Driving DirectionsFrom Bloomfield, take Route E east, then County Road 517 south 2 miles. HighlightsThis area is mostly forest (770 acres total), but also has 20 wildlife food plots (30 acres total), five native warm-season grass fields (60 acres total) and 101 acres of old fields. Facilities/features: archery range, camping, pavilion, Holly Ridge, and Beech Springs natural areas (sand forests with acid seeps and springs). About This AreaHolly Ridge Conservation Area is in Stoddard County, four miles northeast of Dexter. The area can be reached from county gravel roads off Highway 60 and Route E.This 1,000-acre conservation area was purchased with Conservation Department funds and a donation by The Nature Conservancy. Two natural areas, Holly Ridge and Beech Springs, are located here. The 84-acre Holly Ridge Natural Area, which was donated to the Conservation Department by The Nature Conservancy in 1975, protects 26 rare or endangered plant species. Beech Springs Natural Area consists of 35 acres and was established to protect the perched bog, sometimes called a hanging bog. A perched bog is a natural pond located on an upland site. This particular bog is surrounded by a stand of large red, black, and white oak.During your visit to Holly Ridge Conservation Area, you may view various forest improvement practices designed to improve wildlife habitat, maintain watershed quality, and to enhance tree growth, quality, and species composition. Signs of disturbance are only temporary and the forest will soon return to normal.Wildlife management practices include planting fields to serve as food sources for animals, creating watering ponds and harvesting timber, which provides improved forage and cover for wildlife.