be opened to the public and could provide thousands of people with hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, hunting and other kinds of recreational opportunities.

Instead of being drowned under an ill-conceived reservoir, archaeological sites and the Lincoln-era Pensacola Tavern could be restored to enhance Springfield's attractiveness as a tourist destination.