Watersheds Lower North Fork Lick Creek Watershed

Lick Creek Watershed

	Lick Creek flows out of the west side of Caney Mountain Conservation Area north of Gainesville. From its beginnings in the Gainesville monadnocks, it flows almost seven miles to Gainesville. Passing under U.S.160 highway, it continues on through a series of wide and narrow valleys a little over nine miles, passing through the small community of Mammoth. From Mammoth it flows another 8 or 9 miles, passes under J Highway, and empties into Norfork Lake, across the lake arm from Udall, MO. This view is from J Hwy. bridge. From here, Lick Creek flows another four miles until it reaches Norfork Lake.
The total area of Lick Creek's watershed is about 85 square miles. About 46 square miles, or 54% of the land, is forested. Some 39 square miles, or 45% of the area, is in grassland. About one square mile of the watershed is considered urban land, including land occupied by Gainesville's buildings, private property, roads, and parking lots. Gainesville, with a population of about 700, is the only incorporated community in the Lick Creek watershed.
	Looking east toward the Caney Mountains, this county road winds down a long hill toward Lick Creek. The creek's source is about 1.5 miles north, to the far left in the picture.
	Tiny and intermittent at its start, springs and small streams feed it into life. By the time it reaches here, Little Creek has entered, and the stream continues to flow even in August.
	The little store at Mammoth was once the center of a small farming community. Only remnants of the store and surrounding town remain, but this sign still points the way to kitchen essentials and a cool drink.

Sources: Missouri Atlas and Gazetteer,DeLorme, Yarmouth, Maine, 1998, page 63.
Missouri Ozark Waterways,Oz Hawksley, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City,1997.
Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership, Land Cover by Hydrologic Unit.
Missouri County Fact Sheets,Evelyn Cleveland, MU Outreach and Extension, 1999.